Nasi Kerabu Mek La- lunch and dinner hotspot in Kuantan

The first time we visited Mek La was Tham's farewell lunch. But this is definitely not the last time! I really regretted not knowing this hidden gem earlier!

Nasi Kerabu Mek La

Jalan Permatang Badak Baru 1, 25150 Kuantan, Pahang
019-931 3558
https://g.co/kgs/Ug3bmv

Located slightly away from Jalan Gambang at Permatang Badak McDonald's turnoff,  the spacious and idyllic dining area is easy to spot. I love the classic backdrop of blue sky with coconut trees swaying with the breeze.

The menu is extensive. One can choose from normal white rice but I'll definitely recommend nasi kerabu (blue rice coloured using blue pea flower juice). Traditionally, each portion comes with salad consisting of raw diced long beans and shredded cabbage, as well as 'kerisik'. Instead of shredded coconut, Mek La gives a generous portion of fish floss instead.

Side dishes are free to choose. From fried chicken, curry chicken, Rendang chicken, battered fish such as my favorite fried catfish, squid to prawns. I felt spoilt for choices. If you are craving for more fried stuff, feel free to get a few cucur udang (shrimp cakes)! Fried crispy keropok keping is another must have addition.

I would also highly recommend their mango juice. It's so rare to come across pure mango juice with such a generous helping of fresh mango cubes without added sugar! Very refreshing and healthy as most people do not get enough serving of fruits.

Price wise, it's fairly reasonable as the portion is huge with fresh ingredients. Each serving costed less than RM10. Therefore, we rate Mek La 8/10! It's now in my To Eat list for friends from afar.

Who should take dietary supplements? Shine Goldvite F review

Having to work long hours and do oncalls, Mr husband and I often have no time to eat properly as full-time doctors. Imagine working until wee hours of the night up to 2-3 times a week. And we are still expected to perform and make the correct management decisions for our patients the next working day. So it's not surprising for us to suffer from cold virus to cold virus this rainy season. The fact that our inpatients are down with so many different infections means we are exposed as well. Therefore, we do believe in supplementing our diet.

Shine Goldvite F is a registered supplement containing wholesome plant extracts, vitamins and minerals. A quick tip- check NPRA website for the registration number for all the supplements before consumption. Shine Goldvite F is approved as 351. 201806130576N, MAL19016015N.

The active ingredients are as follows:

Korean ginseng root extract

Ginseng boosts energy, improves physical and mental performance. It also strengthens the immune system and helps to relieve stress. Therefore, only take it in the morning as it may cause trouble sleeping if taken near bedtime.

Read more about Korean ginseng on WebMD

However, not that ginseng intake should be avoided in expecting or lactating mothers. Children should not consume ginseng either.

Royal jelly

Royal jelly is a milky secretion produced by worker honey bees to nurture queen bees. It consists of 60% to 70% water, 12% to 15% proteins, 10% to 16% sugar, 3% to 6% fats, and 2% to 3% vitamins, salts, and amino acids. It can be used for general health and well-being, to fight ageing and to boost the immune system. There's also some evidence in alleviating menopausal symptoms. Royal jelly consumption is not suitable for those with asthma or allergy to bee products though.

This WebMD article talks all about royal jelly.

17 types of vitamins and minerals:

vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D2, vitamin E, iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, calcium, manganese, potassium.

This comprehensive list is great to supplement dietary deficiencies. However, those with kidney problems may need to avoid potassium supplements.

Each soft gel is made of bovine gelatin capsule. So certain cultural and religion believers may refrain from taking it.

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

Shine Goldvite F is an easy and hassle free way to supplement dietary deficiencies 1 soft gel a day. As simple as that. However, certain populations such as those with kidney and liver failure as well as allergies,  pregnant and breastfeed mothers should not consume Shine Goldvite F. This is clearly stated on the product label. There's no one size fit all supplement. If you are not clear, please bring the supplement to your doctor before consuming.

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Shine Goldvite F is now being sold at RM39.90 each bottle. Buy 2 at 15% off!

Disclaimer: the opinion given is merely a personal experience and does not constitute formal medical advice. Please seek your medical professional's advice before any complementary therapy. Always ask for certified professionals before proceeding with treatment and stop if discomfort or side effect ensues.

Preventing eczema flare ups featuring Aczelief cream

My children have sensitive and dry skin prone to eczema and exaggerated rash from insect bites. It hurts my heart seeing the rash. So we always use skincare products for sensitive skin, from body wash, shampoo to moisturiser. A good moisturiser is the key to prevent eczema flare ups.

Bathing inevitably strips the skin off its natural sebum and protection against the harsh elements in the environment. Therefore, strengthening the skin's function as a barrier is the key to reduce sensitivity and inflammation leading to ezcematous rash.

This is precisely the function of Aczelief cream. Produced by MyNaturity, it only contains naturally derived ingredients with its scent originating from the essential oils. Not only is it great to relieve skin ailments, but it's also a superb aromatherapy.

The key ingredients are as follows:

Olive Wax
Interestingly, this is a natural lipid wax derived from pure olive oil which helps to seal in moisture.

Shea Butter
Shea Butter has similar a chemical structure to human sebum (a healthy fatty acid layer which is essential for our skin's function as a protective barrier). This barrier function is lost in many skin diseases such as ezcema and psoriasis. It also hydrates the skin and prevent fine line formation.

Aloe Vera Oil
Aloe vera has been used as a traditional skin remedy for wounds and burns as it is rich in over 75 nutrients, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids with excellent cooling, soothing and moisturising properties.

Lavender and Tea Tree Essential Oil
Essential Oil gives the cream its distinct scent. It soothes inflammation, helps to fight against certain bacteria and fungae. Furthermore, the oil blend is a great form of aromatherapy calming the mind against the itchy rash.

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

Aczelief cream doesn't contain any harsh chemicals and is made of various essential oils, creating its unique scent. Such a high quality product with a relatively inexpensive price tag, it's a great companion for those with sensitive skin. As it's ingredients are natural, I can use it for the whole family (unfortunately atopy ie tendency to develop allergy runs in the genes), even for the little ones.

However, if the ezcema is severe, it's best to consult a dermatologist as soon as possible instead. Eczema can also become infected if not properly treated. As sometimes short term steroid cream or ointment is a necessary evil to save the skin from being permanently scarred, pigmented and thickened due to inflammation. Don't get me wrong here. For mild rash, using drug store eczema remedies such as Aczelief cream is great. But steroid is one of the greatest discovery for skin disease because it's available in various strengths depending on area affected and the severity. The side effects are negligible with proper use under the advice of certified dermatologists.

Now, here is some Christmas savings for my readers! Quote azangel05 for 5% off all MyNaturity products. Valid until 31-03-2020 or until stock lasts.

MyNaturity Aczelief Cream
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Family friendly one day itinerary @ Port Dickson

We haven't been on a true holiday for ages! Besides having Jasper Lodge Kuantan to keep us occupied,  it can also be a real struggle to bring two young children on tow. Therefore, we just have to let things happen naturally on this trip with minimal planning.

We left Kuantan on a late afternoon and drove for slightly longer than 4 hours to reach our staycation destination- Thistle Port Dickson. It's been 2 years since our last visit and we were pleasantly surprised that it's been refurbished recently.

We love how much space was there in the room with a side lounge. The bed was made of 2 King single beds with ample room to squeeze in our family of four.

I vaguely remembered an old bathtub before the refurbishment. Fresh fruits were provided as compliments.

Cape Rachado Lighthouse
71050, Malacca
https://g.co/kgs/Rrv15U

After a sumptous breakfast buffet, we headed out for some fresh air. 

Cape Rachado Lighthouse is located at Negeri Sembilan and Malacca border. It's quite a leisurely climb for half an hour with some gentle slopes, tarred roads and many shaded rest stops along the way.

Army Museum Port Dickson
Kem, Persiaran Pahlawan, Kampung Baru Sirusa, 71050 Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan
Opens daily (except Mondays and Tuesdays) 10am to 5pm

Visit is free or by voluntary donation. It's great for family. For young children, they are just in awe of the helicopters and tankers. For school aged children and adults, they learn about Malaysia's history and fight for independence.

Xiwang Village

Jalan Pantai Teluk Kemang, 71050 Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan
012-292 6219
https://g.co/kgs/NrQaMu

Lunch was at Port Dickson's favorite curry Mee and Yong Tau Foo restaurant. The place was spacious, food tasty and owners children friendly with lots of toys for children to spend their time with.

Back to Thistle, there were 2 children play rooms- one purely for Lego playing; the other with indoor ballpit and playground. Besides that, we also spent time playing giant chess and frolicking in the huge swimming pools with water slides and outdoor jacuzzi although we would prefer cleaner children pools.

Weng Yin Seafood Village

Lot 4132, Batu 9.5 (KM15.5), Jalan Pantai,, 71050 Port Dickson
012-628 1660
https://g.co/kgs/gHthLC

We were so famished by dinner time that we didn't take any photos of our satisfying dinner but we ordered steamed Negeri Sembilan local fish, claypot tofu and mixed vegetables. Would have tried Lucky King Bun if we had more adults (our boys do not eat curry to our dismay).

That's the snapshot of our fulfilling Port Dickson 1day itinerary!

Nature's Way for health and well-being

A hectic lifestyle often means lack of time for a good sit down meal especially for breakfast and lunch. This is because as doctors, both husband and I often spend these period rushing to get to work on time or trying to finish settling ward or clinic work.  We used to grab muesli bars or takeaway latte, even fast-food because an outlet is just opposite the hospital. Even though we know that a balanced diet with low fat, sugar and salt is essential for good health but it can be difficult to achieve.

Nature's Way is a trusted Australian brand using plant derived supplements. Nature's Way supplements are heavily backed by research to ensure safety while rooted in using traditional herbal remedies to enhance physical wellbeing. Nature's Way has a big range of supplements produced under the most stringent quality standards both for adult and children. Their products are also halal certified.

Nature's Way Instant Natural Protein

Asians often do not consume sufficient protein as our diet tends to be carbohydrate loaded culturally and historically. However, protein is a very important nutrient to build strong muscles and a strong immunity. Proteins should be consumed from natural sources such as lean meat (chicken, fish, eggs) or soy (soy milk, tofu). However, it can be difficult to get enough protein especially when eating out. Therefore, supplementary protein beverage can be useful and convenient.

Nature's Way Instant Natural Protein differs from protein supplements used by gym builders because Nature's Way doesn't contain creatine (for muscle building but only works with physical exercise). Creatine use can cause severe dehydration without extra water consumption and is not suitable for those with kidney problems.

Nature's Way Instant Natural Protein only contains natural amino acids derived from soy beans (vegetarian friendly!). This includes branched chain amino acids (BCAA) such as leucine, isoleucine and valine. Many of these are essential amino acids meaning they cannot be made in the body but need to be consumed by food or supplement. Except those who are pregnant or breastfeeding and some rare medical problems, most can consume amino acids safely. Read more here on WebMD.

Nature's Way Manuka Honey 100MGO

Manuka honey is harvested from Manuka flower only found native in Australia and New Zealand Bushland. Nature's Way hand harvest all their honey from 100% Australian native Manuka flowers containing Methylglyoxal aka MGO in its pure form after being filtered without additives.

MGO scores(internationally recognised and standardised rating system) of 100 and above are called bioactive honey, which is a measurement for the antibacterial activity. Do you know that each batch of Nature's Way honey is independently tested for the MGO?

Anyone ages above 1 year old can consume Manuka honey safely. There's no strict limit at how much and how frequently honey should be consumed so it's so versatile that it can be taken on its own or used in cooking to enhance flavors and nutrition. Do you also know that real honey has no expiry date?

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

Nature's Way Instant Natural Protein is pleasantly chocolate flavoured and a healthy way to supplement my breakfast and lunch when I'm at my busiest with a tendency to skip meals or grab fat and carbohydrate loaded fast food. Using fructose and sweetener, it's suitable for those who have diabetes and prediabetes as well because it does not cause blood sugar levels to rise suddenly. Besides that, I also replace 1/3 of flour in my baking recipes for cakes/cookies  with protein powder to lower the amount of carbohydrate so that my family can enjoy guilt free treats!

I do use Manuka honey for certain patients with infected wounds. They work remarkably well to remove devitalized tissue and help to accelerate the natural wound healing process especially for wounds with excessive discharges. Just be careful at the amount you consume if you have diabetes because honey still contains sugar. But it's nevertheless a great remedy for sore throat and cold in this rainy season! 

Read more about Nature's Way!
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Disclaimer: the opinion given is merely a personal experience and does not constitute formal medical advice. Please seek your medical professional's advice before any complementary therapy. Always ask for certified professionals before proceeding with treatment and stop if discomfort or side effect ensues.

Weil Hotel Ipoh Family Staycation day 2&3

After a well rested night in our cosy hotel beds, we were all ready for more fun!

Weil Hotel
292 Jalan Sultan Idris Shah Ipoh
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The day started late and lazy with an awesome Chinese dimsum brunch feast at Yuk Sou Hin Restaurant on level 1. The current head chef was imported all the way from Hong Kong who handcrafted all the dimsum so the pastry was fresh, thin yet able to contain all the delicious fillings waiting to burst in the mouth and overwhelme the taste buds.

We had prawn crystal dumplings, Xiao Long Bao (with the yummylicious stock all wrapped inside), matcha Liu Sha Bao (salted egg yolk lava bun), cod fish dumplings, steamed fish balls (Bing boy's favorite), Siew Mai on a skewer (fried and drizzled with sweet soy sauce), fish porridge with salted egg, as well as egg noodles with roast chicken Char Siew and prawn dumplings.

Deserving special mention was the half roast duck. The duck was roasted over lychee wood to create a unique smokey fragrance. The skin was thin and crackly with soft yet dense duck meat. The sweet dipping sauce completed the heavenly combination. We really had to thank Ron the restaurant manager for his great recommendation.

We then had a late lunch around 1.30pm at Tiffin on ground floor. Asian selections included sushi, rice, fried vegetables, stir fry fish fillet, puri with curry, lasagna, assorted salads (potato salad, Caesar salad, cold deli meat slices, cheese), artisan bread with cauliflower cream soup. The best was a hot cup of aromatic latte.

The afternoon was then spent with a quick nap, followed by more frolicking in the bathtub then some casual meeting up with Ipoh friends. There's just so much to catch up with! Lounging in the comfortable hotel area made our meetup relaxed. Plenty of parking spaces for visitors too.

Dinner was also served buffet style at Tiffin. If you are wondering, we were not sick with so much buffet food because the variety and taste was great. Dinner was seafood and grill themed with sashimi, seafood on rocks, teppanyaki salmon, chicken and lamb, Asian stir fries, vegetable pie, salad bar, fruit rojak, fresh fruits selection as well as cakes and creme brulee. Craving for ice? No worries, DIY ABC shaved ice with a few scoops of icecream to your own liking.

So we had a good night's dream, waking up to another morning spread of buffet breakfast at Tiffin. Tiffin is open for 3 meals a day everyday! Savouring fluffy croissants, specialty bread, pancakes, waffles, cereal, danish, yoghurt, nasi lemak and chicken Rendang, rice porridge and soup noodles were also available to suit your needs.

Don't forget to watch, like and comment on our YouTube video about Weil Hotel's room and dining outlets!

We reluctantly returned to reality after a sumptous breakfast. What a great weekend getaway! Can't wait until our next trip I fondly call as mental health trip.

Weil Hotel Ipoh Family Staycation day 1

It's been a while since we have been on a pure leisure trip! Even though both boys were down with cold virus, we took up the challenge of driving 5 hours to this historic town of Ipoh. We decided to stay at Weil Hotel's studio room for comfort and convenience!

Weil Hotel
292 Jalan Sultan Idris Shah Ipoh
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The room was spacious, clean and well maintained. We requested an additional single bed together with a king bed for 2 adults and 2 children. No more squeezing in the bed because there's more than enough space! Besides that, there were also 2 lazy couches for us to lounge on. Other amenities like bar fridge, safe, coffee and tea station and flat screen TV were in good conditions.

Bath tub! Children love a good time soaking. Having infinity pool is awesome but it can't beat a warm bath tub water play! Especially for young children who may catch a cold easily from the cold pool water. The tub was big enough to fit 2-3 children for some water gun shooting fun!

We were really hungry after checking in. But this elegant high tea set for 2 at Tea Lounge (Level 1) was more than enough to feed 2 adults and 2 young children with complimentary selection of coffee and tea (We got a hot cuppa of cappuccino and a fruity kiwiberry pot of tea, with an additional fresh watermelon juice for Bing boy). Not to mention all time favorite scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream!

Tier 1- macadamia cake, coffee cheesecake, fresh raspberry mousse, lemon curd eclair, durian meringue tart, mille feuille (custard filling), salted egg and pistachio macarons

Tier 2- Scotch egg (with sambal), Berny potatoes (crispy almond flakes), fish cake and Rendang chicken sushi

Tier 3- Smoked salmon brioche, multigrain egg mayo sandwich, tuna finger sandwich

Mainly Western pastry with Asian fusion, we love how fresh and crispy everything was. Each delicate piece handmade with care and love. The top tier desserts were just at the right amount of sweetness although we preferred the durian to be of richer aroma.

For avid shoppers，the bustling Ipoh Parade is just next door. Connected to the Weil Hotel on ground floor, there are many retail shopping options within walking distance. They also have many other food and beverage options such as Souper Tang and Sushi Tei.

Time to spend some energy after a fabulous teatime! Heading to the rooftop, we discovered lush greeneries and cosy couch to savour a birdseye view of Ipoh city centre with lots of instagrammable photo opportunities. The infinity pool was designed in such a way that one could take in the city view right at the edge. Do bring along buoyancy swimming devices for children though as the pool is 1.2m deep.

A great swim resulted in rumbling tummies soon after. The Deck Gastropub at the rooftop was definitely the right choice for a great evening away from home. Even though it served alcoholic beverages and sisha, smoking was prohibited and the setting was children friendly. The dazzling neon colored lightings kept the children fairly amused.

Our gastronomic experience included the following:

Appetizer- homemade multigrain bread with salted garlic butter (love how warm and soft the bread was!)

Starter- coi salad (a fresh selection of salad with a poached egg and freshly grated cheddar cheese)

Soup- Mushroom soup (freshly made in the kitchen with small chunks of fresh mushrooms in the soup for a different texture, as well as a swirl of fresh cream even baby Yi enjoyed)

Main
- Jerk chicken (2 slices of marinated and crispy pan fried chicken breasts served on a bed of mashed pumpkin and sweet soy based vinaigrette

- Perak snapper (Steamed fresh snapper smothered in a generous Portuguese style spicy paste on a bed of mashed brinjals)

-  Fried icecream ( rich chocolate icecream wrapped in fluffy chocolate sponge with a deep fried crispy breaded outermost layer)

-  Green tea creme brulee (a crispy crystalized caramel top layer with a rich matcha flavoured cream and egg with a pudding like consistency)

Beverages include
- Chilled pineapple 'juice' which is actually a cocktail containing vodka
- Virgin mojito is a mocktail instead. Very refreshing because of the mint leaves.
- Limau Pheng is a very Malaysian style of calling sweetened lime juice suitable for children.

We had such a great first day staycation in Weil Hotel! Day 2 and 3 to be continued in the next post.