February 2016 : Pre-Anniversary Celebration in KL

Since November 2015, we have been away from each other with me being in Kuantan while she's still studying in Multimedia University Malacca. Still, it's no excuse for us not to meet up once in a while. Our anniversary was coming up which is close to Valentine's Day, so we decided to meet in KL for a small celebration.

It was during Chinese New Year and I had to fetch my parents to KL as they had to leave to Australia for a vacation. In the afternoon, we decided to visit a cafe and Iris suggested Wild Sheep Chase as she is fascinated by the pure white design of the place.

 

Seasonal Souffle

Price : RM17.00

Taste : 8/10

This was my first souffle, so I was very excited to try it out! The souffle came with our choice of Osmanthus maple syrup and a special Mandarin Orange sorbet that was only available during CNY. The fluffy texture of the souffle, it's like a comfort food that soothes as it enters the mouth. This texture is a reminisce of a freshly baked banana cake, if you are a fan of this, you would enjoy this souffle too. Having this with the syrup is just perfect! The Mandarin orange sorbet was rather mild, I would prefer it to be more flavorful for a closer touch to an actual Mandarin orange.

 

Earl Grey Milk Tea

Price : RM10.00

Taste : 9/10

Many have commended this tea for its taste and aroma, I could not agree more. With each sip, I get struck by the sweet taste of honey. The thing I loved most was the cream that topped the tea, it's not the usual light cream that I usually taste in other tea and coffees. The garnished lemon peel adds on to the aroma and presents as a finishing touch to the tea. Nice, simple and unique.

 

Overall, I enjoyed chilling in this cafe, it was packed when I came, but as the customers started leaving the place, it's peaceful. The minimalist and spacious design of the place makes a pleasant spot to spend the afternoon.

 

 

Wild Sheep Chase Cafe

Address : 6-1, Jalan 1/109E, Off Old Klang Road, Desa Business Park, Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur

Phone : +6012-2887233 

Email : getsheepmanhere@gmail.com

Operating Hours : 

• Closes Monday
• Tuesday - Thursday, Sunday : 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
• Friday -  Saturday : 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Went back to my place to fetch my parents to Star Shuttle bus. Then, I returned home to shower and get prepared for dinner. It's our pre-anniversary cum Valentine's dinner, so we had a special place in mind. This place an international chain and has many branches around the world. With a hint that Robert De Niro is a co-founder of the place, I believe you would already know where that is. Iris is a big fan of Japanese food and I'm no less of a fan of that too. She once told me as quoted "I could eat Japanese food every day and would never get bored of it", I believed it as she always enjoyed eating at every Japanese restaurant I bring her except for Sushi King. I myself am not a fan of Sushi King and Sakae Sushi, somehow they are too commercialized already. I find the price and portion are not reasonable too at times. So, I have made an appointment to dine at Nobu Restaurant for Japanese Fine Dining. 

The appointment was made at 9pm since we did not want to rush. But this is Kuala Lumpur and time always pass so fast for me, we still rushed at the end. After finishing the shower and getting changed, we headed out by 8.30pm. We received a call from Nobu to confirm our appointment. We actually arrived a little late to the restaurant but our reservation is still held up, thank God. We were escorted to our seat, it was located right in front of the Twin Towers. The staff presented us with the menu but we sort of knew what we wanted to order. So, she left for us to discuss our order and also recommended that we should order 2 cold and 2 hot dishes. Like every fine dining place, we were served with a branded bottled water, we couldn't care much about the beverage as we came mainly for the food. 

While waiting, we chatted and talked about the few people that were in this restaurant. Iris mentioned to that there's a couple of famous magazine Malay models, and they happen to be sitting very near to our table. She was talking about acting in an upcoming movie with a HK star etc. People aside, the view from our table is beautiful where we are able to see a big part of Kuala Lumpur.

Yellowtail Sashimi Jalapeno

Price :RM55.00

Taste : 9/10

It's a cold dish indeed! When I was in Hong Kong in the past, I tried Yellowtail sushi and frankly, I did not enjoy its taste. When I ordered this again here, I thought of giving it another try and Nobu really did not dissapoint me on its Yellowtail dish. The fresh taste of the fish is very obvious, and I really loved it. The miso sauce was on the spot, not diluted nor too saturated. The jalapeno really added a kick when I ate it together with the Yellowtail. And now I have faith on trying out Yellowtail dishes once more!

Salmon New Style Sashimi

Price : RM50.00

Taste : 7/10

Next came the New Style Salmon Sashimi that was also a popular dish among the regulars. When I tasted it, I wasn't surprised though. In my opinion, it was more like seared salmon but this was still nice, just not special enough. The mixture of salty and sour taste was very balanced, I would say this was prepared with great skill. Texture-wise, it was smooth, nothing much to blow the trumpet for.

Black Cod with Miso

Price : RM135.00

Taste : 8/10

Now, this is the legendary Black Cod dish that everyone was raving about! I definitely had high expectations of this dish! The moment it arrived, I quickly snapped a few photos and immediately took my spoon to have a taste of this. Flavor is rich, texture is very fine, no doubt. The Cod fish had really absorbed the miso to perfection! Despite being a dish without sauce, the fish is not dry at all, it is a great dish! I had a little dissapointment because I was expecting more, this was like a high grade Cod fish to me and I tasted something like this before in a fine dining Chinese restaurant. Iris truly enjoyed it and she ate a lot of it.

House Special Cut Roll

Price :RM40.00

Taste : 9/10

The cut roll was more filling that I expected, I really felt full from eating these cut rolls.  The House Special comprises of Salmon, Hamachi, Tuna, Avocado and Crab Meat. Despite the mix, they taste very well together, this is one that I really enjoyed as I seldom try a mix as this. Putting one into my mouth, I can distinct each of the content properly according to texture and taste, it's like a harmonious savory.

Soft Shell Crab Cut Roll

Price : RM40.00

Taste : 9/10 

This cut roll was recommended by a friend of Iris's, we ordered this and we can assure that this dish doesn't dissapoint too. Well, it was like any other regular soft shell crab rolls in any Japanese restaurant, but this was more meaty and less crispy. Once you take that bite, you will want more especially if you like the smell of fried crabmeat.

 

We took our time to take in the ambience of the place before leaving here. Nobu is no doubt a great dining place, this won't be my last as I would come back again for the Yellowtail and cut rolls. There are still so many other dishes to try as we did not try Nobu Now dishes since we wanted to try their classic signature dishes. The legendary Black Cod was a tasty dish, but I think going for it once was good enough for experience. After dining at Nobu, I stopped myself from eating at other Japanese restaurants as the taste of the fresh sashimi I had from Nobu still lingered in my taste bud.

Nobu Restaurant

Address : Level 56, Menara 3 Petronas, Persiaran KLCC, Kuala Lumpur

Phone : +603-21645084 / +6019-3895085

Reservation Email : nobuklreservations@noburestaurants.com 

Operating Hours : 

• Lunch : Monday - Friday : 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
• Dinner : Monday - Sunday : 6:00 PM - 10:30 PM
• Club Lounge : Friday - Saturday : 6:00 PM - 12:00 AM 

If you are planning to bring children under the age of 12, kindly take note that Menara Petronas 3 actually prohibits them from entering during weekdays except for public holidays.


- HL -

A m e r i c a : N E W Y O R K // Manhattan Day 4 : Part 2 - MOMA | Broadway | Empire State Building

29th October 2015 | Thursday

We exited Central Park through the east side and walked towards 5th Avenue.

 

 

The Apple Store and its minimalistic design, love it! 

Lo and behold, this is what it looks like downstairs. Once you take the steps down, it's a very large space with an array of Apple products displayed on the tables. There's a mass of crowd, moving around takes an extra effort.

 

We came to check the price and compare it to Malaysia's. Iris was tempted to buy an iPhone initially, then she hesitated because she was using a iPhone 5S back then which wasn't outdated yet. We made the comparison, the price wasn't much of a difference due to Malaysia's economical and political situation. But then again, the difference in radio spectrum frequency also hindered me from encouraging the purchase to Iris. We then moved along and explored 5th Avenue a little while on our way to Museum of Modern Art.

 

Museum of Modern Art

Address : 11 W 53rd St, New York

Phone : +1 212-708-9400

Hours : 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM

Website : http://www.moma.org/

Well, since it was a nice sunny day on the outside, I believe that explains why the museum wasn't as crowded as compared to the day we were at the Museum of Natural History.We spent about 2 hours here, we explored the whole place but we didn't take our sweet time looking at each art. We were, however, engrossed with certain paintings that are eye-popping and spent some time appreciating the beauty of the art. I'm not someone who's artsy, but I learn along the way, I hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left MOMA at about 5 o'clock and rushed back to Times Square since we had a last minute plan of watching a Broadway show. We talked and debated about it and finally decided to make time for a show after looking at the schedule for Broadway shows. To my astonishment, I did not know that a Broadway ticket cost so much. It was when I went to the ticket booth did I know about the price. Fortunately, there's this discount booth for same day ticket purchase at 50%, that really saved us a lot of money! It's called the TKTS booth and it's operated by TDF (Theatre Development Fund). As we were newbies at this, we had to ask the staff to recommend us a show to watch. While queuing, there were helpful staffs to guide and advice us on making our pick for the show. We chose Chicago and it's on at 8:00PM, so hyped for it! 

 

After buying, we headed to an ongoing event by Google located just behind the booth. The company is giving away freebies and pumpkins for Halloween, how cool is that!!? Everyone was rushing in to pick a nice pumpkin to carve, or to cook maybe? In the event, there were displays of artistic pumpkin carvings, it's really awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

It was very unexpected, yet unintended to take photos with these people in costumes. We were planning to walk back to the homestay to get changed, and all of a sudden, we got dragged to take a photo. So, I thought to myself, "Hey, why not?" 

After snapping a few photos, they demanded us for money, we felt so ripped off. I never knew such would happen in NY, jeez. At first they demanded $20 and we did not agree to it because we never wanted to take photos with them in the first place. I mean, look at their costumes, only the Elmo was okay. The rest looked so off especially Anna and Minnie. Anna's head looked like it got stung by a thousand of bees. Anyway, we paid them $10 and left the scene.

 

We never had time to visit the Toys "R" Us flagship store but I have read somewhere before that the store is huge with some attractions in it. A Ferris Wheel is in the store, wow! We only walked past the store and had a look at it from the outside. We didn't manage to see the animatronic T-Rex and the life-sized barbie dollhouse though. Before New Year, the place closed down due to expensive rental, that's sad.

The Broadway show was going on at 8pm, and it's already 7pm. We had to quickly find an eatery quickly which was along the way to be there on time. So, we used Yelp to find a nice restaurant to dine and made a call to book a table for the both of us. As expected in Times Square, most of the ones that I wanted to go to are full. We then decided to just walk-in, and we saw this Mexican restaurant.

Image credit : panoramio.com

Chevys

Address : 259 W 42nd St, New York

Phone : +1 212-302-4010

Hours : 11:00 AM - 1:00 AM

We got welcomed by a friendly staff, she was so jovial and led us to our table upstairs, overlooking the streets of West 42nd St. It was a nice spot, we can see the people walking about, the hustle and bustle car traffic and all. The place was also packed, there was only about 3 tables vacant when we arrived. She presented the menu to us and left us for a moment to decide on our orders.

 

After making orders, she served us Nachos which was on the house while waiting for our meal. It was a generous amount and she asked us whether we wanted a refill when it was almost finish.

 

Fresh Guac

Price : $12.99 

Taste : 8/10

Seriously it's an avocado overload! There was so much of it, we sort of got a little guacamole scare after finishing it. Guacamole was indeed fresh and appetizing, not to mention healthy. Iris loved it a lot but it was too much for her to take in and I had to finish it, the usual. Dipping this with pico de gallo and the nachos made a good combination, tasty!

Chevys Super Cinco

Price : 21.99 

Taste : 8/10

One of the specialties of the restaurant, it didn't look filling at first. But when I finished the dish, I was wrong, it was filling. And the thought of me having to finish the Guacamole too, I almost gave up on finishing all the meals. I'm actually more of a Burrito and Chimichanga person, I'm crazy for them! But it'd be a waste if I didn't go for these Enchiladas, so I skipped my favorites. 

One Taco had a beef filling, while the other was chicken. They should have put more cheese, caused I loved it! The bean sauce was normal to me, not bad. The portion of rice was just nice, I initially complained to myself that it was rather small. I got to like pico de gallo more after eating this too, simply tantalizing.

We finished our meals, very satisfied! Settled the cheque, left the tips and left a happy couple! Hurriedly, we walked to the Ambassador Theatre located on West 49th St, we were gonna be late! Chicago, we're coming for you!

Ambassador Theatre

Address : 219 West 49th St, New York

Phone : +1 212-239-6200

These photos were taken after the show finished, we had to rush in the moment we reached the theatre. We were actually late by 10 minutes and had to wait to get seated. It was a wonderful experience though, the actors were so professional! The best part was the clarity of their voice! I was also surprised because I noticed that there was no mic being used, yet their voice were so loud and crystal clear. Come to think of it, maybe they were using hairline mics instead. 

Another surprise to the theatre for me was being able to see Rummer Willis in action! She's the eldest daughter of Bruce Willis and the hot Demi Moore. The whole show was very entertaining, I got excited by Natasha Yvette Williams who acted as Mama. When she made an appearance during the show, everyone clapped and applauded her, so it was a head-scratching situation for me. Later only I realised that her acting was so good, I got impressed too. Amra-Faye Wright was amazing as well, I hope I got my facts right because she got her awarded for being the best actress in Chicago being Velma. Compared to Rummer Willis, I believe she got more of the limelight, it was as if she was living the life of the character itself. Very well done, and an amazing experience to be able to go for a Broadway show for the first time in my life!

Image credit : broadwaybox.com

When the show finished at 11pm, we decided to walk to Starbucks which was nearby before deciding on our next destination. We talked about the show and played with our mobiles while chilling. It was also getting colder as the night got later. By midnight, we left the place as it is closing up, we needed to head to our last destination of the day, Empire State Building!

Empire State Building

Address : 350 5th Ave, New York

Phone : +1 212-736-3100

Hours : 8:00 AM - 2:00 AM

Website : http://www.esbnyc.com/

 

 

 

Being there so late at night, it was super cold! There was a constant wind gust, Iris could not take it and had to be indoors after catching a view on top for a short moment. Even I got in and out after taking photos of the breathtaking view at night.

 

 

We loitered around Times Square after the visit to Empire State Building, it was about 2am that time. The next day, we had to catch a bus to go to Maryland to visit a good friend. It was quite hard to leave NY after discovering part of its attractions and beauty. There's still so much more to explore! I actually loved NY, wonder what it would take if I ever wanted to work and live there. 

Staying in NY for less than about 6 days was actually not enough, we wished we could have stayed more. Iris already suggested me to stay longer but I procrastinated. True enough, she was right that we could have stayed longer to know more about NY and find out more eateries there. I'd say 2 weeks is actually the sweet spot.

NY, this won't be the last of me, I'll come for you again sometime in the future!

Next post : Maryland Day 1