Chateau Angelus

We've all seen Bond uttering the ubiquitous "shaken, not stirred" line for his vodka martinis, specifically Smirnoff vodka martinis which made Smirnoff suddenly shot to stardom with its vodka. Try to remember this scene: The bottle of Angélus features prominently while Bond dines with Vesper Lynd, played by Eva Green, in a railway dining car on his way to the Casino Royale in Montenegro - transposed from the original novel's Monte Carlo.

Now picture me drinking from the same Chateau on last Friday night. Yes, we (my wine friends and me) had a vertical wine tasting on Chateau Angelus. A vertical wine tasting involves wines from different vintages but all the wines will come from the same winery. If the winery produces more than one type of wine you would select a single wine from that winery and taste multiple vintages of that wine. Thus that night, we had 8 different vintages of Angelus (1989,1990,1991,1994,1995,1996,1998&2000). Honestly, this is my first time doing a vertical wine tasting and I was rather excited about drinking from the same chateau as James Bond just like how I started my Smirnoff liking.

The Angélus vineyard, which totals 23.4 hectares, is situated on the famous côtes of St Emilion with the clay and limestone typical terroir typical of the region. Saint-Émilion is one of the principal red wine areas of Bordeaux along with the Medoc, Graves and Pomerol. FYI, Chateau Angelus is categorised as a Premiers grands crus classés B and only Chateau Ausone and Chateau Cheval Blanc made it to classés A.

The 6 of us drank 8 bottles.

The older wines were decantered for a few hours.

When there's good wine, there's always good food to go with it. Ah, and the good company too. My friends refused to be revealed in my blog and thus I shall refer them as Mr.A, Mr.H, Mr.L, Mr.W and Ms E and I'm the small "e". I shall let these wine connoisseurs stay anonymous. The good food and wine that I've been having all along are all thanks to this bunch of interesting people. They trained my palate and should I blame them for me acquiring such an expensive taste now? Imagine the days where I was still having Australian Yellowtail wine with San Francisco steaks and now this!

Clockwise: Chunks of Sharks Fin with thick broth, Abalone,Mini Lobsters and Iberian Pig.

A plate of noodles with shrimp eggs and meat held by Mr.L. The only part of the body that I can reveal are his hands.

My dreams of eating a bowl of birds nest all by myself has been fulfilled. This bowl is really full of birds nest and I hardly find a spoonful of liquid! Lol

We used different glasses for different vintages of wine throughout the dinner. Washing the glasses is not my concern. My focus was to find my favourite vintage.

This is my ultimate favourite. The 1989. We did a tasting according to the ratings. We started off with the good ones and ended with the best ones irrespective of the years.

Initially I liked the 1990. It has a good nose of smoke, blackcurrant and spices which is at its stage of maturity and I think it's the perfect time to drink it. However, the 1989 has outshone the 1990. With a nice bouquet, outstanding tannins and lasting finish, it's simply fabulous. The bottles are retailed at around RM2500-3000 per bottle.

When asked about the dishes that night, the abalone was everyone's clear favourite. Honestly, I don't really like abalone anymore. For the first time in my LIFE, I was not looking forward to eating abalone. (Not being arrogant or showing off), I have been eating it almost everytime I went out for dinner together with them and after so many dinners, my abalone cravings had seemed to vanish. I think the birds nest was my favourite that night. So, maybe we shouldn't have too many times of this birds nest or else I'll lose interest too.... (I wonder would it ever apply to my man?)

Juan Lopez

We had good food, good wine, good company and the last thing to have was of course CIGARS! Mr.W is always our cigar supplier. He must be the one person that I know uses the most ziplock bags. He likes to store his cigars in these ziplock bags. We puffed the night away with a Habana cigar each.

The only cigarette that I would never decline. I love good cigars. Cohiba for instance.

After licking till the last drop from the bottles, Mr.L and Ms.E, hung the Angelus bottles to the wine holders beside the door removing the previously not-so-prestige-wine bottles. They even wanted to name this room the Angelus room. Imbi Palace had been just renovated and I must say that the renovation is quite impressive. So if you ever had your meal at Imbi Palace, check out this room upstairs, in front of the couch.

Thanks to Mr.L for the great dinner. A dinner like this is never cheap. I don't know the prices of the food because I only know how to eat but the wines will definitely cost you a bomb. It ranges from RM600-3000 a bottle all thanks to Mr. Bond having a sip of Angelus in Casino Royale.

Bond drinks Angelus. 82 Angelus.

Eiling drinks Angelus too. 89 Angelus.

Hennessy Artistry @ Orange Club

This would be my 4th Hennessy Artistry event this year. It's HA's 5th event but I missed the one that was held last year. After going to HA so many times, I would say that I've never been bored with it because they always get good celebrities to grace the event. This time around, Shayne Ward, Until June and The Dey were performing. It was also my first time to Orange Club, a humble little club behind BBC along Jalan Kia Peng. Parking is easily available at Menara HLA for a flat rate of RM6.00.

Oops we looked at the wrong camera!

The celebrities...

The Venue

Knowing the big crowd that would be thronging to Orange Club for the event, I drove my sisters and her friends early and by 9.45pm, we were there lining up for the registration and thus spending RM5.20 for toll fees. I know, what am I doing by using highways on this Saturday where probably 50% of the people in the city had gone back to their hometown for the coming Hari Raya?!! But still, lucky we were there early. When we were inside, I heard that the queue was so long and inside the club, it was already packed like sardines.

We managed to get a good spot on the left side of the stage where it's less stuffy and less crowded. The space was mostly occupied by my sisters' and my friends where we've got a pretty good view of all the artistes that performed that night. It started with a (typical girl squeal) very cute DJ - Tom Price. He was so so cute that me and my sisters can't take our eyes off him. Had no idea who he is but his good looks is a fact!

And thus this camwhore pic since I can't get close to the real person.
Desperado I know.

It was good fun to be so near the stage where you could see the performances and artistes at such proximity. The performance of Until June was quite good but lack the clubbing atmosphere. The best the crowd could do was to stand there and nod. The songs were nice but a bit "emo". And next came The Dey. The name is derived from the group members' first initial and this Latin Hip Hop group is following the styles of the Black Eyed Peas. One of their famous appearances is alongside Sean Kingston and Juelz Santana in " There's Nothin". They did a good job in bringing the hype to the crowd.


Next came Shayne Ward - the person that everyone was waiting for. At just 24 years old, he's been quite popular. He won the X Factor competition in the UK and since then he had released two albums. I liked his single "Breathless" but he didn't sing that song yesterday. He sang a few songs including "Apologise" (Timbaland ft One Republic) and a collaboration with The Dey.


The performances ended about 12.30 - 1am and DJ came out to spin for the rest of the night. My sister, our friends and I had a crazy time on the dance floor. We met some pretty cool friends yesterday who loves to party and we drank and we danced like mad people until 2am. There wasn't a need for us to walk to the bar for drinks as there was this Hennessy guy who walks around with a jug of Hennessy and did all the refilling for us throughout the night. Did I forget to mention that he looked cute too?!! Haha...no wonder I kept on emptying my glass.






And the red carpet poses......






And acting Djs....


Overall, the party has been satisfactory. The music is always a good mix of everything from Hip Hop to Tranz because that's what Hennessy Artistry is all about - the global art of mixing. I love the free Hennessy there especially Hennessy Miami. How often could you have good music, good company and free flow of good alcohol? Now, the lacking ingredient would be good chocolates. Any chocolates for next Hennessy Artistry?!! Alcoholics rejoice!

SPOT MY CAR
The answer is: None of them.

Rakuzen

My glutton week hasn't been coming to an end yet. In fact, this particular week, I am having 3 gluttony dinners - Japanese, Italian and Chinese. The first two dinners were for my clients and the last one, which is on Friday, today is to try out some wines with my drinking kakis in KL at a chinese restaurant with a "palace" in its name. You do the guessing.

I had a gruesome time trying to book a table for the Ramadhan buffet where I plan to take my clients for a hearty buka puasa meal. On Monday, I tried calling MO, KL Hilton, Le Meridien and Shangri-La and all restaurants are fully booked until Friday! WTH?!! Each pax costs around RM100++ and there you have every single expensive restaurant is fully booked! I haven't been to any Ramadhan buffet and they're not even giving me a chance to experience and spend the money! Generally, I think Malaysians are quite rich because at this state of our economy situation, we can afford to dine at such fine restaurants that cut throats.

So, I gave up and finally gave a call to my favourite Japanese restaurant at Subang Jaya. I managed to get a reservation without any hassle. No one goes to "a la carte" places during this month I guess. The dinner was great - maybe a little bit too lavish than my usual meals there because.....well, look at what we ate!

From Clockwise:

1. Jumbo Roll
2. Wagyu Sukiyaki 150g (Wagyu beef with sukiyaki sauce) = RM155
3. Spider Roll (Soft Shell Crab) = RM16.00
4. Hacho Okamase (18 sushi + 1 maki) = RM100

Assorted Sashimi @ RM150

Honestly I don't stinge on buying customer meals. However, my company is very stringent on entertainment bills and therefore I don't usually claim for the meals I buy them. It's so sickening to fight with the management on some bills and thus to resolve the problem, my customers usually buy me meals. Haha... But that night, I had the honour to pay as I have earlier obtained a budget to spend them. First time ever feel good paying the bill....since it's not my money. LOL

Well, at least my customers are happy. For a change, they actually prefer ala carte than buffet. We even had green tea ice-cream as desserts. Rakuzen is my favourite place for comfort food - Japanese la, what else?!! I like their grilled beef bento set too because at RM38, they really offer good quality and tender beef slices. Although the pricing is a bit above the average but it's worth it! The best thing is, it's not easy to find the outlet as it does not have a signboard. Lucky for those who knew about the place but it's still packed on weekends.

I received a very nice necklace yesterday from S&L. So sweet of them to get me this black beaded necklace with a diamond (fake ones) studded star from ALDO without any reason at all. Awwhh so touched. Me think it's funky and I'm lovin' it.

Related Posts :

Rakuzen Japanese Restaurant - by Yiling

rakuzen japanese restaurant
13, jalan ss15/5a,
47500 subang jaya.
tel: 03-58804717
(Opposite the side of SJMC hospital and a few shops from Tomoe Japanese Restaurant)

My Agent Provocateur

Here is my review on my findings on Agent Provocateur's Titillation which I bought a week ago that sparked curiosity as in what a nipple balm/refresher does to my nipples. The Titillation duo comes in two 40mm perfectly circular black balls (with mirrors under the top lid), packaged in signature Agent Provocateur-style pale pink boxes with tempting peep holes. When I was buying it, I kept peeping into the hole to see how the thing will look like but sadly the hole is too small and I have to leave the rest to my imagination.

As curious as can be, I can't wait to try on the Nipple Refresher. I left the lip balm aside as my sister has already secretly without my permission tried my lip balm even when I have not even touched it! With my forefinger, I took a pearl drop of the cream and I spread it around the aureoles. There was a slight tingling sensation just for a moment which was pleasant. It also refreshes those pinkish nips and keep them smooth and supple. The best of all, it smelled great. of course I can't smell my own nipples but you can always smell it when you apply it on your hand. I guess it makes your nipples more tasty. I tried licking my hand but I can't taste anything?!!

It's not all about sexcitement as it contains honey leaf from Paraguay that intensifies the firmness of the nipples and brings that smooth, delicious honey sweetness to those little nips while protecting, soothing, and keeping it moisturized with natural ingredients.

The lips and nipples are two of the most common erogenous zones of a woman’s body, or the area with heightened sensitivity that often results to sexual response. So you better take care of those essential parts you would want your boyfriend or husband to touch and kiss more often!

So, suddenly I have became a new fan of Agent Provocateur. Starting with my first AP Titillation, I've now acquire another AP Maitresse, a very seductive perfume (one sniff will get you hooked).

The notes, white lotus, ylang ylang, osmanthus, jasmine sambac, white suede, sounds like a big white floral bouquet, a scent that is not so much to my liking. I did not expect to like AP's Maitresse. I was just looking at the array of perfumes and to my curiosity (again), I did a light spray of it on my wrist. I smelled it and walked away. And after a few hours, I tried smelling my wrist again. The smell was wonderful and it was still lingering even after so many hours. I was hooked. I kept smelling my hand every 10 minutes and in the end I couldn't take it anymore. I have to have it and so I asked my sister to grab a bottle of it for me the next day.

AP Maitresse has been described as a “thoroughly modern take on floral Aldehyde and a sophisticated head turner to boot” and compared favourably to Chanel number 5. I don't know why they had named it Maitresse which sounds like "mistress" but I love the name. It makes the whole scent so kinky. It's not like I have a look of a mistress or I need to use some scent that sounded sluttish (is there such a word), but the whole experience and imagination in that bottle is really worth the price tag. It makes one more adventurous in getting something so sensuous to please oneself (we are not doing it for the guys but for our own satisfaction). AP has to in some ways maintain its saucy image.

A sniff of Maitresse smells like the lushest, biggest, grandest and most expensive white bouquet a rich admirer’s money could possibly buy. It's a scent of seduction.....

In Dim Sum Heaven

I love Dim Sum. I loveeeeeeee Dim Sum. I loooovvveeeeeee Dim Sum. Okay, I love Dim Sum so much so that I've been frequenting this particular shop every weekend for the past 1 month or more. This is the nearest I could get compared to my favourite Dim Sum in Ipoh such as Foh San and Ming Court. You see, I couldn't afford going to Lai Po Heen at MO every weekend for good Dim Sum so I had to resort to the normal dim sum outlets.

Oh how do I love thee? Let me count the ways....

This particular outlet has been opened for 3 months and it's really popular because there is another outlet behind the row of shop houses that served dim sum as well but lack in taste and quality. I was thinking maybe I should keep this secret heaven to myself so that no more blog readers will be flooding this place but then again, someone might have recommended it earlier so wth?!! Good things must be shared right?

My fav classic Prawn Dumpling, Porridge, Siew Mai and HK Chee Cheong Fun

They say, to test whether the outlet is serving good dim sum, one must try the dim sum classic dishes like those that I love - siew mai, har kaw, cha siew pau and lo mai kai. From these few dishes, you'll know whether this outlet is worth going or not. So far all these dishes passed the test of my tastebuds. The prawns in the prawn dumplings are big and succulent. They're really a must! The pricing is quite reasonable. For about RM17-18 per person, you can eat quite a hearty meal.

They do serve very special dim sum like fried durians and fried cempedaks. I didn't try them but my aunt did and she said it was nice. How come I eat there so many times and no one introduce them to me? I don't look like I eat durians meh?

This Jin Xuan Hong Kong outlet is situated at SS22/19 Damansara Jaya around Atria Shopping Mall and same row as the GSC office. It's really packed on weekends and the best thing is, those on the waiting list must stand outside the shop so that patrons eating inside can have their peace when eating without being stared and looked at by impatient people.

WARNING: Now, don't go there ok? I don't want to queue.

Gluttony Weekend

According to Wikipedia, gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of food and drinks, or intoxicants to the point of waste. I would like to correct the definition of my gluttoniness (not sure whether this word did exist but why so serious?). I did at some point over-indulged but not of any intoxicants and there were no waste because I finished every morsel of it! Then, maybe I should call myself a "Gluttoness" (is there such word? Glutton for male and Gluttoness for female). I'm such a genius.

Anyways, my weekend on Saturday morning started at 8.30am Pork Noodles with extra "siu cheong". Then my journey to FRIM (Forest Reserve Institute of Malaysia) started at 9am. I did nothing much there except climbing up to a certain level to see the waterfall. This is just to survey the area. Plan to go for a canopy walk and maybe camping for the next trip. After FRIM, we headed to Batu Caves. Can you imagine me being a Malaysian for 24 years, I've never been to the Batu Caves where millions of other nationalities have been? I guess it was not important for me to visit a place where I think I can visit anytime I want. This thinking is totally wrong. What if I die tomorrow without visiting the Batu Caves?!!

I managed to walk up to the top but having to stop twice to catch some breath. Gosh, I'm really out of shape since it has been almost a month of skipping gym because I was plain lazy. The aftermath of all these climbing resulted in me aching my leg and joints. Felt like an old woman and I'm limping to work today and wearing my flat sandals.

That very night, I drove my grandma, aunt and cousin for a wedding dinner at Damansara Palace. It was the wedding of my grandma's sister's daughter's daughter. Nevermind the complicated relations but we are related. It's only that night that I get to meet my aunts and aunties that I haven't met before since I was born. Can't believe I have so many relatives. LOL

The dinner was great but then again what if you have almost the same dishes for 2 consecutive nights? We had dinner at Tang Place in Dynasty Hotel yesterday night too. The dishes were almost the same - sharks fin soup, suckling pig, prawns, chicken, fish, mushroom and fried rice... I still feel that the roti canai I had for lunch was better. It had been more than 3 months since I last had roti canai and teh tarik, a little tragic isn't it?

As for Sunday breakfast, I had a hearty dim sum meal at a place where I go to almost once every week. So it must have been a great place but I was hesitating whether to reveal it or not because people have been flooding that very place and I hate the queue. I shall reconsider.

See, how gluttony my weekend was. So breakfast this morning was scaled down to oats.

(Sorry for the lack of evidence to show since someone took the camera before I get to upload the pics. Will the guilty one please stand up?)

2 days without mom

Mom left to Abu Dhabi on Thursday, leaving us to survive on our own for 3 months! The last time she were there, she spent 2 months there and then came home for 3 months. Time passes so quickly that it's time for her to fly to AD again to accompany my dad. During her last visit to AD, my youngest sis was still unemployed and we had her to cook our dinner and wash the clothes but now, I had to do all these because I finish work at 5pm whereas the other two come home at 7pm.

During these 2 days, I came home at 5pm, wash the vegetables, prepare the ingredients to cook, wash the clothes, collect the dry clothes and then start cooking at 6pm! What a task! I can't imagine doing this for the next 3 months. My life will be miserable not forgetting to mop the floor, having my turn to wash the toilets, and pay the bills! Now I understand the importance of having someone to stay at home full time to run these house chores, and this someone is my mom. The above are just minor tasks. What if the roof leaks, the tap spoils, the lights not working? Who am I going to call?!!! Sigh... I rather work than handle all these "domestic" problems.

I've got a pretty good kickstart in cooking dinner these 2 days. On Thursday night, I cooked Capsicum & Onion Chicken and a pot of vegetable soup with egg. Two dishes for the 3 of us is definitely enough. There's protein, carbs and vitamins - definitely a complete meal. And today, I cooked the Pork with Potato slices and a pot of vegetable soup with anchovies and dried shrimps.
Lucky I have a day off tomorrow since I'll be attending a wedding dinner. Yay...

My first time cooking this dish and I am very happy with the results.

The two dishes in fact tasted very good! I must say that I can be qualified to be a good housewife since I can cook. Like the chinese always say, a good wife must be able to cook and to look presentable. I say, and to perform in bed! Haha...they should add the last phrase "siong tak chong" to the saying.

So when mom is away, I shopped like nobody's business. Not only I have bought myself a pair of red Guess heels at Pavilion, I bought a Samsonite leather document bag and a set of Agent Provocateur Titillation. It was a bargain that I couldn't resist! I know it was sinful to indulge in such luxury when I'm not receiving a fat paycheck yet. Then again, why think so much? (this is not a good advice so please do not follow)

AP Sensuous ad campaigns.

I first spotted Agent Provocateur when I was in London. At that time, I was told that it was one of the beset selling brands of Perfume eventhough they specialises in lingerie. AP has a range of lingerie from bras to corsets, candles, perfumes, beauty products and interesting stuffs like whips, gloves and masks. Like the brand name suggests, the AP products are very provoking... and interesting. The names they have for their product is so sensuous. No price for guessing what senses they're trying to provoke. This is the brand that brought us Kate Moss’s sexual fantasies, bikes as sex toys and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s steamy LA strip.

I got myself this.

The duo pack features a rich and fragrant Lip Plumper (like lip balm), alongside partner in crime, the Nipple Refresher (go figure yourself). Both products taste, smell and feel irresistible. I tested the Nipple Refresher on my hand and it smelled great! It's supposed to leave a tingling sensation but I can't felt any on my hand. Gotta try on the right parts next time. Although I tried licking my hand and there isn't any taste like sweet or bitterness, I love it. It comes with a mirror inside the rounded cap too!

AP products are not cheap. Even the perfumes cost more than the famous perfume brands like Gucci and Dior. Next, I gotta get their AP Maitresse EDP. The smell lingers for quite a long time and it's really feminine and sexy!

Chocolate Drink Review

As if the previous entry wasn't chocolatey enough that I have to come up with this chocolate drink review. For this week, I really had an overdose of the brown stuff in my digestive system and arteries. If I were to take a sugar reading right now, I bet I am on a diabetic alert. As I was writing this post, I am munching on some Neuhaus milk napolitains without the slightest guilt.

Remember the previous post on Lafite, where I bought something from Godiva? My trip to Godiva besides trying to see the new outlet, my intention was also to do a study on chocolate drinks as I might want to develop one for FIDANI. I made a comparison between Godiva, Cadbury and Van Houten.

For every Godiva & Cadbury, the chocolate drink powder comes in a can and I need a cup of warm milk to dissolve the powder. I used Dutch Lady fresh milk because that's the only one I can find in my house. My mum likes it in small individual packets because she doesn't need to open the whole packet of 1 Liter for her baking. Don't buy those with Vanilla flavoring, or else you won't get the real taste of the chocolate. As for Van Houten, all I need is a glass of hot water as it came premixed with milk powder.

Specimen No. 1 : GODIVA Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa

The Godiva Hot Cocoa (410g) retails at RM103 per can for 10 servings. It's available in milk and dark chocolate. Product of USA.

My first reaction was, God this is damn expensive! RM103 for 10 servings which calculates to RM10.30 per cup not inclusive of milk and the electricity to boil it...and the water to wash the cup. I guess Godiva Hot Chocolate makes Starbucks look cheap.

Well the first ingredient on the list is Sugar. That means that there is more sugar in this than any other ingredient alone. The next ingredient is cocoa which I would have expected to be the first ingredient, followed by bittersweet chocolate...who am I to question the Godiva genius?

Every cup of 8oz of warm milk, which is almost 200ml of milk will need about 4 tablespoons of Godiva miracle hot cocoa powder, as recommended by Godiva. I put the cocoa powder first into the cup before pouring in the warm milk and stir continuosly for 30 seconds until it's mixed thoroughly. The aroma is similar to those of cocoa powder but not as strong. There's no sediment but a rich and smooth taste of chocolate. The colour is very similar to Milo too eventhough it's dark chocolate.

I find that it would be ok even if I just put 3 tablespoons instead of 4. I find that this amount is quite adequate. 4 spoons make it far too rich and sweet whereas 2 spoons make it like witch's water. Don't use the chinese porcelain tablespoons for soup because that's much bigger than the normal stainless steel spoon. The drink is indeed very rich and I felt so full after just 1 cup.

Specimen No.2 : Cadbury Drinking Chocolate

Cadbury Drinking Chocolate (250g) retails at about RM23+ at selected supermarkets for about 10-12 servings. Product of UK.

Just like Godiva, the first ingredient is sugar too, followed by cocoa. Cadbury suggests 3 heaped teaspoons per serving as compared to Godiva of 4 tablespoons! The powder dissolves very easily with a whisk or fork. I've never had any lumps or sediment in the bottom of my cup. The aroma is good and the taste is chocolatey but not as rich as Godiva though.

I still remembered that I was first exposed to Cadbury chocolate drink when I was in London staying with one of my long time friends from Ipoh. He would dissolve a few spoonfuls of the Cadbury chocolate powder into some hot water and then top it up with cold milk for me in the morning. That was the best chocolate drink I ever had at that time. After that I was hooked. Everyday, I would be at least making one cup myself. It's only £1.90 there as compared to the overpricing of the chocolate drink here which forced us to resort to Milo and Vico.

Specimen 3: Van Houten Ready-to-Drink

Van Houten Chocolate Drink (10 sachets of 30g) retails at RM10+ at the leading supermarkets. Product of Malaysia.

The main ingredient is still sugar followed by creamer and cocoa. The main reason why they came out with the chocolate drink is to differentiate itself from Milo, Vico & Ovaltine which is similar to Cadbury's. They wanted to make a hassle free chocolate drink without the need of warm milk. When I was still working in the company that distributes Van Houten, we were given some sampling of the drink to which I don't really like it for some reasons such as lack of milky taste and too sweet. There is sediment at the bottom of the cup everytime and the colour is slightly darker than the normal chocolate drinks.

Well, that's my opinion but in reality the relationship of good with cheap and fast is that cheap and fast = no good. Therefore, how good can a chocolate drink at RM1 a cup as compared to Godiva's RM10 a cup?!! If money is not a problem, i would definitely go for something better. But Van Houten is a great deal for the price you pay for when you're sick of Milo.

Why would I not compare the likes of Milo and Vico too? Well, that's because I don't consider them chocolate drinks. Their main ingredient besides sugar is actually extracted malt. These are malt drinks and should not be mentioned with Godiva and Cadbury in the same breath. If anyone ever asked you about your favourite chocolate drink, don't say Milo. Now that I have tried Godiva, I can proudly say that I have tried the most iconic chocolate drink in town.

Theobroma @ Pavilion

This is another chocolate post, but not on Fidani. It's a new chocolate F&B outlet that I had wanted to try for quite some time ago but yet did not really have the right time and mood to go for it. You see, there's always something that I would want to eat compare to chocolates. Who haven't known that I see chocolates every single day? And thus the lack of chocolate cravings.

Today was the right day. I had a early appointment at Amoda with a corporate client of a branded handbag label who wanted chocolates for the coming birthday bash of the label and then I had to send the chocolate goodies to Tangs at Pavilion for the media preview of Xmas @ Tangs tomorrow so I asked Wei Mei to come together with me.

It was lunch time and since we were in Pavilion, I decided that we should do a little "study" visit to Theobroma - the total chocolate concept lounge.

Theobroma Chocolate Lounge in Malaysia is a collaboration between Theobroma Food of the Gods Pty Ltd, an Australian-based company, with their Malaysian franchise Hing Yiap Group. The Hing Yiap Group carries fashion labels such as Diesel, BUM Equipment, Union Bay and Antioni. Maybe now they wanted to diversify into F&B industry. What's theobroma? This scientific name translates to "food of the gods". The Australian company thus adopted the name for it's chocolate lounge franchise. It had quite a grand opening with the Pussycat Dolls making an appearance and the hiring of models to showcase the chooclates as well as violin performance.

The counter where you have to make your orders. It's self service but they will bring you your food.

The big chocolate poster that adorns the wall. Don't you think the chocolates are way too colourful and I think the white background looks a bit too plain. It does not bring out the classiness of the brand.

The chairs are comfortable enough.

The chocolate display. Each piece is retailed at RM4.90

The settings and ambiance is cosy with the use of comfortable cushioned chairs and brown theme colour. However, I still think that they can do better than that with the chocolate display and the walls. I think the display at the outlet in 1Utama is much better. It looked a bit too "Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf" to me.

Sultana Pancake

We had a Sultana Pancake for sharing. Honestly the menu is too chocolatey.

The crepes, pancakes and waffles are priced at RM14.90. There are an array of sweet crepes served with chocolate and sultana and also savoury crepes like Salmon, chicken and mushroom with cheese crepe. The pies are at RM9.90 and the Chocolate Fondue for 2 is RM25.90.

Hot Belgian Chocolate with Mug n Warmer

Princess of Iceland

The drinks selection is pretty complete with Hot Belgian Chocolate with mug the warmer at RM12.90, Hot Belgian Chocolate in cup at RM9.90, Boutique Teas (green tea, black tea, herbal tea) at RM9.90, coffee & cappuccino at RM8.90, Ice Chocolate at RM10.90 and Frappe at RM12.90. I think you'll be spoilt for choices in terms of chocolate drinks!

See how much Wei Mei enjoyed her chocolate?!!

My Verdict:

I like the details they put into the food presentation, making it unique from other outlets that serve chocolate drinks and food. However, me and my assistant didn't quite finish the chocolate drinks because it's too much to handle after eating the pancakes. Everything was too chocolatey for us. I don't know whether it has something to do with the fact that we have been looking at chocolates everyday so much so that we lost the cravings. My recommendation was to choose the dark chocolate next time as I find that the milk chocolate was a bit too sweet.

The place is perfect for a get together with friends for a drink or dessert. I don't really like it for lunch or dinner as the selection of food is limited to crepes and pies. Honestly, if I were to run that place, I would offer staple food like spaghetti and some pizzas to go with it. After all, how much chocolate could one take? I felt so aphrodisiac overdosed (quoting from KY) that we both head to Sakae Sushi next door for a real lunch! LOL

Theobroma Chocolate Lounge outlets are situated at Lot FK3, 1st floor, 1 Utama Shopping Center (New Wing) and Lot C4.05.02, Level 4, Pavilion KL.

Fidani Symphony in The Moodie Report

Yay, once again Fidani was featured in The Moodie Report alongside with Michelle, the violin player and me. This time around, the picture of me looked so much better than the previous shot they took at the TFWA Asia Pacific in Singapore. The article is on the recent promotion I did at KLIA to launch the Fidani Symphony Collection.

I even launch an incentive scheme for the promoters with the highest sales for the new collection will be awarded with a RM200 gift voucher on cosmetics and perfumes but sadly only one promoter from Langkawi qualified for it. Hmm...maybe the prize wasn't attractive enough.

The Article in The Moodie Report

So happy.

Other related posts:

The Moodie Report
Fidani is Music to the Tastebuds

Happy Mid Autumn Festival

Well, the Mid Autumn Festival 2008 is here and today, many of you will be having at least a slice of mooncake to celebrate the occassion. Maybe some will even be eating mooncake for the 3 meals of the day due to over-supply of mooncake from others. While many of you have seen the normal traditional types of mooncake, there were in fact new mooncakes being created every year in terms of new flavors and colours.

Just like these delectable Mooncakes with a modern twist from Evan's Kitchen Ramblings. Sorry it's in Singapore....

Rainbow Soda Mooncake & Dessicated Coconut and Glazed Cherries Mooncake

Ok, maybe that was just being creative on colours and tastes, but how about shapes? They were Hello Kitty Mooncakes and Doraemon Mooncakes but how about this particular shape of a human's derriè? A rounded full bottom is always sexy, but how about eating a buttock mooncake?!!

What a funny name for a Mooncake!

The reason behind the creation was due to the "bum" is always referred as a "moon" in chinese sayings. There are even 4 designs to choose from! It's a creation from GOD (Goods of Desire) in Hong Kong. LOL I wonder who desired a bum mooncake?!!

My only concern, is the bum clean?

In an unrelated note, I was glad that Reporter Tan Hoon Cheng from Sin Chew Daily has been released and she can now be reunited with the family for mid autumn festival. But that doesn't mean that I'm happy with the Home Minister's excuse of arresting her for her own safety! What safety? The only threat there has been was the government. I totally disagree the arresting of journalists and reporter for direct reporting and telling the truth. Recently the PM has just told the public that he encourages the journalist to report the truth and now Tan is arrested under ISA Section 73(1).

The person whom should be under arrest is none other than that Bukit Bendera bugger Ah Mad Is Mail for making such racist remarks! What kind of justice is this? Raja Petra and Teresa Kok was arrested under ISA which was deemed unfair. If they had committed any offences they should be put to trial. Why only free Tan and not the other two? This country is really full of craps. That's why, never ever trust the main stream medias.

Another unrelated-really-unrelated note, I attended a wedding dinner last night at Sheraton Subang. What was so special about the wedding is that I attended it without knowing personally the bride, bridegroom or even anybody there! No I did not gate crash some weddings and pretended that I was a guest and eat for free. In fact I was invited by my ex-colleague and her mom whom is a good friend of the bridegroom's father. Well, there's always a first for everything. It was a wonderful wedding of Christopher Lim and Pearly Lim whom had been dating for the past 11 years.

The dinner was graced by 700 guests, all dressed to kill in their tuxedos and evening gowns. There was even a facade with the couple's name for people to camwhore. It was a night of free flow of beer, stout, red and white wine. Their wedding was lavish yet unpretentious where the slide show was mainly about the couple with their best friends (no showing off of wedding pictures and family members on overseas trip). Their siblings and friends made toasts to the newlywed and I must say that their toasts are the most interesting ones I've ever heard. Even during the "yam seng" sessions, the couple was accompanied by their entourage of almost 20 friends from table to table. The live band minus the drummer was great.

I enjoyed myself that very night because I met two wonderful sisters whom are the couple's neighbour and the food was great. Maybe a little bit too great because I had to go visit the toilet yesterday night, this early morning and a few hours after that! I think I had a diarrhea...Ouch

Lafite

The title highlighted my Wednesday. I started off with a full day of meetings and at lunch time, I met up with Ms Koh for lunch at Imperial China at Wisma Jaya. We had a hearty meal of dim sum and also noodles matched with the latest gossips. We talked about my future marriage too but I told her it's too far to discuss about it at this point of time. She's always very corncerned who I'm with and who I'll be marrying and thus sometimes she dictates whom I should be dating! It was a good lunch as I have not been seeing her for quite sometime.

Next stop after my meeting was KLCC. My mission was to check out Godiva's first outlet in town. I wanted to try their Chocolixir (the elixirs of life?!!), the chocolate drinks but was put off by the pricing of RM22 per glass. At that price, I can get 2 glasses at Starbucks with the comfort of a couch and wifi. At Godiva, it was pay and go. No way I'm spending that money on a glass of chocolate drink. I can get Valrhona's hot chocolate at Chinoz on the Park at RM16.

Since dinner was at 7.30pm, I called KY for a drink. I had too much chocolate and thus needed a juice fix and we both went to Juice Works located at the lower ground floor right opposite O'Brien's. At RM20, we both get a big cup of blended fruit juice.

I had berry -licious (mixture of strawberries, berries, apple and banana). Seen with me here is a bag of Godiva filled with Napolitains (RM60) and a Jar of Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder (RM103). They're not for me but I'm not telling you why.

KY had some tropical-dunno-what and I asked him to pretend that he's reading since he was seen carrying that Jeffrey Archer book around!

I left at 7.15pm to head to Lafite at Shangri-La Hotel. Thanks to KY's GPS, I managed to find my way there in the shortest time possible without any hassle. My sense of direction in KL is still pretty much senseless. My first time at Lafite. Speechless.

I've heard of Lafite and it's exorbitant pricing but I've never been there. Sadly no man ever offered to take me there.... until recently my dear friend Ellen from Asia Euro invited me for a wine tasting and dinner at Lafite together with the chateau owners from France. They represent the Chateau Cos d'Estournel and Chateau Palmer. It was a dinner for about 40 pax and thus she booked the whole restaurant. Lafite is indeed one of the most expensive restaurants in the country. A normal meal will cost at least RM200 per pax excluding wines.

On normal days, the restaurant looked like this.

That night, they had it transformed to 5 round tables with 8 pax each.

After a round of smooth Nicholas Feuillatte Champagne, we head to our tables and where the appetiser was served. All the guests at my table, and in fact everyone there were experts in drinking wines and I was just an amateur whom started drinking cheap Australian wines and had now accquired a taste for French burgundy and bordeaux.

The first dish, Warm Bone Marrow Custard was made with Beuree Monte and Garden Chives. The accompanied wine, Pagodes de Cos 2004 (by Chateau Cos D'Estournel) was indeed a pleasant young wine. It's about RM150-200/bottle.

Next, it was Warm Forest Mushroom Salad with soft-poached hen egg and grainy mustard dressing served together with Alter Ego 2003 (Chateau Palmer). It was smooth and it had a lovely merlot nose. The wine is getting better and this bottle costs RM113. A 2001 Alter Ego can cost up to RM450.

This dish is indeed the highlight of my dinner. Who hasn't know that I love foie gras?!! This beautiful pan Seared Duck Foie Gras was served with poached cherries, Cherry Meringue and nut crumbles. Absolutely delicious. It was better than the one I had at Cafe Cafe. The foie gras melts instantly on my tongue and the taste was just perfect! Not to mention that we had the 2nd Best Wine in the world voted by Wine Spectator which was Chateau Cos D'Estournel 2002. It has a spicey oak nose with cigar and some spices. The wine was the best I have taken. No wonder at almost RM600 a bottle, I couldn't be drinking it on a frequent basis.

My first time having a Cabillaud Cod as well. The sauce was made with sweet pepper, zuchinni, fennel stew and shelfish sauce. The cod was cooked perfectly and it was so smooth! Such a beautiful dish will only do justice with a good glass of Chateau Palmer 2000. I felt that the palate was rather austere. The anticipated maturity should be 2009-2040. Maybe I should start buying now and wait for a few years. It's about RM600-700 a bottle.

This Melt in Your Mouth Beef was accompanied by Pomme puree, mushroom ragout and thyme sented veal reduction. Veal reduction is basically bringing the stock to boil until it the water reduces by two thirds. I did not finish the beef because I was too full. The beef did not really melt in my mouth but it was still good. This time we had two different wines to go with it. It was Chateau Cos D'Estournel 2000 and Palmer 1995.

The Black Forest dessert which consists of soft chocolate pudding made from Valrhona served with Cherry Sorbet and almond cream with cocoa soil was the last drool. We had a glass of Dow's L.B.V Port 2001 which was medium sweet. LBV stands for Late Bottled Vintage. I couldn't finish the dessert too.

The wine glasses are all labeled with a disc liked label so that we know the name of the wines we were drinking. The glasses gradually gets bigger as the wine gets better. And I had to go to the washroom 3 times as my bladder was not big enough to house all the wines. I still liked Chateau Cos D'Estournel 2002. One thing was missing in Lafite that night as we had the best food paired with the good wines. It was cigars!!! How nice if we can have a puff of Cohiba.

Usually the price of wines is different when you ordered it from a restaurant as they usually have a high mark-up. Sometimes it's almost 200-300% higher. Lafite charges a corkage fee of RM170 if you plan to bring your own wines. It's only worth it if you bring a bottle of RM500 wine and above. Some restaurants might not even allow it.

I like wine tastings like this where we are able to taste from two different Chateaus rather than just one so that comparisons can be made. Now I that I have found my favourite bottle, who wants to buy me dinner and wine at Lafite again?

Obituary

Well, doesn't the title sounds bleak enough? I don't often have people running to me or calling me to tell me about the death of a certain person but this morning I had the shock of my life when my mum came into my room, teary eyed and broke the news to me. Our neighbour, Mr. Peter Hastie had passed away yesterday due to a heart attack after a badminton game.

Yesterday, Aunt Frances was trying to stop her husband from going for badminton with his friends but he insisted to play. Little did she know that it was the last time she would ever see and talk to her husband. It was such a heart-wrenching incident that I, myself find it a bit difficult to digest.

At 41, Uncle Peter was too young for this. He left 2 adorable boys, Scott and Ian, both merely 10years old to go through life without their dad whom loves them so much and also his beloved wife. He used to work in Carlsberg where every chinese new year, he would give us cartons of beers and he and Aunt Frances are our best neighbours as they are very close to my mum. Ever since he worked at Volvo about half a year ago, he drives home a different Volvo every month and I'm sure I'll miss the feeling of going ooh-ahh over the cars he drove everytime I passed by his home. Although I don't talk that often to Uncle Peter, I'm sure I'll miss seeing him around in his garden on weekends and seeing the kids playing with their dad. It's a scenario that would never repeat itself.

Maybe the kids were too young to understand, but losing a father is really a big impact to them. None of them are able to hear his father's last words, all happy moments remained as memories. Who would have known that a badminton game looked so harmless, yet life-threatening? There were actually many cases of death from badminton as it's a high-energy packed game where enough stretching exercise and a strong heart is a must. For those who loves badminton and are not so young anymore should really take extra precaution.

This post is dedicated to my dearest neighbour, Uncle Peter. I wish the family my deepest condolences and may the future be bright for the beloved wife and kids. There's a light at the end of every tunnel. Thus, be strong as this is not end of life itself and you're definitely not alone.

This reminds me of CC's Lone Star and it shared the same sentiments.

Related posts :
In Memoriam : Peter Hastie
There's been death opposite the house

Is it love?

Finding love through T&Co Keychain, the key to my heart but yet to own.

At its peak, the in "in love" experience is euphoric.

We are emotionally obsessed with each other.

We go to sleep thinking of one another.

When we rise that person is the first thought on our minds.

We long to be together.

Spend­ing time together is like playing in the anteroom of heaven.

When we hold hands, it seems as if our blood flows togeth­er.

We could kiss forever if we didn't have to work.

But life is not like that.

Life is never like a bed of my favourite white lilies.

My agenda is not just to feel "in love".

But finding true love itself.

-eL-

Absolut Alcoholic

Have anyone tried Absolut's new Absolut Mango?!!

I bought the bottle months ago when I was in Singapore before it was launched in Malaysia. I love the bottle and I think the flavor is rather exotic for a Swedish company. I was tempted to open the bottle but there were no special occasions to celebrate so I left the bottle on the shelves. Then when I was in Labuan recently, I can't stop myself from buying the second bottle so that I can open the second bottle to drink and keep the first bottle. Sounds rather silly right?!! Who cares? It's only about RM35 for a bottle in Labuan. That's like the price of 2 bottles of beer at the pub. So I brought the Absolut Mango to Hue Gee's IBM colleagues gathering a few weeks ago at her condo. We had Absolut Mango mixed with mango juice while playing Taboo. I was hooked onto Taboo ever since. It was such a good party game!

Well, it tasted like mango except with the addition of alcoholic taste. This mango juice can get you drunk! I have quite a collection of Absolut Vodka at home (Vodka, Kurant, Mandarin.....), and actually I have quite an extensive range of alcohol at home.... In bedroom cupboard, I have Hennesy, Otard, Martell Gordon Blue, Johnie Walker, Black Label, XO, Glenfiddich, Jack Daniels, Chivas, Absolut, Grey Goose, Wines and other flavored liquor. Let's have a party in my room!!!

Honestly, the vodka that I liked best has to be Grey Goose. It's a premium vodka and it's 3 times the price of Absolut but the quality that you're getting is worth it. I was first introduced to drinking Grey Goose by my friend A who works for Bacardi Martini. After that I loved it! I still like Absolut but what I liked best about Absolut are actually its bottles, flavors and advertisements. They are meant to be collectibles.

Now you know why the ads are so attractive?!!

Part 1: Gu Zheng Lessons

Michelle with her Violin

Remember this girl? I posted her pictures a while ago for the post Fidani is Music to the Tastebuds. Yep, she's the violinist that I hired for the product launching in KLIA.

Guess what?!! She's now my music student.

Yesterday was her first class on Gu-Zheng and boy, she's learning pretty fast. I was pretty shocked too when she text me saying that she wants to take lessons from me on Tuesday.

One look at me you'll know that I'm not anyway associated with chinese culture. I don't go to a chinese school, my mandarin is half bucket of water, my reading and writing in chinese is limited and how in the world would I end up playing Gu Zheng hor?!! To your surprise, I have actually been playing the Gu Zheng for 19 years, 19 long years! Sometimes I couldn't believe it either, I have been telling people that I've been playing for 15 years and a few years down the road, it's almost 20 years! My mum gave me an early start when I was 5 years old because she didn't want to waste the instrument as she was too busy to learn. I still remembered how I went for the lessons without even knowing why I was there in the first place.

I dread through the lessons, fell asleep during classes and the only thing I was looking forward was the rewards if I played well. My teacher would give me papayas, apples, and stickers. When I passed my exams, he will buy me presents. My parents made me practice by offering me monetary rewards like 70cents for 1 hour on the Gu Zheng and up to RM5 if I play for 5 hours. Being such a smart girl, I really play 5 hours to get the RM5!!! I passed my Grade 8 when I was 12. It was an incredible achievement but I don't see the value at that time.

I was never happy playing it when I was young because my mum would force me to practise. I remembered skipping practice for a week, she scolded me real bad and threw me out of the house. I packed my things, all my clothes and school books into a box and wanted to go stay with my grandma. Mum got so mad that she threw my box and I couldn't stop crying. She was threatening me by giving me 2 choices - if I stay, I have to practise and if I don't want to practise, I have to leave. What kind of choices is that?!! It was really a painful experience for me.

But I never stopped learning and practising after that. I have had countless performances for charities, dinners, events and competitions. The best crowd I ever played to was for HRH Raja Muda Perak (Nazrin) at a Rotary Club Installation in Ipoh, followed by Opening of the Transmile Hangar attended by Chairman Tun Ling L S and also to ministers at the Curve for the Lifelong Learning programme. The others were just charity and wedding dinners.

After all those performances and the money that I'm getting, I realised that maybe my mum was doing the right thing, forcing me to continue. And even today, she was the one that initiated me to teach. I wouldn't imagine how it would be like if I stopped playing years back. I have to be thankful to mum for the extra money I'm making now!

Me on my deadly weapon of destruction!

I had been teaching but not for long, just 1-2 years and recently my student just passed her Grade 2 examination without sitting for Grade 1. She was quite good and thus I encouraged her to skip Grade 1 (not to waste time). And I can proudly say, she's my guniea pig. So now that my skills are proven, who want lessons?

Oh sweet delights

My home CPU just got back today after spending a few days away from home because it was heavily attacked by virus and had to be healed by an IT specialist due to the noobs in my house (including me) whom know nuts about computer except for surfing the net! Home sweet home darling. First thing I did was to check whether my photo folders were still intact and they are! Except for a few folders on my desktop which the IT guy will help me restore it this weekend.

As I was looking through, I remembered that I had some unfinished homework from one of the baking classes I went to early this year. It was held in The french culinary school in Menara IMC and was conducted by Chef Jean-Francois. I was really interested in baking cupcakes and thus I went for one of the classes on cupcakes with chocolates (as if i haven't have enough of chocolate yet). It cost me almost RM700 for a one day course!

I'm the one in green busy copying notes

These were some of the cupcakes I learnt but I've only tried making some of them at home.

Almond Meringue

Cherries & Chocolate topped with Macaroon

Creamy Chocolate

Dacquoise Caramel

Hazelnut Chocolate

The chocolate that was used here is really expensive. The Valrhona chocolate cost RM99 per kg and we used almost a kg for each recipe. After some calculations, I find out that each cupcake will cost more than RM10 making it! Who's going to buy?!! It's way too expensive so I source for my own chocolate to be used for the recipe. The cupcakes were excellent! The texture, taste and looks were all too tempting but the work involved in making them is really a turn off. I know you're drooling.

Now, don't even try asking me to bake these again.

Where is the LOVE?

My days are not the same anymore,
It's something I've never felt before.

The feeling is so new and pure,
It's something I still need to explore.

Like droplets of rain I showered my love,
Until later it started to pour,
No one can stop the thunder and lightning,
That accompanied the heavy fall.

After it rained,
The grey skies cleared and the rainbow appeared,
Stretching wide across the clear blue sky,
And at the end plenty of my love you will find!

-el-

It's always sweet and melodious at every beginning of a relationship. But as you go on, you'll find hairline cracks which will eventually become a permanent crack if nothing is done to repair it. It's just like a relationship that needs constant maintenance and a new coat of paint to protect it from the harsh weather. The thunder and lightning are the obstacles that my relationship have to endure before one can truly understand me completely. No pain no gain as they always say. Love doesn't have to be painful, it's supposed to be a wonderful feeling.

However, for me, love comes in many ways and I have gone through good times and bad times. Some good times can be when they're more than a few people loving you and bad times when the one you're loving is not loving you anymore (just kidding). Good times are when you're having fun together and bad times are when you feel that there's something about the relationship that isn't right but you just can't seem to put them into words. At the time I wrote this (years ago), I was definitely having a good time and was deeply in love. So let's celebrate the wonders of love. Something you do not necessary need but can't live without either!