Porto Bello Kepong Italian and Asian fusion

We had an early dinner with our close friends. Early is good because there's less crowd and baby Bing can explore as much as he likes.

The menu.

Broccoli salad.. We just love broccoli. It goes so well with anything. Taste great even if just blanched with boiling water.

French onion soup. Love the melted cheese on top of the soup. But the soup itself was too salty and the bread too soggy. Perhaps could make the soup thicker so the bread won't be drowned.

Goat cheese salad. Ingredients are fresh. Crunchy bibb lettuce with creamy goat cheese and soft tomatoes matches well with a generous splash of olive oil.

Chicken chop with salted egg sauce topped with bonito flakes. There's this recent salted egg craze. Salted egg pumpkin, salted egg buns , salted egg prawns etc. But it does taste heavenly! So aromatic and really enhances the flavor of the chicken chop. Will be better if we get more sauce though.

Fried spaghetti balls. There's so much mozzarella in it that we feel like as if we are  having pizzas! Spaghetti is very crunchy after frying and pops in the mouth filling our palate with the fragrance of bolognaise sauce. Suggest to share the dish among 3 to 4 people because it's too heavy otherwise.

Look the burger! No mistake that's melted cheese cubes on top of the buns! And nothing will go wrong with a sunny side up egg and coleslaw slopped with mayonnaise.

We rate it 8.5/10 (thanks for being so patient to the messy baby Bing)

Eateries in mid valley megamall/the gardens

The RyAngel foodie army has successfully landed at cititel hotel for 3 days 2 nights. It's supposed to be a shopping trip besides running some errands. This is where we had our meals. Got heaps of discounts from Offpeak again. Practically eat and shop on the go.

Barcook bakery

This is my first time eating such soft and cottony bread with chunks of cheese smacked right in between! Absolutely delicious. And the irresistible egg tarts.

LG-225  mid valley

Black Bull

It's a recreational center with a bistro, a pub, a bowling alley and a billiard center.

Creamy pumpkin soup. Very soothing. Could be better if the hazelnut slices are fresher.

Beef burger. Love it! Highly recommended if you love cheese- the cheese sauce is just amazing and so rich! Beef patty is juicy and not chewy.

T-003 mid valley

Texas chicken

First time trying it. Being so accustomed to KFC, I find Texas chicken a bit bland in comparison. Most of the flavor is in the flour and skin. The wrap was yummy and juicy though. It's great to have free refills here by the way. The honey oat muffin, on the other hand, is a must try. So crumbly and buttery!

LG- 012 mid valley

An Viet

We are always hunting for authentic Vietnamese cuisine in Malaysia. Their beef pho set came with different noodle portion sizes-from 100 to 200g. We ordered 200g for sharing. The broth is sweet and flavoursome. But it will be better if I am given more fish sauce, lime, mint, bean sprouts and Thai basil. Beef slices were so thin and fresh.

The rice paper crackers could also do better with more fish sauce-that's the most wonderful thing about Vietnamese food!
Bing is quite a fussy eater but he enjoys the noodle so much.

Look at this condensed milk ice cream with Viet coffee-vietgatto! Suits the coffee and ice cream lovers. Wake up all your senses. Yummy!

LG-203B mid valley

Sushi Zanmai

Reputed as one of the best eateries at mid valley, it's a very safe place if you want to enjoy good Japanese food with your companies. The sushi selection here is pretty extensive from sashimi to unagi-and it's made with attention and skill because the rice never detach with the toppings. Noodles goes very well with the miso soup base.

T-217 the gardens

Tako balls Aeon Big

Another quick bite while window shopping of course is some takoyaki. There's the classic octopus ball, prawn ball, abalone ball as well as chicken and cheese balls. Topped with generous amount of mayonnaise and bonito flakes, it will definitely satisfy your craving.

LG Aeon Big food corner

What other outlets have you tried and find it interesting? Leave me a comment so we can write about the awesomeness!

Bean Reserve cafe- great for quick bites

After meeting with my supervisor at UMMC, hubby picked me up and we went for late brunch at Bean Reserve. It's not easy to find. Look at how well hidden the place is. Another offpeak outlet.

Nice cosy minimalist feeling. But baby Bing had too much fun pushing the sliding doors and the stools.

Nitro cold brew. First time trying cold brew. Strangely it tastes and looks like a pint of Guinness. A bit bitter and sour. Topped with a layer of foam. This article talks about what's nitro cold brew. Interesting!

Hot chocolate. Always the best to comfort one. Warm, sweet, soothing, creamy. Too bad baby Bing didn't want any. He just wanted to run around and tear the place down.

Sourdough chicken ham sandwich. Fantastically thick cheddar slices with fresh  tomatoes in between.

Smoked salmon bagel. This has always been one of my favorite. Wish there's some side that goes with it though. Because it's RM16 per sandwich.

Overall, we rate it 7.5/10 (a tad pricey for the portion)

Kluang local products

These are the must buys every time I get to spend time at my hometown.

Kluang TV brand coffee

Kluang is famous for its railway coffee shop. People flock there during holidays. But not many know where to buy the original coffee products.

We buy coffee straight from the factory. There's the classic coffee bags, 3 in 1 sachets, coffee beans and white coffee. The owner also shares his love for coffee by offering all day long free coffee with cream crackers.



Yuen Fatt bakery 

Tau sah peah and heong peah is also well known here. It's just so fresh and one cannot resist the temptation to savor it. And it's one of the few places where you can get traditional Shanghai mooncake. One has to queue up or call for reservation because it sells like hot cakes - sold out usually before 10am!

Now this ogura cake is not from kluang. The first Family Pastry Shop started in Batu Pahat. It had since then expanded and we always drive past the Yong Peng branch to grab a few boxes for gift. The cake is very spongy and light in texture while full of flavors. We have started to support this bakery when the cake was just RM7. It's now selling at RM12.80 each.



This is our list. Is there anything else that you think is a must buy?

Training in metropolitan KL

I haven't tried taking any public transport in the city after I started working. So it's been 5 years! The aim is to get to HKL from mid valley on time and without making a fool of myself.

Alarm rang at 6am. Hubby shut it and I overslept. Ready at 7am. Didn't have time for breakfast because baby Bing wanted to breastfeed. Rushed out. Took a few minutes to locate the KTM station in mid valley mall (connecting bridge on level 1).

At the KTM station, you can't just use touch and go for all the entrance. Just one special lane. Unfortunately, there's a lack of signage. So I boarded the wrong train as everyone was rushing to that train when I boarded (doink. Jumping on the bandwagon) I came off the next stop then waited for 10 minutes for the right train. KTM has come a long way from 30 minute interval or late to a 15 minute interval service. Well done!

The not so busy view at KL central station at 10am.

Then I really understand what peak hour train traffic is like. It's just people everywhere. Didn't take a photo of the crowd because people stare. KTM has its own female only carriage so I feel pretty safe in the crowd. But a few elderly gentleman still decided to share seats with us. That's why I think Malaysians are so cute. I hope none of the ladies felt threatened by them : p

KL central station is a maze. It's the interchange. One can change to LRT，MRT, KLIA express, monorail, taxis and buses. However for the later 3 options, there's still quite a bit of walking to be done. The signboard for monorail is incredibly small comparing to other services. And it's right at the other end of the station. One then has to walk through Nusentral shopping center by taking the escalator up. Then down again to the outdoor station.


The lazy KL view outside the monorail early morning.


Finally gotten on the monorail and just gonna wait and get off at Chow Kit station. Then I Google mapped my way to my final destination. What an experience! Generally speaking, I feel safe taking trains alone and it's pretty clean and economical. It took me just 1 hour 15 minutes, including walking.

Comparing to train services in other countries, Malaysia has come a long way. I have tried Singapore, Australia, France and UK. The service is efficient and effective in relieving peak hour traffic on the roads. However, there's still room for improvement. For example, proper signage for directions of train. It should also be integrated ie no confusing names for the train services. Instead of having LRT, MRT and monorail, people just want to know how to get to their destinations.

Just my two cents.

Paul's cafe kuantan

Another night out. Last minute decision as usual. Decided to try Paul's cafe for the very first time. It's a meeting for siblings and in laws on a casual Friday evening. Of course we have to use discounts from Offpeak!

There's a variety of western and Asian fusion dishes.

Grilled chicken burger. Burgers here use yummy charcoal buns that taste soft and moist with a hint of buttery goodness. Classic and goes well with the extra helping of sunny side up egg and cheese melting in the mouth.

Wagyu burger! The much anticipated dish because it's wagyu.  Wagyu is fresh and juicy but will perhaps taste better if it's marinated and in steak form. The burger also needs more sauce.

Grilled chicken wrap. Chicken is tender and taste great with the mayonnaise. A healthier version for those who doesn't want burgers.

Grilled chicken chop with pepper sauce. Just the right punch of pepper. Look at how much the chef loves eggs! Scrambled eggs  with chicken chop.

Surprisingly, the best dish of the day is this braised pork leg with rice. The pork is so well marinated and full of flavor. It's so soft that it melts in the mouth. There's an amazing amount of meat with very little skin and connective tissue that I don't eat. It goes so well with the hard boiled egg cooked in the same gravy. Must try! Reminds me of my grandmother's cooking.

We also love the cafe's layout. Baby Bing's is intrigued by all the soft toys hanging at the counter! The staff there is also friendly and doesn't mind baby Bing running around.

We rate it 8/10! Will definitely visit again. Next to try their pork fries and cold brew coffee.

Stop the violence against healthcare workers

Social media has made careless and condescending accusations towards healthcare standards. It's very easy to share and viral a story without knowing the whole truth, especially when there's an attractive punchline.

People are fast to complain. Every patient wants full attention from healthcare professionals in charge of their care. Little do they know that we often have to attend to the needs of those who are much more critically ill, often struggling between life and death. I can count using my hand how many times I get to drink enough water, go to the loo when the urge emerges and when I get to have my meals on time. How many of us also work and on call when we are sick.

Me exhausted post call but still had lots of procedures to complete before I can call it a day. Face looked too horrible to be shown.

People are also fast to judge. Healthcare workers are supposed to be infallible and super humans. We act based on a standard level of care . But things aren't always black and white. It is difficult for those who aren't medically trained to fully understand the complexity of the situation. Before understanding the challenges involved, people already have preconceived ideas that we don't care and we are negligent.

I believe that all healthcare personnels started off with an altruistic goal-to serve the sick and comfort the ill. But we are humans too. We cannot work 24/7 without rest and still perform at 100%. Hunger and fatigue can also cloud judgement. We also get frustrated and depressed when patients deteriorate. We know that everyone wants to go home healthy but it's not always possible.

The medical fraternity is deeply saddened by the recent passing of Dr Pritzwald-Stegmann. A simple act of requesting a visitor to stop smoking in the vicinity of Box Hill hospital caused an assault which then claimed his life.

There are also countless cases in which doctors are under such tremendous stress that they succumb to mental illness and rendered incompetent to practise. The inhumane working hours and unrealistic expectations also often result in medical errors, even to fatal motor vehicle accidents.


I therefore would like to urge fair and kind treatment towards healthcare professionals. We are indeed responsible for human lifes. But we are also human and can only care better if we are also cared for. Stop the violence (be it physical or emotional) against us. Thank you.