San Francisco Steakhouse

This time I am going to write a review of this Restaurant that is quite well known in Kuala Lumpur. It is called San Francisco Steakhouse. There are a couple branches of this restaurant, one in KLCC and the other is in Mid Valley. Me and my hubby decided to go to both restaurant this year for Ramadhan Breakfasting( Buka Puasa). We had a buffet style at both places so that we can try as many dishes as possible. Me,my hubby and three of our friends went to the first one in KLCC. We had not tried the buffet here before and were expecting to get the same treatment and food as the one in Mid Valley. To our suprise the food and service here were not up to our expectation.

We were disappointed with the choices of food. There were hardly any nice looking food except for the roast beef and lamb. There was roast chicken too but I did not try it as it is quite common.The local malay food was quite okay but there was still not too many choices.

Meanwhile the service in that restaurant was quite slow and taking time. We waited for a while for our table to be cleared up before we went to get our second and third round. We had to wait for our water to be topped up too as the staffs were busy topping up the food as well as clearing the tables. It seemed to be quite limited number of staff working in that place.

We also had to wait for the food to be added up. My husband was waiting for his lamb roast for a long time and yet it was still not there. He was a little bit disappointed with it. By the time the lamb came he was already full and not bother to get it anymore.

Despite all the choices of food we still had a good time catching up the latest gossip with my good friends that I have not met for a while. All and all we might not come back to this restaurant for Ramadhan Buffet as we did not really have a good experience with it compared to the one in Mid Valley. We definitely will come back to try the ala carte menu one day.

Pangkor Island

This time we decided to go to the west island of pennisular Malaysia which is Pangkor Island. It is situated in Perak closed to Lumut Town. We left early in the morning as to catch up the ferry that will take us to the island just before the check in time. We took first the north sout highway and exit at Lumut junction to continue our journey.

We did not expect that it was still quite far to go after the highway junction. So we had to drive quite fast to make it on time for the ferry. The view along the drive is amazing and peaceful. We saw big rice field with hilly background along the main road.
It was really really nice. We however managed to get to the jetty on time and get on the boat as planned. I was so looking forward and excited to check in at the hotel. It took less than an hour to get to the Island.

We were greeted by the hotel staff and there was a transport waiting for us to take us to the hotel. We hopped in the car and checked in the hotel as expected. We were given a nice, comfortable and cosy room close to the beach. We took some rest before we hit the beach to enjoy the breezy sea and picturesque view of the place.

Oh well, we finally managed to get to the hotel despite the driving fast and almost missing the boat. The first day at the hotel was not that bad and I was looking forward to the rest of the day.

Look Out Point Restaurant

It was our anniversary since the first time we met 8 years ago and I thought I should surprise my hubby to take him for a meal. Not that special but good enough to enjoy the food as well as the view. I know my hubby loves the KL view a lot especially the KLCC. So I did some research for some places that we can go for the celebration. I came across on the reviews of the Look Out point restaurant on the highway to Ulu Langat. I actually have been driven through that highway when my auntie lived in Ulu Langat. I did not expect that it has a restaurant on top of the hill. The view from there is really superb and amazing. The restaurant and the view from KL will be the perfect surprise for the anniversary dinner this year so I opted to go there instead of going to normal restaurants in the city area as we usually did.

We left Cyberjaya slightly early as I thought it would be a good idea to watch the KL view while it was still bright and slowly changed to dark. It was a good decision though as we did not know how busy the place can be later on the night. It was weekend night and we did not expect to see a lot of people turned up to have their dinner in this restaurant.

The view from the restaurant is superb and breathtaking. My husband was busy taking photos of KL as well as the KLCC. We took the chance to wonder around for a bit before we headed to the restaurant for our dinner. It was kinda chilly up on the hill. Felt as if we were in Cameron Highlands. I love the view and the cold feeling while we were there.

We decided to get our dinner before the place started to get busy. I had sizzling lamb chop and my husband had sizzling steak. The food portion was just nice and not too much. We ended up having just a nice after eating feeling rather than being stuffed. We ordered some desserts to end our meals Banana Split and some ice cream. It was a good meal and we enjoyed it a lot. The food price was reasonable as well which is another add point to the restaurant.

We definitely will go back to this restaurant to try other dishes as well as to again....enjoy the view....

Marang

Hey again,

It has been a while I have not been active updating my blog. Not that I do not have time but I am just purely being lazy. Anyway, last June I decided to go for a road trip to the east coast, visiting my sister and my lovely nephew. Me, my husband with my younger sister and brother left Kuala Lumpur early in the morning with the hope we will be in Jerteh not too late in the evening. We had nice nasi kerabu for our breakfast and to give us enough energy to get going with the trip.

The toll in Gombak was quite jam. I was not sure why at first place but then quickly realise that it was school holidays so lots of people took the chance to go back to their hometown visiting their love ones.

The drive along Karak and east coast highways was not too bad. We stopped a few times just to stretch up and to go to the toilet. We decided to have our tea break in Marang, the very well known for its battered squid, fish and nice fresh coconut juice. On top of that we will get a superb view of the beach and open sea while enjoying the food. So, we decided to get going with the drive with the aim to stop in Marang for the food.

We reached Marang in the afternoon and headed straight to our favourite stall. We quickly ordered some battered squid, Keropok Lekor and some drinks. While waiting for the food we took the chance to enjoy the view and cooling fresh sea breeze. The sea breeze freshened us up a bit and we slowly rejuvenated from the long tired drive and ready for the rest of the trip.

The food came not too long after we ordered it. My younger sister and brother were really impressed with the battered squid. The portion of food is very generous and satisfying. We quickly ate our food while they were still hot and fresh. All of us enjoyed the food very much that none of us talked too much while eating.

We continued our journey after finished eating our food. We went for a quick stroll along the beach since we were just next to it. We decided to leave soon after that as we still have few more hours to go before we reached to our destination.

Mount Kintamani

Bali is very famous with its natural beauty and scenery. One of them is volcanic mountain which has contributed to the form of the islands around Indonesia. Each part of Indonesia has its own famous volcanoes so does Bali. The one that is very well known in Bali is situated in Kintamani. It is one of the most famous places to visit while you are in Bali. The view of the volcano is breathtaking and superb. On top of that the place also provide a nice restaurant where you can have your lunch as well as enjoying the view of the volcano.


We were so impressed and amazed with the view when we arrived at the venue. It was quite busy with tourists busy taking photos of the volcano as well as the view. There is a lake at the bottom of the volcano and we also had a chance to see the crater of the mountain. Apparently you can actually hire someone to guide you to climb on the mountain and you will be able to experience an amazing sunrise from the top of the mountain. Unfortunately we did not have the chance to do that as we were kind of short of time. So we decided just to have lunch at the restaurant while enjoying the view.


The restaurant provided a good selection of Balinese traditional food. We enjoyed our meal very much as it was a buffet style of lunch. We tried almost all the dishes from starter to desserts. Some of the food are quite similar to Malaysian which was not really surprised me as we are all come from the same continent.

We left the place after staying there for a couple of hours. It was a great experience to see the volcano with my own eyes and savoured nice authentic food from the restaurant. Next time when we are back in Bali, we might try to climb the mountain to watch the sunrise....

Pura in Bali

Bali is a country that is well known for its culture and religion. About 90% of Balinese are practising Hinduism and the rest of the percentage consists of Muslim and Christian. Here you can see a lot of amazing and breathtaking Pura (Temple) everywhere. This shows how much they value the religion as well as respect it. They seem to treat religion as part of their life and feel comfortable to practice it. There is no obligation or burden feeling exist among them when it comes to practising religion. You always feel comfortable to be around the culture and be involved in the ritual acts along with local people.

Me and my hubby managed to visit few Puras while we were in Bali. However they are two most phenomenal Puras that highlighted our trip. The first one is in Tanah Lot. It is a very amazing and impressive Pura as it is on a big rock and sits in the sea. The Pura can only be entered early in the morning when the tide is low. On normal time you can only see the Pura from far due to the tide. The Pura is built a long time ago by a very respective guy. He wants people to pray to the sea spirit so that they will have a good weather and the fishermen will be able to get good catch of the day. I can see a lot of people were amazed with the Pura and admire the its work.

The next Pura that is really unique in Bali is the one in Uluwatu. This temple is built on a high cliff and the view from the Pura is astounding. You can see the open sea and if you are lucky enough, a majestic view of the sunset. They are a lot of monkeys roaming around the temple and this has made the temple more interesting to visit. You can walk along the cliff to the end and enjoy the superb view of the temple on the Cliff from the other angle. This temple also put up a dance performance for the visitors to enjoy while watching the sunset. The show is related with ancient epic; Rama and Sita with no Gamelan, only acapella style by a group of people. This made our trip in Uluwatu more interesting and entertaining.

This experience has opened our eyes on the culture and religion perspective. How we should appreciate and value ours and to go along with it.

Kecak Ramayana and Fire Dance

This performance is a combination of ancient ritual, dance, drama, sunset and cliff setting which makes it a must see when you are in Bali. Accompanied by a choir of chanting and singing men without using any Gamelan has made this performance more interesting and memorable.

This is a brief description of what Kecak Ramayana and Fire Dance is:

Act 1: Rama, Sita, Laksamana and Kijang (Deer)

Wandering in the forest of Dandaka during the exile of Rama. Sita sees a beautiful golden deer dancing in front of her. She pleads to her husband to catch it for her. Rama fearful of what may happen to Sita if he leaves her alone in the dangerous forest decided to leave Sita in the protection of his brother Laksamana. Shortly after Rama's departure a cry for help echoes around the forest. Fearful for her husband's safety Sita sends Laksamana to save Rama, leaving herself unprotected and alone.

Act 2: Sita, Rhawana, Hanuman and Sugriwa

A sudden storm envelops the forest and Sita became fearful. Rhawana appeares before her but she is protected by a magic circle and his attempt to seize her failed. He disappears only to come back disguises as a poor old man seeking a shelter and water (Bhagawan). Sita falls for Rhawana's trick and he kidnaps her. Rhawana takes Sita to his palace Alengka, and is attacked along the way by his mortal enemy, Garuda.

Act 3: Rama, Laksamana, Hanuman and Sugriwa

On his search for Sita, Rama meets Sugriwa the red monkey King whose help him to find his wife. Together they select a scout to find Alengka and locate Sita. Hanuman, a white monkey with magical power is chosen and Rama provides him with a ring to give to Sita as a token of his love and as a proof of Hanuman beings is envoy.

Act 4: Sita, Trijata, Hanuman and The Giants

Hanuman locates Alengka and enlists the help of Trijata to meet with Sita who is about to take her own life in despair. Hanuman shows Sita the ring and tells of her husband's impending rescue attempt.Hanuman then attempts to destroy past of the palace and is caught by the giants who want to burn him to death. He escapes and causing mayhem throughout the city.

Act 5: The Final Battle

Rama is guided to Alengka where the monkey army defeats the giant's army. Rama meets face to face battle with Rhawana and defeats him. He is then reunited with Sita.

The Barong and Kris Dance

This is the rough description of The Barong Kris Dance ( a musical play)

The Barong- A play represents an eternal fight between good and evil. Barong (a mythological animal) represents a good spirit and Rangda (a mythological monster) represents an evil one


* Followed by his friend the monkey, the tiger comes up. Three masked-dancers appear representing men making palmwine in the forest, whom child is killed by the tiger. The three men get angry and attack the tiger. Th etiger is helped by the monley. During the fight the nose of one of the three men is bitten off.

First Act

Two girls- dancers appeared, represented the servants of the Rangda, looking for the servants of Dewi Kunti who were on their way to meet their Patih (The Prime Minister).

Second Act

Two servants of Dewi Kunti came in. One of Rangda's servants changed into a witch and entered into both servants bodies to make them angry. They met their Patih and went together to meet Dewi Kunti.

Third Act

Dewi Kunti and her son Sadewa came out. Dewi Kunti had promised to Rangda to sacrifice Sadewa. A witch appeared and enterd into Dewi Kunti's body. She became angry and ordered Patih to bring Sadewa into the forest. The Patih who was also being possesed by a witch has no pity on Sadewa. He followed Dewi Kunti's order and took Sadewa into a forest and tied him up to a tree.

Fourth Act

Unknown by Rangda, Siwa (the God) appeared and blessed Sadewa with immortality. The Rangda appeared getting ready to kill and eat Sadewa, but to his suprise, Sadewa did not die. The Rangda then surrendered himself to Sadewa and asked for his forgiveness. Sadewa forgave him and killed Rangda. The Rangda went into the Heaven.

Fifth Act

One of the Rangda's servants, Kalika came up before Sadewa and asked for his forgiveness too. Sadewa refused to accept it and Kalika was angry and chnaged herself into a boar and fought against Sadewa. The boar was defeated and then Kalika changed herself into a bird but she still lost in the battle. She finally changed herself into Rangda. Sadewa meditated and changed herself into Barong and the continued fighting. The battle seemed to be never ending as both the Rangda and Barong were equally strong. At the end the Barong has won the battle as it was helped by the followers to fight against the evil.

Amazing Bali

I celebrated my 30th birthday as well as our first honeymoon at a place calls Bali. I have been always wanting to go to Bali as it is famously known for its culture, scenery as well as warm and welcoming people. Thus, me and my hubby decided to grab the chance to go there on 10th April for 6 days 5 nights. We left Kuala Lumpur on Friday morning and arrived at Ngurah Rai Aiport 3 hours after that. We went to the hotel and checked in straight away before we wandered around checking the new place.

We were put into a deluxe room in the hotel (Adhi Dharma Hotel and they do have Adhi Dharma cottages too) after the checking in. I was startled with the interior decoration of the room. It has a very subtle and soft touch of Balinese design with four poster bed and wood carving chairs and table. The door which leads to the balcony is carefully carved with fine details of Balinese style. All and all the room is superb and astonishing.

The balcony is facing a nice and quiet garden which I love the most. The green and quietness gave me a piece of serenity and relaxation. This is what I needed for my vacation; peaceful and silence. I can tell then that I will have a great relaxing holidays as well as experiencing new adventures in Bali. Love this place!!!!

Redang Island 2

My husband, his friend and I decided to go to the beach in the morning on the third day of the trip. We bought some fish food and went into the sea feeding them. I did not expect to see a lot of fishes will come and eat the food, but to my amaze I saw hundreds of them swimming around me and biting the food from my fingers. There were small fishes and big ones and I also saw a few of parrot fish. It was so exciting and intriguing to see how quick they swam and bit the food without feeling threatened and insecure with our existence.

While we were busy feeding the fishes I saw a couple of sharks roaming with the rest of the fish. It was an astounding feeling and a remarkable view. There was no word can describe my feeling at that time. I was scared but at the same time thrilled with the new experience. The sharks were just swimming around and not really bothered what was happening. It was really amazing.

Later of the day my husband and his friends went for the snorkelling trip to Marina Park. I decided to stay in and had a small nap. They came back after almost two hours full with interesting stories. They saw big fish, eels and few other fishes that are colourful and nice. They really enjoyed the trip to the park.

After dinner we decided to go to the same bar to have few drinks. Just to enjoy the night before we headed back to KL. It was a really great and memorable trip. I love every single bit of time I have spent in Redang Island and I will definitely come back whenever I have a chance.