Fraser's Hill - Day 2, Part 2 - Back at Smokehouse after lunch

We were shattered by the time we got back from lunch at Shahzan's Inn. The weather was pretty gloomy by then and it started to drizzle. We headed back to the hotel and after an hour or so, we went out to the garden while waiting for the afternoon tea. While in town earlier, we picked up a set of plastic golf clubs. Before long, Idlan already started swinging.

The garden was well kept with flowers tended on the walls and fringes. They were only accessible by guests. If it was not raining, we could've had our scones out there. With the children occupied, Anita and I took a walk stroll around the compound, walking in mist. How romantic. 

Since it rained earlier, the mist fell down much earlier that evening. Initially we wanted to venture out for dinner, but by 6pm, the visibility was down to about 30 meters with the fog and low cloud. The boys were not in the mood to get into the car anyhow. Again, we had dinner at the resort. That evening, I tried the steak. It was OK, the meat was tender but somewhat undercook. Fresh vegetables and nice gravy took care of that. We had another lovely dinner. As there were hardly any other guest, Henry came over for a chat while serving us.

My boys running around in the garden... and playing with the swing

I was surprised to find out that before he joined the food and beverage line, he was a welder. That was what he did around Keramat 6 years back. He has been with Smokehouse for almost a close to three years now. He used to serve at one of the branch at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, which has now been closed. He said he remembered my father-in-law who used to entertain his guess there. He also talked about his family back in Myanmar. He used to do office work there and after his parents passed away, he decided to leave for Malaysia.

Settling in by the heaterAfter dinner, we were ushered to the reading room. The boys were with their PSPs. My in-laws watching the ASTRO. Anita and I decided to have some hot chocolate and do some reading. We retired close to 10pm. We had a long drive tomorrow back to KL.

Idlan and Irfan met the Power Rangers

It was Saturday once again and Irfan was due for his Pingu class. I had to do my ward round this morning. I had to leave early, finish the round, then headed back to fetch everyone back to Bangsar. Missing my breakfast, I had my brunch at Delicious in Bangsar Village II. Class finished by 1.30. Time to head for Sungai Wang.

Latte at DeliciousIt started raining heavily on the there, and parking was full. We had to move along and parked at Low Yat, right down to Basement 5. Brought the troops up and had to cross over to Bukit Bintang Plaza. For Christmas, Sungai Wang had a promotion going, with the Power Rangers character appearing during the weekends. There was an appearance at 4 pm. Since we arrived early and got our tickets, we waited along at McDonald's for more snack. We were right in front of the queue by 3.45.

Irfan browsing the toys while waiting for the RangersIdlan waiting patientlyThe Power Rangers appeared right on time. There were only 3 of them though, not the usual 5. It was not the original character, but the spin-off called Jungle Fury. Don't worry, my boys knew all about them, what their real names were and what they do. Daddy was disappointed as the good old pink Power Rangers did not make an appearance.

The stage where the Rangers came on to. Unfortunately I got my hands full with the biys when they came on stage and did not manage to snap.The scarf on their neck made the swans looked kinda .... gay!When the time comes to go up the stage for the photo-op, Irfan had a stage fright. Idlan was fine and went ahead to have his pics taken, all smiling. That cost us RM10, then we waited for about 15 minutes for the photo to be developed. We were all tired at the end, but unfortunately, the rain fell again and we had to wait for the drizzle to stop before crossing back to Low Yat.

Dinner at Celadon, Pavilion

On last Thursday night, as a family we decided to eat out. It is rather rare that we go out at night. We prefer to save our outings for the weekends. But since Friday was Awal Muharram and the boys were on school holidays, we decided to go to Pavilion.

Mini-concert going on downstairs, hence the full carparkThe restaurant located on the 6th floor, right next to Spice of IndiaBad move! Apparently we found out after about 30 minutes looking for a parking space at the basement that a local Chinese singing group was holding their 'meet the fans' session the same evening. Hence the long queue for parking and the throng of crowd at the main foyer.

Puan Anita actually fancied some Thai food. Some Tom Yam she said. After a quick look at the stalls downstairs, we decided to go upmarket and eat at the restaurants. We went up to 6th floor. There was a Lebanese restaurant, a Turkish joint - desperately trying to be authentic with the turban-wearing waiters. There was also Spice of India - not tonight. Finally we came across Celadon.

Nice and serene setting. Nice ambianceA word of warning, it wasn't the cheapest dinner I took my family too. We were talking around RM80 per head here, and a couple of the heads were my boys! The ambiance was the main reason we went there. Initially Idlan was in a strop and did not want to go in, but one of the waiter actually spoke to him and asked where he wanted to be sat. He picked the sofa right at the back and off we went. More on the waiters later.

There were also seatings by the entrance if you fancyThe theme was all white, from the chair, walls, curtains and spread. There were general seatings at the entrance, a small more private area with cushions where we sat and a couple of function rooms should you want to organise dinner. There were subtle motif of Thai culture adorning all the ornamental decorations. There was of course the photograph of the King and a miniature white elephant. The salutations and greetings, the dressing of the staffs. There was also peaceful elements thrown in. Since everything was all white, it looked serene when the lights were dimmed. I noticed that every table has its own lighting. There were also some tables on the corridor outside should you fancy some fresh air - if you call the foyer with high ceiling as fresh air!

The unmistakeable Tom Yum. Comes in two guises, with or without coconut milk.The sizzling beefPuan Anita did the ordering. We had soft shell crabs and thai salad for starters. The crab was OK, but the salad which was mainly sour mango and vinegar was too strong for me. I quite liked it at the beginning but the portion was too big. Definitely for sharing. We had the mixed seafood tomyam, which was very impressive. She also ordered marinated sizzling beef, very tender and lightly spiced. My order was the steamed seabass - the reason why the cost was so dear. It was very well cooked, the fish was fresh, too much garlic and mint in the sauce but that was nitpicking. The sauce was good enough to sip. I was full however by the time dessert was on the card. So we skipped that.

The steamed seabass ...... before ........ and afterNow back to the waiters. There were a couple of local and a Thai waiter. The Thai gentleman was the one attending us. I was very impressed when he offered plastic plates and cutleries for my children, and made sure that their fried rice was not too spicy. Maybe it was restaurant policy but I have been to a less upmarket restaurant where the waiters bat their eyelids at the sight of my kids - although they were perfectly handsome just like their Daddy! The air-conditioning was also not too cold.

Would I go there again? Only on special occasions or while on business duty. Would I recommend my friend to go there for a romantic dinner - definitely! The money spent there will be well worth it! The waiters were good, the food was good and the ambiance was very nice.

Time of visit - Thursday, 17th December 2009

Address - Lot 6.37, Level 6, Pavilion KL, Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur

03-21488708 - no website

Fraser's Hill - Day 2, Part 1 - Breakfast and the Outing

I slept like a baby last evening. Especially so when the boys decided to leave me to sleep alone on the bunk bed. The two of them and Puan Anita were huddled away on the four-poster bed.

I got up the earliest, at just just after seven. It was pretty nippy outside and the bathroom floor was as cold as ice. A quick hot shower and changed. Before I managed to sneak outside, Puan Anita woke up. Soon after, the boys were jumping on the bed. We hot the maids in, got them in the bath and headed for breakfast.

Idlan getting ready for breakfastThey served full English breakfast here and those were on the house. We are talking homemade croscent, jam and butter, followed by sausages, bacon and choices of eggs. Toast and cereals were also there if you fancy. Unbelievable!

I had omellete with cheese and mushrooms. Those certainly hit the spot. I counted 4 tables being occupied. I am sure the place would have been busier during weekends. It was Monday then.  As a result, the waiters were able to attend to my boys every need. The fact that they wanted only sausage and no bacon. They wanted to pour their own fresh milk into their tea. They wanted to run around in between mouthful of scrambled eggs. Irfan does not want any beans because according to him they are stinky! Oh man! They were really the bosses!

Looked like Maria Tunku Sabri has been hereWhile waiting for the food to sink down, Anita did some research about places to visit for the day. Since we have elderlies and children with us, hiking was definitely out. There were many beautiful trails around here. They were very well mapped and cater for all level of adventure. There are the simple ones with minimal gradient while others that were damn right brutal. Some of them lead to waterfalls and they are plenty of those if you are really keen.

Hmmm! Chillies? Big ones?

We learned however by the end of the day that if you were looking for flowers, Cameron Highlands is a better bet. There were a few nurseries advertised here, but they were pretty poor. Maybe they were out of season. There were certainly no roses and strawberries, and not much butterflies either.

Arriving at Allan's WaterDeciding what to doWhile enjoying the view

We decided to start the day about half a kilometer away at a manmade lake called Allan's Water. There is a pedal boat here and the place was very well maintained. Next door is a small nursery but again, there was not much on show.

The area where the archery and horseriding activities were hosted is called 'The Paddock'The barn where the horses livedEnjoying the rideNext stop was at the other side of town near the Golf Club. There is a small stable here with a few horses. Idlan was really excited and I took him with me for a ride. Nope, the horse was hardly running. It was just a gentle walk around a small circuit. Cost me RM4 and RM3 for Idlan. Irfan was too small to get on. There was also archery range next door. Further along is a small putting green. It was unfortunately closed that day, so we got Idlan a small plastic golf set to play back at the hotel garden later.

It was soon time for lunch when we finished with riding. We went to Shahzan's Inn, back in the town center. There is a Chinese and Malay restaurant here that opened for lunch and dinner. The resort looked slightly older than Puncak Inn across the road and in need of a make-over. Nearby is a playground and a small garden which the boys went to while waiting for food. We then headed back to the hotel right after, for some rest before a touch of golf and scones later.

Taking Mum to Lunch at The Curve

My Dad was pestering me for quite a while for some Western Food for lunch. He wanted some Roast Chicken. Since everybody was free last Sunday afternoon, I took both my parents out. Puan Anita wanted to buy some shirts for the boys as well at The Curve. We arrived rather later than usual and was caught with the heavy traffic on the way in. With the school holidays and end of year sales, the crowd was bigger than the usual Sunday.

Entering the main foyer at The CurveDon't touch!

After having our lunch at Marche, we decided to have a quick stroll around the place while Anita went about to do her shopping for the boys. The Xmas decorations were in full show, complete with carol singers, Santa and his helpers. Unfortunately Anita's flu was taking her down and after only half an hour, we decided to return home. She has been having fever for the last few days, and it was about time she saw a doctor. It all started earlier in the week when she took my maid to see a local GP after she complained of painful eyes. She had some infection there and was given some drops. While waiting to see the doctor, there were a few patients with heavy cold at the cramped room. She started having sore throat the same evening.

I was trying to figure out why this cute Santa helper was wearing a table round her waste?The main foyer was transformed with the decorations

We went to a clinic in Bukit Antarabangsa where my parents lived. she was given antibiotics and since then had been feeling much better. We spent the rest of the afternoon at my parents, just sitting around while Anita had some chicken soup.