Lookalike Malaysian / Japanese / Korean
November 23, 2011… Completed mockup for coal company, but still unsatisfied. Ended up banking in a cheque at Public Bank instead of Maybank because they couldn’t recognize the account. Completed watching episode 4 of Doogie Howser MD. Hence, this entry.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrERtikdPus]
Well, it was very unknown to me. Never did I think we’d be able to find hot springs in Malaysia. Until I followed Ariel and her Japanese class troop for a short trip to Sungkai, Perak. Apparently, place we were heading to was Sungai Kelah (or Klah).
The drive was approximately 2 hours from Kuala Lumpur. Once we got off the highway, we used the town roads and then a single lane road which took us deeper into plantations. Thankfully, signage wasn’t easily missed.
Once parked, we had to ride a super slow tram which traveled for about 100m where you get off and walk into the park. The group planned to take one of the private jacuzzis – we opted for the exclusive pool which could fit all 11 of us.
Now that I think about it. We only got half of the house you see. But once you enter, you’ll be able to see the hot spring jacuzzi.
The setting of the place was a nice Bali concept getaway. Not too bad for a short trip away from the city.
The small house on the right was air-conditioned. Lucky for us, it was a good morning with no rain and the sun wasn’t burning. Once settled in, we all dipped into the hot spring jacuzzi – clothes on.
Unlike Japanese baths or onsen (hot spring) where we hear about no clothes allowed, we are in Malaysia and girls here are all too shy. 😛 But later on, I just had to strip off the t-shirt because it was such a bother. And seriously, if you ever dip into the hot springs here, shirts off would allow you to enjoy it more – better skin contact.
After our 2 hours renting the place for RM120/hour, we washed off and packed up to head out. The dip was well-worth it except I felt probably 2 hours was a little too long.
On our way out (or your way in), there’s a special spot for boiling eggs which you buy from the nearby stall. And beside this, there was a hot spring where we saw mainly people dipping their feet into the water. It was measured to be 40-50 degrees Celsius. Saw a guy who pulled out his feet from dipping and it looked like he had a pair of pink socks on. Siao!
Well, least I know now there’s an available hot spring within driving distance. And if you really wanted, maybe stop by Bidor for some awesome duck noodles for lunch before returning to the bustling city. 🙂
Damn I miss the Bidor duck noodles.
It was Hawk’s birthday and being meat eaters, we wanted to carve our teeth into Le LeMeridien’s Prime. Said to be THE steak restaurant by many, so we decided to celebrate it there. Though we went in with lowered expectations as hearsay was the steaks weren’t as what it used to be. *shrug – first timer here*
From a raised platform where you enter, you can overlook the restaurant and within a head’s turn you can see into the kitchen. It felt really posh. 🙂
Though the seats are really spacious, I’d say they were probably fitted for larger-sized Western bodies. But as Asians, our size definitely gives us the advantage to maneuver better in them. 😛
For starters, me and Ariel shared had their signature lobster bisque. The external view reminded me of Dome’s pie except this was much much much better. Because the crust was very thin. And as you dig into it, you’ll find the hidden soup. It was truly a great dish though it became a tad salty for me as I finished it.
Hawk treated himself with their Wagyu. It was a truly majestic piece of meat. But to be honest, I found the texture incomparable to my superior Kobe. Muahahahhaha! 😛
Okay. It was my first time having Kobe. But I loved every single piece of milky smooth cut of my steak which slid in my mouth. Mmmmmm…oh, I’m so spoiled now! LOL!
Ariel had their steak burger and it was really a platter for a horse. Besides the burger, you’ve got thick-sized fries with a small serving of salad.
Prime was a great experience. At least we know now what the food tastes, though we may not come here as often due to the price of parking plus food. Also, I’d be lying if we weren’t comparing Prime with our favourite steak hangouts; Las Vacas.
It was a mixed result between friends and it may not stand as a fair comparison since Las Vacas grills their meat with only salt and pepper – no marination. Thus, I’ll leave my final say out until I get a serving of Kobe at Las Vacas.
Who’s with me? 😀
The Foo family one night decided to head on to Ben’s General Food Store in Bangsar Village 1 to give their food a whirl. My Dad’s expectation was to have steaks and the hearsay I heard was they did now have it on the menu – last visit with Hawk didn’t have it.
Once we sat down and reviewed the menu, there was NO STEAK listed on it. Puzzled by this, we decided if we should stay and dine here. My parents were easygoing so just agreed to go with the flow and dine-in.
Okay, call it bad luck. But I was requested to change my side order of salad, THREE TIMES! And, THEY GOT MY SALAD WRONG! The first time was it ran out – fine. The second and third time also ran out – WTF?! On the final time I went up there, I chose a salad which looked like not many people ordered, thinking I was safe. Until my plated order came and what-do-you-know, the salad was wrong. -_-!!!!!!!
I was already frustrated having to choose 3 times so I didn’t bother telling them to correct it. Sigh. What a stroke of bad luck.
Me and Ariel decided to share a pizza, so we tried the fungi pizza. If you see the word fungi, it’s mushroom – in case you space out when you see it. 😛
For my main course, I decided to give their lamb shank pie a go. But I don’t think I’ll have that again unless I can eat like a horse or I want to be Fred Flintstone.
I believe lamb shank can only be called that if the bone is still there. So what you see protruding from all that mashed potato on the top is my lamb shank. It was massive!
I didn’t know how to eat it, literally. The lamb was buried under the mash and the meat – though tender – couldn’t be easily sliced. So like Fred, I picked out the lamb and start gnawing away. Indeed, it was a little bit messy, but I guess that’s one of the ways to truly enjoy a lamb shank. LOL!
You’ll mostly find pizzas here. Other than that, they’ve got the lamb shank pie and 3-4 other different mains. Steak is not on the menu, but apparently how it works is you order from another place in Bangsar Village and they’ll serve it to you in Ben’s General Food Store.
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That’s the definition of Muse, based on Dictionary.com. Thus, comment I will.
It wasn’t great and to tell you the truth, I’ve nothing too positive to talk about the food this time. I bought the coupon from Groupon Malaysia to try out the food being Italian and all. But I guess this is the first time it was the wrong decision.
The starters of soup which looked like tomato didn’t really taste like it. Then, came the next course which was an 8″ chicken pizza which we had to choose between that or beef. I’m not sure if this is just me but it tasted really bland, until I dabbed Tabasco to give it a kick.
Finally, we had some pasta which again we had to choose between a beef spaghetti or seafood aglio olio. At least this was alright, but in comparison to my friend’s place at Secret of Louisiana, this is nothing. Sigh.
So lesson learnt. Be mindful when purchasing any food deals from a group buying website. At least, dig up as much information on the food review.
P.S: Deal was 2 soups, 1 pizza and 1 pasta for 2 people.