Jules eating guide to Malaysia & beyond

McWings by McDonalds - UAE

2012-01-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

McDonaldsArabia.com describes this as succulent chicken wings rolled in a mild spicy batter and served hot and crisp ...

Its good, its very good! Paid 8 AED for a 4 piece pack, which is about RM$1.50 per piece of succulent chicken. Here's a list of all the branches in the UAE.

Our chicken McWings are halal :-)

I had mine takeaway tonight, and had it with some rice :-) There's a choice of sauce as well, I had the Sweet and Sour.

Meena Cafe at Port Zayed - Closed until further notice

2012-01-15T01:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight (15th January) at Meena Cafe, they will be serving the last meals (Curry mee special today!) until further notice. I just said goodbye to the chef :-(

This place will always hold special memories in the heart of my family as well as countless other Malaysians who arrived here in the desert ...

For the minutes that we were eating the delicious and honest food of Meena Cafe, we were transported back to a simpler place called home, even though we were 5,500 km away from home ... Curry mee, Nasi lemak, Fried tung fun, the countless chap-fan meals ... and a fantastic chicken rice.

Meena Cafe and all the Chefs and team who have served us, you shall be missed. Good luck!

Belgian Cafe : Pork ribs and Mussels in Abu Dhabi

2012-01-14T23:01:00.000-08:00

Add: Intercontinental Abu Dhabi - Al Bateen, not far from the Corniche
Tel: +971 800 423 463
Reservation: Recommended ... The place was 2/3rds packed by the time we got there at 8:30pm, and was full by the time we left at 10pm!
Opening hours: Daily, 5pm - 1am
Entertainer: 2012 edition (Entertainer costs 350 AED or RM$280, and is a book of vouchers which allows us to dine for buy-one-get-one-free at many places in Abu Dhabi).

Yes, the bread's in the bag. Nice warm loafs to start, with good french butter.

I had the Leffe Brun (Dark - Some may prefer the pale Blonde instead), which was magnificent. A 50cl large "pint" is 42 AED or RM$33 which may not be cheap, but it was straight from the tap. Fresh, and perfect, so full of body. My BIL, LM, tried the Kriek (25 cl, 38 AED) which had strong hints of cherry, interesting!

Both the dishes we picked was from a strong recommendaton by DS, and he was spot on both times - I had the Mussels Provencale, 130 AED (RM$105). Fresh, very generous portion, and delicious broth / gravy with lots of chunky mediterranean bits such as aubergine, tomatoes, onions etc.

My mussels from ... Brussels :-)

LM chose the Liege Spare Ribs, yes PORK. It completely came off the bone, and the marinade was spectacular. I can't wait to come back :-) The fries (came along with our mains, we had a cone each) were great too, chunky and perfectly fried. Obviously, this being the Belgian-experience, it was served with mayo!

Yes ... the service was average at best, we had to ask for the menu, and were never asked if we enjoyed our meal (Despite me having a big camera and flash on me!), nor made to feel special. But the food makes up for this!

Romeo y Julieta : Short Churchill

2012-01-14T22:52:00.000-08:00

Purchased from: AUH (Abu Dhabi International Airport), 2010
Humidor: 22°C and 70% RH

Enjoyed this with my BIL at Chamas, Intercontinental Abu Dhabi, last night, and it was good! Nice solid and even burn, and according to some professional reviews, it needs some aging (I have had mine for 2 years!). It exhibited a lot of creamy smoke, and I had no problems not re-lighting the darn thing, it stayed lit (Perhaps that was thanks to good aging!).

Ring gauge: 50
Size: Medium (12.4 cm)
Type: Robusto
Taste: Woody

Nespresso: Dhjana from Geneva, Switzerland

2012-01-14T22:45:00.000-08:00

Look what my BIL brought back from Geneva :-)

Nespresso.com ... Dhjana is a blend of Brazilian, Colombian, and Costa Rican Arabica beans along with Indian Robusta, Intensity level of 8, and the beans are 100% AAA-certified (Nespresso's Sustainable Quality program) .

Yes, there are outlets at Abu Dhabi Mall, as well as in Dubai Mall, but nothing beats "home delivery" and produce specially hand-carried over from Switzerland :-)

Wan Tan Mee - Takeaway from Reem, Abu Dhabi

2012-01-14T22:33:00.000-08:00

What does 15 AED (Or RM$13) buy you in Abu Dhabi these days?
I got a Wan Tan Mee (Kon Loh Mee) takeaway from Reem Island Cafe on Saturday, yumms!
Here's some directions on how to get there, and these are the GPS coordinates:
N 24° 29' 30.4"
E 54° 24' 04.4"

I asked for extra "cheng lat chiu" (Pickled green chilli) ...

Abu Shakra - Delicious Egyptian grilled lamb

2012-01-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

We were gonna head to Damascus Flower tonight, but OK and DL changed their mind and asked me ... "Wanna try the lamb place?". Oh yes!

Add: Estiqal Street

Located: Opposite Eurocar in downtown Abu Dhabi, not far from New York University

Main intersection: Corniche Road, and turn at ADIA (Abu Dhabi Investment Authority)

Tel: +971 2 633 7849

A variety of dips, I think I counted 4 ... to enjoy with the bread (Ask them to warm up the bread if you wish).

Delicious, simple salad ... and bread.

Excellent! The grilled lamb, was succulent, smokey in flavour and cooked to perfection. Brought back memories of Hing Ket in Kampung Jawa, Klang.

The shrimp with an Egyptian curry-esque batter was good too :-)

The meal came up to about 250 AED or RM$200 for the 4 of us, not cheap but great quality and good service as well.

Heh heh ... Chilly Willy!?

As we walked towards our car, there's plenty of Mawaqif parking opposite New York University.

Beijing - Best chinese restaurant in Abu Dhabi

2012-01-13T06:05:00.000-08:00

Yes ... its our favourite chinese restaurant in town again, Beijing!

GPS:

N 24° 28' 51.6"

E 54° 21' 53.8"

Located: Near Madinat Zayed

Tel: +971 2 621 0708

Our favourite ... the Mixed seafood with Tofu in Hot Pot (42 AED, or RM$35).

And I think its the first time we ordered the ... Steamed prawns with Garlic sauce, turned out to be the show-stealer. Excellent!! 48 AED, or RM$40.

Always seem to order the fresh and perfectly prepared Dry fried Green beans with Garlic (18 AED, or RM$15) too, but thats because its so darn yummy.

And ... MD and DS (and I!) were hungry, so we ordered an extra dish - Crispy Tofu Kung Pao style, 22 AED (RM$17). Good too!

Large steamed rice, is 25 AED. Small single-helping of rice is 5 AED. And a refillable pot of Jasmine chinese-tea is 5 AED. All in all, a yummy, satisfying and good value meal ... BURP!

McDonalds Big Breakfast & Premium roast coffee

2012-01-13T05:52:00.000-08:00

Test shot early this morning inside the lift, armed and ready to go!

One morning, me and my D7000 + 40mm Micro f/2.8 headed out to McD's for breakies ...

McDonalds on the Corniche - Click here for a location map, its on the site of the ADNOC (Petrol station), next to Spinneys.

Premium roast coffee ... 5 AED, or RM$4, tastes strictly average. I prefer my home-made Nespresso! At least they serve some posh-French preserve / jam!

Big Breakfast with an Orange juice ... 11 AED, or about RM$8.

The masterpiece? The hash brown of course!

AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED now Made in China

2012-01-13T05:22:00.000-08:00

Hmm, my AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED is 8 months old, and still nearly untouched!

Review: Previous write-up

Yes, it has VR, is my fastest focusing lens, fantastic sharpness, and build-quality ... but why is it now made in China!? According to Amazon and KenRockwell, the batch made from 2010/2011 is indeed .. Made in China.

No... I haven't hard problems with this lens, but I have hardly given it a good work-out. Its certainly more about customer perception and expectations I guess. Any how, here are a couple more shots ...

American v Korean SUV cars - No match!

2012-01-13T05:16:00.000-08:00

One more series of shots from my Nikkor 40mm f/2.8 Micro DX today ...

4 litre, V6, American made ... Mercury Mountaineer, discontinued in 2010. Price in the UAE, 130K AED or RM$105. Looks crap!

2011 Kia Sportage ... Korean, 2 litre 4-cylinder (A 2.4 litre variant is also available), only costs about 70K AED here (RM$55K - That's Myvi money!).

Looks fabulous!

Taiwanese food at Bellagio, DBS Tower - Puxi, Shanghai

2012-01-11T02:53:00.000-08:00

Add: 68 Taicang Lu, near Songshan Lu, Puxi - Shanghai, China
Located: B1/F, DBS Bank Tower
Tel: +86 21 6386 5701
Opening hours: 11am - 10pm, daily

WK's favourite Taiwanese eatery in Shanghai, and it was good :-) Thanks so much for the wonderful treat!

I could do with another Taiwan beer :-)

Some local starters :-)

The mains arrived :-)

Signature ... Oops, national dish I mean. Taiwanese sausage :-)

Wow ... more mains, WK? How many did you order!

Minced chicken and shrimp, lettuce wrap ... Refreshing!

Pork and tofu dishes ... we were in heaven!

And there was dessert too ... a HUGE Taiwanese ice kachang which the 4+3 of us shared!

Shanghai - Driving from Pudong to Puxi

2012-01-11T02:44:00.000-08:00

Pudong is home to many of Shanghai's best-known buildings - Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Building, the Shanghai World Financial Center.
These modern skyscrapers face directly across from Puxi's historic Bund, the remnant of Shanghai's former concessions.
In fact ... Pudong was formerly a little-developed agricultural area linked only by ferries, Pudong has grown rapidly since the 1990s and emerged as China's financial and commercial hub.

Here's some shots as WK drove us across from Pudong to Puxi back in summer 2011...

Welcome to Puxi!

Puxi (Chinese: 浦西) is known to be the historic center of Shanghai, China, and remains the home of approximately 48% of Shanghai's residents in an area of 288 km². Puxi is separated from Pudong to its east, by the Huangpu River. Despite the growing importance of Pudong's Lujiazui area, Puxi remains Shanghai's cultural, residential and commercial centre.

Singapore's DBS was spotted... as we headed to dinner :-)

Din Tai Fung, Xintiandi - Shanghai

2012-01-10T22:50:00.000-08:00

Add: Xintiandi entertainment area / mall - Unit 11A, House 6, 2F, Lane 123, Xin Ye Road
Tel: +86 21 6385 8378
Other branches: DTF website
Opening hours: Daily, 11am-3pm (Lunch) and 5pm-10pm (Dinner)

I just realised that our summer 2011 trip to Shanghai was not completely captured in my previous write-ups, here's bbG's first visit to Din Tai Fung :-) After all, we can't come all the way to Shanghai and not have Xiu Loong Bao!

Pretty ginger!

Reasonably good egg fried rice with pork chop on the side :-)

Cha Chiang Mien ... slurrrrps. I can still taste it :-)

The masterpiece! Yes, its good. Very good :-)

Shanghai - The Bund by night

2012-01-10T22:46:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from our trip to Shanghai in summer 2011 :-)

SLR: Nikon D80 (with MC-DC1 remote shutter release - I like the cabled version, rather then the remote-control option)
Other photos: Wuzhen by night, and more Wuzhen by night ...
Lens: Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8

The Bund :-)

More shots of The Bund ...

Fiat 500C - Luigi is in town

2012-01-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

This car has beautiful little exterior features ...

In a market like Abu Dhabi, you are likely to find many more Hummers, Land Cruisers, and even Maybachs, Phantoms or Ghosts then the Fiat 500C. Starting at just under 80,000 AED, or RM$65K, its cute... oops, good value?

Remember that the classic 500 was first launched in the year of Malaysia's independence, 1957 ... this version was launched in 2007, with the convertible being released in 2009. It recently arrived in Abu Dhabi as a 2011 model - 1.4 litre, 16-valve engine which is the same as the hardtop, producing about 100 horsepower. A 5-speed dual transmission is used to deliver the power, with a "tiptronic" function which my friend KCL liked.

Yes, a family of 4 can fit snugly inside. Ask KCL and LEH whom I did this shoot for :-)

Pretty features :-) and gorgeous symmetry.

The interior somehow could not match the exterior in terms of flair ...

Good to see Fiat back on the streets of Abu Dhabi :-)

Up .. or down ...

Pretty. Most certainly YES!
\

India Palace - Now open at Mazyad Mall, Mussafah

2012-01-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

India Palace is now open at Mazyad Mall, thus we don't have to brave the mad traffic of the Salam Street branch!

Located: 2nd floor, Mazyad Mall - Plot C, Street # 79, Zone # 9, Mohammed Bin Zayed City

Tel: +971 2 553 2259

Nice ambience, reasonably attentive staff...

According to my colleagues the food is North Indian, here's my chicken briyani ...

The mushroom curry was rather good, but the aloo keema (potatoes/peas) was REALLY good!

ps - We had lassis / fresh juices etc, and the bill came up to 100 AED per person. This isn't a cheap eatery!

Pad Kaprao Moo Sarb - Thai basil with minced pork

2012-01-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Basil plant from Spinneys, 6.50 AED (RM$5) ...

Throw together some ... Chopped onions, sliced garlic, minced pork, lots of fish sauce, a couple of chilli padi's, a bit of oyster sauce and cornflour/water ("magic powder" ala Martin Yan - Yan Can Cook!) ... and 20 minutes later you have ....

Pad Kaprao Moo Sarb :-)

Volvo Ocean Race : Destination Village - The yachts are here!

2012-01-06T22:57:00.001-08:00

Hello from the Destination Village, here are my photos from a Friday outing (6th January) with DS and MD, along with my Nikon D7000. Its free, so I do hope many Abu Dhabians and Dubai-ans drop by!

25 AED or RM$20 for a Fosters, Stella or Warsteiner ... good value :-)

Sure I have always wanted a Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S but what I have is a AF-S Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G which is 7 times cheaper, and does a great job for me in reasonable light and is significantly lighter as well. Its got a decent build quality, along with ED, and heck its even got VR 2, I can't quite ask for more!

Some shots at mid-range to maximum zoom of the dragon-boaters ...

Hello Abu Dhabi!

Finally, we found the yachts. They were located behind the main stage.

Up close ...

I loved the view from the viewing platform, which is about 8 metres up in the air.

High up in the air!

Team Azzam v Team Telefonica :-)

A great family day out :-)

Observed Team Azzam doing some sail maintenance as I was leaving ... Good luck guys!

Volvo Ocean Race : Destination Village - Lots of people!

2012-01-06T22:38:00.000-08:00

On my previous visit to the Volvo Ocean Race : Destination Village at the Marina Breakwater, opposite Marina Mall (near the Heritage Village) here in Abu Dhabi, which was on New Year's day, I was surprised how few people there were ... No problem with that over this weekend, it was packed!

Upon arrival ...

Two lenses which I don't use particularly often (Along with the 105mm f/2.8 VR Micro), is my long 70-300mm zoom, and this BT-supplied Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G DX. I put to good use both these lenses on this trip to the village!

Great publicity for Abu Dhabi!

I saw many familes there, and it was great - There was education on sailing, the sea and the environment, and fun for children and adults too.

It wasn't packed every where ...

But look ... a sea of people :-)

As Galway, Ireland is one of the stops on the Volvo Ocean Race series, there was Irish dancing, great music!

Would you believe, these teenagers were students of dance ... they were good!

Sail away...

Volvo cars at the Ocean Race Destination Village

2012-01-06T22:31:00.000-08:00

Volvo's chinese-funded Concept Universe ... As seen from the eyes of my Nikkor 70-300 f/4.5-5.6G lens.

Launched at the Shanghai Motorshow on April 2011...

This was my 2nd visit to the Volvo Ocean Race: Destination Village, you can see other vehicles in Volvo's showcase in my previous write-up. The C70 is pretty, and this Crash Test Dummy doesn't look too scared of the S60!

Cafe Arabia - Roof terrace brunch in Abu Dhabi

2012-01-06T05:58:00.000-08:00

GPS:

N 24° 27' 19.6"

E 54° 22' 46.4"

Located: Villa #224/1 on 15th, between 2nd/Airport and 24th/Al Karamah Opposite Al Mushrif Children’s Park, near Choueifat School Parking

Tel: +971 2 643 9699

There's now a roof terrace ... perfect for brunches on sunny winter mornings in Abu Dhabi, when the temperature is 16C - 20C :-)

Our drinks ...

MD's salad and DS's saaj :-)

My full english breakfast, 48 AED or RM$40. This includes a generous cup of cappucino, and a nice freshly squeezed cup of orange juice.

The view from the rooftop terrace :-)

Happy New Year 2012 - Coldplay in Abu Dhabi

2012-01-03T03:17:00.001-08:00

Released in June 2011 ... Every Teardrop is a Waterfall was played live at the Steve Jobs memorial/celebration-of-life event at Apple headquarters on October 19, 2011 in Cupertino, California. In November 2011, it was nominated for two Grammy Awards, Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song. The results will be released at the Feb 2012 award ceremony.

With that, Coldplay closed the concert and ushered in 2012 for us Abu Dhabians!

Brought to you live from the Volvo Ocean Race Destination Village, near Marina Mall, here in Abu Dhabi ... Happy New Year!

Fireworks over the Corniche of Abu Dhabi ...

Not as spectacular as the amazing UAE Day fireworks, but impressive none-the-less.

A very good reminder, Please note that the UAE has a zero tolerance policy towards drinking and driving.

The 25,000 - 30,000 strong crowd disperses at 12:15am, the party actually went on till about 1am with a DJ spinning tracks ... It took me 45 minutes to walk from near Central Market on the Corniche to the venue, and it took OK and DL over an hour to give me a ride back to my home, due to the mad traffic!

Coldplay in Abu Dhabi - Volvo Ocean Race by ADTA

2012-01-03T02:18:00.000-08:00

Coldplay in Abu Dhabi - Volvo Ocean Race,
New Year concert on 31 Dec 2011 - 1 Jan 2012!

The crowd went mad when Chris Martin and Coldplay broke into ... Viva La Vida ! This was of course their first UK Number One, way back in 2008. Did you know (Thanks to Wikipedia) ...
The lyrics to the song contain historical and Christian references, and the track is built around a repeating string section with a percussion background. Coldplay performed some of the song live in The Simpsons episode "Million Dollar Maybe"!

Simple but very effective laser lighting at the purpose-built venue opposite Marina Mall!

I used to rule the world, Seas would rise when I gave the word.

Now in the morning, I sleep alone. Sweep the streets I used to own ... Brilliant lyrics!

I am glad I brought my well-used and trusty Canon Powershot G9 along, it was small, compact and available (The G10, GF1 and LX3 were all in M'sia with bbG and SS!). From my diving days, to various other concerts such as Celine Dion, Linkin Park and Kanye West, this camera has served my family very well. If you had brought anything larger along, such as a SLR, it would have been deposited at the "Camera Drop" area.

Next numbers were Charlie Brown and Fix You ...

The truly brilliant, with a hint of Edge (U2), Jonny Buckland.

Next came Clocks, which is my favourite Coldplay number (along with The Scientist and Yellow) ... It comes from their 2nd album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, and won Record of the Year in the 2004 Grammys. The piano riff (Martin) and the amazing guitar chords (Buckland) make this song amazing, as does the lyrics ...

The lights go out and I can't be saved,

Tides that I tried to swim against,

Have brought me down upon my knees...

Time for some Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay's 5th album was released on 24th October 2011 ... "Paradise" which is their 2nd single, was brilliant! Nominated for a Grammy (Check results in Feb 2012), this is only the band's 2nd UK Number One hit.

Oh oh oh oh ... The mainly-British crowd chanted around perfectly!

Coldplay rocks Abu Dhabi - Volvo Ocean Race

2012-01-02T22:41:00.000-08:00

Where: Volvo Ocean Race Destination Village - Corniche Breakwater, Abu Dhabi
When: 31st December 2011, 10:50pm - 1st Jan 2012, 12:10am
Who: Coldplay
Ticket: Fan Pit, 695 AED (Or RM$ 580 or USD$ 200)

Chris Martin mesmerised the Abu Dhabi crowd, who were on their feet throughout!

The Scientist :-) Pukka!!

Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start...

Then it was ... Violet Hill, and God Put a Smile Upon Your Face ...

Up in Flames ... Us Against the World ...

Chris Martin really gets into it!

And next came, Politik .... I grew to appreciate and love Jonny Buckland at this gig. Guy is good!

A brilliant concert, with the right amount of "theaterics", but more so because of the band and the lyrics and the fantastic music.

Wikipedia says ... Buckland is noted for his sparse arrangements and use of slide. His stylistic chiming and ringing sound have led to some comparisons with the playing of U2's The Edge.

I totally agree, and that's what I told OK after the gig :-) Jonny Boy is goooood!

Did you know ...
Chris Martin often refers to him as "Jonny Boy" during live concerts, particularly if Buckland is about to do a solo or a long riff. Martin has said, "There would be no Coldplay music without Jonny Buckland."

Coldplay - New Years Eve concert at Abu Dhabi

2012-01-02T04:09:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority presents ... Coldplay
Live at the Volvo Ocean Race ... Abu Dhabi Corniche Breakwater

I walked to the venue, took me nearly 50 minutes from near Central Market on the Corniche ... all the way to Marina Mall! Traffic was murder, not surprising as it was New Year's eve!

I am here :-) Phew ... In time!

These were no ordinary tickets, they were in the Fan Pit :-) which is the area in front of the stage.

Coldplay kicks off :-) with Mylo Xyloto! Then it was Hurts Like Heaven ...

No prizes for guessing what they were playing here ... YELLOW!

I like these shots :-) all taken with my little Canon G9. It still works!

What a gig!

Chris Martin and his band then went into ... In My Place, Major Minus and Lost.

Volvo Ocean Race - Abu Dhabi Destination Village

2012-01-01T22:23:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR from Abu Dhabi!

Armed with my Nikon D7000 and Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G DX lens, I joined about 20-30 other people to have a walkabout at the Destination Village on New Year's Day 2012 morning.

Excerpt from Wikipedia ... The Volvo Ocean Race (formerly the Whitbread Round the World Race) is a yacht race around the world, held every three years. It is named after its current owner, Volvo. At this moment the Netherlands holds the record of three wins with the Dutch skipper Conny van Rietschoten being the only skipper to win the race twice.

Though the route is changed to accommodate various ports of call, the race typically departs Europe in October, and in recent editions has had either 9 or 10 legs, with in-port races at many of the stopover cities. The last completed edition of the race started in Alicante, Spain, on October 11, 2008.

During the nine months of the 2011–12 Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain in October 2011 and concludes in Galway, Ireland, in early July 2012, the teams are scheduled to sail over 39,000 nmi (72,000 km) of the world’s most treacherous seas via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajaí, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient.

More shots around the village, its a big place that Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has set-up, and it allows free entry for the public to see the race for themselves.

More info from Wikipedia about this single-make series ... The Volvo Open 70 (sometimes referred to as a Volvo Ocean 70) is the current class of racing yachts designed for the Volvo Ocean Race. It was first used in the 2005-2006 race (replacing the Volvo Ocean 60 yachts which were first used in 1993) and use a Canting keel which is capable of canting transversely up to an angle of 40 degrees. According to the VO70 rule, the yachts can be made from glass fibres, aramid fibres, or carbon fibres.

More close-ups, including that of the underside, looks rather spartan!

Team Abu Dhabi - Go Azzam !

Puma, along with HSBC, Camper, IWC were key sponsors.

Emirati band :-)

A couple more shots as I was leaving ...

GPS coordinates :-)

As you leave ... a reminder of Abu Dhabi's marinetime heritage.

Volvo cars at the Ocean Race - Destination Village

2012-01-01T21:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some Volvo cars I spotted at the Destination Village, which was set-up to commemorate the Volvo Ocean Race, Abu Dhabi leg.

Recent news ... In 2008, Ford decided to sell its interest in Volvo Cars. In August 2010, Ford completed its sale of Volvo to the parent of Chinese motor manufacturer Geely Automobile for $1.8 billion.

Stunning and rather un-Volvo like! The C70.

Volvo doesn't just do cars, you know :-)

An electric S60 (Notice the Swedish-reg plate) which was being guarded by this dude in sunnies!

The XC90 SUV in a lovely shade of blue, and a close-up of the S60 and its interior.

Uh ... Volvo's Concept Universe showcar, not the best looker!

Hot! Volvo C30 Rally Car :-)

Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid!

Spirit of the Union - UAE Day at Marina Mall

2012-01-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

Marina Mall - Celebrating the UAE's 40th birthday, "Spirit of the Union". Nice mural!

Wanna win a C250 BlueEfficiency Mercedes coupe? Look no further ...

Subhiksha - Excellent Indian food on Hamdan Street

2012-01-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

Located: Near Russian Embassy, Hamdan St, Abu Dhabi
Tel: +971 2 676 0675

Rava Dosa and Dosa Masala to start :-) The Rava is especially delicious!

Really good Garlic Naan bread, and excellent vege briyani too.

Time for the mains (MD, DS, JT and I also had an excellent daal dish, but it was gone by the time I took the shots!), which were all excellent. Palak Paneer(Spinach and cubes of cheese) and the Aloo Ghobi (Potatoes / Cauliflower) stood out!

King Fish Tandoori ... I am not a big fan of fish, but this was tasty and fresh.

Overall, another excellent meal at Subhiksha, where parking is much improved since Mawaqif came into force! Great value too, at 30 AED or RM$25 per head.

New Year's Eve - Breakfast at Reem Island, Abu Dhabi

2011-12-31T01:53:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi skyline as seen from Reem Island ...

Teh tarik and Kuay-teow/Mee combo with curry chicken and potato, with a slice of luncheon meat and a fried egg on the side ... Malaysian style breakfast, all for 14 AED (Or just over RM 10).

Review: Previous write-up and GPS coordinates of Reem Cafe

Happy New Year ... from Al Reem Island :-)

Christmas home cooking - Cake, Cookies and Breakfast!

2011-12-31T01:50:00.000-08:00

My creation ... Roma cherry tomatoes on the vine, Oscar Meyer low-sodium bacon, Spinneys giant croissant and a simple fried egg (sunny side up of course) ...

Cookies from DL, OK and A too :-)

And best of all ... My AP's fantastic Christmas Cake :-) Perfect!

Meena Burger - Lyrical Lemongrass sets up shop here?

2011-12-31T01:30:00.001-08:00

Thanks to KCL for pointing me to this burger shack, not far from the Abu Dhabi fish market :-) at Meena Port.

Looks like the wonderful Lyrical Lemongrass has set up shop here!

Prestige Cars Abu Dhabi - Spirit of the Union

2011-12-31T01:28:00.000-08:00

I like the patriotism shown by Prestige Cars of Abu Dhabi :-)

Happy UAE Day ... Spirit of the Union, 1971 - 2011.

Sarai - The Walk, Jumeirah Beach Residence Dubai

2011-12-28T05:06:00.000-08:00

Farewell dinner for IC in Dubai ... at Jumeirah Beach Residence one evening.

Sarai was a great find, we stumbled on-to this place as we were walking along The Walk ... Saw too many "repeat" and boring restaurants, but at one end of The Walk (close to Hilton), we found Sarai. It did not dissapoint, great food!

Add: Ground Floor, Bahar Sector, The Walk, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Near Oasis Beach Tower, Dubai.

Tel: +971 4 4380640

Taboulleh .. and Baba Ghanoush ... so yummy!

Described as Syrian, Armenian and Turkish food ... In fact, the name Sarai has Turkish origins and means Castle. Great decor, good food, well priced ... we like this place! Delicious unlimited bread, nice and warm ...

We chose 2 different varieties of kebabs (Kebab arab, and Kebab sarai I think) and they were both really delicious ... About 40 - 60 AED per main dish.

Beijing - Our new favourite chinese restaurant in Abu Dhabi

2011-12-28T05:02:00.000-08:00

Farewell dinner for my dear family, LM / TY / S and D ... at our favourite chinese restaurant in Abu Dhabi :-) Beijing.

Located: Near Madinat Zayed Gold Souk, Abu Dhabi
Tel: +971 2 621 0708

Chicken with dried chili and cashew nuts, 32 AED - Very appetising!
Dry-fried green beans with garlic, 18 AED - Best dish, excellent quality green beans!

Sizzling beef with green pepper, 32 AED - Excellent choice on a cold winter's night, temperature must have been 16C that evening, brrrrr!

Mixed seafood tofu in Hot-pot, 42 AED - My favourite!

Steamed rice, 5 AED per person

As it was Winter Solstice evening ... we had Tong Yuen of course (Average only, lar ... 18 AED).

Al Fanr - Manarat Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi

2011-12-28T04:59:00.000-08:00

Al Fanr Restaurant
Located: Manarat Saadiyat
Tel: +971 2 6435708

Great chill-out music, excellent 20C weather (Its winter here in the desert now!), and nice garden setting if you choose to sit outside ... welcome to Manarat Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island :-)

Deli fish curry, 62 AED ... Lamb tagine, 64 AED (Very tender, and pretty good flavours) - I was surprised that this seemed to be the only middle-eastern dish on the menu!

IC and myself had the following drinks ... Iced coffee, 25 AED and a really good (Full of fruit!) Triple berry, 25 AED.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo - Dubai Mall

2011-12-28T04:53:00.000-08:00

Free view of the Dubai Aquarium, at the Dubai Mall ... I took these shots without paying the entrance fee :-)

It seems ... Dubai Mall's aquarium was designed to hold 33,000 living creatures, representing more than 85 species including over 400 sharks and rays combined.

A huge eagle-ray? :-)

Carluccio's at Dubai Mall - View of Burj Khalifa

2011-12-28T04:39:00.000-08:00

Not many restaurants can boast a view such as this .. The Burj Khalifa (previously known as Burj Dubai - Tallest building in the world by a mile!) as well as the Bellagio-like Dubai Fountain!

Back to dinner ... Thanks for joining me at Carluccio's, IC :-)
Located: Star Atrium, by the Dubai fountain - Dubai Mall
Tel: +971 4 434 1320

Garlic bread, 22 AED ... Fruitti di Mare, 68 AED ... Branzino (Sea bass), 88 AED , and for drinks we had the Smooth berry, 22 AED and San Pellegrino - 500ml, 16 AED. The fish was good, but my pasta was (surprisingly!) over-cooked. Tasty though!

Restaurant was crowded ... but views were spectacular, and food pretty good too. Just wish it was more al dante!

Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo - Dubai Mall

2011-12-28T04:34:00.000-08:00

Look whats at Dubai Mall ... not "any" Gallardo, but the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo, which claims to be the fastest one-make series in the world!

According to Wikipedia ... It is a limited 30 units version designed for the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo one-make racing series. The series began in May 2009. The Super Trofeo race car is based on the Gallardo LP 560-4 sports car, but with a reworked chassis and a direct injection V10 engine rated 570 PS (419 kW; 562 hp) with higher compression ratio of 12.5:1, variable valve timing. The car has dry weight of 1,300 kg (2,900 lb and E-gear transmission is standard. The Super Trofeo car and parts package cost €200,000 (US$284,300) plus tax, available via Lamborghini dealerships, with support and parts sales trackside.

Ember, The Address - Dubai Mall Christmas brunch

2011-12-28T04:23:00.000-08:00

Located: Fashion Avenue in The Dubai Mall
Tel: +971 4 888 3444
Opening hours: 6.30 pm to 11.30pm (Dinner), Lunch (Friday and Saturdays) - 12:00pm - 4:00pm

Thanks to S and IC for the lovely treat at The Address Dubai Mall, in Ember ... Christmas brunch. About 250 AED per person for the non-alcoholic package. Timsum for starters ...

Good sashimi and sushi ... and delicious ceviche (Wikipedia describes this as a seafood dish popular in the coastal regions of the Americas, especially Central and South America. The dish is typically made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices such as lemon or lime and spiced with chilli peppers).

Excellent seafood bisque and average foie gras on toast ...

Merry Christmas - Turkey and roast beef :-)

ps - Here's the view from the Dubai Mall as you walk on the outside :-)

Blessed Christmas to one and all, from Abu Dhabi!

2011-12-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS :-)

I had the privilege of being invited to a friend's family Christmas party here in Abu Dhabi last night, on Christmas eve ...

Home cooked with love, roast chicken, sausages with pork bacon and all the trimmings ... It was wonderful!

Christmas cake sugi-style :-) and a Watermelon-inspired jelly too!

There was even home-made cookies :-) BLISS!

This was a wonderful treat, and I gave thanks and thought of all those of us who are away from our families this Christmas ... it reminded me of, Luke 2. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Merry Christmas - Corniche by night

2011-12-24T01:49:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Abu Dhabi!!

SLR: Nikon D7000

Accessories: MC-DC2 Nikon remote-release

Glass 1: Nikkor 12-24mm f/4 DX

Glass 2: Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

Tripod: Manfrotto 190DB

Ballhead: Manfrotto 496RC2

ADCO building ...

Etihad Towers in the distance ... Just opened! On the right, Emirates Palace.

One of many underpasses :-)

And ... my favourite building in Abu Dhabi, surpassing Aldar HQ and ADNEC ... Its the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).

Good night ... Merry Christmas to everyone, near and a-far :-)

Noodle Bowl - Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi

2011-12-16T20:24:00.000-08:00

Located: Zayed Sports City, above the bowling centre (Follow signs for the bowling alley)
Tel: +971 2 447 2405
Previous reviews: Noodle Bowl at Zayed Sports City

Weekend makan with OK and his family one Friday :-) He suggested Noodle Bowl, and I said yes immediately!

Tofu with minced chicken is extraordinarily good here, the tofu is delicate and perfectly battered and fried. The curry fish head which is popular amongst the Abu Dhabi Malaysians went down well too!

Oooh ... thanks for introducing me to Marmite Chicken here, really good and packed full of flavour :-)

OK knew I had gone back to Malaysia to purchase a Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G, but ended up coming back with a more versatile (and newer) Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G Micro instead! Here are his test shots ... XO Sauce and chopped chillies!

Cantina Laredo - Khalidiyah Mall, Abu Dhabi

2011-12-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

Add: Cantina Laredo, Khalidiyah Mall, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi
Tel: +971 2 635 4877
Opening hours: 11am - 1am
Review: Restaurant that serves the best chips in Abu Dhabi!

Glorious hot and fresh corn-chips, with a spicy and a not-so spicy sauce, chunky bits and full of punch ... Yummy! I think we shared two portions between the three of us :-)

DS and MD's choices :-) Thats a vegetarian fajita sizzling on the plate, on the right!

My virgin (Yes, no alcohol is served here - Cantina Laredo is in the middle of Khalidiyah Mall) cocktail - Thought I'd have a Margerita as I was about to have my trio of Mexican dish :-) There was rice, salad, chicken and spinach on my platter. Yummmz!

Golden Lounge, KLIA - Kuala Lumpur Airport

2011-12-15T03:21:00.000-08:00

The Golden Lounge at KLIA is pretty nice :-)

Tiger beer and Sup Ekor ... great combo! Adieu Malaysia for 2011 ... see you in 2012!

You can now enjoy Old Town Kopi at KLIA, Malaysia

2011-12-15T03:12:00.000-08:00

Here was my last meal in KL as I was recently leaving KLIA (KUL International Airport) ... Old Town is now open next to the Aerotrain station / Harrods. Yay!

I really enjoyed the Kai See Hor Fun (Chicken noodles in broth - An Ipoh favourite!), with some "White" coffee. Ahh ... bliss.

RM$15 or USD$5 ... Great value :-) especially by AIRPORT standards!

Busaba - Fantastic Thai food at BSC, KL

2011-12-15T03:11:00.000-08:00

Add: F15, 1st Floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Bangsar, KL
Tel: +603 2093 7708
Located: Next to Alexis, BSC
Review: First visit to Busaba at BSC

Good service, beautiful decor, and wonderful food ... this is Busaba at Bangsar Shopping Centre :-) Careful with the tom-yam though, can be VERY spicy, but full of flavour! Our fave dish? The pomelo salad!

Tofu on sizzling plate is really good here, the otak-otak is acceptable (but only because its being compared with other first class dishes here!), the omelette was to die for ... and the kangkung belacan was good too.

The curries here are delicious too! There was even some ham-yue (salted fish) served along side ... slurps.

Petronas Twin Towers - Rainy night

2011-12-15T03:01:00.000-08:00

Our Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, by day and by night ...

It has been a very rainy month in Kuala Lumpur ...

Shot with a Nikon D7000, and a Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G Micro DX lens ... On a tripod of course.

Good night Kuala Lumpur ...

My favourite chicken rice - Klang

2011-12-15T02:53:00.000-08:00

Add: Jalan Gelugor / Jalan Meru, Klang city
Located: Oppsite Maybank and Chi Liung Plaza (Now, CIMB and LHDN)
Tel: Tan Kia Lok @ +6016 284 6962

You know this chicken rice is special ... when it tastes good even when you ta-pau (Malay: Bungkus, English: Take-away) it home ... and even when you ask for breast meat which is usually dry and rough in texture. It isn't here ... its damn good :-)

Review: Top1 Chicken Rice, Klang
The holy trinity of chicken rice ... Fluffy and fragrant RICE, smooth and flavourful CHICKEN, and spicy and complex CHILLI/garlic sauce. Divine!

Best gado-gado in ... Malaysia?

2011-12-15T02:50:00.000-08:00

Where can one find the best gado-gado in Malaysia? Gotta be Tanjung Malim!

Located: Store 20, Tanjung Malim Hawker Centre, near the Balai Polis / Basketball court
Review: Gado-gado and Nasi Lemak in Tanjung Malim

Durian time in Tanjung Malim

2011-12-15T02:35:00.000-08:00

Durian time in Tanjung Malim :-)

Captured with my new Nikkor 40mm f/2.8 Micro DX lens ...

Durianlicious ... or Bokehlicious? :-)

Rakuzen - Empire Shopping Gallery Subang has reopened

2011-12-14T05:16:00.000-08:00

Add: Lot UG 17, Upper Ground Floor, Empire Shopping Gallery, Jln SS16/1, Subang Jaya.
Tel: +603 5635 0100 / +6012 460 2320
GPS (Unverified): N3 04.922 , E101 34.992
Opening hours: 12-3pm, 6-11pm
SLR: Nikon D7000
Lens: AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8

Dad's choice ... sashimi :-) Seems fresh enough!

Mum always chooses her Cha Soba :-)

I was in the mood for some very simple noodles :-) This was at the end of my 1 month trip home, and I had been stuffing myself for 30 days ... so it was time go "simple"!

The damage? About RM$300 for the 4 of us. Pretty good. But the restaurant is slightly congested though, and I was constantly reminded that there were other diners there, not the most romantic of places!

The news? Sept 28th - Nov 15th, 2011 ... The very new shopping mall was closed due to a gas explosion, which surprisingly did not cause any fatalities! It seems they have introduced "extra safety measures" now to prevent similar incidents. They were described to have fitted a brand new gas line with 24 hour suction fans, and a state-of-the-art sensor with auto switch-off, at all the food and beverage outlets in the mall! So ... why wasn't this done when the certificate of operation was granted? And what about other malls!? Tsk tsk ...

Siow Tiow steamed fish - The Klang Hilton

2011-12-14T02:16:00.000-08:00

Add: 58, Lorong Gopeng, Off Jalan Goh Hock Huat, Klang.
Tel: +603 3342 2462
GPS coordinates (Unverified): N 3 3.06239 , E 101 26.78027
Review: Visit in August 2007
Other review: Rasa Rasa Portal

Thanks to Uncle GH and Aunty G for the treat one evening ... Or Chien or Oyster Omelette was darn good, full of flavour and not starchy. The stir-fried veges were also full of wok-hei, a good start to the meal!

Fried kuay-teow and Hokkien mee ... Not the finest I had tasted, but pretty good too.

Signature dish ... Steamed pomfret (Tau Tai Chong) with minced garlic and ginger sauce drizzled on the top. Excellent!

Overall - Siow Tiow is known as the "Klang Hilton". Why? Its expensive. Prepare to pay between RM40-60 per person, due mainly to the prices they charge for their fish. But the fish is special ... very special. Many bloggers also claim to have waited for 30-45 minutes for their food, but perhaps it was a quiet night and the company was good, I didn't feel it took so long!

New home of Bak Kut Teh - Berkeley Gardens, Klang

2011-12-06T02:10:00.000-08:00

This is Berkeley Gardens in Klang :-) Its located at the "end" of the Federal Highway, at the "entrance" to Klang town. It happens to be where me and my brothers grew up, and I have very fond memories of this place.

BKT: Ah Her and Samy
Add: 17, Ground Floor, Jalan Angsa, Taman Berkeley, 41150 Klang
Tel: +6012-3701217 (Ah Her), or +6016 690 6515 (Ah Long)
Review: SmallKuching.com

Recommended by KYS (Fellow ex-Berkeleyite!), this was to be the 2nd BKT I had for the day (The 1st being Mo Sang Kor below!). Yes, decided to give my porky-needs a little treat, on what was to be the last day of my holiday back home ... Perhaps I went at the "end of the pot", but I didn't find it to be too spectacular. However, I do trust the tastebuds of KYS, and will make a return visit there one day!

As I was driving through my old neck of the woods, I spotted this interesting restaurant serving FRIED PORRIDGE, which I know Bangsar Babe recently blogged about! If you must know, its located at Lorong Lang, Berkeley.

OK back to BKT ... On a previous occasion, I had enjoyed the BKT here very much. This is the shop lot at the end of the row, and its known simply as Pao Xiang. There's a really good write-up here, by Precious Pea, which even lists all the outets (Yes, it has reached the lofty heights of having an outlet at Pavilion KL and even One Utama!).

BKT: Mo Sang Kor, Berkeley Gardens
Add: 41, Lebuh Bangau, Taman Berkeley, Klang.
Tel: +6019 272 7728
Review: Motormouth from Ipoh

Funny how there are now multiple BKT joints along the road which I had previously known to have some 4D shops, a little temple and a newsagent where I bought my Panini football stickers!

A really delicious breakfast on my last day in Malaysia ...

Many have asked me, which is the best BKT in Klang. My answer used to be one of these places (depending on which day of the week you asked me!) ...

Telok Pulai Pottery BKT - Taman Rashna, near Menara Trend/ING

Sam Mei - Pandamaran, Klang of course

Seng Huat - Under the bridge, Klang town

Xheng Lee - Opposite the old (burnt down!) Great Wall, Klang town

Tasusia Port Klang BKT - Port Klang town, this place serves many other dishes which sometimes even outshine their BKT!

However, all I say now is, each and every Klang boy has their personal favourite, so it really depends :-)

Toast & Roast - Legendary char-siew of SS2

2011-12-06T01:58:00.000-08:00

Add: 20, Jalan SS2/72, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: +6016 682 2249
Opening hours: 8:30am - 4:30 pm (But according to Masak-masak, char siew is only available from 10.30 am onwards). Closed alternate Tuesdays
Located: Same road as New Paris Restaurant, 5 Stones and Amaya condominiums but at the far end, nearer towards Ken Damansara (Thanks, Masak-masak!)
Review: Masak-masak's wonderful food blog

Yes, you can find this legendary char-siew place on GPS, free from Malsingmaps I think. Just type in "Toast Roast" .. Yum. Check out description on the GPS, "BBQ Pork is good". It sure is!

We went early, I think it was about 11:30am when we got there, so we beat the lunch crowd which occupied the entire restaurant by the time we finished our meal 45 minutes later!

bbG likes the char-siew at Meng Kee (Jalan Alor), whilst I am a huge fan of the one prepared at Spring Golden (Shah Alam) and Overseas Imbi, whilst others are huge fans of Meng Kee in Glenmarie or Soo Kee in Ampang ... but Toast & Roast can give any of these outlets a "fight"! Sticky, beautifully roasted and full of flavour ... Good stuff :-)

I initially thought that the crunchies above my Hakka Mee was fried lard, but according to Masak-masak its actually fish bits, great to add some texture to the noodles, which in "kosong" form goes perfectly with the Char Siew :-)

We ordered some dumplings / wantan too ...

Amcorp Mall, PJ, has some hidden makan gems!

2011-12-06T01:57:00.000-08:00

Mall: Amcorp Mall
Located: Opposite Taman Jaya LRT station, along the Federal Highway (The exit straight after the PJ Hilton exit, as you drive from Shah Alam/Klang towards KL).

Aren't we a lucky lot, even in a "specialist" mall like Amcorp, one can find good food!

It is no secret that I am a big fan of J-One Camera (Tel: +603 7957 7778) in Amcorp Mall, which has over the years supplied most of my Nikkor lenses, as well as my present Nikon D7000. bbG also introduced me to BookXcess on the 3rd floor, which in my opinion has the most reasonably priced books in the country!

Cafe: Uncle Snacks Corner
Located: 3rd floor, Amcorp Mall - Just a walk down from Xcess books :-)
I ta-paued a sambal long beans with rice dish, which was damn spicy, but tasty ... and bbG had the yummy Kon Chau Ngau Hor (Recommended by video si-fu, Vc) - beef kuayteow.

Cafe: Sri Melaka
Located: Ground floor, diagonally opposite J-One
Vc recommended the Nasi Lemak, and boy was it good :-)

Busaba - Heavenly Thai, BSC Bangsar

2011-12-04T03:52:00.000-08:00

Add: F15, 1st Floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Bangsar, KL
Tel: +603 2093 7708
Located: Next to Alexis, BSC

A large group of us, about 10 adults, had a great lunch meal in a private room at Busaba, and it was REALLY good :-) Came up to about RM$90 per head, but we did stuff ourselves!

The area outside the private room...

To quench my thirst ...

Moneybags and other Thai starters ... all delightful!

The ubiquitous Thai fish cake, and the most amazing Pomelo Salad ... divine!

Really spicy and varied types of tomyam on offer ... Packed full of punch and flavour!

We had multiple mains, including fish, grilled chicken, masaman curry (Best I have had!), beef and various veges too ... All were good!

The desserts did not dissapoint one bit ... we found space to have the best Tub Tim Krob (Crunchy pomegrenates, pink water chestnut in coconut milk and syrup topped with crushed ice), this side of Thailand! The mango and sticky (glutinous) rice was just average, but the rest of the food and setting was truly memorable. Brilliant!

Merry Christmas - Bangsar Shopping Centre

2011-12-04T03:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas at BSC, Bangsar Shopping Centre, this year ...

We like BSC :-)

Delicious - Bangsar Village 2

2011-12-04T03:32:00.000-08:00

Add: GF-1, Ground Floor, Bangsar Village II, Bangsar, KL
Tel: Phone: +603 2287 1553
Opening Hours: 11am till late.
Branches: This was the 2nd outlet, the first being the one at One Utama (Founded 2004), Sunway Pyramid, Mid Valley Megamall, Marc Residence, Dua Residence and most recently in Straits Quay (Sri Tanjung Pinang) and Singapore's Scotts Square too.

Perfection, simple pasta with some fresh black pepper. Cooked to perfection, with the most subtle of flavours :-)

Haha, M was about to dig in when I got my Nikkor 40mm Micro f/2.8 DX "in there" to take a shot!

Simple decor, but not the most friendly of service, and this is not the first time I have experienced this at the BV2 Delicious outlet :-( I found our waiter to be indifferent and nonchalant, but the food was still good.

Ham and cheese sandwich, average .... Pastas here are much better! I think I had the lemongrass slushie or crushed ice drink, which was not terribly exciting.

Fit For 2 - Cafe opposite Kiz Sports, BV2 Bangsar

2011-12-04T03:31:00.000-08:00

Add: Lot 3F-1B, Third Floor, Bangsar Village II - 2 Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar, KL
Tel: +603 2287 5001
Located: Within the "Fit For Two Fitness Services" studio, opposite Kiz Sports.

Delicious, and very healthy bread ... or a "full english" for yours truly!

Or, take the local options ... Roti Jala is only RM$10 or RM$11, served with a spicy curry! We like the Nasi Lemak here too!

CoffeX means a quality cuppa brew :-)

ps - Not only is this place uber-child friendly with a great play-area that includes a play-kitchen, with staff that love kids, but it serves healthy and delicious food too!

Hanare, The Intermark Hotel - Kuala Lumpur

2011-12-04T03:29:00.000-08:00

Add: Ground Floor, The Intermark - 182 Jalan Tun Razak, KL
Tel: +603 2164 2133
Review: Lyrical Lemongrass

We wanted to try a different Japanese, besides the regularly visited Rakuzen, Mizu, Zipangu etc ... so I asked LL (See review above) for some advice. Hanare was one of the 2 short-listed restaurants, so we braved the drive to Tun Razak at rush-hour to have dinner :-)

I chose the "set menu" ... which started with a simple salad.

Deep fried fish fin (For the life of me, I can't remember exactly what fish - I think it was stingray!) whose salty texture went perfectly well with my Sapporo.

The Malay chef (where were the famed Japanese masters that I read about in Hanare!?) then prepared my simple tofu steak, which was very good ...

And our mains arrived ... mine being a Aussie wagyu steak, whilst bbG chose the Unagi. Both were good, but hardly "rocking"!

V's dish, a simple soba in soup, turned out to be the BEST DISH of the night .. Mmmmh, japanese soups rock!

My set menu was completed with a rather bland stir-fried vege dish, and garlic fried rice.

The total bill? RM$300 for the 2.5 of us :-)

Yes ... I liked the decor with lots of wood and granite, and the service from the Japanese "captain" was good too (Pity about her less eloquent waiter), but somehow ... I found the food too ordinary and "safe", perhaps it was due to what we ordered?

What did I think ... Not my fave Japanese, but perhaps I should have ordered some "authentic" Jap stuff like LL did ... Next time!

Happy 40th Birthday, UAE!

2011-12-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

One month ago, we went home for a month's vacation ... Now, how did time fly by so quickly!

I returned to the post-celebrations of the UAE's 40th birthday :-)

Certo - Good italian at Souk Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi

2011-10-05T03:17:00.000-07:00

Even though its been the longest time since I last did a food review, it doesn't mean that I haven't been eating-out :-) Been meeting new friends, been busy with work ... and best of all, family!

Here's our first visit to Certo, which turned out to be a really fun evening with OK and DL :-)

Located: Souk Qaryat Al Beri, at the "3 bridges" area of Abu Dhabi. Its located in between Fairmont/Traders and Shangri-La.
Tel: +971 2 558 1161

Best thing about Italian restaurants (besides pasta!) ... definitely the bread. Nice!

Lots of seafood on the night ... Seafood platter, with half-baked lobster, and a delicious sea-bass too.

Lobster pasta anyone? Yummmms!

Veal Ossobucco ... Tender, delicious and lovely mediterranean style veges and potatoes alongside.

Would we return? Yes, good food, good service and nice ambience though I do question how it won a "Time Out Abu Dhabi" romantic-category award. Its more a family restaurant for me!

ps - Yes, its on the Entertainer (Buy one, get one free - I have started a new tag/label now for restaurants which have this offer in UAE). We had 6 Peronis between us, along with a plate of fries for V, and we only paid 125 AED (Roughly RM$100) per person.

Maison Sucre cupcakes rock!

2011-10-05T02:37:00.000-07:00

We like cupcakes, but have been dissapointed with most of the offerings in our home of Abu Dhabi so far ... that is until we stumbled onto Maison Sucre. Great service, really nice shop (you can also have coffee here it seems), and wonderful cupcakes!

Located: Al Manara building, Zayed 1st Street on Khalidiyah (Behind Co-op / McDonalds)
Tel: +971 2 639 6622
Web: Foursquare
Opening hours: Sat-Thu 9am-11pm ; Fri 10am-11pm

Strawberry (Average!) or Chocolate (Yummmmmms!) ... take your pick!

12 AED each, and if you go ten times, your 11th purchase is free ...

Abu Dhabi - August 2011 skyline

2011-09-19T00:48:00.000-07:00

One weekend at the Abu Dhabi breakwater area, which is opposite the Marina Mall...

Two views of the Abu Dhabi skyline :-)

And heading back to Khalidiyah ... Nice new wavey apartment block!

Steve Jobs - You shall be missed

2011-08-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Apple devices have been intertwined with my life for many years now :-) Here are some fond memories ... I have my dad, SW, YH, and BT to thank for this obsession with Apple products!

1980 - Apple II Plus, my dad got us our first home computer, which I later found out to be a "compatible" model :-)

Then came ... 1987 - Macintosh SE, what I felt was one of the first iconic designs of Steve Jobs! I think this one SW and myself got from some Singapore Uni garage sale, for like 50 SGD!

Same bro .. SW, asked me to get the Apple MessagePad 120, I think this was launched in 1996, but we may have got a used one some years later! Handwriting recognition was putzzz, but for a Mac-diehard, we just had to get one!

In my uni days in Manchester, I used a Power Macintosh Performa 6200 (PowerPC 603 processor, circa 1995) ... and some time between 1998 - 2000, I got myself the really cool looking iMac DV (Thanks, BT!) in Malaysia.

Music devices? I still have the iPod Mini which was purchased in Singapore circa 2004-2005 (Never ever got an original uber-cool white iPod 1st generation though), and later on my ex-boss gave me an iPod Nano back in Christmas 2007, which I use to this day!

And most recently in 2010 ... Me and bbG got our current Apple devices, oops tools ... My MacBook Pro 13 (Which I fondly call, "Al"), and bbG's very-used iPad (1st generation).

Steve Jobs on the National, the local paper here in the UAE ... 25th August 2011. You shall bemissed, you are a visionary, an inspiration and a genius.

The journey is the reward ... "We used to dream about this stuff. Now, we get to build it. It's pretty neat."

Update: 6th October 2011

Six weeks after the above post ... The world, and I, said goodbye to Steve.

All I can say is ... Thank you.

Homemade Pao in Abu Dhabi

2011-08-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

Someone's been baking in the kitchen ...

In the steamer it goes :-)

Oooh ... done!

Three varieties ... Choy pao (Vegetable), Curry chicken pao ... and of course, Char Siew Pao!

Ramadan Kareem ... From the UAE

2011-08-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

I was shopping at Abela, Khalidiyah last night, and as I tried to pay the Mawaqif parking meter ...

It rejected my coins ... and "Ramadan Kareem" was displayed on the screen :-) Free parking!

Hey ... Ramadan Kareem, selamat berpuasa from the UAE!

We love Toki - Best Japanese in Abu Dhabi

2011-08-08T11:03:00.001-07:00

Located: Ground floor, near the car park, Hilton Abu Dhabi
Tel: +971 2 681 4151
Other reviews: Toki compared with Wasabi

Tamago - Our amuse bouche.

The mains ... Best dish on the menu we reckon, the black cod in miso.

MIL and I had saba fish ... and beef.

bbbbG had two portions of Cha Soba. Delicious!

All the hot ocha one can drink ... We like!

Oops ... here are the piccies of our wafu salad (I think its wafu!), and really good miso soup too.

Something cool to end our lunch-meal, butterscotch ice-cream.

ps - Toki at the Hilton has a bit of a reputation for being expensive, but don't believe all that ... For 60-80 AED per person (or RM$50-60), for the set-lunch menu, which includes a salad + soup + chawanmushi (or, cha soba), a mains course, and either ice-cream or a coffee ... We think its brilliant value for really good Japanese food, in a nice setting, with great service.

High powered German machines in Abu Dhabi

2011-08-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

I wonder if this gorgeous Mercedes CL is the ... 5.5 V8 RWD, or the turbo-charged 5.5 V12 RWD ... or perhaps the mighty 6.3 V8 RWD!? Here in the UAE, prices start at about 135K USD - 190K USD, gulp!

And perhaps even more rare then the Merc CL, is the R36 VW Passat ... 45K USD here in the UAE. In this 3.6 V6 4WD guise, it get from 0-100km/h in just shy of 5.6 seconds, due to its 299 BHP powerplant.

Nasi Lemak - Meena Cafe, Abu Dhabi

2011-08-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

Located: Port Zayed area, next to the Iranian souk.

GPS:
N24 31' 03.6"
E054 22' 25.5"

Previous: Old review here

Daily specials: Monday - Nasi Lemak, Tuesday - Chicken Rice :-)

I had to rub my eyes in disbelief ... Nasi Lemak. Yes, nasi lemak here in Abu Dhabi :-) Bliss! We are so grateful for the Zelan team bringing their cafe with them to the desert!

Good sambal, nice fried chicken, real coconut rice ... Crispy kacang and ikan bilis. This is Malaysia's national dish :-)

Mum cooks dinner!

2011-08-04T06:27:00.000-07:00

Mum's visiting :-)

Yummy ... to-fu with mixed vege and minced pork, and "Traffic light" stir-fried cauliflower. Ahhhh!

Masterpieces ... Pork ribs and stewed belly pork with chillies. Extraordinary!

The fastest Germany has to offer - Audi, BMW, Merc and Porsche

2011-08-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

How rare is this ... a Techart Magnum, yes a super-souped up Porsche Cayenne!

Alpina B6, yes this is a rare variant of the 6-series.

Wonder who smashed into this rare machine, check out the right-side of this shot!

Or some classier machines ... fast saloons rarely come quicker then the Mercedes S500 AMG or this Audi A8L 4.2 Quattro!

Prego - Favourite Italian in Abu Dhabi

2011-08-04T04:12:00.000-07:00

Heh heh ... Thanks to J for my Birthday Margerita :-)

Add: Prego, Beach Rotana, Abu Dhabi
Located: Beside Abu Dhabi Mall, Tourist Club Area (TCA)
Tel: +971 2 697 9000
Previous visit: Reviewed here

Pasta .... cooked al dante to perfection.

And my choice ... Risotto frutti di Mare :-)

Light and refreshing ... Peroni on the left. On the right, what looks like a kopi, ooops cappucino, is really a nice Tiramisu!

US and Japanese cars and SUVs - Abu Dhabi

2011-08-04T03:51:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about the UAE is the vast range of cars and SUVs ... Japanese, German, American, Swedish (the odd Saab or two), and more! Why are there so many different types of cars here? Take your pick ...
1) Cheap gas (40 US cents per litre)
2) No taxes (Cheap cars!!)
3) Great roads
4) Car-fanatical culture!

Subaru Legacy ... the 5th generation none-the-less! 20K - 35K USD.

American nostalgia? Go for a Jeep Cherokee. 30K USD for a 3.7 litre, V6 model.

The little seen Ford Taurus, which is a re-designed Ford Five Hundred. Only comes in 3.5L V6 guise, and prices range from 23K USD to a not-cheap top-spec 38K USD.

And my favourite of them all ... Japan's finest, the Nissan GT-R. 100-115K USD here, that's pocket change :-) There will soon even be a VVIP version (Huh ... In Japan its called the "Egoist". Seriously!), costing more ... how much more? I have no idea, but it seems its available to order here!

ps - Seems in the US, according to my favourite American car mag, Road and Track, the Egoist costs 50K USD more then the stock GT-R (Gulp!) or 10K USD less then the incredible Spec-V!

Back to IKEA Yas Island for dinner

2011-07-13T05:51:00.000-07:00

Where in Abu Dhabi can one have a meal in a nice environment, with minimal of fuss :-) IKEA at Yas of course! It also happens to be very child-friendly.

Our meal one night cost ... 56 AED or RM$45.

Swedish meatballs with gravy and cranberry jam ... So goooood!
And, the vegetarian selection, a simple Penne with Spinach. Good too!

Best Japanese in Abu Dhabi - Toki at Hilton

2011-07-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

We love Toki! I reckon its the best Japanese eatery in all of Abu Dhabi, and possibly our favourite restaurant in town as well :-)

Located: Ground floor, near the car park, Hilton Abu Dhabi
Tel: +971 2 681 4151
Sister restaurant: Wasabi at TCA

Delicious minced chicken ball amuse bouche ...

Lunch menu specials ..
1) Lunch Bento Box, 112 AED (RM$90 - great value)
2) Chicken Katsu Curry set, comes with delicious Miso soup, and served with either Chawan mushi (Steamed egg) or small Cha Soba (Cold noodles), and includes either ice-cream or coffee too, 63 AED (RM$50 - a bargain!)

Illy anyone? Lovely!

Noodle Bowl - Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi

2011-07-13T00:35:00.000-07:00

Located: Zayed Sports City, above the bowling centre
Tel: +971 2 447 2405

We have been frequenting Noodle Bowl at Zayed Sports City (Above the bowling alley) for 2 years now ... But on previous visits, we usually have the "single dish items" eg Fried rice or Noodles. We have now learnt that the "ala-carte" menu is even better!

Oooh ... XO sauce and cut chilli. Perfect with any dishes :-)

Our favourite dishes ... Sweet and sour chicken (23 AED), and Tofu with Minced Chicken and oyster sauce (27 AED). YUMMY!

The damage? 70 AED or RM$55 for the above food, including rice for two (10 AED) to share as well as a pot of jasmine tea (10 AED). Good stuff!

Transformers 3 - Dark of the Moon

2011-07-07T21:36:00.001-07:00

Me and my pal Optimus ... taking a break from the Wuzhen / China posts :-)

Cinema: CineRoyal, Khalidiyah Mall - Abu Dhabi

Tickets: 30 AED (RM$24)

2D or 3D? We deliberately chose ... 2D. Dunno how to describe it, but we actually prefer this format of film!
Our verdict ... We loved it!

Brilliant conspiracy-theory style start, with excellent historical footage of Neil Armstrong on the moon. Excellent effects, but I would have preferred if Bumblebee made more of an appearance! Was surprised how many stars were in this installment ... John Malkovich (Bruce), Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey (Bad guy, Dylan), Tyrese Gibson (Returns as Epps), John Turturro (Simmons), Joshn Duhamel (Returns as Lennox), and of course Sam Witwicky, oops ... Shia LaBeouf. And, FHM girl of the year, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was yummy!

Movies.Sky.Com says ... Today it emerges that Michael Bay's Transformers: Dark Of The Moon has broken all records to become the biggest movie released over America's Independence Day weekend ever. The third outing of the titular robots in disguise which stars Shia LaBeouf and Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley has now made a staggering $416m at the worldwide box office, beating Spider-Man 2 to become the highest ever earner over America's holiday weekend.

Not everyone thought Transformers 3 was so entertaining. Here is what The National, here in Abu Dhabi said ... it slammed the film! Yes, "1 star" or ... "DIRE!".

Wuzhen by night - Nikon D80 and MC-DC1 Remote Release

2011-07-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

My choice of equipment for this Wuzhen night shoot ...

Nikon D80 (23,500 shutter count ... Time flies!)
Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8
El-cheapo tripod which I brought along cos' it was light!
Most importantly .. A new addition to my arsenal, the Nikon MC-DC1 remote release cable.

Most of the shots I took were at: ISO: 200 ... Shutter speed: 4 to 11 seconds ... Aperture: f/11 ... Exposure compensation: Between 0 to -0.7EV ... Programme: Aperture-priority

Water town ... Wuzhen :-)

I quite like these shots ...

Here's the "reach" of my Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, one shot was taken at 17mm and the other at maximum zoom (50mm) on a DX sensor. That roughly translates to 25mm and 75mm on a full-frame body.

Couldn't resist taking more photos ...

A couple more shots as I walked back to my hotel, Tong-An.

Gourmet at Water Chamber Restaurant - Wuzhen, China

2011-07-05T03:47:00.000-07:00

There are many beautiful and quaint restaurants in Wuzhen, we chose one near our hotel (Tong-An), and chuckled at the name ... Gourmet at Water Chamber Restaurant!

Gotta start each meal with a Tsingtao ... Lovely! I did start every dinner over the week I was in Wuzhen - Changzhou - Shanghai with a Tsingtao or two :-)

This simple hong-siu tofu dish stole the show ... It was spectacular. Probably cos' the silky quality of the tofu was so memorable!

The pork dish with minced black bean was a wee bit oily ... And the vegetable dish wasn't particularly memorable. But oh ... that To-fu. Fantastic!

Wuzhen - Scenic by night

2011-07-05T03:12:00.000-07:00

Wuzhen became even more beautiful as the sun set ... Here are photos from our walkabout :-) Excerpts from info below taken from Tripadvisor.com

Wuzhen consists of 2 parts...the East side and the West side. When you arrive, you can go to either part and purchase a ticket for either side (120 rmb) or for both (150 rmb). We spent most of our time over the 24 hours we were at Wuzhen on the West side, which is heavily refurbished but yet really quaint and beautiful.

The sun was about to set ...

Possibly the two most photographed scenes in all of Wuzhen ... But I had to get a shot anyway! We were there on a Sunday night, thus it was reasonably quiet with plenty of elbow room, and no one tripping over my tripod. Seems it gets really busy on Friday and Saturday nights.

More shots of this water town ...

Beautifully refurbished buildings ...

The West-side, as described on Tripadvisor.com ...

People no longer live there, and tour groups are not welcome, only individuals. The houses of the previous residents have been refurbished and are now part of the Wuzhen Clubhouse, part of the chain of small luxury hotels.

It was a really nice evening for a walk ... cool 20C weather, crisp air in the end of May.

I particularly liked the narrow alleyways ...

There was lots to photograph!

More shots of this water town ...

The most scenic and beautiful stone arch bridge ... One more time!

Lots more to explore...

We didn't spend much time on the East side, but it seems it is more like all the other water towns - Touristy, souvenir shops, many Chinese tour groups, but still very lovely, with a number of nice smaller museums (Indigo fabric making museum, traditional Chinese bed museum, and so forth), lovely canals, and boat ride of course. People do still live on this side, and you can see them washing their clothes along the water way, brushing their teeth!

Our best meal in Wuzhen - Lamb noodles

2011-07-05T02:43:00.000-07:00

We were blown away with how picturesque Wuzhen was ... especially as the sun set :-)

But we were hungry ... thus had to make our first stop, a lamb noodle place recommended in the guide book we found at Tong-An Hotel.

Wuzhen lamb noodles - Springy noodles, incredible broth, tender chunks of lamb, hot and steamy on a cool spring evening ... Ah, this is truly magical! Price? 25 RMB (14 AED = RM$12).

So good, it deserved a picture of its own ... the Wuzhen chilli bean paste, spicy, full of flavour, and perfect!

Wuzhen - Tong An Hotel

2011-07-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

Tong-An Hotel, located in Wuzhen which is about 2 hours drive from Shanghai Pudong Airport, is described as typical Jiangnan building complex of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Hotel: Wuzhen Tong An Hotel (乌镇同安客栈）
Add: 129 Xizha Dajie, Xizha Scenic Zone, Wuzhen, Zhejiang
地址: 乌镇西栅大街129号
Tel: +86 573 8731 555
Located: Eastern side of the Andufang ferry, in Xizha Scenic Zone.

Great entrance, excellent service, average breakfast, and really nice room with a four-poster bed. We enjoyed our stay here very much.

Traditional meets modern ... We like the Tong-An Hotel!

View from our room, at night-fall :-)

Check out safety warning number 8, which is posted on the hotel room door ...

Be careful to your safety when you take bath. Please don't take bath right away after you have held wine or have finished quick-motion.

Qatar Airways - Flight to Shanghai, then Wuzhen in China

2011-07-05T00:16:00.000-07:00

Flight: QR 888
Departure: Doha, Qatar @ 1:00am
Arrival: Shanghai, Pudong Terminal 2, China @ 2:40pm
Plane: Boeing 777-300ER

What we loved most about this flight, besides the price, was how child-friendly the staff were (Spongebob Squarepants giveaways, baby food, friendly cabin crew .. Excellent!).

The drive from Shanghai's Pudong Airport to scenic Wuzhen takes between 2-3 hours.

Wuzhen is located in the center of the six ancient towns south of Yangtze River, 17 kilometres (11 mi) north of the city of Tongxiang. Wuzhen displays its history through its ancient stone bridges, stone pathways and delicate wood carvings. The town also has a rich cultural background, according to Wikipedia.

Wuzhen is divided into 6 districts. These are: the traditional workshops district, the traditional local-styled dwelling houses district, the traditional culture district, the traditional food and beverage district, the traditional shops and stores district, and the water township customs and life district. Following an east-west-east circuit created by these six districts, visitors can witness reenactment of traditional practices and cultures. Again, this is info taken from Wikipedia.

The art of making Soya Sauce!

I enjoy "suin-mui" or preserved plums, the shop on the right only sells such sweets!

Steaks at Meat Co - No longer our favourite!

2011-07-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Located: Souk Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi
Tel: +971 2 558 1713
Opening hours: 12pm - 11:30pm/12am
Map: Google

A great looking wine cellar does not make a steakhouse good ... Not at the very least.

Why were we so dissapointed at what was probably our "first" favourite steakhouse in Abu Dhabi? Lets start with the service! Our waiter had an indifferent attitude, despite the fact that it was hardly a busy evening at the restaurant. For a restaurant that used to pride itself in great (and different - namely, fun) customer service, this was unforgiveable.

Even our bread came late ... Very late. In fact, it came at the same time as our main-course, and only cos' I reminded our waiter!

Next ... the ambience. Meat Co's menu is priced similarly to large hotel steakhouses, such as the ones I recommend below, but we found the environment to lack "special" - It was warm, and as we sat on the ground-floor, we had to put up with the screeching door as it rubbed against the floor everytime it opened and closed!

Worse of all ... the food. Not only on this occasion, we found our steaks to be over-cooked, despite L ordering "Medium rare". We were surprised that our Wagyu choices were not juicy, and not sufficiently tender. Dissapointing! On a plus side, I liked the onion rings!

My wagyu, prepared "medium".

The last straw ... The price! Whilst Meat Co prices their steaks similarly to other hotel steakhouses, it does NOT even include sauces and side-dishes. These are all priced individually.

Hey, its not all doom and gloom.. We have no problems recommending some really excellent steak-houses in Abu Dhabi!
(1) Rodeo Grill, Beach Rotana - Tourist Club Area, beside Abu Dhabi Mall
(2) 18 Oz - One to One Hotel, The Village - Al Nahyan area, Abu Dhabi

Ah .. at least even on a dissapointing evening for steaks, we had the pleasure of enjoying the sunset from Souk Qaryat Al Beri :-)

Abu Dhabi ... Travellers welcome :-)