Saturday, February 16, 2013

Karena Ng First Public Appearance as Raymond Lam's Girlfriend: He's Attentive & Responsible

 

Yesterday Karena Ng attended a fashion event after her trip to Tokyo with boyfriend Raymond Lam. This is her first public appearance since Raymond announced their relationship. When Raymond was mentioned, Karena appeared nervous the whole time and stuttered. When asked about her first Valentine's Day with Raymond, she revealed they had dinner in Causeway Bay, "There were other friends too, we had a great time together. It feels kinda boring with just the two of us. (What kind of gift did you get?) Didn't get one yet." Earlier Raymond mentioned he wanted to publicly hold his girlfriend's hand and walk down Causeway Bay, asked if they held hands on Valentine's Day? Sh said: "No, want to keep a low-profile relationship."

In regards to their Tokyo trip, Karena expressed she told her parents about it beforehand and she had a pleasant several day trip. Asked if she minds the trip being called their 'honeymoon'? Karena said: "Actually, there were a few other friends that went with us, but we departed from different locations." Asked who stayed with her in the hotel room? She stuttered: "There were men and women, this is too personal, I don't want to talk about it, but we stayed in separate rooms." When asked if she and Raymond stayed in separate rooms? She nodded implying yes. She added: "This time, our trip primarily revolved around eating. (Paid separately?) Friends eating together, each took turns to pay for the bill."

Fans tracked them throughout their trip, Raymond's boarding pass was even posted on the internet. Karena defended her boyfriend: "That is too personal, that is not the right thing to do. It's fine to take pictures." Also, she denied she visited Raymond's family in Xiamen, but admitted she did send new year greetings to them through the phone, she said: "Let nature take its course, no rush at all."

Raymond said its because of his girlfriend and family that he decided to announce the relationship without notifying anyone. Karena frankly expressed she did not know Raymond would make their relationship public, but she is grateful that he defended and clarified for her. She said: "I really admire him because of this. I never thought he would say such thing, so I was surprised when I heard about it, but I'm happy. (Raymond's fans complained?) In anything, there will always be people that like and dislike. There are times for work and times to relax, that is very normal. (You are the first girlfriend Raymond announced while still in the relationship?) I'm happy. (He's responsible?) He has always been, really has the sense of responsibility. He takes good care of his friends." When asked if the love sparked while they were filming together? She emphasized from the time they met to when they started dating, it was all taken one step at a time, it was not sudden and unexpected. What about Raymond's pursuit tactics? She said: "I'll keep this to myself, a small secret." What kind of strengths does Raymond have? Karena sweetly smiled: "He's attentive, treats his friends well and most importantly, a man should have a sense of responsibility." When speaking of their large age gap, Karena expressed she has no problem communicating with Raymond, "His personality is a lot like a child, he loves toys and games. The things he likes and topics, we can communicate. (Filming together as a couple team?) I don't know, let my company make the arrangements."

2nd Visit to Waku Waku @ Mid Valley

 This is my 2nd visit to Waku Waku and I went with Sook Yee for lunch. Following are the dishes that we ordered that day:


 Cheese Hamburg Steak 90gm (RM 12.90)
As can be seen from the photo, the portion is really small. I managed to finish the beef patty in just a few bites. Interms of the taste, the cheese coated patty is quite salty. However, I quite like the accompanying potato slices; sort of like french fries.
 

Gohan Set (RM 4.90) + Hotate Butter Yaki (RM 16.90)
The Gohan set is actually consited of a bowl of steamed rice, miso soup and seasoned Japanese radish. According to SY, the rice doesn't taste like the typical rice you can get in other Japanese restaurant. Waku Waku's tasted just like normal rice.
 
 
Close shot of the Hotate Butter Yaki
This dish is consisted of around 7 pieces of grilled butter scallop. I tried one piece and find it quite tasteless and dry. The correct way of eating it is actually one has to mix the accompanying sauce and ingredients together to make it more tasty. However, after mixing them together the taste is still bland.
 
 
Total damage including 16 % tax = RM 40.25
 
Location:
Waku Waku Mid Valley
Lot T-015B, Level 3, Mid Valley City,
Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur
 
Tel: 03-22841172
 
 

Monday, February 11, 2013

Breakfast @ Desa Kopitiam



Tried Desa Kopitiam's breakfast set with J last year before going for our hairdo. Following are the food that we ordered. Nothing much to comment as the food is just normal...


 Kaya Butter Toast Bun (RM 2.50)
 
 

Toasted Bread with Butter + Half Boiled Egg + Tea set (RM 6.80)
 


Total Damage = RM 9.75 (including 5 % service tax)

Location:
5-0-12 Jalan 3/109f,
Taman Danau Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-79713717

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Yee Mee Soup @ DDP Food Court

Yee Mee Soup (RM 4.50) - Pan Mee/Yee Mee @ DDP Food Court in Seputeh Klang Valley
 
Yee Mee Soup (RM 4.50)
Recently, I have been craving for Yee Mee soup. Thus to fix my craving, I went to DDP Food Court for a bowl of Yee Mee soup. The ingredients given are minced pork, fish cake slices, meat balls, pork slices and vegetables. If you are feeling hungry, you can also ask to add an egg. I had mine without egg. I quite like the minced pork because they are slightly marinated giving them a nice taste. However, the soup on that day was too salty; unlike its' usual clear sweet taste (from the ingredient used in brewing the soup). Not sure why that day is so salty. Drank lots of water to clear of the saltiness in my mouth. Besides, the yee mee was also quite hard. The operator should have cooked them longer to make the mee softer.

Location: Jalan 3/109 F, Taman Danau Desa, 58100 KL

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Tai Lake Hairy Crab @ Dragon-i

This is my first time eating hairy crab and the crab is from Dragon-I restaurant as Dragon-I is having their annual hairy crab season (from mid October to December) promotion. The crabs are imported from Tai Lake located in the southern Jiangsu Province in China. Tai Lake has superb-quality natural water which is very suitable for aquatic reproduction. The hairy crabs grow in these water are said to be comparable to those in Yang Cheng Lake. The crabs are flown in twice weekly. According to Dragon-I, authentic hairy crabs have four major characteristics which are green backs, white belly, golden claw and hairs of the crab.
 
 

The pair of scissor was used in cutting/open up the crab.......lime water was given to wash hands and vinegar was given to eat togther with the crab roe.......
 
 

 
My steamed Shanghainese Hairy Crab (RM 68/piece ~ around 180g)
   
Steaming is the traditional method used in cooking hairy crab. This method ensure us to get the fresh taste of the crab. Besides, steaming also enables the hairy crab's unique taste, texture and color to be maintained. The crab meat was very fresh and sweet. Nicer than the local crabs. Yum yum.....
 
 
Look at the amount of roe at the back of the crab shell.....yummy yummy.........According to Dragon-i, the crab roes are supposed to be extracted and then eaten together with vinegar. This is to bring out the freshness and distinctive taste of the hairy crab. But I didn't dip the crab roe into the vinegar, instead just eat it like that, which I enjoyed very much because the crab roe was very tasty.
 
Ginger soup......free of charge........
    Ginger soup is taken to avoid stomach discomfort after taking the crab  
                
 
Location:

Main Lobby, Cititel Hotel, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Kuala Lumpur, 59200


Phone:
03-2282 0155

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Dinner @ Ishin Japanese Dining Restaurant

This is my first time trying out the food at Ishin Japanese Dining Restaurant @ Old Klang Road. I was there to celebrate my friend's bday. This is the most expensive Japanese meal I had, but the food there is worth the price I paid for. Ishin is actually a fine dining Japanese restaurant that serves genuine Japanese and Kaiseki style cuisines.

The dining area


The area where chefs prepare food
 




Free appetizer....I think is a type of seaweed...I like the slight crunchy txture of the appetizer
 
 

Ocha (RM 3 per person)
 

Following are the food that we ordered that night. Guess what, Ishin's menu comes in the form of an iPad menu. According to them, Ishin is the first Japanese restaurant in Malaysia to present its menu using the iPad. Nevertheless, orders are still taken using the traditional pen and paper by Ishin's
staffs.


Special House Maki (RM 28.00)
 

Sushi Tempura Zen (RM 42.00)
 The set consisted of mixed tempura, assorted sushi, miso soup, chawan mushi and fruits......

 

The tempura section consisted of prawn tempura and vegetables tempura.....


The assorted sushi section consisted of salmon sushi, ebi sushi, tuna sushi, yellowtail sushi and butter fish sushi......The ingredients used were all very fresh....thumbs up.............


Miso soup....quite tasty but on the salty side........
 


Chawan mushi....


3 Taste Mini Chawan Mushi (RM 14.00)
 The 3 taste chawan mushi consisted of uni (sea urchin) chawan, ebiko chawan and another chawan is the black fish roe chawan (I am not sure what it is called, is it caviar???)

 

The uni chawan....I loved the taste of the uni...tasted like crab roe but stronger flavor......Actually the reason I ordered the 3 taste chawan mushi is because I want to know how sea urchin taste like.....hehe...
 
 

The ebiko chawan mushi....nothing much, just normal ebiko.......


The black fish roe chawan.....
 

Cute right? lol............
 

Total damage including 16 % tax = RM 104.40

Location:
Ishin Japanese Dining
202 Persiaran Kelang Lama Off 3 3/4,
Jalan Kelang Lama 58000 Kuala Lumpu.

Tel: 03-7980 8228

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Accommodation in Hong Kong & Macau Trip 2012

During my Hong Kong/Macau trip, my friends and I stayed in 2 hostels in Hong Kong (Dragon Hostel & InnSight Hostel) and in Sintra Hotel in Macau.

Dragon Hostel:
 
For the first 2 nights of my stay in Hong Kong, I stayed at Dragon Hostel which is located at Mongkok. Since there were 5 of us, we chose to stay in their 5 people family room, which is  equipped with an air-cond, television, direct telephone (free local) and a bathroom with water heater. Free Wifi (the speed is ok) is also provided in the room. The room has a double bed and 3 single beds which was just right for us. But the room is really really small. Not much room to walk after putting our luggages on the floor. 

One of the single bed is placed on top of the double bed
 
 Another single bed
 
 
This is the single bed that I slept at....the mattress is a lil bit hard and the pillow is too shallow and hard for my liking.
 

As can be seen from the picture below, the toilet is really small too. The whole toilet will get wet after each shower because the shower head is right above the toilet bowl. Again, no room for movement.
 
   

      
Interesting instruction right? lol.......
 
Although the room is small, we don't really mind as we will be spending most of the time outside and will only come back at night to sleep. Dragon Hostel is actually a good choice for budget travellers like us since Hong Kong is well known for expensive accommodation and the total price we paid for the two nights were HKD 1360 (RM 544) which cost each of us RM 108.80.

The location of Dragon Hostel is very convenient because it is located in Mongkok and is located very near to  various street markets. For example, it is only 1 minute to Ladies market in Tung Choi Street and 1 minute to Fa Yuen street (sport street). Besides, the Mongkok MTR station is also located very near to the hostel; 5 minutes walk.


Overall the stay at Dragon is ok, just that some irresponsible customers do not clean the toilet after doing their "big business" and amazingly shits were found on the basin of the public toilet in the hostel. This makes me wonder, how they actually do their "big business" on the basin?????? Really disgusting....


Address:
Room 707, 7/F Sincere House,
83 Argyle Street
,
Mong Kok,
Kowloon

Hong Kong



Tel: (852) 2395-0577, 9347-4767
 

InnSight Hostel: 

After checking out from Dragon Hostel, we proceeded to InnSight Hostel in Tsim Tsa Tsui and stayed there for the 3rd and 4th day. For this time, we booked 2 rooms; one Comfort Double room and One Comfort Twin room and the 2 nights charges were as follow:

Comfort Double Room for 3 guests: HKD1410 + (50X2....additional charges for 3rd guest) = HKD1510 (RM 604)
Comfort Twin Room for 2 guests: HKD1340 (RM 536)
 
After dividing the total with 5 people, each of us payed RM 228 for the 2 nights in InnSight.
 
Each room is equipped with a private bathroom, air conditioning, free wifi and a 22” Sony HD TV which supports USB connection and Skype.

 
Comfort Double room....orange theme
As can be seen from the photo, the bed is actually just nice for 2 people but instead of 2, me, Julie and CY slept on this bed for 2 nights. Reason is because we want to save on accommodation and do not want to rent another single room. Instead of sleeping straight, we slept horizontally; a bit uncomfortable bcause my legs were hanging in the air without support. However, this room is actually quite comfortable if there were only 2 people sharing the bed. The bed, pillow and blanket is very comfortable. Not too hard or too soft; just nice. Much better than Dragon's bed and pillow.
 
 

 
The TV is mounted on the wall right in front of the bed
 
 
Cute drawings on the wall
 
 
The Bathroom
 The bathroom has a transparent sliding glass door as its' door. I guess it is nice for couples but not for us as we want privacy when we are doing our business in the toilet....Luckily, there are curtain provided to block the view in the toilet...lol.....The bathroom is quite spacious too; the toilet seat and the shower is separated quite far. The whole toilet will not get wet after showering. Much bigger than Dragon's bathroom.

 

 
 
Comfort Twin Room......green theme....
Jol and LS slept in this room.....more comfy for them cause no need to squeeze 3 people in a bed...lol..........
 
 
Cute Birdie Drawings on The Wall
 
 

The Bathroom......is smaller than the bathroom in the Comfort Double room
 
Just like Dragon Hostel, InnSight is located near to a few tourist attractions such as the Clock Tower, Avenue of Stars and Victoria Harbour (Symphony of Lights). All these destinations can be reached by walking from InnSight. Besides, there are also lots of shopping destinations and eating outlets near InnSight and the MTR station is just 1 minute away from the hostel. Really convenient.

If I were to come Hong Kong again, I think I'll come back to InnSight because the service is very good. For example, when we asked for direction to go to a place, the staffs there immediately looked up the internet and find the exact location of the place for us and even called the shop for the opening hours. Kudos to Shirley and her team. Their service is definitely much better than Dragon Hostel but of course more expensive..hehe......

 
Address:
InnSight Hostel,
3/F, 9 Lock Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon,
Hong Kong

Email:innsight.info@gmail.com

Tel: (+852) 2369-1151
 
Fax: (+852) 2369-6699
 
 
Hotel Sintra:
 
For the final night of our trip, we stayed in Hotel Sintra in Macau (a 3 star hotel). For this round, we booked 2 standard rooms (one with a king size bed and another with 2 single beds). Each room is equipped with an individual air-conditioning, writing desk, mini-bar, IDD phone, satellite TV, WiFi, bathtub with shower, hair dryer and complimentary slippers. The rate per room including 15 % tax were MOP 747.50 (RM 299). Each of us payed RM119.60 for the two rooms.
 
 Hotel Sintra building at night
 
 

Hotel lobby
 
 

I guess Dr. Stanley Ho is the owner cause his statue is placed in the hotel lobby
 
 

The Standard Room with 2 Single Beds. Very spacious and nice.....
 


The Standard Room with a King Size Bed. Again, me, Julie and CY shared a bed. But this time, we have sufficient space and slept comfortably. The bed and pillow is very comfy. The best night of sleep I had throughout the trip.
 

 
The dressing table area; the small cabinet thingy is actually a mini fridge


 Want to check your weight after eating your eating spree??? Yes, you can because a digital weighing scale is provided in the room
 
 
 Toiletries provided

 

The bathroom comes with a bathtub and shower head....very spacious

 
Complimentry drinking water
 
 
The telephone and light switches
 
 
In future, if I were to come to Macau again, I think I'll choose Sintra Hotel again. This is because therooms are really comfortable and nice. Besides, the hotel is also located very near to many attractions such as The Ruins of St. Paul and Senado Square. One can also simply hop into the shuttle bus provided by City Of Dreams to go to the Venetian and City of Dreams and Galaxy Macau asily because the bus stops right in front of Sintra Hotel. Lastly, the staffs of the hotel is also quite helpful. For example, the helped us to get a cab to the airport (20 minutes to the airport) on our last day of the trip. 
 

Address:
Hotel Sintra,
Avenida de D.João IV, Macau

Email: rsvn@hotelsintra.com ( For reservation )
            eo@hotelsintra.com ( For general )

Tel: +853 2871 0111

Fax: +853 2856 7769