Great Hang-out Spot @ Metal Box, Empire Damansara

Read about Metal Box earlier and got to know that the chef was from the famous Red BeanBag and he and another chef who opened Metal Box both hailed from Taiping! So what's wrong with supporting some fellow Taiping Lang, you say?

The interior, design, usage of lights and recycled materials distinguished themselves from the rest. I especially love how they play with their hanging lights with wooden boxes and rubbish bins/buckets!

 

But instead of brunch, we were there for an early dinner. Their breakfast menu were still available, but Deardo and I were keener to try out their dinner dishes so here we go...

Sauteed Mushrooms, RM8.90.

Sauteed Spinach, RM8.90.

Being very healthy, we ordered a Sauteed Mushrooms and a Sauteed Spinach as starters. The mushrooms dish with at least three different types of mushrooms were pretty unique and yummy, although I couldn't take too much of it (baby totally hates mushrooms, which is mummy's favourite food, weird boy...). As for the spinach, I was expecting a well-cooked spinach like what you get in maybe a pie or quiche, but this half-cooked spinach is just a little weird to me.

Beef Ragout Pasta, RM18.90.

My Last Barn, RM25.90.

I had a Beef Ragout Pasta which might not look very nice, but tasted very delicious! The Penne took the natural flavour from the minced beef and it was just perfect without any white or red sauce! The shaved cheese on top also added some extra kick and texture to the already pretty perfect dish! It's definitely a must try. Deardo had the My Last Barn, which is basically a spring chicken with some grilled vegetables and potatoes. The chicken wasn't too bad, but the vegetables need some serious improvement in terms of taste and presentation.

Cappuccino, RM8.90.

Fresh Orange Juice, RM8.90.

Their coffee is quite above average as well, I'm sure they will go well with their more signature breakfast menu, which perhaps I will return to have a try one day.

Choose the right dish and you'll be happy! :p

We paid RM89.55, including 10% service charge for the dinner, which is a little on a higher side. I don't think the mains are expensive, but the side dishes are the ones that cost us dearly. Food wise, let's say not all dishes are satisfying but I bet there are still time for them to fine-tune the dishes since we were there when they were still quite new.
Shall go back one day for brunch!

Metal Box
G12, Empire Damansara,
Damansara Perdana,
47820 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor
Tel: 03-7731 9560

Anniversary Dinner @ Muugu Garden Bistro Bar & Grill, KL

Since we weren't looking for fine-dining kinda wedding anniversary meal, we picked Muugu to try out. Muugu, despite the fact that it's set-up in a bungalow, like a lot of the fancy fine-dining restaurants in KL city, Muugu serves more to American style dishes, specialising in steaks, at quite affordable prices. 

The design of the whole restaurant and furniture are pretty simple, but service is very much up to expectations.

The menu looks good, with a variety of choices, from their signature steaks, to fish and chicken, plus some awesome-sounding side dishes and classic American drinks such as root beer float and milkshakes. Since I'm pregnant and can't eat rare meat, I've skipped the steak but Deardo had one so here are what we had...

Complimentary olive breads.

Asparagus Soup, RM10.95.

Honey BBQ Wings, RM18.65.

Tried the Soup of the Day, which was Asparagus Soup and it was not too impressive; a bit too watery to my liking. The Honey BBQ Wings were pretty delicious though, very juicy yet a little bit of crispiness on the skin. Nice platter to start with. I also enjoyed the complimentary olive breads which were really soft and has very nice scent from the olives.

New York Strip 220g, RM43.95.

Pesto Prawn Risottom RM32.95.

As for mains, Deardo opted for the New York Strip 220g, which comes with mashed potatoes, ratatouille and a choice of sauce (he picked red wine sauce). The steak itself was okay, although not outstanding, but the sides were quite a let down. Thankfully, my plate of Pesto Risotto with Tiger Prawns was really delicious! With the amount of shaved cheese on top, I thought it would be very cheesy but it turned out to be just nice! Pesto was flavourful and the prawns were pretty fresh too! I'll give that dish a definite thumb-up!

Root Beer Float, RM9.80 each.

Of course, we enjoyed our Root Bear Float very much too! The big-ass mug and that amount of ice-cream...What else can I complain? Love it!

Owh, how I miss that sharp chin of mine!

Obligatory photo of us together since it was our anniversary! :)

With service charges included in the prices of the items, the dinner came up to RM126.10, which is certainly not too bad at all for four dishes and two drinks! I've realised there has been a price hike since the last time I saw people blogging about them but to be fair, it is still very reasonable! It is definitely a good alternative if you are sick of the commercialised American style restaurants out there. :)

Muugu Garden Bistro Bar & Grill
32, Jalan Jati,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2110 3603

Our Awesome Anniversary Staycation!

It was our first wedding anniversary (and 5th year together) end of October and I suggested to Deardo to do something luxury since for all we know, next year onward it won't be so romantic anymore as we will have our son 'disturbing' our celebration. So, we better have fun first this year!

By luxury of course, it can mean a fancy fine-dining dinner that might cost us up to RM400 plus for two pax (trust me, I did my research). But Deardo isn't a big fan of fine-dining and the meals normally come with wine which I can't drink right now. So no point.

In the end I think I made a definite right choice by choosing to have a weekend staycation at Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur. They were having promotion for their club rooms and the package sounded attractive - room with access to the club lounge which has free drinks, tea break, cocktails and breakfast. I knew I like the lounge experience because of my experience in Singapore last year.

Here are the some photos of the room as we first stepped into the room.

Even our room for our wedding last year doesn't have all these decorations and personal notes from the GM!!!

I roughly mentioned in the comment box that we are celebrating our anniversary without much thought that they would decorate the room so beautifully without charging us extra! It is not only so sweet of them, but also how professional these people are to proof they are truly 5-star!

Another thing I'm still very impressed with! No newspapers hanging on your door knob anymore!

The room itself was awesome too! Spacious bedroom, make-up area, living room, and even bathroom! When I first went into the room I told Deardo I'm not going anywhere, I just want to be in here! :p

Of course we stayed in the hotel most of the days, by the time we check-in, it was almost time for tea break at the Club Lounge, located somewhere 30 something floor (can't remember by now) which has a city view, including the Petronas Twin Towers. Wohoo~! Refreshment were limited (didn't take photos of the spread because I was laughing at people who were doing that LOL) but very well-presented and comes with very good service with their staff serving you your tea and coffee!

Enjoying our snacks with some cool view!

And then Deardo went to gym while I took some rest in the room before another round of noming at the Club Lounge for their cocktail session. To our surprise, the spread for cocktail was so complete it felt like we didn't need dinner anymore! From keropok, fried popiah, fruits, sandwiches till Dim Sum and Roti Jala, you named it! And you can have cocktail, mocktail, beer and wine to go with them too! 

He had his wine while the mummy had to stick with mocktail.

Honestly, we were damn full after that we really struggled at dinner which we have pre-booked earlier (dinner review later)!

Next morning, instead of cramping ourselves with the rest at their normal cafe downstairs for the breakfast buffet, we were back at the Club Lounge for our breakfast. Ha, boy that feels exclusive! :p

Only some of the food we enjoyed that morning. 

ME LOVE BIG BREAKFAST!!!

You got people coming to take your egg and pancakes orders, instead of queuing up at the cake counter then smelling like eggs after that and you have them taking your tea and coffee order instead of queuing up (again) to get yours at the buffet spread! I also love the variety of food and drinks offered - Dim Sum, Sushi rolls, Roti Canai, freshly blended 'kaw' fruit juices... 

Of course the food and room weren't the only highlights, we were also extremely impressed with the service and hospitality we got during our stay in the hotel. All their staff greet you whenever they see you, whether in the elevator or just at the corridor outside our room. Even a technician who was fixing either some lights or air-con outside our room greeted us! In the afternoon we even had the cleaner knocked on the door just to ask if we needed anything extra in our room! We felt very much welcomed and at the same time felt that the money we have paid for the weekend stay were really worth while! 
It was a wonderful stay and I would recommend you to stay with them if you have a little extra budget but for foreigners I think the price isn't even expensive for some of you! Yup, that's what I heard, a 5-star hotel in Malaysia like Traders Hotel is still charging lower than 5-star hotels in places like the U.S!

Anyway, here are some of my #ootd photos I took before heading to our anniversary dinner...

The black dress's from Dressabelle, which I was so happy to be able to fit into even when I was already into my 3rd month! Envelope clutch from BCBGMAXARIA and mid-heel sandals from Zara.
So yea, probably the last time I could wear such fancy nice clothes and put make-up for a night out until very much later... So excuse me for the number of vain photos... :p

I've been watching our wedding videos since it was our anniversary and I still couldn't stop laughing/smiling looking at them! It was a fun-filled wedding, just like what we've planned for. Of course there were some flaws here and there, but most parts of it, we just couldn't ask for anything better than that. If your haven't seen, here are they:

The short version:


The long version, which has our speech in it:

Dal, Aloo Gobi & Raita for an Indian Dinner @ Home!

I've been craving to make an Indian dinner for the longest time ever. I love Indian food a lot and especially now that I'm pregnant with a definite Asian boy who loves spicy food, it seems to be just the perfect time to cook myself some real quality Indian food at home! 

Deardo isn't such a big fan though, so I invited my two sisters, Ducum and Vivian to come over for an Indian dinner where they also very kindly, helped out a lot throughout the whole cooking process!

So today, I would like to share with you just some recipes of Indian dishes that you always think you could only get at a Mamak or Indian restaurant out there.

Dal
Got this recipe from one of my closest friends back in Perth, Revathi. I've made this once very long time ago when I haven't started sharing my cooking experiments on my blog, so I'm sharing it now! :)

What you Need:

Dal Beans, pre-soaked, boiled to cook and then drained, chopped or sliced garlic and onion, A handful of mustard seeds, handful of curry leaves, vegetables of your choice (I used tomato, green beans and carrots), Sambar Powder (as shown in picture) or tumeric powder, water and salt to taste

What to do:
1) In a wok, or a big cooking pot, simmer the garlic, onion and curry leaves.

2) Then add in the mustard seeds and continue frying. 

3) Now add in your vegetables and fry them for a bit.

4) Now throw in the dal beans and add some water, enough to cover all the ingredients.

5) Now add in your Sambar powder or tumeric powder, enough to make the entire dish look yellowish. I actually added both since I have both powder in my kitchen. :)

6) Let the ingredients boil till all the they turn soft, then add in salt to taste and that's it!

You know, the best thing about making your own dal is that you can choose to make it healthier with a lot of vegetables and cut down on the salt. Also, homemade ones are normally thicker and yummier, unlike those watery ones that you get from the Mamak outside! I always make one big portion of them so that I can keep the leftover in the freezer/fridge and heat up just whenever I want to have them. 

It is so versatile too, you can have it with bread, Paratha, Tosai, Capati, rice or even just eat it just like that! Trust me, I used to do that A LOT back in Perth whenever Revathi makes this! The dal beans make you full okay! 

Aloo Gobi
Revathi used to cook me this simple vegetable dish with cauliflower as the main ingredient before, so I just had to Google a bit and sort of mixed and match the recipe, depending on my preference on the usage of ingredients and spices.

What you need: 
Chopped garlic, about 2 tablespoons of cumin, a tablespoon of curry powder (you can adjust this according to your preference), cauliflowers cut into florets, potatoes cut into small cubes, red chili cut into strips (without seeds), handful of frozen green peas, water and salt to taste

What to do:
1) In a non-stick pan/wok, simmer the garlic.

2) As the garlic starts to turn a little brownish, add in the cumin. 

3) And then, the curry powder.

4) Now add chili and potatoes and fry them all up.

5) Then, enter the cauliflower! Fry them fry them!

6) Add some water (we do not want a flood in this dish, so make sure to add water very little at a time) and cover with lit and let them cook. You can open the lit to check if you need more water once in a while.

7) Once the vegetables are all nicely cooking, add in the green peas.

8) As all ingredients cooked, you can add sufficient amount of salt to taste and you are done!

Served as a very homey and healthy side dish, Aloo Gobi shouts yumminess especially with the nice scent of the cumin! So make sure you don't miss out on that very important ingredient! It's definitely something different if you want something out of the normal Chinese style stir-fry vegetables! :)

Raita
Made some Raita just because I know my two sisters are big fans of yogurt and I thought this is a perfect bowl to cool stuff down if they ever find my Indian dinner a bit too hot to handle! :p

I didn't take photos of the step-by-step though, cos I think it is pretty easy to make. I basically followed Kim's recipe and method, but I added some cumin powder, as per recommended by other recipe found online and trust me, it makes whole loads of difference! The cumin powder gave the otherwise plain bowl of Raita a spice-kick and trust me, it's in a very good way! 
My two sisters were so addicted to that bowl of awesomeness I think that was their favourite dish of the night! :)

Added my signature Lime Leaves Prawns and a Broccoli Soup just because I know the sisters will love them too! See, how thoughtful a sister I am! :p

Our Indian dinner with just some extra non-Indian dishes... LOL!

Sometimes I really love cooking for guests cos I can cook more stuff, more than just for two persons you see. But by the end of the day I'll become so damn tired! But once in a while really won't hurt! :)

Ducum, who came in an Indian top to match the theme heating up some Roti Paratha!

And us enjoying some Indian dinner in a Chinese home! :p

So when should we do our next house party?