Reem Island Cafe - Featured on TripAdvisor!

I was really surprised - Reem Island Cafe, our humble little cafe, is now featured on TripAdvisor and is ranked No. 321, out of neary 1,500 eateries in Abu Dhabi!

Location: GPS Coordinates
Our verdict: Needless to say, this is one of our favourite places to eat in Abu Dhabi - A taste of home!

There were even two reviews, and I am glad to see both were glowingly positive :-)

Are you expecting?

Damam (UAE's national health insurance company) full page advert in the local papers last week ... Are you expecting?

Shahrizat Abdul Jalil & Cowgate - The National, UAE

Newspaper: The National, UAE
Dated: Sometime in April 2012



Source: bbc.co.uk
Here is an excerpt ...

A Malaysian minister embroiled in a scandal over government funds meant for a cattle project says she will resign.
Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said on Sunday she would step down as minister for women, family and community on 8 April.

Her family had been accused of misusing the 250m Malaysian ringgit ($83m; £53m) fund to pay for condominiums, vacations and a Mercedes.
The "cowgate" scandal led to talk that Prime Minister Najib Razak might delay upcoming elections.

The minister said her resignation was not related to the cattle project run by her husband and three children. She was said she was stepping down as a "responsible member of the government" after her term as senator ends next month.
She added that she would, however, continue to serve as chief of the women's wing of the ruling party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and governing coalition Barisan Nasional (BN).
Her decision came after months of pressure from the public and opposition over the allegations.

Her senatorship was widely expected to be extended before the scandal broke last year.

Xiao Wei Yang - Mongolian Hotpot, Abu Dhabi

Tel: +971 50 151 7228 , +971 5 460 6578 , +971 50 179 5598
Located: Near AL Wahda Mall, next to Phoenix Plaza Hotel Apartments
Previous review and directions: We like this restaurant a lot! Good service, delicious food :-)

Excellent ... Chicken wings, and mongolian-stir fried spicy chicken on the bone. And this is only for starters!!


bbG and I had both fatty lamb slices, as well as leaner beef slices ...


We chose the Yin Yang hot-pot combo ... herbal garlic-infused and perhaps ginseng-blended white broth on one side, and a spicy mongolian-paste sauce on the other side. Both are excellent!


Excellent ... possibly the best egg tarts in Abu Dhabi!
Warning! Be ready for a 25 minute wait from time of ordering for these beautieus ...


Wong Lo Kat - How convenient ;-) to have refreshing leong-char in a can!


ps. We had a giggle looking at the co-ho-nes spotted on the menu (Thanks to TS for teaching us about the pronunciation of this part of the anatomy!) ...

New City Palace - Delicious chinese food in Abu Dhabi

Not far from the great looking NBAD (National Bank of Abu Dhabi) building ...

... you will find New City Palace chinese restaurant, here in Abu Dhabi.

Located: Khalifa Street, opposite Mashreq Bank
Tel: +971 2 626 2765
Opening hours: Daily, 11:30am - 3:30pm , 5:30pm - 12am
Child friendly? They have some good high-chairs, but there are a few steps when you get into the restaurant.

Seafood in sizzling plate with Tofu ... and Garlic steamed prawns. Excellent!

More dishes which were pretty good ... Stir-fried Brinjal on left, and Kung Poh Kai Ting (Cashew nuts and dried chilli with Chicken) on right. Dishes are moderately priced, by Abu Dhabi standards, at 25-40 AED each.

Look what was on our table ... This is wrong ... on so many levels ;-) Heh heh!

Is Wah Chai the best kopitiam in Bukit Tinggi?

Add: Wah Chai Kopitiam, Lorong Batu Nilam 1D, Bukit Tinggi, Klang
Previous review: Been here many times, Here's one!

Mon Kee ... or Monkey? :-)


Really good char kuay teow :-) Plenty of wok hei!


Wah Chai is of course famous for its Wan Tan Mee, that is the "flagship" stall in this Kopitiam. Impressive eh, from a small stall to owning an entire kopitiam!

However ... the yong tau foo's stall served some mediocre pork balls :-(

Ramadan Kareem ... From the UAE

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!

Wuzhen - Tong An Hotel

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.

New Mercedes E300 - Police cars of Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi's police force has new "tai sai ngans" (Cantonese for big-small-eyes!) in service! Stunning new Mercedes W212 E300 police cars!


They were proudly on display at Khalidiyah Mall recently :-)

Al Jazeera News - Ching Ming and iPads

It was Qing Ming or Ching Ming recently, also known as Chinese All Soul's Day. Watched with great glee this article on Al Jazeera News. Seems it was filmed in Melaka :-)


The Star, Malaysia -
GEORGE TOWN: In a store here, there is an iPad going for only RM9.80, a 13.3-inch dual-core processor laptop for under RM12 and an iPhone 4 for a mere RM2. There is one catch, though – while anyone can buy it, only the dead can use it.
“Customers want their dearly departed to be able to keep up with the latest in information technology (IT), besides the usual ‘luxury’ offerings of bungalows with maids and security guards, watches, designer bags and gold ingots. The ‘iPad’ even comes with a USB cable for charging and syncing,” she said.
Even the specifications are literally out of this world. While the current largest storage size for iPads in our world is 64GB, the “other world” users are already using iPads with an auspiciously whopping 888GB!


How about a BMW 5-series or X5 (Can't quite tell!) ... or a MacBook Pro ... DeadBook Pro? :-)

Choithram Abu Dhabi still sells floppy disks!

Does anyone remember ...
1) What diskettes are :-)
2) How about Head Cleaners ... yes cassettes!



ps - Saw these at the Choithram in Khalidiyah ;-)

Emirates Palace - Want a CAMELccino?

We went to Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi last week ... and enjoyed the little exhibition there :-)

Presented by: Abu Dhabi Art
Description: Works normally hung in palaces or private homes have been brought together in this exhibition to give audiences an insight into authentic collections and art from the Middle East. Works from art patrons secured by Christie´s.
Duration: 4 November 2010 - 8 January 2011
Time: 10:00 - 22:00
Cost: FREE!
Where: Gallery One, Emirates Palace


Some shots of Emirates Palace Le Cafe ...


Le Cafe's menu made me smile ...
1) The signature Emirates Palace Cappuccino is topped with 24-carat gold flakes! Hah!
2) They serve a camelccino ... which uses camel's milk!


Wasn't particularly impressed by their coffees, mochas and hot chocolates! Iced Coffee, 34 AED.

On the plus side, its a really nice relaxed setting, in very grand and posh ambience, and its baby-friendly :-) We also had the Capuccino Italy (34 AED) ... and Hot Chocolate (34 AED as well).