Restoran Kampung Meraga Beris @ Resorts World Kijal, Terengganu

For this trip down to Kemaman, we stayed at Resorts World Kijal which is just a short drive from Kemaman and Kerteh. This is the only decent hotel within this locality and getting a taxi to and from this hotel is not a problem. I have stayed at this hotel so many times and it is quite an old hotel but maintained pretty well. Previously this hotel was known as Awana Kijal Golf, Beach and Spa Resort and it belongs to Genting Group. It even comes with it's own private beach. 

Me At The Hotel

As part of the room package, we were given the Buffet Dinner vouchers for one night. I believe that if you were to buy them, they are sold at around RM 38.00 per person. I feel the price is quite cheap for Buffet Dinner in a four star hotel but perhaps this is the price in Terengganu. The Buffet Dinner is served in one of their traditional restaurants called Restoran Kampung Meraga Beris which is designed to look very local. Their offering today was all about local Terengganu food. 

Food In A Sampan

More Food Options To Choose From

Food At The Various Buffet Stations

My Friends

They definitely had a great selection of food. Interestingly some food was also kept in a sampan which further stresses the local culture. Though they had some Malaysian food like Nasi Lemak, the rest of the food was very much native to the state of Terengganu. 

Some of the dishes tried

More dishes tried

We ended up trying a little of everything and by the time we were done, it was almost two solid hours of non stop eating. The food was really delicious. Most of the dishes were on the spicy side but it was very good. For the small price paid, I would say that this buffet was really worth it. Overall, I would rate their dishes at 8.5/10 . The Buffet Dinner is definitely a wise option to choose from while staying here at Resorts World Kijal!!!

Address: Restoran Kampung Meraga Beris, Resorts World Kijal,
                KM 28, Jalan Kemaman - Dungun, 24100 Kijal,
                Kemaman, Terengganu, Malaysia.

Buffet Dinner Hours: 1830 - 2230 Daily

Telephone: +609 864 1188

Website: http://www.rwkijal.com/en/fb/index.htm

Aero Cafe @ Subang SkyPark Terminal, Selangor

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang is a recently renovated airport that houses three different carriers at the moment, Firefly, Berjaya Air and Malindo Air. Also known as SkyPark Terminal, this was once the main airport into Malaysia prior to Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Selangor. I had to head to Kerteh in Terengganu for business and the only carrier that flies there is Firefly. Kerteh is a small town that is mainly built around the Petroleum business and there is a small airport there built by Petronas which mainly caters for travelers from the Oil & Gas industry. Even the availability of flights is limited to four times a week due to the low number of passengers. Well, this entry is about a cafe that is located inside the Departure Terminal called Aero Cafe. In fact, it is the only eatery available there. Interestingly, this cafe forms the boundary between Internal and Domestic Departures.  

Aero Cafe at the Departure Lounge

This Cafe only sells snacks and drinks and you can not expect main dishes here. Just manned by one person, it caters for both International and Domestic travelers. As mentioned earlier, this cafe forms the boundary that separates both departure terminals. One end faces customers from Domestic and the other end faces customers from International. Interesting right, but a very practical thought. 

Domestic Departures

As I was in early, I had some time to kill. Having left home early that day, I had skipped my lunch. This is the first time I am flying from this terminal and I was not sure how long it would take and what the landscape would be like inside. Without a clue, here I am at the Departure Terminal and the only choice of food I have pastries and sandwiches. Of course, there were a number of restaurants outside before the gates but I had expected much more inside like other airports. The mistake was mine as I had failed to check at the information counter.

My Lunch For The Day

With that said, all I had for the day was two pieces of Potato Croissants and a cup of coffee. Now, to start with, the coffee was no big deal. It was the 3 in 1 Nescafe Sachet and I saw the waiter preparing it right before my eyes. This coffee had cost me RM 5.00 . Hmm expensive? I guess that's airport rate. Nothing much to critique the coffee as everyone knows the 3 in 1 is fairly good.  

Next the Croissants. They were just okay. The pastry was scantily filled and it tasted predominantly like eating a plain croissant with an occasional taste of potato. Pretty bad quality I would say. They were priced at RM 6.50 each and that I feel was just too expensive for the quality. To add to that disapointment,  they only served plastic fork and knife which all of us know that it breaks when tried to put in use. I would rate this pastry at a mere 3/10 . Not advisable. 

When travelling from this airport, it is advisable that you have your meal outside or at least at the SkyPark area and not at the Departure Lounge. Overall it was a very disappointing experience. 

Address: Departure Area, SkyPark Subang Terminal,

                Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, 

                47200 Subang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Telephone: +603 7845 1717

Opening Hours: 0600 - 2200

Website: http://www.subangskypark.com/terminal/ 

Sushi Zanmai @ Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

Sushi Zanmai is a Japanese chain of restaurants that needs no further introduction. They have been well established over the years and today they have a total of seven outlets in the Klang Valley. This evening, I visited their outlet that is located in 1 Mont Kiara Mall. 

Sushi Zanmai in 1 Mont Kiara Mall

This restaurant is so popular that at any point in time you head here, there is a long queue ahead of you and you would have to wait a while to get a table. During peak hours, this can be as long as 25 to 30 minutes. With just an hours time for lunch, how long can you really wait unless you are so free in the office. That is one reason I always avoid this place during lunch hours and like today, prefer to come for dinner. As this mall predominantly caters for the office crowd and the local residents of Mont Kiara, the restaurants here are quite vacant during dinner time but still even today, it took me 10 minutes to get a table. 

Sushis Going Around In The Conveyor Belt

Interior of the Restaurant

The Menu

The restaurant itself is very spacious and goes all the way to the back. This restaurant is also famous for its Sushi that goes around on the conveyor belts. You can see their chefs consistently preparing the Sushis and placing them on the belt. There is a separate kitchen inside that is divided by a glass panel that prepares the other dishes that have been ordered. As I took my place, I was given the huge menu as you can see from the above photograph. I was alone tonight and there was not much that I could try so I kept the portions smaller to get to taste a greater variety of dishes. Having decided on the dishes, I finally called upon the waitress and placed my orders. 

Cold Green Tea @ RM 1.00

I ordered the above cold Ocha and at a price of RM 1.00, it is surely cheap as it is refillable. It tasted pretty good too. 

Tamago Maki Rolls @ RM 1.80

For a start I ordered the above Tamago Maki Rolls. It is Maki Rolls with Egg inside and is wrapped. For a platter of six of the above, the price of RM 1.80 is really cheap. The size was a little smaller than usual but it was worth it. I would rate these at 8.5/10 .

Salmon Sushi @ RM 3.80

Another good dish here. I must say that they had a great variety of Sushi. Some of the variety was really expensive and some were decent, must be the exotic ones that are charged a premium. I just wanted to try their Sushi here and found this to be slightly small but tasted nice. I would rate this at 8.7/10 .

Chawanmushi @ RM 4.80

The Chawanmushi was above average only. I have had much better ones elsewhere, or even in neighbouring Japanese restaurants. I would only rate this dish at 6/10 .

Saba Shioyaki @ RM 12.80

This is one of my favourite Japanese dishes and I find the preparation here to be quite decent. The price against the size of the fish was also acceptable. I would rate this dish at 8.5/10 .

Overall, this restaurant does serve some good Japanese food though I have not had the opportunity to try their Ramen or even the Bento boxes. Nevertheless based on the dishes that I tried tonight, I find them to be quite satisfying. The service is also very good and they are very organised in their manners. Definitely a restaurant that I would return again.

Address: L1-01, 1st Floor, 1 Mont Kiara, No. 1, Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200

Telephone: +603 6201 8010

Website: www.supersushi.com.my

S' Mores Bar & Restaurant @ Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur

My parents were in town today and I invited them to have dinner together. With that said, I wanted to go someplace that we have not been before. It was then that my brother suggested that we should try one of the eateries in this newly constructed place called The Sphere in Bangsar South.

S'Mores in Bangsar South

I initially though that it would be very difficult to find this place as I had passed Bangsar South so many times from the Federal Highway but could never find the entrance but with the GPS, that problem was resolved and I learned today that you would need to access this place via Kerinchi, near Pantai Hillpark. Once we got near, there were a number of road signs that directed us to this place. Parking was also not a problem and we managed to park at the outdoor car park which is just beside this restaurant. The restaurant had quite a number of customers when we arrived and a number of the tables were occupied by some local celebrities.  Most of their waitresses were Filipinos and they were very efficient and friendly. The inner seating area is designed more like a bar with dim lighting, bar counters and a number of tables. As it was not that hot today, we chose to sit outside.

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

Their menu was packed with Porky dishes. They had a decent range of German, Italian, Mediterranean and Western dishes. It is good as we were in the mood for some good meat today. I find their prices to be quite cheap as well compared to many of the similar providers out there. Above this, they do have some great beer promotions and it seems that this is one of the cheapest places to get good beers. Their promotions are really worth it. But for us tonight, beer was out as my brother had to drive my parents back to our hometown after this and I too had to head in to office early tomorrow. 

Coca Cola @ RM 6.00

Cafe Latte @ RM 10.00

We had the above drinks today. Their Latte was not bad. It was not great but it was good. In fact, their Latte took some time to be delivered and it seems that they had just ground the beans then. I guess not many order Latte's in bars. I would rate the Cafe Latte at 7.5/10 .

Whole Roasted Chicken @ RM 78.00

Mediterranean Salad Included

Some Roasted Potato's

This platter comes with a whole Roasted Chicken stuffed with herbs and spices, Roasted Potato's and some Mediterranean Salad. We found this to be really delicious and the chicken was prepared very well. It also came with some dip sauces and they were Mustard Sauce and Black Pepper Sauce. The meat was tender and the juices from the chicken and herbs were intact. Every bite was juicy and delicious. A recommended dish here.  I would rate this dish at 9/10 .

Mixed Sausage Platter 2 @ RM 32.00

They had two different platters of German Sausages and this is their Platter 2. Platter 1 is priced at RM 28.00 and platter 2 at RM 32.00 . For the size of the sausages, this dish was truly worth it. This dish comes with some mashed potato's and salad. The sausages were extremely good, the mashed potato's excellent and the salad was nice. I would rate this dish at 10/10 . Another excellent dish here. 

Hawaiian Pork Pizza @ RM 28.00

This is by far the best Pork Pizza that I have ever tasted. Comes with chunks of Pork Bacon, Sausages and Pineapple. Every bite was truly a taste to remember. Even as I write this entry now, I can clearly remember the taste of this pizza. A taste to remember always. I would strongly recommend this Pizza. My rating, 10/10 . 

Us Having Dinner

Overall, the evening was simply fantastic. This restaurant serves excellent food, the service was very good and the ambiance was nice. Though being a bar cum bistro, it is a place that you can go with the family including kids and have a great time. I am definitely looking forward to come here again and try out some of their other dishes.

Address: Unit G2, Ground Floor, The Sphere,

                Avenue 1, Bangsar South 8, Jalan Kerinchi,

                59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Telephone: +603 2240 0069

Website: http://www.smores.com.my/

Opening Hours: Mon - Thu: 1200 - 0100

                           Friday:        1200 - 0200

                           Saturday:    1700 - 0200 (Live Band Starts at 2130)

                           Sunday:       1800 - 0000

Grumps Restaurant @ Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya

Located by the Kelana Jaya lake in Plaza Kelana Jaya, is Grumps Restaurant that serves great Italian and German food. This restaurant came highly recommended by a friend of mine and as such, we decided to visit this place for dinner today. Finding this place is quite simple. It is in Plaza Kelana Jaya which is just behind the MAS Training Centre and Manipal International University. It is best to visit this place during weekdays as on weekdays, it is very difficult to get a parking bay but on weekends, the place is almost deserted. You can park at the visitors parking and directly access this restaurant through the back door. The other alternative would be to walk along the lake until you reach Block D and this restaurant would then be visible. 

Front Entrance to Grumps Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant

Us At the Restaurant

Some may prefer to sit outdoors as the scenery is quite nice by the lake and the place is covered and well ventilated. In contrary, we decided to sit indoors as it was a little hot this evening. The restaurant is manned by some foreign girls but they seemed very capable and hardworking. Everything was so organised in the restaurant. The design was also lovely and the kitchen was clearly visible through the glass panel that separates the dining area and the kitchen. As I had made a reservation earlier this week, our table was already set up for us. 

Some of the dishes here

Root Beer @ RM 4.00

They have a very extensive menu. Most of their dishes were Pork based. In addition, they had a number of seafood and chicken dishes too. After spending some time on their menu, we placed our orders. I went for the above Root Beer and it was priced at RM 4.00 each. They have a great collection of German Beers and liquors too.  

Garlic Bread @ RM 6.00

For the starters, we went for the above Garlic Bread and some soup. The Garlic Bread was nice and it was done very well. I would rate these at 8/10 .

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup @ RM 10.00

The Cream of Wild Mushroom was nice too. But this was not home made and it was off the Campbells can. Nevertheless, it was well fixed. I would rate this preparation at 8/10 .

Grilled Butterfly Steak @ RM 24.00

This was my main dish. It was typically Pork Loin marinated in Mustard Sauce and it came with coleslaw and roasted potato's. I definitely must say that this dish was perfect. The meat was extremely tender, well marinated and the sauce was lovely. The accompaniments was also really good. I would rate this dish at 10/10 .

Chicken Diavola @ RM 20.00

This was Angie's main dish. It was typically grilled Chicken Thigh with Garlic, Chili and Rosemary Sauce and comes with coleslaw and roasted potato's. Another dish that was well done. The chicken was cooked well, the meat was tender and the juices were intact. Marinating it with rosemary sauce was a great thing that added additional flavour to the meat. Another dish worth trying here. I would rate this dish at 8.5/10 . 

Sausage Platter @ RM 38.00

This was a typical German dish and it comes with an assortment of Pork and Veal Sausages. It is priced at RM 38.00 and for the size of the sausages, I would not say that it is expensive. In fact, I find it to be cheap and the sausages were really excellent. You do not need the Mustard Sauce to dip them. The sausages were by themselves absolutely delicious. I would strongly recommend this dish. My ratings for this dish would be a perfect 10/10 .

Chocolate Brownies with Ice Cream @ RM 10.00

This was one of the two desert items we had ordered. I find their brownies to be nice, though it was not the best one that I have tried. I would rate this at 8.5/10 .

Creme Caramel @ RM 10.00

This desert was only above average. The taste was quite bland and it was not up to the mark. I would only rate this at 4/10 .

Overall, this restaurant serves great Italian and German dishes. Though the deserts were only about average, their main dishes were truly excellent. The service rendered was also very good and the location and scenery is another plus point here. This would be one of my favourite restaurants for German food going forward.

Address: D-02-01, Jalan SS7/13A, Plaza Kelana Jaya, 

                Kelana Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Telephone: +603 7873 6898

Opening Hours: Tuesday - Sunday 1100 - 1500 & 1700 - 2300 including Public Holidays

                           Closed on Mondays

Email: grumps.restaurant@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrumpsRestaurant

                        

Claypot Station @ Dataran Sunway, Petaling Jaya

Some time back, this used to be one of my favourite restaurants and we used to frequent here at least once a month but somehow over the past year, we have not been here even once. There is no specific reason for that. Perhaps I have started exploring other restaurants that I have somehow forgotten about this. Just that today, I suddenly thought about this restaurant and decided to head here for dinner. Restaurant Claypot Station is located in Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara. As the name suggests, they mainly specialise in claypot dishes and most if not all of their dishes are served in claypots. Some of their specialty dishes are their Fa Tiu Chicken, Claypot Pork Belly, Claypot Wild Boar Curry and also Black Pepper Frog. These used to be my favourite dishes then that I used to order most often whenever I came here. Coming back here today after a year, I decided to try some other dishes and I truly hope that their taste remains the same as before.  

Restaurant Claypot Station in Dataran Sunway

Some of their Signature Dishes

Interior of the Restaurant

The restaurant has not changed much over the years. It occupies a single lot and they also place tables outside along the walkway for customers who prefer the outdoor seats. Surprisingly, it was quite packed today. Usually it is not this packed but it could also be that I came here for dinner at 7 pm instead of my usual time of about 9 pm. Despite having a huge crowd seated both indoor and outdoor, they were pretty swift in attending to customers. Just like before, all their workers are from Cambodia and they are extremely hard working. Very efficient in attending to customers needs and the orders are strictly taken by the owners, a husband and wife couple, only. There has been no change to their menu and it remains the same. They have a good variety here, but sometimes the preparation may remain the same, but just prepared with a different meat. Overall, they have good choices to choose from. As always, the ordering was very fast. Another thing that I like about this restaurant is the bright lights and fantastic ventilation. They always have these high power industrial blowers to keep the restaurant cool. Another thing worth mentioning here is that they guarantee that their food is free from MSG. 

Herbal Tea @ RM 1.00

We kept our drinks very simple. Both of us went for the Herbal Tea and it was quite decent here. At RM 1.00 per mug, it is quite reasonable. 

Rice @ RM 1.00

A plate of rice is also chargeable at the same price of RM 1.00 which again I find it to be quite reasonable. 

Kam Heong Chicken @ RM 13.90

All the dishes here comes in three sizes and this is the smallest. In fact, all the dishes that we ordered tonight were small. For the two of us, this portion size is sufficient. The amount served for this small portion was really good and worth the price paid. The chicken was also lavish and it was well spiced. There were loads of onions and black pepper in the dish which is good. The only setback with this dish is that it was too oily. I would rate this dish at 8/10 .

Sour & Spicy Vege @ RM 8.00

This was another good dish. The portion was small but how much of this pickled vegetable can one eat at a single seating. I liked this dish very much. It was salty and spicy. Great combination. I would rate this dish at 9/10 .

Claypot Tofu @ RM 8.00

Another great dish here. It came with loads of Tofu, Carrots, three different types of Mushrooms and vegetables. The sauce was light but good. Both of us enjoyed this dish and I would strongly recommend this dish. I would rate this at 9/10 . 

This was very much our dinner for tonight and it was a satisfying meal. Overall, I am glad that this restaurant still serves good food and I find the price to be very reasonable if not cheap. I should definitely return here soon to try my other favourite dishes that I used to have before.

Address: 23-1, Jalan PJU 5/12, Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara,

                47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Telephone: +603 6148 1030

Opening Hours: 1100 - 1530 & 1730 - 2300 Daily