Living Room Restaurant

I don't really give reviews about restaurants or eateries before but this is our usual wine and dine place so i am obliged to do it. It is owned by the same person who owns The Junk and Bla bla bla.. whereas The Junk is more kinda Westernized menu and Bla bla bla.. orientalized menu. Living Room is more kinda coffee and smoothies place.

The food is fairly priced and most of them are finger licking good. The downside of the western dishes are the side salads. Mostly consists of the same basic things and a tartar sauce. How i miss the simple but elegant Mediterranean salad with a drizzle of lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt and black pepper. You should try the lamb shank or the asparagus prawn.

Siamese Secret, Miri

Siamese Secrets is a fine dining joint located at the shophouses just before Mega Hotel. It offers a mixture of western and asian food. My favourites includes the Mee Mamak and its assorted Pizza. The Tom Yam Gung does not fare so well although it is aptly named Siamese Secret. But with the limited choice of dining out in Miri, Siamese would be considered one of the few acceptable joints to chill in. Besides, it is open till the wee hours of the morning and provides free Wi-Fi. Always a plus for me.

Star Cineplex Miri vs Wayang Milo

Those born in the 70s probably would remember these; "Wayang Milo". For those born in the era of cineplex probably would make a face right about now. What is it? Many years ago, Milo (Bless their marketing soul) actually went around town especially in rural areas and set up a huge projector screen in open areas and start playing movies for everyone to see. I cant remember what movies were shown or if it had cost anything (i believe it was free with cups of cold Milo available too). But even with the steel deck chairs (or own mats) the Movies were enjoyable.

Now we pay Rm10/- per person, add another RM10 for popcorns and soda and what do we get? Rats and Burned Films. I kid you not. I have only been in Miri for about 10 months and have yet to enjoy one single session at Star Cineplex Miri. The following has always occured:

a) Film starts before show time

b) Films burn in the middle of show (you can actually see the film burning on screen where the star's face are nothing but one big gap of orange tint) - This was what happened today while watching The International

c) Film reels snaps 10 mins towards ending. (again you see this on screen)...Edward Cullen fighting off bad vampires and suddenly *splat*

d) Movie screen cut into two, you can actually see Indiana's Jones leg above his head =)) while fighting the nazi woman. (was she nazi?)

e) Surround speakers not working, so the only sounds available are muffled from behind the screen, when asked for a theatre change or refund, the reply was.."Just sit nearer to the screen..."

f) Best of all was, intensely watching the Punisher only out of the corner of your eye, a HUGE rat, I kid you not climbing on the wall next to you.

If you are from Miri, you would probably say, yeah that's normal, just go buy DVD. But i like going to the movies, after my first movie of Peter Pan when I was six I was hooked on the big screen and dark lit cinemas. I would even watch movies alone just to immersed myself in the story and when you are paying to go see a movie, you would expect to actually see the movie. So please Star Cineplex Miri, do buck up and keep up with the maintenance. I know the owner is probably busy directing movies but if you dont maintain your cinemas, we wont get to see your movie once it's completed.

VS

Pusing2 Bikin Pening Part 1

This post is past due. The trip was actually in 2008 but wanted to blog about it to share experience on my virgin trip to Indonesia.

(p/s: AirAsia no longer flies from KCH to JAKARTA....why??????)

Day 1 (Saturday)

Flight was retimed from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. However, AirAsia didnt sms me as they would usually. Luckily my friend who works at the airport called before i left for the airport. I personally welcomed the delay as didnt get much sleep the nite before so was able to sneak in 2 hours sleep.

(filling out forms at KCH Airport...)

Took off and had a very COLD flight. Am not kidding you, even the flight attendants was shivering. Reason given was there were less than 30 people on board, if there was more people you wouldn't feel so cold. (proven by return flight when there were ard 80 passengers). Overall was a pleasant flight. Was pleasantly surprised upon landing we were greeted by a shuttle bus instead of having to walk to the terminal. immigration was quick and headed straight to Silverbird Taxi Counter.

(shuttle bus ride to terminal)

Booked a taxi for the 5 of us...was given an Innova. It cost around 175000 rupiah. Destination was Hotel Alpine Jakarta. We asked for a quotation for a car+driver to Bandung for Monday, quote given was 1 mil rupiah not incl. gas, toll etc. Then when we didnt seem interested they told us they can give us a 'family rate' of 700k rupiah all in using Avanza. SO we said we'll decide tomorrow and give them a call.

Off to Hotel, check in. Overall was it was clean, staff was friendly and helpful. With the price we paid, i have no complaints at all except maybe the room's air-cond needed servicing which they did immediately. Besides the fact that it is not in the city centre, we hardly encountered any traffic jams or 'macet' as they call it.

(the pink ball is for cockroaches... *gulp*)
(one of five choice of bfast menu..)
(please explain what Open To Be With You means...)

Since we arrived nearly 11pm at the hotel, we decided to go into town and walk around. Took a cab to Jalan Jaksa. Was not what i expected from what other forumers has written :D I would described it as seedy but we walked along Jalan Jaksa anyway, enjoying the 'activities' around..walked till we reached Jln Agus Salim and had Nasi Goreng Gila there. Then walked some more to Djarkata Theatre. Found a 24 hours cafe called OhLaLa and hang out for a bit. After that walked some more past Sarinah Mall till then end up to where Plaza Indonesia was. Actually looking for Hard Rock Cafe but apparently by 2am it's already closed.

(Cafe Oh La La)
(Plaza Indonesia)

Grand Millenium KL

Newly refurbished, the Gand Millenium is situated next to Pavillion KL, a new and huge shopping mall along Jalan Bintang. In the Golden Triangle vicinity, there are a lot of Malls within walking distance. Namely, KL Plaza, Lot 10, Sungei Wang Plaza, Bukit Bintang Mall, Times Square and also Low Yatt (the IT mall). Public transport are also convenient with bus & taxi stands all around and Putra Monorel that can take you straight to KL Sentral. My hotel comfort factor always lies on the beddings provided especially bed and pillows and Grand Millenium pass on both standard quite highly. Loving the King Size Bed and lucious pillows, the LCD TV is a plus too. Dont forget to try the Club Burger too. I can only finish half as it's a more than enough meat for me.

Trader's Hotel

Fairly new in business, Traders Hotel in KL is convinient for business travellers and shoppers alike. Why? Keyword: Vicinity to KLCC. KLCC is short for Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. It is where Petronas Twin Tower is and also Suria KLCC Mall. Both a business and commercial hub. There is a shuttle cart from the hotel to KLCC every 15 mins interval for those lazy to walk. The short stroll is actually quite rewarding as you would actually pass the convention centre housing Aquaria KLCC (underwater sea creature above water level..nice) and KLCC park.

The lobby of this hotel is quite unique as it does not house the check in facilities. For that you would actually have to go to Level 5, where the common restaurant or lounge is also situated. Staff are abundant and friendly. My favourite feature however would be the floor to ceiling mirror adjacent to the bed in the room.

Dave's Deli (Miri)

I remembered my first Dave's Deli experience about 15 years ago somewhere in Petaling Jaya, I believe it was at Atria, if i'm not mistaken. So having a meal at its franchise in Miri was sort of trip down memory lane. My favourite dish would be the Meatballs with Potatoes and Coleslaw. Others would probably rave about its Roasted Chicken. The bread pudding with ice cream is also a favourite. Here in Miri, it used to be in Imperial Mall itself. Now it has moved to the shophouses opposute the mall, along the same row you would find Madli Cafe and Kaya and Toast. Free Wi-fi and abundant of reading materials are also available so it's quite a nice place to enjoy your meal, surft the net and reading on current affairs.

Siput Sedut Hartamas Square

Available at Hartamas Square (Old chinese man next to the big screen). Utterly YUMMY-LICIOUS..Siput sedut or tekoyong as s'wakian call them served hot with addictive sauce covering the siput. One suck and you cant stop!! =))

Nasi Lelapan/Ayam Penyet

This craze in Nasi Lelapan or Nasi Ayam Penyet started in Sarawak about 2 years ago in Kuching. Originally an indonesian cuisine (whoever has been to Jakarta can vouch that most roadside stalls and foodcourt would have this dish). There is a variety to Nasi Lelapan, it can be served with chicken (ayam), beef, prawn and some type of fish (mainly catfish known as pecel lele). I'll review all type of Lelapan/Ayam Penyet here and update this entry as I take new pictures in different locations.

Muara Cafe (Miri)

Situated at Miri's waterfront, opposite of Yi Ha Hai Seafood and next to Petra Resources, this is the first outlet in Miri to serve Nasi Lelapan. A must try for anyone travelling to Miri. It is usually fully occupied, mostly by west malaysians, bruneians and indonesian. For faster service try to come after lunch or just before dinner time (around 5pm). The 'sambal' is richer in shrimp paste (belacan) than most lelapan i've tried so do bring wet tissues or hand sanitizer if you are off to a meeting after lunch/dinner as the smell will stick. (That is if you eat with your hands like a true nasi lelapan devotee). The variety includes chicken, beef, prawn, squid and variety of fish (tenggiri/bawal/tongkol - will translate these to English later).

Awang Mahyan Cafe (Miri)

This cafe is at Bintang Commercial Centre, it's next to Bintang Mall. Apparently the cafe is owned by ex Sarawak's footballer of the Ngap Sayot era. Awang Mahyan was the fame coach then. The sambal is not spicy, a bit mundane actually to my taste but my some of my friends like it better as the prawn paste is not so pungent.

Surubaya Cafe (Miri)

Situated opposite of Mega Hotel on the waterfront side, the sambal is nice and spicy although it was a bit runny that day. The only thing i cant stand is the heat in the cafe. I dont know if I was sweating due to the spicy food or the almost oven-like atmosphere. Some kind of ventilation or artifical air (i.e more fan would be nice).

Ir-One Cafe (Miri)

Recommended by my cousin, serves Lelapan Udang Galah which is pictured here. Amongst other it also has the normal chicken and normal size prawn. Situated at Piasau (near the old surau).

Food for Thoughts

Johann, Nazrin and myself sat filled with yummy food during lunch and came up with an idea to blog about the food we ate. Now, this may interest you or it may not but we are just doing this for info to friends and family and also self satisfaction. Besides, FOOD is always a subject of passion between us and many of our friends. Please feel free to suggest places that we can go and review the food especially if it is one of your favourite dish which you want to share with others. Let the Journey Begins...

Blogging Come Back

It's been nearly 2 years since my last blog posting. Those who have read my blog before can find it through this link http://not-so-simple-life-of-nana.blog.friendster.com/, if you miss the old stories. Now that life is more settled, I've decided to revive my blogging ways, more as a therapy for my soul as i need an outlet for my celebrations of and frustations at life. Oh well, C'est La Vie! and Happy Reading!