My Family Trip to Malaysia

26 08 2009

Well, I promised a ‘finale’ post to my family trip to Malaysia…

Due to budget constraints, we could hardly afford to go anywhere further, so Malaysia was the next best option!

It was basically a pretty ‘free-and-easy’ trip. We went to Genting Highlands which was great for Jayvon & Nic, both of whom LOVE the colder weather!

We stayed at the Hotel Resort, and the rooms were nice and big. And Jayvon was engrossed with the lights, sounds and deco of the shopping centre? Have you been to Genting recently? Here’s some shots to help jog your memory!

IMG00469-20090822-1633

IMG00470-20090822-1633  

Probably Jay is a bit too young, so whenever we asked him to go for any of the rides (nothing wild, just the monorails or the trains…), he’d reply by just shaking his head. So, yeah, we probably saved quite a fair bit! Hahaha!

The one place we stayed a while more was the arcade!

And guess what? We gave Jayvon a new ‘companion’!

Meet Stripey!

IMG_3068

But … there is still a special place in Jay’s heart for his BearBear.

IMG_0639

Kuala Lumpur was where we took much more photos! From our hotel room, we could also see the Petronas Towers! (at least one of them…). Here’s the view from our hotel room.

IMG_3011

And KLCC is huge. Loads of shops and loads of restaurants! We hardly “touched” 10% of the entire centre!

page

All in all, it was a fun trip. Our arm muscles are WELL-worked out as well! Carrying a 12kg boy around is not an easy task! And remember that very nice baby harness I got him? He refused to wear it over in Malaysia!





Chow Time In Kuala Lumpur

25 08 2009

We spent Sunday and Monday in Kuala Lumpur, and we ATE so much good food! This deserves a post ALL by itself!

First off, by Pastor Yong’s recommendation, we went to KLCC’s Madam Kwan’s to try out the nasi lemak.

IMG_3018 
Instead of the usual fried chicken-style of nasi lemak we’re used to in Singapore, Madam Kwan’s serves it curry chicken style! The chicken was nicely done, very tender, and the curry wasn’t really spicy. The sides included sambal ikan bilis (real good!) and half a hard-boiled egg. At RM !4.50, it was a pretty okay bargain.

IMG_3024 
We also ordered some chicken wings for Jayvon. So-so. Not too bad, but not very fantastic, considering these 5 wings came at a price of RM 15! Steep by Malaysian standards!

IMG_3031 
Sambal petai – or in Chinese 臭豆, or literally ‘smelly beans’! Not the most pleasant of names, but this was nicely cooked! The beans were well-cooked, and there wasn’t any weird smell or overly-strong taste (quite rare with these beans!). This dish was cooked with several large prawns as well. To Nic, this dish was the highlight of the entire meal!

IMG_3022

IMG_3023 
Check out Nic & Umah’s very contented faces at this great meal!

IMG_3040
This is my favourite part of the meal – dessert! It is fried banana fritters with rich vanilla ice-cream, doused with maple syrup! YUM!!!

And the ambience of Madam Kwan’s was very nice as well. We were seated at the ‘al fresco’ portion of the restaurant – though it was still in the overall air-conditioning of the shopping centre! Haha! Here’s our view…

IMG_3027
On the outside looking in…

So if you’re in the vicinity of KLCC, pop by Madam Kwan’s on the 4th floor! It isn’t cheap fare, but it is worth the overall dining experience!

Another favourite restaurant I love in Malaysia is the chain of Secret Recipe outlets! I love the cakes (especially the Chocolate Banana), and the fact that cakes are priced almost exactly the same in Sing dollar as they are in Malaysian Ringgit, which effectively means the cakes are more than 50% cheaper!

IMG00474-20090823-1825

IMG00476-20090823-1828 
We tried the butterscotch pecan cake – so divine! – as well as a cup of caramel macchiato!

And you would think we had a feast in Malaysia already ya?

Almost… just almost.

We stayed at the Impiana KLCC Hotel & Spa, which was just 5-minutes away from KLCC. And Nic spotted a flyer pasted in the lift, advertising the special Ramadhan dinner buffet. He had always heard of how Singaporeans would travel to Johore during the Ramadhan month JUST to try out these dinner buffets, so it was hard to convince him NOT to go for this supper. Jayvon was dog-tired from the hour-long car journey, and we decided to spend some quality time and so Umah stayed back to watch Jay in the hotel room (and we got her packed wanton noodles from the KLCC food court).

And so we went to the buffet dinner.

It cost a staggering RM88 per pax. And after the taxes were included, it came up to RM100 per person. Or about S$45. Not cheap.

But SO worth it. It is one of the most ‘quality’ buffets I’d ever sampled!

IMG00481-20090823-2027

IMG00483-20090823-2028
The restaurant wasn’t well-lit, which explains the pasty-looking pictures (and taken with my blackberry to boot!). But the sheer array of food available was mind-boggling!

There was the usual appetisers, including raw oysters, mussels, salad bar, malay kuih-kuih. And the mains like chicken rice, roti john, nasi briyani (we steered clear of these though!). Also on the menu, freshly grilled sambal fish and squid and prawns and crabs! Oh, and durians for dessert. All in all, it was good!

But… the one thing that made the buffet worth it?

The lamb.

Not just any lamb. I’m not talking about kebab. There was literally a lamb CARCASS hanging on a spit.

I kid you not.

IMG00490-20090823-2110 

IMG00493-20090823-2112 IMG00484-20090823-2108
The chef working on the lamb…

I know it looks pretty gruesome. But gosh was it GOOD. I am not a ‘lamb’ person, but it was lip-smackingly divine.

IMG00498-20090823-2116

Being a Singaporean… just the food itself deserves a blog post! Hahaha!

Will conclude my trip in another blog post soon!





Our First Family Holiday

25 08 2009

For four very glorious days, we went on one long road trip! Destination? Genting Highlands from Friday to Saturday, and we spent Sunday night at Kuala Lumpur before flying back to Singapore this afternoon!

I’m feeling a bit tired, and my arms aching from lugging a 12kg toddler (it’s a muscle-developing few days, I tell ya!) and so I think for this post, I will let the pictures do the talking!

IMG_2959 
In the mini-van, on our up to Genting! Jay is engrossed with…

IMG_2960 
watching Hi-5 using our portable DVD player! A definite GOD-SENT for us!

IMG_2962
Our travelling companions – Aunty Doreen, Umah & Aunty Julie! All decked in such festive RED!

IMG_2958
Even my mother was in red! Hahaha…

Jayvon was a dear throughout the entire travel, be it by plane or car! On the 45-minute flight to Kuala Lumpur, he fell asleep as soon as the plane start wheeling onto the runway… and he woke only when we landed in Kuala Lumpur International Airport. On the mini-van, he was suitable entertained by the Hi-5 DVD. However, as the ride took two hours, and half was spent going up (and round) the mountain, the altitude and thinner air contributed to an overall stomach-churning experience for him – and Jay prompted puked once we alighted from the van… but he quickly recovered soon after again!

And once we checked into the hotel room at Hotel Resort, he was busy about fiddling with ALL that the room had to offer. From the remote, to the mini-bar, to the phone to the light controls!!!

busy

In the next post… the FOOD of Malaysia!








Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.