Food Bites Feature Blogger

Food Bites is happening this 26th May 2012 in Jaya One from 11am to 6pm. Over the past few weeks, I posted pictures of the food tastings I’ve attended; all of them unique, tasty and gourmet in their own way. If you’re a foodie and would like to try all the goodies Food Bites has to offer, block your date and get ready to indulge!

Gourmet food, street style!

Panini from Crumbs

Haute Dogs

The Potong

Iced coffee with apple syrup - Espresso Lab

Iced coffee with strawberry syrup - Espresso Lab

Alcohol-infused fudge brownies

Mini roasted vege quiche from "A Quiche To Remember"

There’s more…as there are nine (9) participating vendors and I’m aching to get my hands on those yummy delights again!

Here’s the good news: I’m giving away RM50 cash vouchers to ten (10) lucky readers*. All you need to do is answer the questions below (tips can be found here) on my Facebook page.

1. What is Food Bites?
(a) A food market
(b) A shopping mall
(c) A restaurant

2. Where and when will Food Bites be available?
(a) Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, 26th June 2012
(b) Jaya One, 26th May 2012
(c) Jaya 33, 26th May 2012

3. In 15 words or less, what about Food Bites excites you?

*Contest ends at 11.59pm on 23rd May 2012

I hope to see you guys at Food Bite, Jaya One this 26th May 2012. Curbside Gourmet FTW!!

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Lobby

“Have you gone for your honeymoon yet?”

“How’s married life?”

“When are you having kids?”

So we got married…a year after he popped the question. Within that year, we were both busy with work and planning our wedding. After the wedding, we went straight back to work and only had a mini vacation in February 2012. I always feel happier and refreshed after a vacation, especially if the hotel room is nice and cosy.

Our getaway nest...

Spacious and bright

View from our room! Nice right??

Our recent getaway was in Hotel Maya, where we stayed at the deluxe suite overlooking the view of KL city. Prior to this, the only contact I had with the hotel was when I parked my car at the basement and crossed the road to Zouk. Checking in was a breeze – the staff were friendly and efficient. The lobby had a contemporary boutique-like feel; high ceiling, marble walls and warm colours.

Coffee machine

Chilled drinks (chargeable)

Coffee, tea or me?

Our deluxe suite came equipped with the usual amenities and more – I liked the coffee machine provided. The bathroom is connected to the (sort of) walk-in wardrobe and natural soaps including bath salt are available. I settled in quite immediately. Wine glasses are also available which was perfect as we brought along a bottle of bubbly.

Natural soaps

Walk-in wardrobe...sort of

Wi-Fi is provided so you can surf the net all day long without worrying about the additional charges. The bed was large and plushy with a pillow menu for the fussy sleeper. You have a choice of feather, non allergic, bolster, buckwheat and hollow fill pillow. I’m generally a heavy sleeper so any comfortable bed will do. All I need is my bantal busuk two fluffy pillows. Heh!

Mirrors everywhere!

*Like my moustache ring? It’s from The Aura.

Hotel Maya’s swimming pool is located on Level 3, indoor. It is said to be the only heated hydrotherapy pool in Kuala Lumpur where you can enjoy a ‘massage’ from the water jets. Alternatively, you can go for a more extensive massage at Anggun Spa, which I will be writing about shortly. After such a hectic week, it was a damn good massage. I got rid of so many ‘knots’.

Sky Lounge (inside)

Chocolate brownie

The Sky Lounge on Level 13 offers hotel guests a selection of petit fours with a choice of coffee or tea between 9 to 11pm. I thought they were pretty decent, especially the brownie – moist and rich. Also noteworthy were the assorted cookies, with my favourite being the cornflakes. If you’re there early, you get to sit outside and enjoy the view (and breeze if you’re lucky). Unfortunately, we got to Level 13 at close to 10pm so we settled for the plush sofa seats inside.

Crumbly, light and buttery!

Wines are available

Coffee...and some quiet time

Huge bathtub!

Room service was a breeze. While we didn’t order anything to eat, our request for a bucket of ice arrived within 10 minutes. The bathtub was big enough to fit two adults and I totally dig the shower ceiling. Better water pressure.

Cheese selection

Good pastries. Better than the ones from a famous bakery on Jalan Delima.

Cakes and kuih

Fruits to start the day!

rif's omelette with extra cheese

Tomato and orange juice

Sunny side up

Sourdough and wholemeal bread. With salted butter. Yum...

The breakfast spread at Maya Brasserie was simple but of high quality. There was a selection of cheeses, healthy cereals, juices, three types of milk, local food, western food, pastries, good breads and an egg station. On top of that, we got to choose a main course from the menu provided. I ordered the Monte Cristo and rif, the lamb murtabak.

Good pastries

Scrambled egg, ham, sausage and alfalfa sprouts

Monte Cristo

Mmmmm....

My Monte Cristo was a gooey-rich combination of turkey ham, cheese, mayonnaise and sandwich bread, dipped in egg batter and deep-fried till golden brown on the outside. If I ate this every day, I would go from size 24 to size 42 in a few months! The lamb murtabak was nothing to shout about. I found the filling scant and the skin was a tad chewy. That said, I liked the accompanying curry chicken – thick, aromatic and spicy.

Lamb Murtabak

During breakfast, I couldn’t help but notice how particular the head chef was about quality and presentation. He kept coming out of the central kitchen to arrange the (slightly) crooked plates, check if the breads were properly cut and kept, and whether there was enough pastries for the guests. #perfectionist

View from our bed

After breakfast, we snuggled in bed and watched Gossip Girls until it was time to check out. Our stay at Hotel Maya was short but it relaxing, rejuvenating and peaceful. Just what we needed – a break from the hustle and bustle (and stress) of city life.

*If you’re keen on a getaway like mine, check out the Deluxe Suite Dreams Promotion (RM595++ per night inclusive of 2 breakfasts). Alternatively, you can get the Weekend Escape Package (RM799++ for 3 days 2 nights inclusive of 2 breakfasts).

*The breakfast buffet is RM65++ person from 6.30am – 10.30am.

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Hotel Maya
138, Jalan Ampang,
50450 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Tel: 03-2711 8866
Email: info@hotelmaya.com.my
Website: www.hotelmaya.com.my

Chinese style nasi lemak

My late grandfather used to get up at 5am every day for breakfast at a nearby coffeeshop in Sitiawan. He would buy some pau back home for my breakfast but more often than not, I would only eat it at noon – that’s usually the time I wake up, involuntarily. In KL, I can never fathom how some people can have their breakfast as early as 6am. My only exception for breakfast this early is when my night out ends at 5am.

rif and I were up at 6am one weekend to send my parents to KL Sentral for their trip abroad, so we decided to revisit the Imbi Market. It’s been 8 years since we last visited this market and I could vaguely remember how the kaya toast was.

Check out the generous slab of butter!

At 6.30am, the place was dark with market vendors setting up their stalls. With my smatter of Cantonese, I ordered a set of kaya and butter toast, two portions of steamed bread with butter and kaya and Hainan tea. The toast – thinly sliced and crisply toasted – came with a thick slab of cold butter and generous slathers of kaya. Crumbly, light and still as good as I remembered it to be.

Steamed bread with kaya and butter

rif preferred the steamed bread for its softer and fluffier texture. This had more bite compared to the crumbly nature of the toast and was just as tasty. The Hainan tea however, wasn’t thick, aromatic or sweet enough. Quite disappointing, this one. I’m not sure how much each item was, but we paid slightly over RM8 for the above.

Hainan tea

Fiery sambal!

The Chinese style nasi lemak was alright. I’m generally not a fan of Chinese nasi lemak because the rice lacks coconut milk and the sambal isn’t spicy enough. This sambal was VERY spicy but the rice was hardly lemak. I also thought the sambal tasted very one-note.

Curry wantan mee

The curry wantan mee stall was quite popular so I ordered a bowl (RM4.50) to try. It was nothing to shout about. While the noodles were toothsome, the broth was quite bland and watery. On the bright side, the cockles were plump, slightly bloody and fresh.

I plan to try the popiah and egg tart next round (they were not ready when I was there), but only if I have to up at 6am. Otherwise, nothing beats my bed and pillow.

Ambiance: 4/10
Price: 6/10
Toast: 7/10
Food: 5/10 (non halal)
Verdict: If you’re an early bird, check out the food stalls here.

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Imbi Market (Pasar Besar Bukit Bintang)
Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.
Opens: 6am – 12noon
Closed on Monday

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Much raved about sang har mee...

I’ve been wanting to try the sang har mee at Sang Kee for quite some time especially after my in-laws told me how tasty the noodles were when they ate there a couple of years ago. But when you’re dressed in office wear, the thought of eating in an alley on a hot afternoon isn’t practical…especially if you have a meeting after lunch. Luck was on my side last week as I had a relatively free afternoon (plus it was smart casual Friday) so I checked the place out with two new makan kaki.

Wet alley

The eatery is located near Petaling Street – off Lorong Yap Ah Loy to be exact and can be difficult to find if you’re not familiar with the area. Good thing one of my makan kaki knows the place well so I followed him like a blind mouse. Sang Kee is an old-school restaurant that has been around for more than half a century. To get there, we walked through a back (and wet) alley which can be off-putting to some.

Get in queue...

Uncle at work

At half past noon, the place was crowded. Plates of noodles were lined up at the cooking station waiting for the chef to add the gravy and meat on top. We ordered a plate of ginger beef kuay teow (RM18) and sang har mee (RM29 per prawn) for 3 pax. Service wasn’t the most pleasant; it’s best to know what you want to order as any delays while ordering might cause the auntie to nag.

Ginger Beef Kuay Teow

The beef kuay teow was pretty decent, at first. I say at first because there wasn’t enough gravy and halfway eating, the noodles dried up. That said, the kuay teow had a fluffy texture and a touch of wok hei. The beef slices were smooth and tender but scant for a portion of three. Unlike most beef noodles I’m accustomed to, this one was lighter in colour, with less ginger and less beefy. An old-school method, I reckon.

Light in colour

Not-so-fresh fresh water prawn

I’m not sure if I had set my expectations too high on the sang har mee because when I finally tried it, I was disappointed. For RM29 per prawn and in such ambiance, I thought it was way overpriced. To make matters worse, the prawns were mushy and powdery. It was devoid of any seafood sweetness – something very important in sang har mee. To be fair, the thick yee mee had a good bite and the egg gravy was richly flavoured (from some MSG and prawn stock).

The bill came up to RM113 inclusive of herbal tea for the three of us. Very expensive, if you ask me. The RM29 I paid per prawn can full well buy me a satisfying antipasti lunch buffet or a better plate of sang har noodles at Pan Heong. Oh well, at least I can say I’ve tried it.

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Ambiance: 4/10
Price: 2/10
Sang Har Mee: 4/10
Beef Kuay Teow: 6/10
Verdict: Overrated sang har mee but the beef kuay teow is worth trying.

Sang Kee (non halal)
5, Lorong Yap Ah Loy,
50050 Kuala Lumpur.

Dinner menu

What do you get when you put 7 executive chefs from 5-star hotels with 43 talented culinary students? Uhrenholt Young Chefs. I recently attended the Uhrenholt Young Chefs (UYC) Fundraising Dinner at Berjaya University Collage of Hospitality where 6-7 students were put under the wings of each executive chef to create canapés and a 5-course menu based on seafood and cheese, Asian style.

Mentoring the students were Chef Antoine of Le Meridien, Chef Rajesh of Sheraton Imperial, Chef Martin of Ritz Carlton, Chef Sabri of Royal Chulan Hotel, Chef Andrea of Renaissance Hotel, Chef Rudolph of Shangri La and Chef Nikolaj, corporate chef of Uhrenholt Food Service. I missed out in the canapés created by Chef Rajesh and Chef Martin but Yen told me they were pretty good.

1st dish by Chef Sabri & team

Dinner started with the steamed prawn roll with otak-otak filling and chilled custard flower with crabmeat and galangal fish floss by Chef Sabri and team. The otak otak prawn roll was tasty, as was the chilled custard flower with crabmeat but I thought the fish floss tasted a bit bland. That said, lovely presentation.

Chilled custard flower

2nd dish by Chef Antoine & team

Hot broth

The second course was the Asian broth with Pacific halibut, Vannamei shrimps, shredded young coconut and diced vegetables by Chef Antoine and team. The soup was mildly spicy and tangy – similar to tom yam – and poured over the raw halibut and shrimp. I enjoyed the toasted mantou bread topped with basil, tomatoes and cheese. A pity it was just a tiny slice. The salad of julienned papaya, cucumber and toasted peanuts was Chef Antoine’s version of the Thai papaya salad. Simple, yet delicious.

3rd dish by Chef Andrea & team

I wasn’t a fan of the Cinnamon Sautéed Bee Hoon on Fondue, Buah Keras and Prawn Terrine with Dry Longan Reduction by Chef Andrea and team. The vermicelli was too hard and chewy to enjoy and took the attention away from the prawn terrine and fondue. Also, the candlenut and dried longan’s sweetness didn’t quite go with the rest of the ingredients. But that’s just my personal opinion.

4th dish by Chef Rudolph & team

Our fourth course was the Asian-style Slow Braised Angus Beef Cheek with Bleu Cheese Macadamia Crust, Kumara Mash and Eryngii Mushrooms by Chef Rudolph and team. The beef was fork tender and crusted with bleu cheese and macadamia nuts, giving it a slightly pungent flavour. Delicious when eaten the five spice flavoured beef jus reduction. The sweet potato mash was a nice change from the usual baked or mashed potato.

5-way Cheese Canape

I found the cheese canapé, a pastry spoon filled with five types of cheese a tad strong as all the cheeses had rather bold flavours. But I did enjoy the sweet cream cheese tofu in Gula Melaka consommé with sea coconut, sesame two ways and passion fruit curd by Chef Nikolaj and team. This was an interesting combination of textures and flavours which worked well.

Dessert by Chef Nikolaj & team

A round of applause for the chefs and students, for making dinner a pleasant affair. This is a good platform for young chefs to learn and grow from the experience. Thank you Chef Nikolaj, for extending the invitation to me.

Chef Antoine and I

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Berjaya University College of Hospitality
Level 14 (East),
Berjaya Times Square,
1 Jalan Imbi,
55100 Kuala Lumpur.
Contact: 603-2687 7073

Mukashi Special Ramen

A few days back, I received an email from a reader asking if I could do a Ramen Showdown which I did in Singapore, in Malaysia. To be honest, I’ve been to two ramen places in KL after coming back from Singapore but unfortunately, none of them were as good. The portions were puny and the broth lacked character.

Yamagoya Ramen is a new eatery in Publika, with more than 140 eateries in Japan. The noodles are made in-house and the stock is made using pork bones flown from Japan. Yamagoya specializes in Kyushu ramen, a Hakata-style ramen which happens to be my favourite. I found the service quite slow as the place was packed with people; our drinks only arrived when we were almost done with the food.

Strong garlic accent

Between the five of us, we shared the Mukashi Special Ramen (RM24), Spicy Tobanjan Ramen (RM22), Black Garlic Ramen (RM22), Kimchi Ramen (RM22), Miso Ramen (RM24) and Char Siew Ramen (RM24). We also added on a side of gyoza (RM11), char siu (RM11), chicken karaage (RM11) and flavoured egg (RM4).

The Mukashi Special Ramen tasted similar to Gantetsu at Raman Champion in Singapore. Like the latter, this came with char siew, flavoured egg, seafood, bean sprout, seaweed, chopped scallion and bamboo shoots in pork bone soup. The soup was thin yet boasted a creamy consistency from the pork bones, fat and collagen. Decent, but not my favourite as the broth wasn’t as rich as what I expected it to be. I wasn’t too keen on the egg as it was overcooked and lacked flavour.

Spicy Tobanjan Ramen

Firm in texture

We all enjoyed the Spicy Tobanjan Ramen better. The milky broth is given color and oomph by the fiery chili bean sauce (tobanjan) provided. I liked that the tobanjan gave the silken broth a thicker consistency and better aroma. This was mildly spicy so those with butter tongues can also enjoy this.

Black Garlic Ramen

I initially thought the Black Garlic Ramen would taste like the Negitama Ramen from Menya Iroha in Singapore. Instead, this broth was sweeter and richer in flavour with a strong garlic accent. Not my kind of ramen, this one as I prefer my broth to be rich and cloudy with a hearty pork flavour. Miso ramen – the saltiest of the lot – was nothing to shout about. I like savoury broths, but this was pushing it.

A salty affair: Miso Ramen

Kimchi Ramen

The kimchi ramen was my least favourite of all the ramen that night. It was quite forgettable. While the broth was pretty much similar, I thought the kimchi muted the porky essence of the broth and it didn’t taste as satisfying. On top of that, the kimchi used wasn’t as robust or crunchy as the ones you normally get in Korean restaurants.

Plain looking, but the tastiest!

The Char Siu Ramen was hands down my favourite ramen that night. This was closest to the ramen I tried in Yoshimaru and Ippudo. The cloudy white broth was deep, flavourful and well balanced with a thin coat of fat on top. Topped with 7-8 large slices of char siu, this is definitely THE ramen for the hungry. The pork was meltingly tender and flavourful, and gave the broth more oomph.

Char Siu slices

Yamagoya’s ramen noodles were firm in texture and thin, straight and white in appearance. They contained a low amount of alkaline taste and were boiled very quickly for a springy texture. I don’t think they practice the “kaedama” system here as you get quite a generous portion of noodles. That said, remember to eat the noodles as quickly as possible as they get soggy after 10 minutes or so – one mouthful per minute!

Freshly pan-fried gyoza

A tad thick, the skin...

The gyoza was fairly decent; I thought the skin was a tad thick and the bottom wasn’t crisp enough. The filling however, was tasty and moist. I was told the fried chicken (chicken karaage) is a popular item and rightly so. The chicken, fried till crispy perfection, was juicy and tender on the inside. Apparently, they use a special marinade from Kyushu hence the tastiness.

Crispy fried chicken

Slightly overcooked

I wasn’t bowled over by the flavoured egg. Unlike the runny deliciousness of the egg at Menya Iroha and Ikkousha, Yamagoya’s version was a tad overcooked. My Calpis water (RM5.80) was mildly sweet and tangy – very refreshing after such a porky meal.

Refreshing

On a whole, I liked the Char Siu Ramen best. While it’s not as good as the ramen at Yoshimaru, it is still the best ramen I’ve had in Kuala Lumpur so far. Prices range between RM22-24 per bowl which is slightly cheaper compared to the ramen at Santouka in Pavillion and Marutama in Fahrenheit 88.

• Read about my Ramen Showdown in Singapore here.
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Ambiance: 6/10
Price: 5/10
Food: 6.5/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: Pretty decent ramen. Just remember to eat the noodles fast.

Yamagoya Ramen
A2-G2-8,
Solaris Dutamas,
No.1, Jalan Dutamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.

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Jessica Alba inspired hair

I still get emails from people regarding my wedding i.e.: how much was the wedding dinner, how much did I pay for flower décor, where did I get my dresses, my bridesmaids dresses, my shoes, my makeup artist, my hairstylist, my alcohol, my cake…etc.

A few asked about the subject of ang pau, which I blogged about and shared on Facebook. But after receiving not-so-nice comments from others for trying to help these brides (who went around sharing my FB link and didn’t even bother to clarify things to help me), I’ve decided not to help out that way anymore. Anyway, here’s what happened on my actual wedding day:

Christy getting my dress ready for me...

Got up at 5am to shower. Jamie arrived at 6.30am to do my hair and makeup. Christy and Jeen came over by 7am to get ready for the jip san leong games. The photographer and videographer came pretty early to set up as well. I wanted to wear my hair down, but Jamie wanted to do a Jessica Alba inspired hairdo as it would look nicer with the veil on. Everyone liked the end result, including me. I had on minimal makeup because it was the morning ceremony.

My maid of honours

Wei Jien took longer to arrive – I suspect it was his tactic to stall time because we had to leave my house by 10.30am. Chis! According to the fortune teller, if we leave my family home after 11am, it won’t be good for the marriage and the family.

Final touch-up!

All set!

Now you know how it feels to have boobs...

Lol!

Awww...so pretty!

Check out my crotch!

LMAO!

Hickey

RM1,000 allowance, remember!

I should have instructed for some pain to be induced upon the guys, as they were teasing us girls about how ‘painless’ the whole process was. WTF. My girls wanted to wax them and torture them with vinegar shots, but I (stupidly) felt bad so I told them to be nicer. If I knew they were going to be so cocky, I would have told the girls to torture them more!

WTF why my flower bouquet so ugly?! Because it's from La Sposa...

The red umbrella...

Anyway.

Forgot to take buckle for the sarong... -_-

After the tea ceremony at my place, we went over to his house and changed into my red kebaya. Hanim had to help me pin the kebaya top since she was better at this. And I forgot to bring my sarong buckle FML. While figuring out how to tie the damn sarong his mother came in to see why I took so long.

She had no spare buckle so I pinned my sarong with Wei Jien’s nephew’s nappy pin. Who cares…no one could see. Lol! By the way, I bought the kebaya and sarong from a shop in Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. I didn’t think it was necessary to spend a fortune on making one just for my wedding. The whole outfit cost me RM180.

My girls...so pretty in red!

And Christy...who likes to grab my boobs.

For more pictures of the Morning Ceremony, click on the Picasa folder below:

Wedding Tea Ceremony (Part 1)

Stage backdrop with our wedding monogram

Once the tea ceremony was done, we packed our things and went to the hotel to rest and get ready for the dinner. I didn’t prepare my vows yet so I sat in my walk-in wardrobe to finish it while Wei Jien went downstairs to see how the ballroom set-up was coming along. By 4.30pm, my emcee arrived and I went down for the dry run. Went up to the bridal suite at 5pm to do my hair and makeup and fell asleep while at it.

The guys had pizza for dinner but I chose to skip it because my dresses were small. I ate carrot sticks and 3 pieces of chocolate for energy. Silly me asked the seamstress to “make it as tight as possible” so it was impossible to eat in those dresses. At least they looked nice and that’s most important to me. I think the tightest gown was the short cocktail dress – it was the hardest to breathe in.

Kheng Leong

Hanim & Shum

I had four gown changes and three walk-ins with smoke machine and all the works. I didn’t get to eat but was told by my guests and family members that the food was quite good by hotel standards. For those guests who found the food disappointing, you had your chance to tell me/my wedding planning team that night, but you didn’t. So forever hold your peace.

VIP Table

I’m glad I got a new (and more efficient) liaison manager from Grand Dorsett – Yew Kok Pin. He was very detailed about things and did his best in accommodating my wishes. I had a specific idea of how I wanted the floral arrangement to be and showed him some examples. He not only got the florist to do a similar version; he even upgraded the centerpiece for my VIP table! I only found out when I entered the ballroom and thought it was beautiful. Thank you, Kok Pin! If you’re having your wedding/event in Grand Dorsett Subang, you’re in good hands*.

*The same cannot be said with the other liaison managers because the ones I dealt with before Kok Pin took over were very slow and inefficient. I almost wanted to strangle one of them. 

Thank you Jamie!

Jamie the makeup artist was such a darling. She stayed back until 11pm that night and custom-designed my hair pieces according to my gowns. And I only sent her pictures of my gowns 3-4 days before the wedding. I think she did a good job with my make-up – she made my eyes bigger and even matched the theme while at it. I’m so glad I stalked found her.

Chai Wei from Mori Pin gave me a beautiful set of jewellery as a wedding gift together with the neckpiece I wore during my ROM. I wore it with my main wedding gown and blue mermaid gown, and it sparkled like real diamonds. They were imported from Korea and the workmanship was good. If you’re looking for good jewelry, go check out Mori Pin in Bangsar Shopping Centre and Bangsar Village II.

My tiara was a gift from Christy, who bought it for me when she was in Bangkok. It’s beautiful and I love it. Thanks girl! It was Jeen’s birthday that day and she was at my place at 7am doing her maid of honour duties with Christy. And they were both there to help me squeeze into my wedding gowns that night. And my gowns were laced up, not zipper style. Poor them!

All in a day's work!

Nigel Sia did a good job with our videos – Love Story, ROM & Actual Day. You can view them below or on my blog sidebar. Every important detail was captured and he was very creative with the whole process. Even the songs he chose were perfect. Michael Yip came to help with the photography, because rif happens to be quite vain. Thanks Mike, for making time for our big day!

Wei Jien + Sue Lynn // This Way Darling (2011) from Nigel Sia on Vimeo.

Wei Jien + Sue Lynn // ROM Highlights (2011) from Nigel Sia on Vimeo.

Wei Jien + Sue Lynn // Wedding Highlights (2011) from Nigel Sia on Vimeo.

Mega tight

Heart-shape neckline

Blue mermaid gown

My gowns were courtesy Venetian Bridal House and they were altered and custom-tweaked to what I wanted. The main white gown had a deep heart-shape neckline with an elaborate train. It was initially a plain gown but I wanted the bodice to be beaded with pearls and sequins for extra bling and it took them one month to do it for me. Tqtqtq!

Photo by Mike Yip

The final gown was a see-through nude gown and yes, that’s my skin you’re seeing. I was initially hesitant to put it on, but my wedding planner and mother insisted it was THE finale gown. Venetian was such a life saver after my horrible experience at La Sposa, who messed up my gowns and rif’s suits. By the way, my mum’s evening gown was also from Venetian.

Our wedding cake was gorgeous and tasted good too. It was a dark chocolate cake with royal icing and fresh flowers on top, and the cake was incredibly moist and chocolate-y. Everyone loved it. Thank you Charles, Nigel & Allan, for this wedding gift!

The heavenly duo and Charles

Hanim, Kinga & May. Kinga flew all the way from UK for my wedding. *hugs*

All in, our wedding was fabulous. Sure there were minor glitches here and there, but on a whole, things went smoothly. Dinner started and ended on time and the guests were happy. And I had my friends close-by and everyone pitched in to make the wedding a success. Thank you everyone!

For more Wedding Dinner pictures, click on the Picasa link below:

Wedding Dinner Pictures

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*And to address the rumours that our wedding was more than RM600,000, thank you for the compliment but our big day was no where as elaborate as the PM’s daughter’s engagement.

Wedding Vendors:

• Gowns: Venetian Bridal House & La Sposa
• Red Kebaya: Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman
• Hair & Makeup: Jamie Liew (jam8berry@gmail.com / 016 225 5826)
• Accessories: Mori Pin
• Videographer: Nigel Sia
• Photographer: Andy Kho & Mike Yip
• Wedding planner: ADAMAS Weddings
• Events planner: Imagine If Sdn Bhd
• DJ & DJ Console: DJ Smurf & Imagine If Sdn Bhd
• Wine: Tong Woh Enterprise
• Cake: Just Heavenly
• Hotel: Grand Dorsett Subang (Yew Kok Pin - kokpin.yew@granddorsett.com) 
• Wedding Car Plate: Just Married Car Plate
• “Chi Mui” and “Heng Tai” Badge: Just Married Car Plate
• Flower bouquet: La Sposa Bridal Gallery (comes with the package)
• Hotel Flower Arrangement: Grand Dorsett Subang

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Mutton Briyani

Some wonder why I would step into Famous Islamic Restaurant in Singapore when I can stuff my face with ramen, burger and beer. Well, a few of my Muslim readers asked me where they could find halal food in Singapore. I asked some of my colleagues and they recommended this restaurant. Apparently, it’s their go-to eating place in Singapore.

Papadum

Famous Islamic Restaurant has been around since 1921 and is known for its briyani and mutton curry. Truth be told, I found the place very touristy and the décor quite passé. Service needed some polishing. The waiters were unfriendly and no pictures were allowed in the restaurant. I was however, allowed to take photographs of the food I ordered.

Chicken Briyani

Decent portion

For a place what commanded so much hype, the briyani was a letdown. While the grains were well separated, the briyani wasn’t fluffy nor did it have a good bite. On top of that, it lacked aroma and richness. I wasn’t bowled over by the chicken or mutton either. The former tasted one-dimensional while the mutton although tender, had a strong, gamey smell. I reckon it could be because I’m used to the deeply flavoured meats at JM Beriani and the briyani places in Batu Pahat.

Tender, but gamey mutton

Dhal curry

The squid curry was spicy but lacked aroma. I also thought it could use more richness from the coconut milk as this curry gravy didn’t leave me satisfied. The squid pieces were fairly tender, but they weren’t exactly the freshest as some parts of the tentacles tasted a bit fishy.

Squid Curry

Overall, I found the restaurant overhyped. While it’s reasonably priced – both the chicken and mutton briyani was SGD7.50 – the food was very average.

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Ambiance: 5/10
Price: 6/10
Food: 5/10 (halal)
Verdict: Reasonably priced but the food was nothing to shout about.

Famous Islamic Restaurant
745 North Bridge Road
Singapore 198713
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm
Tel: 6298 7563

1) Simple Person

2) Shahirah

3) queenesther

4) Amelia Tai

5) Rachel Thum

To the winners above, I’ll be emailing you shortly and enjoy the accessories! Thank you to all who participated. Look out for more giveaways soon ya!

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Thank you for the opportunity, The Star.

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