Don’t stop spoiling your loved one once Valentine’s ends, treat him or her to a weekend at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur and be waited upon hand and foot by your personal 24-hour butler.

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NOTE: We will pick the winner only if you have completed both Steps1 and 2. GOOD LUCK!

CC Food Travel: A Food, Travel and Adventure Blog

Don’t stop spoiling your loved one once Valentine’s ends, treat him or her to a weekend at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur and be waited upon hand and foot by your personal 24-hour butler.

For the chance to win a complimentary weekend stay (2days, 1 night), in an Executive Deluxe room at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, inclusive of breakfast for two in César’s all you have to do is the following TWO things.. but be sure you do BOTH:

To Win a Weekend Stay At the Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur, please complete STEPS 1 and 2:

1. ‘Like’ The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur’s Facebook Page, and on the Ritz Carlton Fanpage Wall, tag yourself and the person whom you would most like to bring with you, on any of the images already on that Facebook page.

2. ‘Like’ CC Food Travel‘s Facebook page, and on the CC Food Travel Fanpage Wall, Write and complete this slogan “I like dining at the Ritz Carlton KL because……. ”

NOTE: We will pick the winner only if you have completed both Steps1 and 2. GOOD LUCK!

CC Food Travel: A Food, Travel and Adventure Blog

James Cendol on Old Klang Road does some great Cendol indeed!

This spanking new cendol joint (only 6 months old) is situated next to Lee Chong Wei Sri Sentosa Sports Complex (map attached at the end of post), on Old Klang Road. Cumi stumbled upon it, as usual, on one of his drives around town. The good thing about the location of James Cendol, is that there is ample free carpark and you can sit for as long as you like, in comfortable, breezy surroundings, unlike some cendol stalls where you have to squeeze into parking and stand around in the heat, eating and sweating into your cendol.

Lee Chong Wei Sri Sentosa Sports Complex

striking venue.. you can’t miss it

This cendol originates in Sitiawan, and if you ask the Sitiawan folk they will probably tell you that Sitiawan cendol is the best.. ever. And if you keep prodding, they will tell you that James Cendol is the best in Sitiawan;) The original James Cendol stall from Sitiawan is situated right at the entrance to a Hindu temple on Jalan Lumut – within a walking distance from The Store supermarket or Uncle John Cafe in Sitiawan, if you ever go there and want to visit the original shop.

soft, fluffy green stands of cendol

James himself is an amicable fellow. He was patient and all smiles as I asked him to pause this way, and that way, and ‘show me all his apparatus’ so I could take a good photo. A very cool guy, all decked out for the part too, I must say. I’ve never seen a more smartly dressed cendol man. Ever.

James, the man!

Green, fluffy and soft strands of pandan infused cendol that is served up nice and icy cold in fresh coconut santan(milk). The coconut is so fresh, you can see them grating it, old school style, at James Cendol.

the grater

the coconut

the coconut gets the grater

The cendol strands themselves are made fresh everyday and do not contain any preservatives, and that’s why the texture is so great. I love my cendol with pulut and red bean.. tastes heavenly! At RM3.00 per bowl, it’s obviously not the cheapest of Cendol in the Klang Valley, but the quality and flavour is totally worth the money. They add just enough salt to their cendol which really enhances the flavour of the coconut milk. They also do goreng pisang and rojak here. And oh, some rather tasty ice cream potong too. Perfect in this sweltering heat!

my favourite way of eating cendol – cendol, pulut and red bean

goreng pisang (banana fritters)

ice-cream potong .. cendol flavour

Verdict? A terrific place for Cendol. We will be back with friends and family in tow, the next time. For the lucky folk of Bangsar, James Cendol will be opening a new branch soon in that area.  The owners will be starting up a restaurant called SIMPLY SPICE opposite the new UOA building at Dataran Maybank in Bangsar starting on the 16th of February. James Cendol will be served here.

 MAP TO JAMES CENDOL, OLD KLANG ROAD:

CC Food Travel: A Food, Travel and Adventure Blog

Five years ago, I met Xian when he first visited Malaysia together with his team of air traffic controllers. They were in Malaysia and Singapore for courses related to their profession. For some of them it was their first time to Malaysia and probably first time out of Mauritius Maldives (Oops..). They were an eager bunch wanting to explore a tropical rainforest land which also happened to be one of Maldive’s largest trading partners. They wanted to go into a jungle, hike up a hill, raft down a river and go to a fast food joint – things which they had only seen on satellite television. Nevermind the costs involved, they just wanted to experience things they weren’t sure they’d get the chance to experience again, once they walked back into the departure hall. They wanted to do anything except eat fish (including sushi), curry, rice, coconut, ride a boat, or see the beach. They succeeded in pursuing their adventures in Malaysia and I had the opportunity to  join them on their exploration. Needless to say, they had fun here and so did I, with them.

Amongst them and in no particular order.. Xian, Hamid, Dhonu, Tata, Afshal, Shaheen

My first impression of Maldivians were that they were a very shy bunch. The shyness came -  I assumed – from their concern on how others looked at them. It wasn’t that they didn’t speak English. It’s their second language. It wasn’t that Malaysia didn’t welcome Muslims. Islam is the national religion. It wasn’t that Malaysia was a country of deep religious fanatics or a country of terrorist groups breeding. Hey, we’re pretty safe just like any country not plagued with civil unrest. You could point out that I had been a stranger to them and they rightfully should be weary of me. I found out later that besides being weary of me, they were concerned about creating the right impression. They were polite. They were well groomed. They smiled a lot. Xian was their senior in age and rank – he was their unofficial leader and planner. They were collective in their thoughts and decisions. They were a united lot.  Their unity could have stemmed from the close living proximity due to the limited livable land and space in their nation. Their happiness and desire to enjoy the best, could have been the result of knowing at the back of their minds about scientific projections, that predicted that their country might sink in the near future. Their moto was to live now to the fullest, because they would not know, what might happen tomorrow.

Crowd outside a political party office in Malé

Xian and his motley crew opened my eyes to their world. It’s easier for them to imagine living in a large country than for me to picture living in a crowded populace within a living area less than 5 square kilometers surrounded by the sea. Malé people also reside in many surrounding islands in crowded homes. What is a public bus ride for us is their boat taxis. Xian shared that his family and parents, making up 7 persons, live in an apartment that’s less than 1000 square feet. So crowded is Malé that there is a constant hive of activities in the city even after working hours. Its inhabitants just can’t hangout at home to watch a movie or to have some peace. People go out to play football, have tea, play chess and window shop. There are no alcoholic bars because a Maldivians Islamic religion prohibits alcoholic consumption although some of them might drink when the opportunity comes. There aren’t any cinemas because there isn’t a large enough populace to meet the cinema’s bottom line. As an alternative, satellite television provide the dream-scape for those that can afford it.

Apparently there are drug fueled rave parties at uninhabited islands plaguing the authorities. You can’t snuff the rebellious teen spirit, even with religion.

Xian and the group once shared with me that there wasn’t anything else to do in Maldives except the sip cocktails, lookout into the great wide ocean, and do some water sports. They were absolutely right. Maldives is a rest and relax haven, and a deep sea fishing, and scuba diving majesty, as I had finally a first hand experience on a recent trip. I once told them I didn’t think I’d ever make it to Maldives because the mentioned activities were never of big interest to me. They replied that if I ever did visit, they would show me the other parts of Maldives which they were sure I would love. So when I was finally in their ‘waters’, Xian and a few of them put together a short itinerary for our group to visit the flight control tower and see a little bit of the rest of Malé before I departed from their country in the vast Indian Ocean.

Just like an episode of Hawaii-Five-O we were whisked away by the “Malé Five-O” upon returning from W Resort

Always give way to planes!

We were on the way to the airport control tower. This picture obviously taken much later.

Manual operations from the past requiring excellent mathematical skills to calculate the routes.

Modern operations and convenience with computers. No more manual calculations. I imagine you could even play Spider Solitaire and check out Facebook as well!

Up the elevator.

We make it up to the airport control tower with 360 view. Polo Ciki always well dressed for the occasion.

A lady in control.

In case of disaster, a first aid kit is available.

Xian showing us the flight path.

We continued our tour with a cruise into the new district of Hulumalé.

Construction of a new place to stay. Things are a moving here in busy Malé.

More living spaces are being made available with reclaimed land. The residents have a new government that is making big changes.

Bigger and better things to come in Hulumalé.

The streets are wider and plenty more space for all.

A beach for residents

Tata buses providing public transport for the new township.

We watch fishermen returning home after selling their day’s catch.

We headed to Malé on speedboat.

Headed for a snack cum dinner. Yes, its ‘nice food one’ coincidentally resembling Malaysian and Singaporean’s street-speak. How was it?

Residents enjoying an intellectually stimulating game of chess seated in Maldivian netted steel benches.

After our ‘short eats’, we jumped into Xian’s brother’s Suzuki compact, cruising the small streets of Malé in our final minutes for a city tour – against traffic too. There isn’t much space in Malé but residents still dream of owning a car.

With only 20 minutes to spare for flight check-in and we still needed to catch the boat taxi back to airport, Ciki who is always a stickler for punctuality, looks at me with great discomfort. We drive fast but there is heavy traffic. At the pier, we miss the express boat. Ciki looks even more worried but luckily, there was the slow boat/dhoni, that we managed to catch and she was a little more relieved, but still kept giving me the evil eye. The boat disembarks, we reach the airport jetty and rush to the check-in counter. Ciki finally heaves a sigh a relief. We made it.

Given more time, I would have liked to visit more islands inhabited only by locals.

The kindness of strangers is rare. Even more difficult is letting our defenses down to receive a stranger, or to help one. We are always weary of strangers and their motives. Desperation to attain success and wealth leads many to unscrupulous means. We have all fallen for some kind of confidence trick, at least once in our lives. It is much more convenient to build a wall to shield ourselves from being waylaid. Better to be safe than sorry, the saying goes. When you travel you sometimes meet the oddest strangers,  and under even stranger circumstances. Be it a good or bad outcome, it still provides a great story to tell. The experience of crossing paths with Xian and his gang years ago in Malaysia, was certainly a blessed one. They reinforced within me the faith that there are genuinely kind, thoughtful and wonderful souls in the unlikeliest of places, and it is for me and you to discover them and continue to extend the goodwill of mankind.

Malé and me weren’t always friends but today we are more than friends.  Thanks for the memories. I will return one day to a more modern Malé but I will always remember the one I first walked on.

If you find this post fascinating and would like to know more about Malé and the Maldives, here are some of our other posts:

1. Maldives, Hello!

2. Chef in the Spotlight, Chef Sven Cepon of the Sheraton Maldives, Part 1

3. Malé and Hulhumalé, Maldives

4. Chef in the Spotlight – Chef Sven Cepon and the Beef Tartare, Part 2 & 3

5. 13 Reasons the stay at the W Resort and Spa, Maldives 

6. Meeting Rock Star Executive Chef Mauro Gomez of W

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*Comedy night – If laughter is truly the best medicine, when paired with good food it might be able to alleviate just about anything that ails you.
Two KL institutions – fine dining restaurant Samplings on the Fourteenth and humour The Comedy Club KL – are putting the theory to the test, blending great food and non-stop laughs to bring KL-ites Comedy High this January.
“This collaboration allows us to present international comedian acts as well as highlight our local talent,” says Adrian Chung, general manager of Berjaya Times Square Hotel KL, where the restaurant is located. “I’m sure this will be a fun-filled night with great laughter for all.”

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Note: We respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information (name, address, email, etc.) to any third party, nor will we send you unsolicited email.

*Comedy night – If laughter is truly the best medicine, when paired with good food it might be able to alleviate just about anything that ails you.
Two KL institutions – fine dining restaurant Samplings on the Fourteenth and humour The Comedy Club KL – are putting the theory to the test, blending great food and non-stop laughs to bring KL-ites Comedy High this January.
“This collaboration allows us to present international comedian acts as well as highlight our local talent,” says Adrian Chung, general manager of Berjaya Times Square Hotel KL, where the restaurant is located. “I’m sure this will be a fun-filled night with great laughter for all.”

CC Food Travel: A Food, Travel and Adventure Blog

Oh.., I do like this place.. very much.

What I die for every time is the silky smooth ganache in their macaron and their exquisite flavours. None can come close.

The prices are not cheap, but they are pretty standard for what’s on offer in Kuala Lumpur at the moment. The quality of the cakes at Les deux Garcons, Jalan Telawi are fabulous – do yourself a favour and have tea there one day. You won’t be disappointed.

Oh, and don’t forget to invite me along. I can never get enough;)

Passion – Joconde base, silky passion fruit mousse, mango coulis – RM13

Eclaire – pate a choux, traditional French premium vanilla/rum creme patissier – RM10

Le Palladio – crispy almond tart, layered joconde, vanilla ganache, white truffle mascarpone – RM22

CC Food Travel: A Food, Travel and Adventure Blog

Then I realised that the problem is not the celebration in itself. It is the fact that for many of us, outside of our weddings and anniversaries, don’t seek out to honor our relationships. Heck, some spouses don’t even remember anniversaries! That being the case, I am actually for the fact, that there is a system in place, that commercializes love and reminds us to spend money for a good cause. Well of course Valentine’s Day’s merchandising and advertising is self-serving, but at least it reminds us not to zip past our husbands and wives throughout the days, months even. It’s good to know that there are forces out there working to remind us to slow down and take our spouses out, to paint the town red.

As long as it does not burn a hole in your pocket! And yes, if this world were ideal, everyday would be Valentine’s Day with our respective spouses. But it ain’t. It ain’t ideal. And for those of us who cannot remember or do not have the luxury of time, let February the 14th help us slow down and remember, and be thankful for our special someone.

Speaking of burn-a-hole-in-your-wallet, I just had a ‘sampling’ of a Valentine’s Dinner at Samplings on the Fourteenth last week and I am happy to declare that it does not have to. For just RM158++ per person, you can enjoy a fabulous romantically tailored meal for two, amidst posh surroundings. The five course Valentine’s menu at Samplings on the Fourteenth, is inclusive of a glass of sparkling wine each, and a red, red rose, for the lovely lady. It really is a fantastic deal and I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Smoked Duck and Scallop with Wild Mushroom Salad and Lamb Lettuce

The Valentine’s Dinner at Samplings on the Fourteenth will start off with a rather appetising Smoked duck and Scallop starter, served on a bed of wild mushroom and pretty colourful, edible flowers as garnishing. The scallop was bouncy and succulent and went well with the smoky duck.

Saffron Seafood Soup flavoured with Fennel and Tomato 

This soup had a deep crab flavour, imparted by the Alaskan King crab, and was bursting with a heady seafood aroma, not unlike that of a bouillabaisse.

sorbet – pink grapefruit sorbet with Campari

A great and rather unusual palate cleanser employing bitter flavours rather than sour, to get the salivary glands going. Did the trick rather well I must say. Was starting to get a little bored with all the sour sorbets I’ve been having, of late. The Campari liqueur imparted a pink hue that gave this sorbet a whimsical romantic feel to it.

Main Course: Choice of either a Pan-Fried Cod Fish Fillet with Sea Urchin and Caviar Sauce; or a Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Seared Foie Gras, Port Wine reduction and Spring vegetables.

The Cod Fish itself was expertly cooked. The Urchin it was served with, took some getting used to  - I did not really care for it’s rather strong aroma that was a distraction to the finer flavour of the cod.

The Beef Tenderloin was hearty and really hit the spot like a good old fashioned steak. Would have liked it a little more rare though, but otherwise, a satisfying piece of meat. And then, there was the matter of a perfectly seared foie gras that did the dish justice.. may I have some more please?

Strawberry Delight – served with homemade double chocolate ice-cream and almond Macaron

And that, folks, is the rather well thought out, Valentines Day dinner at Samplings on the Fourteenth. If you decide to go, you will probably be pleased with the outcome of the dinner, as I was.

To conclude my Valentine’s day story, and as a final thought, ask yourselves, when was the last time you and your spouse went on a date? When was the last time just the two of you, snuck away for a intense night of romance? When was the last time you you bought something for your spouse as a token of your appreciation, love and honour? If your answer is more than 30 days for any of these, you’re overdue.

Time to get busy and get loving.

CC Food Travel: A Food, Travel and Adventure Blog

Boy, have we got some exciting news for you.

In conjunction with VALENTINE’S DAY, FEBRUARY 14TH, we are giving away,

a 2 Days/1 Night Weekend Stay, at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur,  for one lucky couple! Enjoy a romantic breakfast for two, the next morning .. tres chi-chi, tres romantic!

HOW TO WIN: All you need to do is LIKE our Facebook Page (click on button below)

The lucky draw will be done, from the CC Food Travel fans. Our Winner will be announced on the CC Food Travel Fanpage Wall. That’s it! It’s that SIMPLE. Just LIKE our fanpage and stand a chance to WIN, a free Valentine’s 2Day/1Night Stay at Le Meridien KL!

GOOD LUCK!!

CC Food Travel: A Food, Travel and Adventure Blog

During his brief lifetime, (he was only 37 when he died in 1796) he wrote many poems (over 300 between 1786 and his death) on a variety of subjects but his love songs are among his best known. He was not the most faithful of husbands, having several illegitimate children to various women, but he must have been the most talented.. still he remained married to his only wife Jean Armour, till the day he died.

His songs still echo the feelings of being in love and resonate down the years.

A Red, Red Rose

A Red, Red Rose .. Robert Burns’ most famous love song.

1.
O, my luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June.
O, my luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.
2.
As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I,
And I will luve thee still, my Dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.
3.
Till a’ the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun!
O I will luve thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.
4.
And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile!

Well, since most of us cannot write poems like Robert Burns, we can always buy a present instead. 

8 moist heavenly chocolate cupcakes, with red rosettes, that make up a lovely scarlet bouquet. 

Your special someone will love you for the gesture.

Even if you ain’t no Robert Burns.

 (if you have no one to send them to, you can always send them to us, Cumi & Ciki, your favourite blogging duo!)

CC Food Travel: A Food, Travel and Adventure Blog