KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

How many people get to experience the thrill of flying a jet airliner? We were so excited when MAS invited us for a flight simulator session at Subang Airport.

What exactly is a flight simulator? From Wikipedia: A flight simulator is a system that tries to copy, or simulate, the experience of flying an aircraft. It is as realistic as possible. The different types of flight simulator range from video games up to full-size cockpit replicas mounted on hydraulic (or electromechanical) actuators, controlled by state of the art computer technology.

The fortunate bunch - Red Mummy, Sultan Muzaffar, Rojaks and other bloggers.

Saw the little white box behind? Yes, it is the official flight simulator on which all MAS pilots conduct their training on. It is so realistic that commercial pilots can complete 100% of their training in the simulator, without the need to fly real aircraft until their first commercial flight.

Before climbing aboard, our instructor gave us a pre-flight briefing. Now here we go -switch on the seat belt sign and prepare to take off.

This is the screen of a very sophiscated system that provides a variety of conditions and interactive mission. We can choose to fly anywhere in the world, anytime (choose from dusk, dawn, day or night).

The interior cockpit of flight simulator.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking…

Pretty Red Mummy: On behalf of the flight crew, let me welcome you aboard…

Thank you for flying with Malaysia Airlines, we’ll be cruising at 35000ft… (sounds familiar?)

Taking-Off.

A scenic view of London in the evening.

Nose up and preparing to land

Greasy smooth or bumpy landing? The approach plot will tell you all, as you can see, KampungBoy did a not so smooth landing (bottom graph, red line) but overall he was  a good pilot for a good 20 minutes! LOL

After the 20 minutes session, each of us received a certificate as a memento.

Though the flight simulator is nothing likea theme park or amusement arcade ride, it is terribly fun and thrilling! The good news is, MAS has decided to open it to the public, where off duty pilots and engineering teams will guide you through the session and there is a price to pay for it – RM 500 for 20 minutes. Any takers?

Have you ever wonder what does a pilot get for his/her in-flight meal? TK, a pilot (very cute!) whom we met at MAS’s office last week, sent us these pictures and wrote

“Since you have a blog on food, something to share of where i eat…while at work..no tables,tray on my lap…at 35,000 feet or 39,000 feet…he he he”

We were wandering around One Utama last week. One Utama is buzzing with activities as many people started to do their last minute shopping as the Chinese New Year is fast approaching.

To avoid the crowd, we wanted to sit down and grab a quick bite somewhere. My appetite goes thru the roof staring at the attractive banner ad of the new zinger tower and the classic KFC smell leaded us into it. The next thing we know is that we were already queuing behind the counter.

The Zinger Tower Set

I (kinda) forced KampungBoy to take the Zinger Tower Set (RM 15.90) which comprises of  1 zinger tower, 1 pepsi max (R), 1 mango pudding & 1 zinger time watch. I needed a non metallic, i.e. plastic watch for my weekly hike but was too kiam siap to spend on one.

The burger looked impressive; with layers of soft bun, fresh lettuce, zinger fillet, cheese, hash brown and a dressing of zesty chili lime sauce. I slowly but surely devoured my zinger tower, and talk about hitting the spot! Personally, I love the refreshing and citrusy chili lime sauce (despite some thinks that it tastes like dish washer) and the oh-so-crispy hash brown.

My fat stubby fingers and my new outdoor watch in vibrant yellow. Nice?

Talking about putting my own waste-line at great personal risk to answer the question “is the zinger tower a total rip off?” Well, go for the ala carte zinger tower (RM 6.60) or the X meal set (RM 10.50) with an additional chicken drumstick and drink which give more value for money if you are not interested on the zinger time watch (RM 9.90 with every chicken meal purchased). KampungBoy, can I have another three colors of the zinger time watch please? One for hiking, one for running and another one for tennis.

Like clandestine gems hidden at the first floor, the Italiannies outlet at Mid Valley Gardens has a rather cozy and elegant interior. Coupled with the warm lightning and magnificent view overlooking the city, it does enhance the romantic ambience of this cozy little restaurant.

Joe, Yee Hou and us were here to sample Italiannies’ new menu that will be fully launched at the 6^th of November.So they said, “At Italiannies, our food is designed for sharing”. Still remember those family style big portions that can probably feed more than two famished guys? With Italiannies new promotion “Bowls of Pasta”, small eaters/ladies get to sample four types of pasta at only RM 29.90.

Grape Shake and Strawberry Shake

Clock Wise
Chicken & Mushroom (shiitake mushrooms sautéed with chili chicken tossed with cherry tomatoes and rocket lettuce and served with spaghetti). Angel Hair Pomodoro (angel hair pasta with chopped red tomatoes and sautéed with garlic in a light tomato basil sauce). Chicken Lasagna (layers of lasagna pasta, creamy cheese sauce, marinara sauce with melted mozzarella cheese and baked until golden brown). Salmon & Lemon Aioli (baked salmon flakes tossed with chilled lemon aioli mayonnaise and baby spinach over shell pasta)

Clock Wise
Fussili Pesto &Mushrooms (Pan-seared shiitake mushrooms served over chilled fussili basil pesto pasta). Classic Carbonara (fettuccine pasta tossed in light parmesan cream sauce with smoked beef bacon and fresh button mushrooms). Clams & Beef Bacon (beef bacon strips sautéed with fresh clams, onions and clam broth and served over fettuccine). Shrimp Linguine (linguine pasta with sautéed shrimp and served with marinara sauce).

Chili Shrimp (lightly sautéed shrimp with dried chilies and garlic over linguine).

My favourite would be the classic carbonara, angel hair pomodoro and shrimp linguine. The classic carbonara is sinfully rich, with egg, cream, butter, parmesan cheese all in one smooth creamy concoction but I’m not complaining! Simplicity can seem ingenious, as in the angel hair pomodoro and shrimp linguine which combined fresh pasta with tomato based sauce to mellifluous advantage.

Other than “bowl of pasta”, we also tried a new salad item – Californian Shrimp Salad with baby spinach and romaine lettuce tossed with Italian dressing topped with seasoned grilled shrimp, mango strips, orange, tomatoes & cream cheese. Being on medication (cough* cough*) has suppressed my appetite but this light and fruity salad is indeed comforting enough for those dreadful dry throat.

Drool flooded my mouth as the Quattro Platter wafted into my face. It consists of thinly rolled pizza dough topped with Philadelphia cream, mozzarella, parmesan and gorgonzola cheese over Italiannies herb oil. The fried dough was flawlessly crispy with melt in your mouth cheese bursting with a wonderful taste.

Another interesting new item would be the Italiannies lamb shank. This looks wonderful and I love lamb when it’s fall apart tender with plenty of fat innervating the meat. Even KampungBoy reckons that this fares better than any other version that he has tried.

Chocolate and hazelnut cake. This is a very rich and dense (almost flourless) chocolate cake but it was too sweet for my liking.

Last but not least, the infamous New York Strawberry Cheesecake arrived. “Only cheesecake that I would eat”, says Yee Hou. So you can gauge how good is it huh? The cheesecake boasts a velvety texture but is lighter than the usual cheesecake that we usually have. Drizzle it with plenty of strawberry sauce and you are in heaven.

It was an enjoyable lunch overall, with good food and good companion. The rest of us were entertained by listening to Yee Hou and Joe’s camera talk and their act of flashing and caressing their tools (toys).I think that with constant somber musings on recessions, downturn and credit crunch playing over our ears every day, it is time to tighten our belt a little bit. No more fancy/fine dining but for that little treat of a hearty Italian fare that is light on the wallet, Italiannies would be the obvious choice.

Make sure that you don’t grab it from Starbucks The Weld, the place where I’m getting mine everyday till 30th April.  It ran off by 8.40 a.m. today!