Iftar at Sudu

Earlier this evening, I was treated for Iftar at Hilton Kuala Lumpur, after attending a meeting there prior. The meeting ended just about Maghrib time, and I was served with dates at the conference room before being ushered down to the restaurant for the meal. When I was invited down, the usher asked me, "Dr Haris, would you like to come with me. We are taking the lift downstairs to Sudu for your meal." What? Sudu? Sudu literally translated as 'spoon' in Malay. Surely the could have come up with a more catchy name.

But anyhow, to Sudu I went. It was a buffet, and since I was already late, they have had a table reserved for our party, and the rest of the crowd has already been sat, starting their dinner already. Getting food was a breeze.

The restaurant itself, to be honest lacked real estate. It was pretty cramped, and we had to tussle to get to some of the corners to pick up our food. They had separate areas for starters, main meal, desserts and drinks. For starters, I had some beef kebab and satay, plus some kueh before moving on the the mains.

For the mains, I had some biryani with some chicken. I must say that the satay was a lot better than I expected. There was also lemming lemang but according to a friend of mine, it was rather too soft in the middle. The peanut sauce however was very tasty. The biryani was on the dry side, but was not bad at all.

After a good chat, I went for the dessert. And this was when I came across the sushi corner. Why not? Half a dozen slices of sashimi later, I was back to have some fruits and guess what? Some sotong kangkung as well. It was never going to be as nice as the one from Penang. In fact, it was pretty bad.

To top things off, I had some ais kacang and more fruits. I knew that I was piling up the calories, but at least I did not sample the lamb roast - or kambing golek! I'd probably have a coronary if I did so.

Yes, the place was cramped, and we were seated outside the actual restaurant, but in a comfortable corner. The service however was excellent. The waiters and waitresses were very attentive, and nothing was too much to ask. The tables where cleaned and plates were cleared without being asked, and they addressed us very professionally. They had staff manning all the stations, from kebab - which were freshly sliced and prepared to our request, to the nice ladies behind the ais kacang and sotong kangkung counters. But I was sure that that quality of service came with a price. According to my cousin who commented on Facebook, it would likely be more than RM100 per head. The dinner was not exactly extravagant, but I can see why it could cost that much.

There was limited information on this joint from the hotel website here, but the reviews online has not been too kind. Would I recommend it? Not really especially with the excellent Latest Recipe next door at Le Meridien. The combination of low lights and cramped space did not make for good photographing opportunity unfortunately.

Lunch at Favola

The whole of last Sunday was spent at a Medical Meet at Le Meridien and for lunch, I was treated for some nice dining at Favola, an Italian joint on the 8th floor, right next door to the Grand Saloon, where we had the meeting.

My talk was in the morning, and it was more of an update of we learned during my recent trip to London attending the European Haematology Association Meeting back in June. With the talk done and dusted, the lunch was a lot more relaxed, and I shared the table with a couple more senior Haematologist and another Doctor with the Pharmaceutical industry. We had a nice chat, and the nice lunch helped.

It was a sit down dinner rather than buffet and food were pre-ordered. The antipasta were some smoked salmon, salad with goat cheese, plus fire-baked pizza and spaghetti. The mains were fish, but the mains were not the highlight. We finished things off with some succulent ice-cream with fresh raspberry.

The pizza was definitely one of the best in town. Pretty simple but biting and filling. The pasta was great as well. My fish was unfortunately overcooked, and with the tangy sauce, it did not make for an experience on par with the antipasta. I should have ordered an alternative instead. Oh, well!

I would definitely give the place another visit with my boys in the future especially with a 10% discount on foursquare check-in. Let them decide on the pizza, since they were expert when it comes to the sticky, cheesy round thing. I would also like to explore the pasta a bit more. More information on the outlet can be reached here.

Back at the Office

Managed to snooze for half an hour after sahur, but that was just about it. I was woken up by phone calls from patients looking for me in clinic, and after three of them, I decided it was not worth the hassle going to sleep again.

Better get this mess cleared up thenSince I have some paperwork to do, I might as well head to UMMC to do some typing, then return after Jumaat Prayers there. I have another meeting at KL Hilton with Iftar later. Will have to venture out again.

Morning Hot Shots

Anita did not have much appetite during sahur this morning, and too be frank, we had been munching all evening earlier on. The tummy probably could do with a rest. After some drinks waiting for Suboh, we switched the TV on.

It was not the religious programs we watched. Instead it was a Hot Shots, Part Deux. The movie was a big hit when I was in Medical School. And look at how young Charlie Sheen was.

Quieter Than I Imagined

After iftar today, we ventured out for a quick drive down to The Curve hoping to catch a late bite. It turned out that by 10pm, the whole place was practically deserted. Only the bars were opened. Most of the other outlets were already winding down their businesses.

We managed to pack home some sandwiches from O'briens, as well as some chips from McDonald's to keep the boys happy. Maybe there would be a lot more buzz around there during weekends.