Aeroline to Singapore

New Year is always good. Holiday after holiday… while we are busy being caught up with all the year end celebrations and before we know, it’s time to usher the brand new year again. Aren’t we little spoilt brats sometimes? :)  Since my last visit to Singapore over a year ago, I decided to visit the city again over the recent Thaipusam weekend. Just want to get away from KL for a little breather and to do some CNY shopping, and also to visit my good friend Claire and her hubby who have moved to SG recently.

 

 

After weighing all the pros and cons between flying and “coaching”, I decided to take Aeroline this time. The journey takes about 5 hours but it’s one of the most convenient way to travel these days, especially the pickup and dropoff point is so near to my house. I like the idea where I don’t have to worry about the 45 mins taxi ride and all the waiting time being wasted at the airport, which more or less come up to the same travel time anyway. Besides, Aeroline has a very good driver record where they don’t speed drive. Irresponsible reckless drivers are getting out of hand in KL, that’s why it’s very important to choose a company where they emphasize on passengers safety. A return ticket is about RM180 which includes a simple meal + a hot drink.  

 

 

It has a powerplug installed at every passenger seat for those who wants to work on their laptop or charge their phones. I used Waze app on my blackberry to track the journey and I could testify the driver didn’t exceed speed limit! :D Movie screening experience wasn’t fantastic so it’s advisable to bring your own IPOD or a book to read. Friendly staff but I saw a baby roach on my way back to KL….

 

Overall experience was okay. Comfy level isn’t on par with flying experience but this is where convenience outweighs comfort.

The Hill, Damansara Heights

The Hill is one of the latest hip bar in downtown KL, tucked on the hilltop of Damansara Heights. When my overseas friends were back here for the festive holidays last month, I took them there to check out their cool localized cocktails. ;)

 

Ranging from Milo Ais ( Kahlua infused) to Weed Killer (as potent as it sounds), my favourite is still the sexy Watermelon Slush (probably the only Vodka mixed cocktail I would take)

Cynthia from Melbourne and Cat from Austin. My precious faraway girlfriends

 

The service there is a tad slow but I guess there’s so much you can expect from a bar. Personally, I prefer indoor lounge over outdoor. Be sure to make a booking as the place is always packed.

Another feat about the place is its valet parking, there’s very limited parking space availabe and do expect to wait about 15 – 30 mins to get your car delivered on a busy night. Overall, it’s a good place to chill out with friends but the parking was a big turnoff for me. Would I return? Will need to be further convinced or if provided I don’t have to drive... 

I say it’s one of those places where you have to check it out at least once to judge it yourself. :)

 

The Hill
23, Lorong Dungun
Damansara Heights
Tel: 016-2291505

New Year Eve

New Year Eve this year was a quiet affair. Being a fireworks person, I even skipped watching the live show to avoid the crazy new year traffic. So instead of joining the crowd, I went to Bin’s place to catch up with my old pal Cat. 

Get to enjoy a can of french pate that Cat brought from Paris

We bought a few bottles of wine, some cheddars and bacon smoked cheese, crackers and voila! The party is about to start.

Bin, yours truly, Cat. A precious pic to keep

Upon approaching midnight, we popped the champagne to celebrate the arrival of 2011!:)

 

May this New Year of 2011 brings all of us peace, good health, wealth and happiness!

xx, Stephannie

Leonardo’s, Jalan Bangkung

Our yearly Christmas ritual was held at Leonardo’s Dining Room and Wine Lofts last year.

(read here for the year before)

Kudos to my dear friend Fanny who put in a great amount of effort to pull everyone and everything together for the great party. We had almost the entire top floor to ourselves.

Leonardo is another great hang out place besides Vintry, it’s a conducive place to have a good conversation over dinner. Recommended for a date or a girlie catch-up. They serve great Italian fusion food and have a wide selection of good wines too.   

17 December was a wonderful night for us

It’s Christmas alright, everyone went home with a pressie

 

Old friendships fostered and a few new friendships made and that night, I went home with a fuzzy warm feeling.

 

Leonardo’s Dining Room & Wine Loft

NON-HALAL

61-1 & 61-2, Jalan Bangkung, Bukit Bandaraya, 59100 Kuala Lumpur

www.leonardos.my

Email : mailus@leonardos.my
Call    : (603) 2096 2226
Fax     : (603) 2096 1126

Christmas Pot Luck

1 month ago…

Vonsie: The host will cook roast chicken + vegetables

Me: Ok Stephannie will try to cook this time too! 2 dishes!

Lorraine: no Lorraine will try not to poison her friends. She will bring dessert + wine

John Heng: John has no kitchen at home. He will bring satay

  

There you go, second week into December we had a lovely Christmas Pot Luck party at Vonsie and Alan’s cosy residence.

Vonsie’s healthy Roast Chicken and vegetables.

Remember this? This is my second attempt with Mushroom Risotto. Practice makes perfect :)

  

Greek Salad improvised by yours truly. It has feta cheese, pomelo bits, olives, rocket leaves, mixed salad leaves, raw onions with a tinge of balsamic vinegar + olive oil

A selection of yummy cakes from Just Heavenly (JH has the best cakes in town)

It was a wonderful night catching up with my friends with great food and wine. Actually, after that night I had a new resolution for 2011: Find time to cook and bake more at home. :)

Christmas at Le Bouchon

Last year’s Christmas, I stayed in KL and celebrated the ocassion with a good friend back from London. In Malaysia, for those who celebrate Christmas non-religously it usually means eating out. Anyway, we made a last min change and decided to go to Le Bouchon for dinner. Thinking it was perhaps a better choice over roast turkey with raisin rice at an Indochine Thai restaurant… NOT. It was a disappointment. I wonder if their french chef has gone back to France for Christmas or something cos the food really wasn’t the same as the last time I went.

Surprisingly quiet with lots of empty tables on a Christmas night. Unusual sight

 

we opted for the gourmet set menu (RM148++). first course is scallop. it wasn’t too bad but nothing fancy to shout about.

Grilled seabass with caviar sauce... looks better than it tastes

 

mountain honey roasted duck confit... again looks better than it tastes

  Despite those mediocre courses of food, it was great catching up with grumpy Ian after precisely a year. But as far as food is concerned, this will probably be my last visit to this restaurant unless they make an improvement. 

Le Bouchon French Restaurant

Address:
N0.14&16 Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang
50450, Kuala Lumpur
Reservations:
Tel:+603 2142 7633
Fax:+603 2142 7633
Mobile No: +6019 2200200 or 012 2864860
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 12noon - 2pm (Tuesday to Friday)
Dinner: 7pm - 10.30pm (Tuesday to Sunday)
(Close on Mondays)
Website:
http://www.lebouchonrestaurant.com/

Tamarind Hill

Caught up with Ian one last time over dinner before he goes back to London tomorrow. At first I was a little apprehensive as the menu suggested more western influence than Thai/ Indochinese… but food and overall dining experience turned out to be rather pleasant. I have a picky friend, you see.

Nice romantic ambient but a tad too dim for us folks. We were kind of literally eating in the dark.

Sorry about the fork but otherwise, platter taste wise was divine :)

Clockwise: okra fried rice, grilled chicken with pandan leaves, grilled seabass with green curry reduction, scallop red curry (a must try!). Very yummy

      

Overall a very satisfactory dining experience, great food and friendly staff. Price range is a little steep but worth the indulgence once in a while. I will definitely return to this place for a party of two type of celebration.

Click here to visit Tamarind Hill's website

19 Jalan Sultan Ismail. Tel - 03 21483200