Ban Khun Mae - our very first dinner in Bangkok!

Going for a trip is always exciting! After going through the routine life of working, eating and sleeping.. a short break from all the hustle and bustle is always welcomed! It's what I always say - RECHARGE! However, what was supposed to be a relaxing trip turned out to be exhaustive as well. Why? Apart from Jenn's seminar, I have already arranged a day or two for some sightseeing as I didn't get to immerse myself in the history and culture of Thailand the last time I visited here with Thule's delegate. My plan didn't materialise and instead we went for a shopping spree in the famous Platinum Mall for 3 DAYS!!! Imagine the walking while carrying the spoils inside the 6-storey shopping mall (another new 5-storey extension mall had opened next to it).

Lucky for me, I still got to indulge in something which I love - FOOD!! A trip to Bangkok is not complete without sampling their traditional Thai cuisine. As a matter of fact, I have asked a friend of mine who used to live in Bangkok for a few years on where to eat delicious Thai food prior to this trip. He did point me to one particular restaurant which was located in Siam Square but he forgot its name. His direction was simple - take taxi/tut-tut to Novotel Hotel in Siam Square and the restaurant is located at 2 o'clock direction from its entrance.

The direction was simple and soon we were standing in front of this particular restaurant. A quick google revealed that this restaurant was opened in 1998 and to date, remained a popular destination for both locals and tourists who want to taste traditional and authentic Thai cuisine. Located in the heart of Siam Square, getting here is not easy as one have to go through the congested road in front of Siam Paragon.

The menu was simple with English description on all their food.

Something to quench the thirst - coconut and lemongrass drink (my fav!)

Som tam is a dish that I have never failed to order everytime I went to Bangkok. Thai's version of Caesar salad - I love som tam for its fiery reputation of being sour & spicy at the same time. Using shredded young papaya, tomato, anchovies, dried shrimp and lots of bird eye chilly.. I could eat this everyday without being bored! Ban Khun Mae whipped out a kickass version of somtam

Our appetite was instantly improved by the somtam and further enhanced by the tom yum goong. Prawns were generous and the soup had kick in it!

A simple stir fried vegetable to balance our dinner

Their red curry prawns won us over with the plump & juicy fresh prawns + thick & creamy red curry - a dish to be reckoned with!

However, their steamed fish with lime and chilly failed to make its mark! The broth was not sour enough to our liking even though the fish was very fresh. We had yet to find better version compared to the one we had in Krabi (Lae Lay's Grill)

Leo's verdict - our meal could easily feed 4 but both of us managed to finish all of the dishes like hungry wolves :P the price for their food was surprisingly not expensive despite located in one of the expensive area in Bangkok. to our delight, the service was fast and attentive even though the restaurant was packed that night. Our very first meal in Bangkok was satisfactory and we definitely recommend this restaurant to Thai food lovers. Opens from 11am till 11pm!

Ban Khun Mae Restaurant
458/6-9 Siam Square Soi 8, Rama 1 Road,
Patumwan District, Bangkok 10330
Tel. (662)250-1952-3, (662)658-4112-3
Email: contact@bankhunmae.com

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

I'm back from Bangkok!!

There is something about Thailand that makes me want to go back there again and again. I tried to figure out on what was the pulling factor - was it due to the fact that I have 25% Thai blood running inside my veins? Never mind the fact that I am clueless when it comes to speaking Thai. My maternal grandmother who came from a small town north of Bangkok was married to my grandfather (Chinese) and moved to Malaysia. Therefore my mother didn't know how to speak Thai as she practically grew up in a village that only speaks Cantonese. When she told me about this, I didn't take it seriously. I mean... seriously.. who would care or remember all these when they were small?

Now, I love almost everything about Thai - the food, the people and their culture! I am now learning to speak Thai although it is still in the beginning stage :) In Malaysia, I would go everywhere just to sample good Thai food but no matter where I go, nothing beats eating the food in the country itself. Even som tam that is sold on the side street was great! My last trip to Bangkok was in July 2006 with Jenn but we were still green on the capital of Thailand then.

Opportunity came when Jenn had to attend seminar in Bangkok! Plans were made quickly just to utilise our time while in Bangkok. We were so excited that both of us lost our motivation to work a few days before the trip. It has been a while since the last time we stepped into KLIA just to board a plane. I think it was 4 years ago when we went for our honeymoon in Italy and French Riviera and after that we had to settle for LCCT as we flew via Air Asia most of the time.

Look at Jenn's excited face

Finally, we boarded the plane through Gate H8

Sunset never looks so beautiful - taken from our window seat as we were approaching Bangkok airport!

A summary of what we had done during our trip!
Seafood

Prayer at Erawan Shrine

McDonald - it's a must for me everytime as I crave for their Samurai Pork Burger :P

Shopping (of course!)

This is only a fraction on what we have bought... wait till you see the rest! LOL!!

Bird nest @ Chinatown

Aromatheraphy massage @ Healthland Spa, Sathorn Road in Silom. Got ourselves couple room and pampered for 1.5 hours. A must go if you are into massage as they have many branches in Bangkok (google ok?)

Walking around the street of Bangkok. It was an eye opener to see how people in Bangkok carry on their daily lives. Not much difference from Kuala Lumpur but I think that they are more contended and happy.

Romantic dinner by the famous Chao Phraya river.

Enjoying the night view of Bangkok city from our hotel room. Will post more about this hotel on the next blog

Bacon!!! Can't get enough of it!

Not much of sightseeing this time as we were really busy shopping! Remember that I wrote that Jenn practically want to change her wardrobe?? Well, she almost reached her goal :P we went there with one bag and came back with 4! Our legs were tired due to the walking and we went for foot massage almost everyday after shopping.

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

Finally! A well-deserved holiday (^_^)

Let me recap - my last oversea vacation was to Krabi sometime in January 2010! After that, Jenn got pregnant with baby Keith and we were grounded for quite a long time. Fast forward to June 2011, Keith is now 5 months ++ and more manageable. So far, Jenn & I had gone to a few short vacation (local ones) but both of us are yearning for overseas. Destination is not an issue as long as it's not in Malaysia.

Fate has it that Jenn has a seminar to attend in Bangkok in June 2011. Yippee! We took this opportunity to rejuvenate (LOL!) ourselves. Plans have been made - as a matter of fact, I have already drawn up the itinerary for our 5D4N escapades to The Land of Smile from the day I booked flight tickets :P mostly shopping spree and eating... well, some sightseeing maybe! Jenn practically want to change her entire wardrobe so a trip to the famous Platinum Mall is inevitable.. lol! I think that my wallet is going to bleed.

This time we are flying using MAS instead of AirAsia as we found a good deal - RM800 return trip for both of us! It has been a while since we last took plane via KLIA. Looking forward to this trip... and probably won't be able to access the web until I come back this weekend! Take care

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

La Bodega @ Pavilion KL

Jenn & I enjoy our breakfast.. A LOT! Frankly, I was not a morning person in the past (pre-Jenn days). Being a party animal, I could sleep until the sun ray literally shone on my butt and then it was already time for lunch (or was it brunch?). Jenn was also a regular clubber during her college days but hey, we were very young back then and we could afford to stay up late until wee hours the next day. When she completed her degree and obtained her CLP, she stopped going out and instead focusing on her career. At the same time, she worked her magic again and made me sleep earlier (and went out clubbing lesser)... woman! Aren't they smart?

Breakfast was one of our favourite things to enjoy together and La Bodega is one of her favourite brekkie places. Given the opportunity, she would drag me to Bangsar Telawi area while most of us are still in dreamland. I'm not complaining though because I have to admit that the breakfast was awesome. After a while, I would wake up automatically at 7am.. latest by 8am! And now I have Sher Ryn as my alarm clock as she would wake me up at 7am to prepare her milk.

Back to the topic - I felt like a hungry tiger after my morning swimming session at The Westin. We didn't really feel like eating hotel's breakfast so we just crossed Jalan Bukit Bintang to Pavilion KL. It was quite early in the morning and therefore not many people.

English Breakfast @ RM27 - Jenn's choice of 2 poached farm fresh eggs together with chicken sausage and sauteed mushroom.

Served with a slice of homemade toast, fresh orange juice and a cup of steaming hot cappucino... her breakfast just could not get any better than this.

I had to say that the egg was poached perfectly :) as Jenn's face was brimming with delight!

My order of Omelette with sauteed mushroom & smoked chicken ham (RM15) was equally delicious. The mushroom and chicken ham were wrapped inside the omelette and as I used knife to cut open the egg, the aroma was too good for me to resist.

Leo's verdict - After so many years, La Bodega still maintain their food's standard. I have yet to come here for dinner which Jenn claimed was very lively and happening. Oh well! Maybe I'd wait until the children to get older and manageable :) for the meantime, breakfast is enough to keep me coming back again and again!

La Bodega
Lot No. : C3.06.00, Level 3
Tel. : 03-2148 8018
Website : www.bodega.com.my

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

Rakuzen @ Chulan Square KL

A little history - I was not really a fan of Japanese food in the past. Thanks for my dad who was never adventurous when it comes to food, I practically grew up eating Chinese food. So imagine my reaction when having sushi for the first time :P the sight of raw sashimi was too much to take and the idea of walloping raw stuff was out of question. However, everything has its first time and mine was only tuna mayo sushi (one and only one)! Even miso soup took me a few trips to get used to. Enter Jenn into the fray and she literally persuaded me to try everything. LOL! think back of those days.. maybe I was in love with her so each and every words coming out from her mouth worked magic :) and now, it was my turn to teach her a thing or two about sashimi!

Jenn and I knew each other since we were 15 and when we went to study in KL after SPM, $$$ was tight and having sushi was considered luxury at our times. Saving up enough moolah to take her out to Genki Sushi (hey! this was the most popular place for us in the 90s) was what I did at that time. It was great to spend time with the one I love (do not forget that we were only friends at that time) and it was very well-worth the effort. The sight of her glowing face while having sushi was unforgetable. Oh did I mention that the time with her never seemed enough? We had so much to chat yet so little time and I always look forward to see her again. Now both of us are husband & wife... life got better for us and we could afford to eat at better Japanese restaurants. I could remember how she raved on Rakuzen, as her sister treated her for a meal there once.

It was her birthday & I had decided to bring her there. We were staying in The Westin Hotel KL & we made reservation for dinner at Rakuzen in Chulan Square. It had stopped raining and therefore the weather was rather cool as we walked there holding hands.

We were there in less than 10 minutes

We got ourselves a table facing the busy stretch of Jalan Raja Chulan. We just sipped out hot ocha while watching the world passed by.

Shun no sashimi mariowase - salmon, maguro, baby squid, Japanese Sea Bream & half-beaked fish. This is actually a seasonal menu (especially for the sea bream and half-beaked fish) so availability is not guaranteed (we were here sometime in April). Everything was freshly prepared and we were more than happy to clean up the plate, sparing nothing.

Quarter tray of Nama uni (sea urchin) - my first time tasting raw sea urchin and it was had a hint of saltiness (from the seawater perhaps) and sweet nonetheless. LOVE IT! Don't be fooled with this picture as the portion was rather small for RM45. We should have ordered larger portion!

Dragon roll - fried king prawn roll topped with avocado. You can find this practically almost every Japanese restaurant and sushi joints in Klang Valley. Our love for avocado and the crispy-ness of the king prawn justified our order.

Saba shioyaki - grilled mackarel with salt. No complains!

Ara no Miso Shiru - fish head miso soup. Jenn is a sucker for fish head! You should see her when she's having fish head noodles LOL!

Hotate Miso Shiru - scallop miso soup. I am perhaps more lazy and therefore settled for scallop instead of fish head :P

Goma Ice - black sesame ice-cream with sesame seed. As usual, sweet note to end our satisfying dinner!

Leo's verdict - probably the most expensive & satisfying Japanese meal that I had so far but it is worth every penny spent! everything was top notch and service was attentive too. Pardon for the dark pictures as I was still using Ixus at that time.

Rakuzen
Block B Lot 2A Chulan Square,
92 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 KL
GPS: 3.148518, 101.716114
Tel: 03-2145 6200

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

Celestial Court @ Sheraton Imperial Hotel KL

ahhhhh!!! Dim sum... two words that I could never grow tired of :) and I'm sure that most of you love having dim sum too. Everywhere you do, you'd notice dim sum shops sprouting in the neighbourhood, especially those frequented by the Chinese. However, there is a place where you could literally see our Muslim friends savouring dim sum too. Mind you, it's not cheap to eat at this particular place but hey, it's not that we eat dim sum everyday and if you have the moolah to splurge on some nice dim sum.. why not?

Celestial Court is one of those places where the Muslim can eat dim sum here in KL. As a matter of fact, I only know this place as the only halal Chinese restaurant :P where else ah?

Back to the topic - I love Celestial Court as the service was fast & attentive even when the place was almost full house. It was so spacious and rather quiet, one can enjoy a cup of Chinese tea and their dim sum without having to feel like being in a pasar! (Go to a normal dim sum place and you'll get my point) Not that I hate the noise but once in a while, I'd like to enjoy dim sum with the loved one without any distraction.

As usual tea would be served after placing orders - in this case it was Shui Xian tea. Dim sum session seems not complete without Chinese tea :) maybe it's just me!

Steamed prawn dumplings with bamboo piths (har kau la...) - one word.. huge! The prawns were huge and fresh nonetheless and we enjoyed it very much!

Steamed mini abalone with crab meat (siew mai) - epitome of what a good siew mai should be

Steamed buns with barbequed chicken - taste-wise alright but it would be perfect if it was pork

Spring rolls with shredded toasted duck, mango and mint - unique combination but I loved it nonetheless

Steamed juicy dumplings with herbs & spices (siew long bao) - thick skin and powdery. Din Tai Fung's version beats it by miles

Deep fried golden buns with custard & salted egg yolk - I expected the golden juice to ooze out when I tore it apart. To my dismay, it didn't.


Sauteed radish cake with pacific clams in XO sauce - wok hei is assured!

Freshly made rice rolls with prawns & water chestnut - fresh prawns but all of us had the same thing in mind.. overcooked! The rice roll's texture was mushy.

Scallop dumplings in "Eye of Phoenix" topped with salmon roe - no complain

Eight treasure glutonious rice in lotus leaf - one of the best version here in KL. I just love how the aroma from the lotus leaf infused into the glutonious rice.

Congee with scallops - smooth texture

Congee with seafood - ginger provided extra zing to the taste.

Leo's verdict - We were full to the max by the time we finished the dim sum session. Jenn's parents complemented on how good the dim sum tasted, albeit very expensive. I've gotta admite that people at Celestial Court have everything to make their dim sum sounds expensive. Although I admit that this place remains as one of my firm favourite places to eat dim sum in KL (the other one is Tai Zi Heen in Prince Hotel). Without my Starwood card, I would have paid a bomb here.

Celestial Court
Imperial Hotel
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-27179900

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.