Bisou , Bangsar Village

If someone were to ask me what is the worst days of 2011 thus far, I would give an instant answer. It was last week. I was going through an extremely hard time at work and it doesn't help that it was the last week before my pay is out. I was broke, demotivated and almost committed suicide. Heh, just kidding about the last one. :P

After much nicotine and alcohol infused to my body on weekdays, I decided that I'm gonna eat a high calorie lunch on Saturday to comfort myself and go back home to sleep.



Little did I know , instead of heading back home to continue sleeping, we en route to Bangsar Village. I wasn't very keen of going to be honest - I was too under dressed! Not that I'm always very well dressed, but I was in a worn out tee and it's Bangsar!



We were supposed to just go and get some pens in Cziplee but unfortunately it rained heavily so our supposedly 'banana leaf rice lunch' became a coffee afternoon. We chose Bisou solely because the Red Velvet cake looks very tempting. For the uninformed, Red Velvet cake is actually beet root chocolate cake sandwiched with cream cheese. It was quite dry and a little tasteless for me. RV cake in general are quite tasteless, I had the one in Delicious and it tasted as tasteless too.



Most would have known Bisou for their cupcakes but as jakun as this may sound, I never tried them before. Yes, you can go ahead and laugh but I don't see the relevance of paying RM 5 for a cupcake with fancy icing. I am not a fan of cupcakes so I find them tasting nothing above alright, but you're definitely going to get a sugar rush from the icing.



Moving on to the beverages side, I was very pleased with my cup of flat white. The coffee were very aromatic and what I really appreciate is that the coffee is served hot. Something most local cafe fail at.



The ice cappucino too was very good. I don't usually order cappucino but if I do visit the place again, this is definitely going to be my drink of choice. It was intense, thick and just very very comforting. Priced at RM 10++, this is definitely worth every penny! :D

We finished our drinks and but guess what, we didn't go back home! We went to The Curve and I did chakra reading for the first time. Haha, not that I actually believe in crystals and stones, but it was free so why not? :P

oh, the best part about confessing that you're broke? everything is paid for ;p

*all pictures taken with BB, hence the quality ;p

Macaroons from Harrods

You know I've always secretly believe that I'm quite easy to please? No, not in terms of my sexual needs. ( I wouldn't be able to judge on that. *cough*) But more like, the route to my heart. I have sweet tooth and is absolutely a fan of desert. Bring me for desert and you get me smiling. :)



Latest obsession on my desert plate is non other than french macaroons! I love how it's so colorful, so detailed and so pretty!



I've been wanting to sample the macaroons from Harrods since .. err, I lay my eyes on these gems? hehe. I usually get the urge to try something when I read people waxing lyrical on it but to be honest, I never read about this one. Because well, it's Harrods! What could go wrong in Harrods? Lol. ( The rye bread there is really good too btw.)



I just got the chance to taste the macaroons a couple of days ago for a certain occassion but unfortunately after much anticipation, I wasn't swept off my feet. Hahah. Well, it tasted good and rich but I much prefer the one in InterContinenatal Hotel (previously Nikko Hotel) I find the one from Harrods a little too soft. It didn't fail to give me a good sugar rush tho'!



Yes, so buy me pretty macaroons or a slice of red velvet cake and you're hitting the G spot - figuratively of course ;p

xoxo *hearts*

Bing! Coffee - Kuching, Sarawak

I always tell people I just met one thing, "I'm a very boring person by nature." Out of well, probably courtesy they would tell me, "No, No, you're not!". Haha. But it's true my normal daily activities involves me spending most of my time lounging in a coffee joint, either with friends or me alone.



Even my idea of a great date is boring! I just had a perfect date and would love to write about it - just so you would know how simple my expectations are and I can have more guys asking me out here. Hahaha!

Something I do acknowledge is that my readers are not usually from Sarawak and I feel very obligated to write about Bings!, a place I really enjoy back home. It's a famous local grown coffee chain (Yes, we do have Starbucks in Kuching in case you're wondering -.-) that is doing reasonably well in Kuching with three outlets under their belt.



Even though it is local grown and is not obligated to any franchise royalty, the prices here aren't exactly cheap. Well, they can't be charging half of what Starbucks is charging for one reason. Their coffee are brewed using illy's coffee beans, an Italian blend with qualities at par with the one Starbucks is using.

I can't possibly write and comment each and every drink I had there cause well to begin with, the knowledge I know about coffee is too little to be commenting and next I don't think I have a long list of adjective to describe coffee. But two of my all time favourite drink from Bings! are Ice blended Tiramisu served with a sponge finger and the espresso machiatto. (both pictured below)




The interior of all three Bing's outlet is of Balinese inspired and while I am not a fan of the Buddha paintings and the likes, I love the couches there. The dim lighting also made the place perfect for an intimate outing with close friends. It's nice to laze on the couch and I have a thing about reading in low lights - I know it's bad for my eyes. :p




All the hot drinks here are served with an almond biscotti and a cookie. The biscuits are nothing much to write upon - I usually just leave them.



If you're not a fan of anything coffee, fret not! They do serve non-coffee drinks. There's flavored tea if you don't mind paying RM 8 for a tea beg. It's obviously not ordered by me - hell, would I pay so much for tea. Lol.



The Ice Blended Chocolate Blueberry is good too for a change. Generous Blueberry! It's slightly sweet so if you're diabetic, this is not for you. :p

Their Tiramisu is by far the best I've tasted. It's very rich and I don't think it can ever be finish by one person! Best of all, it's only RM12.90! Beats Alexis' famous and expensive (RM 17 per slice, not to mention half the size) Tiramisu anytime!



I've also sampled their carrot slice. Having worshiped meat all my life, cakes made of vegetables are not something I am fond of. Lol. But this was ordered to share with my friend and If taken at small portion, it's actually quite nice. :)



The ironic thing is that I'm also writing this from a coffee joint! Was in Starbucks Great Eastern Mall (staying nearby, come visit me!) since 8 this morning. Finished reading Escape before I started blogging.



Ah, pleasures of life is to read a nice magazine (not Cleo please.yucks.lol) with a good cup of coffee. Love!

Paddington House of Pancakes (PHOP) Queensbay, Penang

You know how some eating establishment tend to give you this intimidating entrance? PHOP always gives me that kind of impression. Hey, I have a thin wallet mmkay? So when I saw their tea set promotion for only RM 7.90++ , I jump at the chance to dine there! The promotion came at the right time too - I had promised my friend for a meal here and I wanted to clear my "debts" before I leave Penang for good. hehe



I love the interior. Simple yet very classy with a slight Victorian touch. To top that up, it was a weekday afternoon so we pretty much had the place for ourselves. The only problem was that I am not (and won't be!) romantically involved with my dining partner! Lol


Their menu is extensive. Endless list of very tempting and alluring pancakes (sweet or savoury, you name it they've got it!) on this large and heavily colored laden book.

Since I was there for their tea set, my options were narrowed. If my memory served me right, there should be about five choices of pancakes and drinks to choose from.



For myself, I had the Pot of Gold and it was absolutely good! Dollar sized pancakes, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, then top with marshmallows and crushed peanut on drizzled chocolate sauce. Nothing could really go wrong when everything sinful comes together eh?



My weakness is maple syrup and PHOP is definitely generous with it. Mad love!



My friend went for the Strawberry Swirl. It's basically just pancakes with added caramelized strawberries plus a scoop of ice cream as sides. Does not require much science to whip this up. Heh. Taste wise, it was just alright.



I've always love my pancakes coupled with a good cup of coffee so for drinks, I ordered the flat white for myself. It was nicely brewed with perfect ratio of micro foam milk. True enough, the coffee beans used was not of high quality, but who am I to complaint if taken into consideration the price I pay?



The friend went for ice lemon tea. Boring. haha!

I'm not sure when the promotion ends, but do drop by PHOP yea? On top of the good pancakes, they have excellent service as well! Chef Mel highly recommends!

p/s : Pancake never fails to remind me of ahbing!! Remember the heart shaped pancake I made for him last year? Haha. and so I am dedicating this post to him! :D

Benny :)

Since the ice cream you had just now was not satisfying, here's another one to make up for it. Doesn't exactly look very tempting, but this is the only photo with ice cream that I never posted on my blog!



Congrats on doing well for your LOFT. Told you, you''re awesome!

xoxo
Mel

Four Points by Sheraton - Wrapped

Normally when I want to get good cakes, Hilton is the one place that I really trust. (Merdeka Palace being the least reliable one) But since I am driving with a two months expired driving license and I already have a summon that the father bear has yet to pay, I decided to play it safe and drop by Wrapped in Four Points. It's just 10 minutes away from my house and even if there's police, I know the route to escape. :D



There's not much choice of "convincing looking" cakes to choose from so I ended up with two tarts. The one below is the mixed nuts tart. I don't really take much nuts (I wonder where the pimples from my face came from?!) so I didn't really like it. But quality wise, the pastry is quite good.

I chose the strawberry tart solely because it is the best looking tart there. Taste wise, it is nothing above edible.

I don't think I'll ever go back for any more cakes/tarts. They're just nice to the eyes but not really satisfying to the taste bud. :p

To the mother bear, Happy Mother's day! ;D

Penang Food Trail

I just got back from Penang yesterday evening! It was a good food trail, and boy was my stomach satisfied!

A sneak peak of my two days noms noms adventure! Reviews will take a while to be posted. Too many old back logs to clear!

Lorong Selamat Char Kueh Tiau


Been to Penang a gazillion times and finally found out how to go to the place.

Kek Seng Durian Ice Cream Ice Kacang


Had a hard time finding the place on the first day (never trust Google Maps!) but came upon it by accident the next day. Hehe.

New World Park Ice Kacang


Just beside where I was staying and pretty much made my friends had an overdose of Ice Kacang. Lol.

New Lane Night Market


Ordered too much that our table look like a buffet spread! :D

Famous Chicken Rice in Penang Road


On peak hours, you need to wait almost an hour for it! But I went on weekdays, at brunch hours so not much waiting. :P

Lebuh Anson's Dim Sum


If you want reasonable priced dim sum, this is the place to go. Opens from early morning till noon.

Loh Bak


We had it in numerous places and by the third day, we were quite sick of it. hahah.

Old Town Breakfast set


Also just next to the place I was staying. Needed a place to kill time while waiting to meet up with my friend.

And then there's leisure in the room! (100% clean leisure *cough*) It was movies , chips and some drinks.



Next day, we ordered Dominoes! :D



The puff pastry pizza isn't so great. Conventional is ze best!

And lastly, revising with beers.



Kidding, kidding. This didn't happen.

The bed was too comfortable so on both nights, I ended up falling asleep even before the movie ended. :)



Had heaps of fun! I'm now rejuvenated but...I am suffering from post-holiday syndrome. T.T

p/s : I will be based in Penang beginning June 2010. I'm looking for an accomodation so if you have any room to rent, please e-mail me at melanieong@gmail.com. Preferably a place in Sg. Pinang or any where nearby Komtar. Would be great if you have pictures (of the place, not the landlord. Lol) attached. Thanks!

Heat Wave

One of the few things in life that I find hard to deal with is non other than the sun. Not trying to suck it up, but I grew up in a fully air conditioned house (Thanks dad and mum!) so naturally living with fan was easily one of the hardest thing to adapt (even after three years!) in hostel.

The past few days was what seemingly to me the hottest days of my life. I could barely get anything done and had headache the whole day - and this went on for days! And damn, I keep sweating all over!

At times like this, all I could think of are :

J Co Yoghurt Ice Cream



They have a wide range of toppings but you can only choose one for a single serving. It melts pretty quickly but it taste so good that you'll finish it even before it melts. Claims to be 99% fat free, this is surely one of the less sinful way to enjoy ice cream.

Baskin Robbins



I've tried quite a series of "branded ice creams" and Baskin Robbins still stands on top of my list. I go for their rum and raisin all the time!

and lastly, what I really need is:



The air conditioned! Oh how I have missed thee.