Damansara Street Fest: Mega Sale Raya@Tesco Mutiara Damansara

Damansara Street Fest is a very popular event among the Damansara community. It was exceptionally popular among the Hijabista enthusiasts (Hijabista: Muslim woman who dresses stylishly while complying to the the Muslim dress code).

Before I continue...just to keep the facts straight...Hijabista is a popular concept. Even a very masculine man would know about it. Just wanna point that out...*ehem (clearing the throat in a very masculine way).

I got to know about DSF through wifey, as she followed a lot of the Instagram boutiques, and she would know if there is any ongoing special event or offers. I remember our first DSF visit last year at the Red Carpet, Encorp Strand Mall. The venue was mostly filled with vendors selling Hijabista apparels. But visitors will also find people selling food and drinks, plus others. I remember a guy who was selling a wide selection of antiquated items, and another selling wood furnitures (similar to those from Wood & Steel furnitures).

The Damansara Street Fest:Mega Sale Raya was not that different. It's just that it was harder to find an empty carpark lot. Located at the Tesco Extra open carpark, from 20th June until 14th July, this DSF catered partly Hijabista apparels, and food and drinks (including Raya cookies for the festivity).

I was there towards the end of last month, due to an invitation by a friend, who, together with her friends, opened a stall that sell Western dishes. She 'tempted' me to come by messaging me some of her food pictures. There pictures were very inviting...so, I dropped by there...just to get her Beef Wellington dish.

I parked my car at the roadside, and crossed the busy street. I'd do anything for that Beef Wellington.

Neelofar...from afar...

A foodie's view

Grilled or smoked. Wait, if you grill it, wouldn't it be 'smoked' too? (grilling my head)

 

My Beef Wellington was supposed to be here

 

A display of non-Beef Wellington foods

 

The view of the second row towards the apparel stalls.

 

I loved the bottle designs for the drinks. 'nuff said.

 

This was a back-up to the Beef Wellington.

 

More back-ups were needed.

 

A handsome celebrity selling the Raya cookies. Emm, can you see any male buyer here? (*contemplating)

In the end, I didn't get my Beef Wellington (as my friend said they closed the stall for a while that day). So I bought some other things; cheesy meatballs, waffle sandwiches, and some drinks. I especially love the waffle sandwiches; grilled chicken and beef burger sandwiches. The meatballs were ok. But really feel that the drinks were overpriced. The Americano coffee tasted just like normal Nescafe black coffee, and the Hazelnut Milk Tea tasted funny. Not sure if it's just me or the drinks...but you won't be seeing me buying them again (but keeping the bottles...they were nice to look at).

Will be going there again soon. And hopefully...will finally get that Beef Wellington.

 

These went well with wifey's Spaghetti Bolognese that day. An accidental western-themed Iftar

 

A different perspective. Waffles...will have you again soon.

Throwback 13 Presents: A Lil' Bit of Malacca

Throwback 13 Promo

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*Updated on the 11th December 2013
 
It was the 8th December 2012. It was also the 6th year anniversary of our wedding. Still, we planned for today as a non-eventful day, as we needed the rest, due to prior activities earlier of the week. Plus, my mother-in-law and wifey's nephew were at my home during the school holiday. So, a romantic getaway was totally out of the picture...and was due to be held in the near future. From the looks of things, I totally thought that we would be resting the whole day.

I think it was almost 10am, when wifey suddenly shared her desire to go for a trip to the Malacca City. It was totally unexpected...it totally came as a surprise...and I was totally digging into my breakfast when that happened.

Come to think of it, this feels like a déjà vu from the past...like when I was a kid, with my siblings and parents...picnicking at the Air Papan beach...with mum suddenly desired to go to more places during the holiday, and we ended up travelling throughout the whole Malaysian Peninsula for almost a week. Hmm...déjà vu :)

Anyway, coming back to the real story here. With a little bit of preparations, we departed an hour later.

A 'jamming' situation in the city. School holidays...you love them, you hate them.

Lunch: "Here we go...Ole 3x...go 3x...Ole3" - Ricky Martin

Malacca's signature dishes...where art thou?

...still, they're quite ok for the tastebuds...

...except for this one; 'Pari Ikan Bakar' (or BBQ Stingray). It was unusually sour.

St. Francis Xavier Institution (established 1880) near the A Famosa Site & St. Paul's Church. Emm...could you see a woman in white waving at you at the top window? (I can't...hehe)

Love the classic architecture. Makes me warm and fuzzy inside...because of the imagined Nyonya delicacies in my head.

Praying at 'Madrasah Bandar Kaba'. It was currently renovated. It looked closed for the public tho. Still... ;)

An unusual find in a big city...a working well at the Madrasah. Darn...no coins in my pocket at that time.

More old buildings on the way to Jalan Gereja bazaar (*still stressing on buildings...not people, ok?)

The handicrafts-filled bazaar...waiting for the customers slash prey.

The Ferry Jetty checkpoint near the Maritime Museum ("What it's all a-boat"? - A Canadian)

Experiencing the river cruise. Was very ecstatic to ride this during that time...to the extent that the unavailability of life jackets felt normal and greeted with a 'Meh'

'Jambatan Hang Tuah' (or 'Hang Tuah Bridge'). There is also a 'Jambatan Hang 'Jebat' along the cruise...they're really far apart ('symbolism at work').

'Kg. Morten'. A classic village...really wanna walk around there someday...with a Malay warrior attire (and a 'Keris'...a dummy of course. Just to be clear on that fact...the government could be reading this..heh)

Beautiful classic cafes facing the river. Hmm...why did I have the urge tu sing an Italian song here?

Almost at the end of the journey. Then, there's The Hobbit...'dissected' into 3 parts...

The Maritime Museum shaped like Alfonso's Flora de la Mar ship. Damn, if only I had brought along my pirate eye patch.

At 'Jalan Kota', Malacca City. You really need to be here...a lot of local products are available here....even though some of them may be tagged as 'Made in China'

Well, of course...there's this section to entice little kids.

Still congested at night. Don't they ever sleep?

I really love Malacca...especially the parts where everything still looks classic and unique. Pity that the journey was short though.The 3-hour traffic jam to the heart of the city made the visit way shorter than what it should be. But the memorable part of the trip was the river cruise...that topped most things that we had that day.

We planned to have another visit to Malacca in the near future. But for the next one, it'll be more than a day, and surely not during the school holidays :)

The Malacca River Cruise: A Montage

The Malacca River Cruise: Director's Cut

Once Upon a Ramadan: Iftar @ Vistana Hotel KL

Ramadan happened and ended for about more than a month ago. Yet, it feels like it has just passed me for about a day or two.

Perhaps it’s because of the additional six days of fasting in Syawal. Or perhaps it was the beautifully-composed yet overrated ‘raya’ song by the pop punk music group Bunkface; a song that gave the image that Syawal is just starting, even though the song was played for hundreds of times in a day for the past 30 days of Syawal.

I think I still have the mental aftertaste of the tune.

Anyway, as the last Ramadan is slowly becoming a distant memory, I recently browsed through my iPad’s gallery of pics and videos, and came across a few from a particular event that I attended back in the 26th of July. It was the Iftar with my office mates at Vistana Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. It was a memorable event.

It’s been a tradition for us to have an annual Iftar, and this year was no different. So, we had a meeting, discussed, and decided on the date and venue. I was quite new to Vistana Hotel Kuala Lumpur, and I was surprised that I missed it, even though I’m used to the sceneries nearing the ‘Jalan Tun Razak’ (where the hotel is located). But the hotel manages to escape my views after all of these years of travelling in and out of KL. I also got to know that it was not that far from the Titiwangsa LRT Station and the Pahang Roundabout.

We travelled in groups that day. There were two cars leaving from our office in KL, and one of them was mine. The rest travelled from Putrajaya and other locations. For my party, we left the office after 4.30pm to escape the traffic jams, and managed to arrive at the hotel at 6pm.

The rest are self-explanatory through these pictures :)

My colleague Marni at the hotel lobby. You could say that she's in the midst of things.

RM55 nett. Quite an affordable price tag...compared to most Ramadan buffets in KL.

The office mates at the pool. No, this is not a 'Mangga Magazine' photoshoot.

The room for our Asar and Maghrib prayer. Think it could cater a congregational prayer of 10-15 people at a time.

A multitask worker. He can send SMSes while grilling 'Satay' (skewered and grilled meat).

Appetizers. I greeted this scenery with a nonchalant "Meh".

Carnivores go here (*manly fist bump)

Herbivores go here. As do dietitians. (Seriously, you came all the way from all corners of the earth to the buffet...just to eat greens?)

Porridge and soup...just in case if you forgot your dentures.

Seafood area. Ironically, I couldn't 'see food' here. Metal domes are the future people.

A cool section for traditional dishes. It's a pity that the food were a bit limited.

'Roti canai' (a kind of flatbread) and variations. Please don't ask for maple syrup here.

The bread of the future.

'Nasi Kandar' (rice with dishes). Not really Ramadan buffet-like.

The non-smoking dining area. Also a mental torture room for smokers.

The hunger game (AKA trying to smile for the camera with an empty stomach)

I think this is potpourri. A very big potpourri.

Our colleague Khan with his Khan Style

The Silence of the Lamb

Something smells fishy around here. Ok2, that's an overused expression.

Less people. More oxygen.

My 'just desserts'.

Some traditional delicacies and jellies.

A civilised group of hungry people at this buffet. It's time to break fast.

My first round ('Lai Chee Kang', rice, chicken and lamb grill)

The second round (rice, squids in chilli sauce, and lamb grill)

Baby time starts now.

A special kind of 'ABC' (ice shavings with ingredients)

"...Ooh baby I love your way...everyday..." - Big Mountain

No worries Shifak...I've no direct relations with 'Melodi' or The Hollywood Gossip.

The baby was greatly 'used' that night.

A colleague...playing a fool :)

The aftermath.

A happy ending :)

In short, I love the venue. It was private, secluded, and beautiful as a setting. I guess the hotel management really planned well so that the area will not be overcrowded, and the food are enough for all of the attendees. My only complaint is the variations of the food. Perhaps in the future, they could add more to the selections.

But I think I love the company the most. Really love the unity and the friendship. Hope to have something similar to this Iftar gathering in the next Ramadan. 

Thanks for the memories, friends :)

My montage of the event. This 3 days' worth of effort drained my blogging capabilities (It shows from this entry). Anyway, please enjoy this video :)

*ps:/ Due to the usage of a copyrighted song as the montage's background song, the Youtube video can only be accessed from desktop PCs and laptops.