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SurF tHis SitE RaNdoMly

Event: Hello Kitty Go Around (Malaysia) Canival

>> Thursday, December 24, 2015

Venue: 2nd Floor, Viva Home Expo Hall, Kuala Lumpur
Dates Available: 19 December 2015 - 19 January 2016
Opening Hours: 11.00a.m. – 10.00p.m.
(Admission is allowed up to 45 minutes before closing time)
Ticketing Counters Opening Hour: 10.00a.m. – 9.00p.m.
Online Ticket Purchase: Click here

The Hello Kitty Go Around (Malaysia) Carnival is finally in town! It's on-going for an entire month throughout this school holidays/year end right up to mid January next year. The carnival is certainly something that Hello Kitty fans wouldn't want to miss!

Ticketing counters available at the carnival entrance/online

Enthusiasts & fans will need to purchase their entrance tickets to enter the carnival. Each weekday & weekend ticket includes 2 Game Vouchers and each special day ticket includes 5 Game Vouchers. Additional game vouchers can be purchased at the carnival as well, so do check out the price list as below:

Each normal ticket comes with a special design lanyard while for special day e.g. Christmas, Christmas eve, new year and Melody day, there are different limited edition designs of lanyard and a non-woven bag included that you can't find else where.



I'm grateful to receive 2 weekday complimentary tickets (does not include any game vouchers/name tag with Hello Kitty landyard) from Heyday PR, which I gladly entered the carnival together with my mum after some shopping in KL.


Map of the carnival's layout
Photo taken by KSiang Tan

Here we go....!

Entrance into the carnival grounds

Upon admission, you get to take a photo with the artificial "Hello-Kitty-Go-Round", which doesn't move :P
You'll need to pay to have the photo taken
Photo taken by KSiang Tan

As per all carnivals, you'll find various games booths, activity corners & photo-taking corners, where you can happily snap photos along the way...




One of the most fascinating yet 'shocking' thing that I came across was at the "Apple Temple". Carnival atmosphere at this part of the event was definitely non-evident that I didn't realize it's a games booth!


I seriously thought that it's just an area for photo opportunity & what made my eyes pop was the Hello Kitty right at the center of the 'altar'...hahaha...since when was Hello Kitty a god that's worshiped?? Anyway, I just found out that it's a games booth where you can win a Hello Kitty "ema" (traditional Japanese wishing plate), which you can hang it on a designated wall, of which, this silly me didn't snap a photo of it since I didn't know what's this whole area about! *lol* I actually saw like 1 or 2 ema hanging on a wall, but that's about it...feels kinda sad!


Flower Shop...just a passing-by photo opportunity area 

Fans, enthusiast & children will enjoy this part of the carnival as you get to purchase a tote bag (I think it costs RM20.00/tote bag) & stamp all sorts of Hello Kitty images on your bag! You can even stamp your name on the tote. Sounds like some fun here, eh?


Loads of ink stamps to choose from...

There's even a post office, where you can actually write & send letters/mails to anyone plus have the Hello Kitty stamp on the mail. Of course, this doesn't come free of charge, but once again, I didn't take notice of the price per mail as I wasn't entirely interested to send any mails since I had to pay for it...hahaha...


You'll find an Official Goods Shop inside the carnival grounds as well as official merchandises upon exiting the carnival. I'm not entirely sure if the items sold at both shops are the same, but from what I glanced through, it doesn't seem to be the same.


Sweet Shop!

How about some Hello Kitty printed sweets as well? I reckon Hello Kitty fans won't want to miss this.




There's even a cinema, but there weren't any shows on at the time I was there :( 

Hello Kitty Cafe
I didn't see anything interesting here; didn't notice any drinks with Hello Kitty bottle shapes or prints somehow. Furthermore, the cafe had NO patrons at the time I was passing by! *eek* I guess people were too busy at the games booth trying to win a Hello Kitty plushie...

To add to the fun, you can also spend some time to get yourself more Hello Kitty goodies here at the workshop. Craft work was part of the workshop; you can check out the prices at the workshop itself.


Before leaving the carnival, you can collect/purchase photos that you have taken earlier at the "Hello-Kitty-Go-Round" or random photos taken of you around the carnival at the Photo Shop.




Bits & pieces of PerutBesi at various photo opportunity areas

So what's PerutBesi's verdict?

Ok, I have to admit that I'm not an avid fan of Hello Kitty, although I love Hello Kitty since I was young. The fact that all genuine Hello Kitty merchandises were too costly probably dampened my mood & chances of getting hold of any merchandises since my childhood. My only recollection was my sister's Hello Kitty plushie (quite a hugable size), my My Melody jewellery box & the few Hello Kitty plushies that my sister used to buy from McDonald's. Yeap, it seems as if she's more of a Hello Kitty fan than I am, also because I'm not very generous when it comes to buying toys for myself since they're of no major use apart than decorative purposes.

I guess Hello Kitty fans will still find this carnival rather enjoyable since they would be willing to spend on Hello Kitty merchandises & games. The carnival has quite a number of photo opportunity areas as well, although I still feel that compared to the carnival in Singapore, this is probably just 3/4 of all the colorful icons/figurines.

From a stand-point of need vs want & value vs total amount of money-spent (considering the current volatile economy of Malaysia), I personally will think twice (or thoroughly) before spending my finances on this carnival.

Such things are certainly one's choice & decision, according to financial abilities, so if you really fancy Hello Kitty & you're willing to spend the money for it, go all out to enjoy the carnival as it'll only be around 'til 19th January 2016! Get your tickets asap before they're sold out!



Why are Hello Kitty items so costly :(

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Review: Aroma Restaurant, Brickfields (Indian Cuisine)

>> Friday, December 18, 2015

Overall comment: I love the food here! An aptly named restaurant, serving an array of aromatic dish, each having its unique/distinct flavors, depending on which province of India it originates. SO GOOD. This will be one of my favorite Indian restaurants when I crave for Indian food, especially Northern Indian food! :D
Halal: Pork-free

"Best of North & South Indian Cuisines"

Brickfields is no stranger when it comes to a variety of Indian cuisines. It's not called "Little India" for no reason, eh? The traffic here & parking can be quite a challenge, but thankfully, Aroma is located near the Bank Rakyat building, so you can still opt to pay for an hour or two of parking for a good meal that you won't want to miss out.

Alternatively, there's always Food Panda, Malaysia's most convenient online food ordering & delivery site that connects fellow Malaysians with the best restaurants around them. Ordering with Food Panda is as simple as a 4-step recipe:
  1. Search: Find restaurants that deliver to you by entering your address
  2. Choose: Browse hundreds of menus to find the food you like
  3. Pay: Pay fast & secure online or on delivery
  4. Enjoy: Food is prepared & delivered to your door

It was thanks to Food Panda that I had the opportunity to try out Aroma Restaurant's fantastic food. It was an Aromatic Dinner date, no doubt!


Each month, Aroma Restaurant will introduce some promotions/new dishes, so for October - December, the below are their featured dishes.


Aroma's Menu 

Below were what we were introduced to for our review session. I'm going to share my review according to my preference-level with my favorite dishes first! :D

Punjab Patiala Lamb (RM20.00/serving)
This is a WINNER! I've never had such a delectable lamb dish! This flavorful lamb dish from Patiala southeastern Punjab in Northern India is so creamy & rich from cashew nuts & almond, tastes sweetish, has a honey sweetness smell & goes extremely well with breads like the Kulcha. The lamb chunks were really tender yet not 'disintegrated' until there was no 'chew'. Ah...I'm missing this dish so much!

Gobi 65 (RM15.00/serving)
Who would have expected that cauliflower could taste so delicious when deep-fried with some spiced batter? It's a great snack, appetizer & dish that is slightly spicy &very aromatic with the variety of herbs & spices infused into the batter. The dish is named "gobi 65" as the chef would cut the cauliflower up each time to exactly 65 pieces! *whoa!* Apparently, this is a skill. Of course, if you were to replicate such a dish at home, you may not achieve such precision...haha. This dish is best enjoyed by itself or with some of Aroma Restaurant's mint chutney!

Mint Chutney
Mint n coriander sauce/chutney with a hint of chili padi. LOVE IT! It goes well with papadam too!

Kulcha (RM6.00/piece)
Kulcha is a type of leavened bread (curd, baking soda and baking powder are used instead of yeast) eaten in India and Pakistan, made from maida (wheat flour). It is particularly popular in India and Pakistan, and is usually eaten with chole (chickpea curry). Here at Aroma Restaurant, a piece of kulcha (quite large) is cut into 4 pieces. I enjoy such kind of flat breads, especially when there's gravy to go with it!

Palak Paneer (RM20.00/serving)
It may not look very appealing, but those who know what it is & enjoy this nutritious dish of blended spinach (Popeye would love it!) with cottage cheese will not want to miss Aroma Restaurant's Palak Paneer. It's a skillfully prepared dish of diced cottage cheese & blended spinach, cooked with fenugreek leaves, ginger, garlic paste & fresh herbs. There's a technique to get the spinach (in Mandarin, it's called "poh chai") to maintain its evergreen color too :) I've yet to find out cos the chefs ain't sharing this with me...hahaha...

Malabar Egg Curry (RM15.00/serving)
Interestingly, this is a south-west Indian dish! It looks more like a northern Indian dish to me since it's not the typical red/orange-colored, spicy southern Indian curry. The hard-boiled eggs are cooked with ginger, garlic, tomatoes, onions, green chilies, turmeric powder, coriander powder, curry leaves, garam masala & thick coconut milk among the few main ingredients. What you get is a creamy gravy with hard-boiled egg that is OH-SO-YUMMY!

Chicken Nawabi Tikka (RM25.00/serving)
Another Punjab dish, which was surprisingly delectable despite it looking very plain is this chicken Nawabi tikka. This moist & gently spiced kebab is flavored with mace (dried, outer aril, enveloping firmly around the nutmeg kernel) & grilled in tandoor. Thanks to the intense aroma of mace (rakes a higher price & has a special place in the kitchen spice box!), the usual chicken tikka is brought to the next level.

Mumbai Fish Tikka (RM28.00/serving)
If no one tells you that it's fish, you would have thought it's chicken breast meat...hahaha. Cubes of boneless fish marinated in yogurt & exotic spices are barbecued in the tandoor clay oven. It's best eaten with the mint chutney!

Kerala Chili Prawns (RM24.00/serving)
Kerala is a state on South India's tropical Malabar Coast. It's no wonder that seafood is a main source of food for that state. Aroma Restaurant continues to bring us on a journey around India by introducing us to this dish of fresh prawns tossed with fresh & spicy green chilies, shallots, & curry leaves. This is a dish for those who fancy a spicier "kick" to their Indian meal :)

Aubergine Masala (RM12.00/serving)
Aubergine is widely used in Indian cuisines. The aubergine masala consists of diced aubergines, stir fried with coriander leaves, tomatoes, ginger, cumin seeds & Aroma Restaurant's "chef's own masala sauce"! I love soft & perfectly spiced aubergines, so this was just right for me.

Fuh! We've practically consumed the entire India in a meal! I thought we didn't have THAT much of food, but I was actually stuffed! When it comes to Indian cuisine, I certainly could eat more than my usual. Thankfully my fiance loves Indian food as well, so I've a partner for life to enjoy Indian cuisines with me *yay* To conclude our review session, we were served with the 2 Indian desserts & Aroma Restaurant's masala tea/brewed coffee *rubs hands with glee*

Gulab Jamun (RM10.00/serving of 2 balls)
I've never really fancied Indian desserts as I don't have a sweet-tooth. Milk dumplings in sugar syrup? Hmm...I just gave it a try, thinking that I wouldn't like it since I've never really fancied gulab jamuns, but hey, I actually finished this & liked it compared to the carrot halwa! It's not too sweet 'til the sweetness stings your tongue & when eaten warm, it's actually quite tasty. 


Carrot Halwa (RM9.00/serving)
I've never liked carrot halwa & I still didn't like it although my friend loved it & finished up both our shares! We swapped desserts - I ate up her gulab jamun & she helped me finish up my carrot halwa...hahaha. Perhaps carrots + sweet condensed milk just didn't work for me.

Masala Tea (RM5.00/serving)
After an exotic & gastronomical journey around India in ONE meal, it was just comforting to sip on a hot cup of masala tea. Traditionally, masala chai tea consists of spices like the green cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, ground ginger, and black peppercorn together with black tea leaves. If you sip on Aroma Restaurant's masala tea (with fresh cow's milk) slowly, you'll be able to taste each spice sip after sip. I managed to pick out the cinnamon, cloves, ginger & black peppercorns after a few sips - it was delightful!

I thought that day ended well - what's not to love about good food, good tea, good ambiance & new found friends? Food Panda provides delivery within an hour for just RM8.00 (delivery fee) with a minimum order of RM15.00. You can browse through Aroma Restaurant's menu on Food Panda's website & begin your gastronomical journey right at the comfort of your home or at the convenience of your office! Have a great one!


Aroma Restaurant (Brickfields)
19, Jalan Travers
Brickfields
50470 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia.
Tel: (+603) 22721749
Business hours: Daily 10:30a.m. - 10:00p.m.
FB: Aroma Restaurant (Brickfields)


Ratings:
Presentation: * * * 1/2
Price: * * *
Environment: * * *
Taste: * * * 1/2
Service: * * * 1/2


Overall:






LOVE Indian food, especially Northern Indian,

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Review: Good Hakka Restaurant, Bandar Bukit Raja Klang

>> Thursday, December 17, 2015

Overall comments: An interesting discovery for delicious Hakka food in a Hokkien-dominated town! Although not serving solely Hakka food, I think this hidden gem has great potential & good eats to enjoy like their salted egg taupok, spicy assam prawns & sambal petai squid, among the non-Hakka dishes that I really enjoyed + I must say that their Hakka yong tau foo were enjoyable as well :D
Halal: No

Tucked in a rather new area (at least to me) of Bandar Bukit Raja Klang lies this Hakka gem to be discovered. This restaurant serves Hakka & non-Hakka dishes that are close to the heart of its owner, Chong How. Frankly speaking, opening a Hakka restaurant in the Hokkien dominated area of Klang doesn't sound like a great plan, but I have to say that Chong How made a good decision to offer a different variety of food option to residents in this town & its neighboring areas.


The restaurant has been opened for approximately 7 months with an increasing variety of dishes being introduced to its menu since Chong How & his team enjoy creating new dishes & innovating home-cooked dishes that are much loved by Malaysians. Flavors have been tweaked & toned-down to suit the palate of Klang residents since they're the bulk of his customers as traditional Hakka flavors tend to be much bolder, which Hokkien clans aren't used to.

Let me share with you what we had for our review session :)

* all photos below show large servings except for the sambal petai & assam prawns

Salted Egg Taupok (RM24.00/large serving; RM12.00/small serving)
This is one of the best innovations ever! The salted egg craze seems to be in town & I think Good Hakka Restaurant nailed it with their taupok version! It's REALLY crispy on the outside (the taupok is turned over & deep-fried), well coated with the creamy salted egg yolks & not soggy at all (dry & crispy coat, but oh-so-delicious) & not dry on the inside. Ah, blogging about it now makes "my mouth water"...my favorite!

Sambal Petai Squid (RM18.00/small serving, RM32.00/large serving, add RM2.00 for sizzling pan)
My 2nd favorite dish! In my opinion, this was the most "umph" dish served that evening as it was not just spicy but fragrant. I would much prefer if there is the aromatic kaffir lime leaves in their home-made sambal paste, but I guess the dish is flavorful enough to be enjoyed with just a bowl (or two) or plain white rice. The squid rings were chewy yet tender & oh, the generous serving of petai makes the heart of petai-lovers leap with joy!

Assam Prawns (RM25.00/small serving, RM45.00/large serving, add RM2.00 for sizzling pan)
It's a dish cooked with passion; the assam paste has to be fried for an hour (has the evident aroma of kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass & lime) before adding to the Rompin blue tail prawns to be served as the assam prawns dish! Fresh & delicious.

Hakka-Style Yong Tau Foo (RM18.00/12 pieces serving, RM9.00/6 pieces serving)
The Hakkas are well-known for their pork+fish paste yong tau foo. Unlike the usual Ampang yong tau foo that you come across with just fish paste stuffed into vegetables/bean products, the Hakka-style yong tau foo has a slight variant in taste, texture & ingredients. Chong How ensured that the Tenggiri/Mackarel fish meat is hand-scraped before adding in the minced pork, Tenggiri salted fish (yup, not the "mui heong" type as that will over-power the natural taste of the other ingredients), fried shallots, sengkuang/turnip, & sesame oil, just to name a few of the ingredients in the stuffing. This recipe took 4 months to achieve perfection!

You can opt for the soup version as well, which is equally delicious, if not better. The soup base is made from ikan bilis, sengkuang, "wong dao"/white beans, & Chinese cabbage, making the soup a real delight to soup-lovers! I think this is great for children since it's not spicy, has both veggie & meat & soup to go with the rice :D

Red Wine Chicken (RM30.00/large serving, RM15.00/small serving)
It takes 40 days to make 1 batch of wine & yes, Good Hakka Restaurant makes their own red wine for their red wine chicken! A LOT of wine is used in cooking this dish as the chicken has to be cooked for quite some time & alcohol evaporates, so more wine needs to be added to give the dish an evident wine taste. Having said that, as a typical Cantonese, I felt that this dish still lacks wine and the taste of ginger! Gosh, I'm like some pregger/woman who have just given birth! Hahahaha...bring on the wine & ginger yo!

Yam Abacus (RM22.00/large serving, RM12.00/small serving)
I LOVE yam abacus & was thrilled to find out that it'll be served for our review session! Good Hakka Restaurant makes their own yam abacus with the ratio of 4 parts yam (from Thailand): 1 part flour (unlike the commercial ones sold at wet markets with more flour than yam). The yam abacus here were chewy, pleasantly flavored, has fragrant dried shrimp, crunchy strips of black fungus, & an abundance of minced pork that coats every single piece of yam abacus. *yums*

Vinegar Pig's Trotter (RM30.00/large serving, RM15.00/small serving)
I didn't know that the Hakka-style of vinegar pig's trotter is different from what I've been having all along. Chong How learned from his grandma to use black beans for the dark color of the gravy instead of using dark soya sauce. Interesting! Sweet black vinegar, dried chilli & ginger are added to complete the dish. I personally found it too sweet for my liking & lacking in the sour vinegar taste + "hot" ginger 'kick'. I'm such a typical Cantonese, eh? Bring on the bold flavors! Hahaha...

Hakka-Style Braised Pork (RM24.00/large serving, RM12.00/small serving)
I'm too used to my mum's style & the Wong family's style of Hakka-style braised pork although it may not be authentically Hakka. Being so used to the pungent flavor of the red & white fermented bean curd taste, I felt that this version is way toned down. 

Rendang Pork Ribs (RM24.00/large serving, RM12.00/small serving)
I love the blend of the herbs & spices in this dish, although the typical me felt that it could do with a more pungent flavor. The pork ribs were tender & has 'absorbed' all the goodness of the herbs & spices. Seems like I prefer the spicy dishes that are offered by Good Hakka Restaurant compared to the non-spicy ones :P

Salted Egg Mantis Prawn (RM30.00/large serving; RM16.00/small serving)
After having the salted egg taupok, we just wanted more of the same dish, but were recommended to try the mantis prawn version instead of the taupok version that we loved. I must say that the taupok still wins my heart. Although the mantis prawns used here are different from the ones used in most restaurants (Good Hakka Restaurant uses the white mantis prawns, which are meatier & more juicy), the set-back is that you won't get the ultra-dry & crispy salted egg mantis prawns dish (where you can't really taste the mantis prawn), but a slightly crispy on the outside & juicy on the inside variant. It feels strange at first since we're so familiar with the 'skinny mantis prawns' served at other restaurants that this felt like a cult! Now who's serving the REAL salted egg mantis prawns, eh? You judge for yourself ;)

Hakka-Style Braised Fish (RM30.00 - RM40.00)
I think it's my 1st time tasting this Hakka-style braised fish. According to Chong How, you can use any fish, but in his opinion, the Tenggiri/Mackarel still tastes the best. This dish has a little bit of wine, dark soya sauce, "min see"/bean paste, & Chinese cabbage to give a lovely, naturally sweet taste to this simple 'stew'.

Sweet & Sour Ma Yaw Fish (RM30.00 - RM40.00)
I didn't find this dish very appealing since it wasn't an authentic Hakka dish nor was it extraordinary. The 'Ma Yaw' fish had a slight mud-smell, so I didn't enjoy it as much. As for the sweet & sour sauce, I don't have much to complain nor will I rave about it since it's 'okay'.

Home-Made Ice Lemon Tea (RM3.00/glass)
Most ice lemon teas are English/Ceylon teas + lemon, but here at Good Hakka Restaurant, Chong How is proud to introduce his much loved Pu Er tea as the base for his ice lemon tea! It was yums! I was pleasantly surprised & if not for a full tummy of good food, I would have ordered another glass of this tea! So fragrant!

Their simple yet extensive menu

Quite a decent variety for a humble establishment, eh?

For some good, homey dishes, I think Good Hakka Restaurant will not disappoint. If you're a Hokkien who enjoys a change of cuisine yet your palate is more comfortable with milder flavors, I think this restaurant is worth a try. I personally prefer the bolder flavored dishes, so my next visit will definitely be for those that I've recommended above :D


Good Hakka Restaurant
20, Jalan Rodat 4/KU5
Bandar Bukit Raja
41050 Klang
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia.
Tel: (+6016) 629 6688
Business hours: 12:00p.m. – 3:00p.m., 6:00p.m. – 10:00p.m.


Ratings:
Presentation: * * * 1/2
Price: * * *
Environment: * * * 
Taste: * * * 1/2
Service: * * * 


Overall:





Crazy palate favoring bold-flavors,

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