Dinner at Haidilao @ Pavillion, KL (Saturday, 26 October 2019)

At the mention of Haidilao, one would visualize a long bee line outside the hot pot restaurant, with those seated at the waiting area nibbling on snacks of freshly popped caramel pop corns, ice cream and tong sui or getting a massage or even manicure. In some countries, customers can also have leather shoe cleaning service, as well as photo printing and massage chairs. Also, some stores have children’s play rooms and are accompanied by special personnel, like the one in Pavillion. All these are provided FREE by the international chain of hot pot restaurant as the waiting time can go up to two or three hours!

Would you wait that long just to dig into fish balls and meat from a hot pot? Definitely not for me and the hubs but he managed to secure a table through a friend. The girls were so excited that they're finally going to the much raved and famed Haidilao last Saturday. The girls, the mil and Sil went to the restaurant several hours earlier to experience the personalized service and freebies while they are at the waiting line. Hubs, Cass and I went later as Cass had piano class.

Haidilao Hot Pot is currently operating more than 466 direct-operated stores in more than 100 cities. Haidilao Hot Pot restaurants are in many countries, such as China (which is its country of birth), Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as Singapore, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries. Haidilao Hot Pot has more than 36 million VIP members and 60,000+ staff.


The queue on the Saturday evening that we went.



Interesting array of snacks at the snacks bar, free for customers waiting in line. The courteous staff kept inviting us to help ourselves to the addictive freshly popped caramel pop corn. Cass likes the cup ice-cream too.


A cozy corner with gigantic teddy bears for camwhoring while you wait for your table.



Free hand massage anyone?



Kiddos playroom with TV




Free snacks and appetizers. The red bean tong sui is prepped with health freaks, keto-ers and diabetics in mind as it's unsweetened.   Sugar syrup is placed in a container for those who prefer their tong sui sweetened.



The appetizers, desserts and condiments counter. You'll be spoilt for choice with so many different types of condiments and sauces from sesame sauce to curry sauce, crushed peanuts, garlic, coriander, chopped spring onions, chili oil, etc etc.


Diners are handed out hot wet hankies and an apron to wear. Ladies with long locks will be given a good quality hair tie to tie up their hair. Plastic bags to put your mobile phones to protect them from splatters are available as well.  For handmade la mien, your eyes will be feasted to a life display by a skillful staff pulling the noodles and even tossing the noodles over your head or right in front of your face, giving you a spurt of adrenaline rush just when you thought that the noodles would land on your hair or face but pulled back quickly by the adept la mien expert. 😁.

Not only are the la mien a sight to behold during 'production' but the meticulousness of the hand-pulled noodles impart a nice chewy texture.  Hubs loved the noodles so much that he ordered 3 plates and we were treated to the spectacular la mien pulling stunt 3 times!












Service is top notch - staff are courteous and helpful. They'll help you cut your birthday cake and even sing the birthday song for you. Some waiting staff are from China and I had a hard time comprehending them and needed my girls to be my translator.  Advantage of sending them to a Chinese school! ;)


Yummy addictive snack of deep fried fish skin. This is ordered from the menu though.


Everyone reveled in their sumptuous hedonistic hot pot dinner.  Total damage was slightly over RM1,000 for 10 pax.  Hubs ordered almost 20 plates of premium beef, lamb and pork and a plate of fresh scallops with countless plates of an assortment of balls, vegetables and some unique seafood. Some of the adults had beer.  The bill is slightly on the high side but taking into account the amount of food that the hubs ordered and the top notch service, the total bill is reasonable.  I definitely don't mind experiencing another round of entertaining hot pot meal provided hubs gets a pre-booked table again.

After our enjoyable dinner which left everyone with an expanded waist line, our friend treated us to the famous burnt cheese cake and matcha cheese cake at The Tokyo Restaurant @ Lot 10.  The slightly long stroll (in drizzle, which got us slightly wet) from Pavillion to Lot 10 (and then back to Pavillion) helped a wee bit in burning some calories before we dug into the sinfully to-die-for cheese cakes and tiramisu.








Haidilao Hot Pot
Level 10 Pavillion Elite,
168, Jalan Raja Chulan,
Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603-2110 0520
Opens daily from 10am to 3am

Kedai Makanan May King @ Pudu

Ever since my youngest SIL from Hawaii arrived in KL on Monday, we've been binging non-stop.  It takes determination and will power as strong as steel to resist putting in the third or fourth spoonful of mouth watering grub into my mouth for every dish that's put on the dining table.  All in the name of a hot bod! Not that I have one but trying hard to get one.  Visions of my almost hourly workout every morning to burn off the calories kept flashing in my head and this is how I can resist the 'evil' in front of me from going into my mouth 😇  Because it's just darn effortless to put on 10kg but it takes so much sacrifices, self control, sweat and torture just to lose 1kg.  As I age, I find that it's just so easy to pile on the weight especially when I am lazy and skip exercising.

Anyway, back to our Friday chow!

Brunch was at May King, to dig into one of the best lam mee, Ipoh style shredded chicken noodles and chicken curry noodles in KL.




Signature chicken curry noodles drenched in thick santan-ish curry broth.


The 'kai si hor fun' is almost as close as the ones from Ipoh.



Mee flooded in gloopy brown sauce, topped with fresh prawns, shredded chicken, bean sprouts, fried onions, green onions and Chinese cabbage.


Fried wanton, sui kow with huge big prawns and delish bouncy meat balls.



Kedai Makanan May King
Address: 38, Jalan Yew, Pudu
55100 Kuala Lumpur

Good Workout Morning

This morning's 45-minute workout session was very fruitful. I did three sets of lower abdomen exercises on the pool side lounger, stretching, star jumps, jump squats, hand weights, frog jumps, etc. before going for brisk walking and finally HIIT with jog and sprints for 15 minutes.  I had a good sweat out and a much wanted high of endorphins, which put me in really good mood the whole day 😇 

Why would anyone still not want to exercise when the benefits are in the jillions? No time is not an excuse. I can say that as I was once a full-time working mum with 2 babies under 2 years old then, who sacrificed my sleep, got up at 5 a.m. every single day and ran round the neighborhood with a baton or brolly in my hand (to ward off muggers) before travelling 25 km to my workplace. I stayed in Shah Alam and had to drive to Sri Kembangan to work. My working hours were long too.  If I can do it, so can anyone. 

One of the things that I intend to do when I retire is to spend an hour or two exercising once in the morning and once in the evening.   I'll most likely even learn yoga or dancing.  I'm going to keep myself more active than ever in my sunset years, just like my 73-year old mum who attends line dancing  and qigong classes, keyboard classes, learns Mandarin herself from our girls' old kindergarten Chinese books (LOL) and recently bought an Angklung from Indonesia to play in her free time. She also tries new recipes regularly and bakes like a pro.  I hope that she can continue to do all these activities to keep herself active physically and mentally for many, many more years.

Brunch was at the mamak with the hubs and Sherilyn.  Today is the first day of her final exam!

I had tosai and teh tarik with no sugar.  I gave specific instructions to the waiter that I wanted CRISPY and GARING tosai and he kept nodding his head but what came was totally opposite from what I ordered!  I was in a hurry to send the hubs back to his office and Sherilyn to school and didn't bother to send the half-cooked tosai back to the kitchen to have it re-fried till it's crispy. I just ate half and discarded the other half. What a disappointment.








Hubby's rice with mixed dishes.


Sherilyn's mee goreng.

Goodbye, My Beloved Longines

My 18-year old Longines watch died on me recently.  I got my Longines when I was in my corporate suits and needed a 'corporate watch'. Her price tag was about RM3,000 then and is now selling at USD1,290 (appr. RM5,394) in Amazon.  Until today, the facade of my Longines still looks brand new and sparkly, though she's been subjected to umpteen bangs, knocks, scratches, free falls and rain water.  Only the gasket inside is damaged.  Over the last 18 years, I must have spent a few thousand Ringgit just on batteries. Each battery costs about RM100, lasts for over a year only and can only be purchased from a luxury watch shop at Mid Valley Megamall.

When it finally stopped working, I was devastated. It would cost a few hundred Ringgit to get it fixed. Now that I'm no longer in the corporate world, I don't need a 'corporate watch'.  I'm good with just my red FitBit but I wanted something more elegant looking.  I have not decided if I should get the watch fixed.  But I'll definitely be keeping it forever.








I went on a watch shopping spree last Wednesday but almost all the watch shops at Mid Valley Megamall are luxury watch shops. Only Swatch carries 'affordable' watches. I'm not really a fan of Swatch watches but my girls are. I find the straps too plastic-ky and kiddy. The only advantage of owning a Swatch is that you'll get free replacement batteries for life. Warranty is two years only for the strap and internal parts.

After window shopping at four luxury watch shops and disappointed that none of the watches meet my measly budget of below RM400, I went back to Swatch to have another round of intense hunt for my dream watch. And then I saw this statement jewelry watch (RM340, yay meets my budget!) and I knew I had to get it.



She looks elegant with the bling bling pink and blue stones but I find it hard to put her on my wrist.  The moment I brought her into my room and tried to put her onto my wrist, she slipped from my butter fingers and BANG it fell onto the floor so HARD!!  My heart must have dropped along with her onto the floor. But thank God she survived the fall and none of the stones got yanked off.  That's one of the edges of getting a Swiss-made watch. You'll get quality product.

I had to have 6 frigging rings removed from my bling bling Swatch to fit into my skinny wrist.  4 of the rings were removed last Wednesday and when I found that she was still hanging too loosely on my wrist, I went back to the shop this week to have another 2 rings removed. Now my bling bling Swatch sits nicely on my wrist. 💓




Please be good my dear bling bling Swatch. I hope you'll keep me company for the next 18 years just like your half sis, Longines 😬

Why Boots Are A Must-Have Item For Women

Boots are always stylish and elegant. A pair of hot looking women's boots can jazz up even the simplest of outfit.  Boots can be paired with various styles of outfits from dresses to pants and skirts and they never fail to to make a woman look oh so chic.

A short skirt deserves a pair of statement ankle boots to go with it. A maxi dress can have a major impact with the right bootie peeping out from beneath the fabric - you can consider a black buckle slip-on ankle bootie, like the one pictured below from NewChic, for a sleek, cool-girl vibe.





Ankle boots look great with dress pants, cropped trousers as they do with denim, so step outside of your comfort zone and give one of these outfits a whirl on a pair of cool ankle booties.




Dress pants don't have to be boring anymore when you tuck them into ankle boots for an ultra stylish look that works just as well during the week as it does on the weekend!

Yes, black boots, ankle boots and booties work with everything but sometimes it is good to jump out of your comfort zone.  Try suede leopard print, ink print, floral retro heel or retro ankle boots to give everything you wear a leg up. You won't regret it!

Winter is arriving soon. Be prepared for whatever storm the next season brings and get your feet in some quality footwear that can weather all the weather. Boots have been a sure bet in winter.  The above video features some chic winter retro boots from NewChic that are sure to level up your fashion this winter.

NewChic 5TH anniversary sale is coming soon. Their SOCOFY brand shoes are up to 90% off!  Do click on SOCOFY vintage shoes page to check them out!

Chef Chew Kitchen Restaurant @ Section 19, PJ

After a month or two of frequent dining at Bangsar South, the foodie hubs has finally started to feel a teeny weeny bored of this lifestyle hub. Today he's aching to try a new place ~ Chef Chew Kitchen Restaurant at Section 19, PJ to savor good old tai chow dishes, thanks to postings on social media by his friends!  Our close and long time friend Jess, son and DIL joined us for lunch.

Chew Chew Kitchen is tucked in the Seksyen 19 neighbourhood on the Durian Street.  It's run by Chef Chew, a former chef in one of the best Chinese restaurant groups in town.  Serving home-cooked oriented dishes and comfort tai chow dishes, the prices are pretty reasonable and most importantly, you'll get good quality food.  Truly a bang for your buck kind of restaurant that's worthy of repeated visits.   The restaurant is air-conditioned and clean.

So jumping right into it - pix of our glorious dishes, for 9 pax.

Steamed kampung chicken served with ginger and scallion fluffy rice.  This combination dish is currently trending in upscale Chinese restaurants. For someone who does not like rice, I had a sweet surrender to 2 huge tablespoons of rice that goes along so well with the flavorful steamed chicken, dipped with house made fresh chilli sauce.


Fried kung po lala; Salted egg yolk fried squids.



Stir-fried mixed vegetables; Kangkung cooked with belacan in clay pot.



Claypot curry prawns ~ curry devotees' version of nirvana!  It would be a good idea to order a big plate of fried mantou to soak and mop up all the curry broth, provided you're certain you won't be corroded with guilt post-meal! 😋 😆


Steamed white moustache fish with pork croutons;  claypot braised pig trotters tendons - very flavorful but I don't eat such parts.




Smoked chicken



And the highlight of the lunch ~ 'ku lo yoke' served in a bowl of shaved ice. So unique, so flavorful, icy cold meets piping hot, this dish is truly a show-stopper.




It's very dangerous (to the wallet) to eat with the hubs. When he's very happy with the food, he is highly susceptible to ordering more dishes towards the end of the meal, as he's one who loves trying out new dishes.  Yeah coming from a chef  foodie, or rather someone who's in the food catering business, trying out new dishes is one of the ways he introduces new dishes into his own catering menu.

And so this Thai style steamed seafood dish comprising of prawns, squids and lala was ordered towards the end of the meal as someone's eating mode was activated with so much good food, teasing his papillae and exploding his taste buds to life. We were all stuffed to the gills but this dish really whetted our appetite and within minutes, everything was polished off as well.




The queen and the prince were obviously very pleased and satisfied with today's lunch. No doubt, I know we'll be heading here again very soon to sample other dishes. I can't wait.

滋味饭店 Chef Chew Kitchen Restaurant
Ground floor, No.52, Jalan 19/3,
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
016-634 7948

Baked Gnocchi Balls

My baking queen was on a cooking rampage again with her creative juices flooding her right brain.

Making baked gnocchi balls wasn't her original plan.  But a failed fancy Italian dumpling in tomato-y sauce dish spurred my baking queen into putting on her thinking cap.
And then a light bulb moment popped up💡

She turned the sauteed gnocchi with pasta sauce into a new age delish snack -- something that you'll find at Insta-worthy modish cafes.

Because of the botched first attempt, a lot of work and steps were needed to produce these crispy gnocchi balls.




This is what she did in 'Phase 1'

1.  First she boiled the purple and yellow sweet potatoes and mashed them.
2.  Then she blitzed some organic oats into oats flour.
3.  Combined the oats flour and mashed sweet potato with salt and a beaten egg and formed it into a dough.
4.  Rolled dough and cut into pieces. Pressed cut pieces of dough with a fork to form pattern.
5.  Boiled the gnocchi al dente.

She wanted to cook some of the gnocchi with butter and cheese and some with garlic. This is a classic Italian dish. But I told her that her sisters will most likely not appreciate such Italian dishes as they've never tried them before and it doesn't sound like something that they'll want to eat.

Then she ransacked the kitchen cabinet and fished out a jar of pasta sauce that grandma recently brought back from New Zealand.   And so 'Phase 2' revolved around sauteeing the gnocchi with onions and pasta sauce.  However, the dish did not pass my perfectionist baker's high standard.

In 'Phase 3', she pounded a bag of baked bagel snacks that grandma brought back from NZ into crumbs and coated the sauteed gnocchi with pasta sauce with them before rolling them into balls. And in goes the gnocchi balls into the oven.  She waited with bated breath the whole time the balls were in the oven as she was worried that the balls would turn out to be yet another failure... coz her tiger mom was ranting and cussing away that she's wasting time and money experimenting on a new recipe again.




Finally the baked gnocchi balls were ready and the baking queen wasted no time in trying them and voila, they were delish. Addictive to be exact!

Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.



The balls came in two sizes ~ two giant balls and many bite size ones.  She gave some to her beloved kakak Maria. My dear part-time helper of 7 years finally returned from Indonesia after being away on maternity leave for 3 long months. How we missed her!!




After the success of the first batch of baked gnocchi balls, the baking queen made another batch (Phase 4), this time with crushed 'whatever crackers she could find'.  She also stuffed a wedge of gourmet cheese (that grandma brought back from NZ too) into some of the gnocchi balls.





These baked gnocchi balls store well in the fridge. To eat, just crank up the toaster and heat up the balls for 10-15 minutes in medium temperature.

From something that initially looked pretty unappetizing (it looked like a bowl of baby pureed food), my creative baking queen transformed it into some aesthetically looking yet delish and healthy snack balls!  I'll give her a 10/10 for creativity, determination and taste.

Healthy Meatless Pasta Bolognese

To encourage the girls to eat more vegetables and go easy on meat (especially red meat), I include lots of root vegetables, tubers and leafy vegetables in the dishes that I cook. For stews, I add carrots, sweet potatoes (yellow and purple), potatoes, onions, leek, celery, tomatoes, garlic, pumpkin, zucchini, mushrooms and lots of herbs (rosemary, Italian, bay leaves, cinnamon, etc).

Recently I made a meatless macaroni bolognese and the girls loved it.  If this dish was just for me, it would have been 100% vegan. But I wanted some protein in the bolognese for my growing girls, so I added boiled quails eggs and cheese.

My meatless bolognese sauce is composed of carrots and tomatoes (blitzed in my Blendtec), loads of red onions and garlic, bay leaves, Italian herbs, black pepper and a jar of organic tomato basil paste.

Meat is replaced with fresh jumbo BBQ Portobello mushrooms, white and brown Shimeji mushrooms, Japanese pumpkin, zucchini (yellow and green) and quail eggs.






My yummy bowl of low carb high fiber wholesome dinner, sans the pasta.  The girls had organic macaroni with it.








When asked which tastes better: bolognese with minced meat or no meat, the girls gave a resounding NO MEAT! They commented that the meatless version tastes no different than the version with minced meat. There you go, a meatless meal can still be yummers when you cook it with only plant-based ingredients and use lots of aromatic spices, herbs and allium (garlic and onions).

I'm one step closer to converting my girls to either lacto-ovo-vegetarians or flexitarians but I'll do it gradually 😉