Fit For 2 Revisited

After finishing the basic syllabus at Pingu's English, we sent Irfan for weekend reading sessions for an hour every Saturday lunchtime. It was his idea. He loved the place so much. The reading sessions were practically a drop-in session. We usually use the time to do a bit of groceries or window shopping. Last Saturday, we took the time to have a walk at Bangsar Village. The place was certainly festive. Puan Anita had sore throat, so she did not feel like having lunch. After a quick bite, Idlan wanted to go for a run at the indoor playground over at Bangsar Village II. They had energy to burn, so I thought why not.

The initial lunch at Nando'sThe bridge linking Bangsar Village and Village IIFrom which you can see both the Smokehouse Restaurant and Pingu's English at TelawiWhile there, I found my colleague, Ida and Alex having lunch at Fit For 2, right opposite the playground, with their kids. I was already full by then. The boys spent a good couple of hours running around. When they were done, Anita decided to have a some tea at Fit For 2.

The cozy interior of Fit For 2The indoor playground where the kids burnt their excess sugar across the corridor from the diner The yummy roti jala and curryWe visited there a few months ago, and the place has not lost its charm. It was cozy and warm. Most importantly, the menu is kid-friendly and wholesome! Anita had some root gala and the curry was gorgeous. The boys had some hot chocolate - with marshmallows of course and mini-pizzas. There was a yoga class going on in a studio next to the diner. In a small corner, there was a small play area for babies - my boys were too grown-up for the toys there - and a comfy sofa. There were magazines to browse and leaflets to read. Definitely for mummies!

After the delightful tea, we left for home. Puan Anita's flu got the better of her and she retired early that night. I did as well but woke up later to watch the football. Yes, United got beat by Villa! We got what we deserved!

Xmas Decorations Exploration - Great Eastern Mall

In keeping with the 1Malaysia spirit, Xmas is the time when Malaysians from all walks of life celebrate few things in common. It's the end of the year, school is off, the paycheck comes early, usually with bonus on tow and you can see sales everywhere! 1Malaysia indeed! So we celebrate it as with our brothers and sisters in this great nation of hours ….. we go shopping!

The foyer from the 3rd floor

In the last few weeks, we took the time to visit many of the shopping malls around Lembah Kelang. Most of the big ones were covered, some have already been blogged. During this weekend alone, we visited three. The keyword there was 'visit'. We hardly bought a thing. What typically caught my eyes were the decorations. The first one I liked to mention is the Great Eastern Mall. We went there for dinner last Friday evening. The was a Jazz Band coming to play at Alexis, so that's where the hip crowd were. In the main foyer, they have stalls and a stage. Apparently, during weekends, there will be visits by Santa and his helpers. Rudiolf included as well.

Idlan, Puan Anita and IrfanThe decor there was children friendly compared to other places. There is a snowman, a few Christmas trees. There was a stall keeper handing over candies to kids when we were walking by. The stalls mainly sold ornaments, cards and toys. Not much to shout about really. Maybe because it was in the evening, there were hardly anything going on. According to the shop keeper, there will be carol singing, life band, balloons and other fun stuff during the weekend. That will be a better time to come visit.

After checking out the stalls, taking pictures and mingling about, we headed upstairs for dinner at Cozy House. It was usually packed but for some reason tonight, it was quiet. For some reason, I fancied a steak. The way it was written on the menu made me order it. Apparently it was supposed to be spicy. After all, the name was 'Bombay Steak'.

The not so well done Bombay Steak - you can even almost taste the blood. O positive I think - don't argue, I'm a HaematologistWe soon found out why they were losing clientele. The food was not like it used to be, and a far cry from its sister restaurant, Cozy Corner at Ampang Park. In fact, the food there had also deteriorated if you read my entry a few months back. Not only that there was hardly any spice, the 'well done' steak I ordered came almost straight from the fridge. Nearly as raw as the sashimi I enjoy. The fried rice was not great either and Irfan only managed a couple of bite. Since the theme seemed to be raw, we might as well head to the basement floor to Express Sushi for some proper raw stuffs.

We did some groceries right after that before heading home. The verdict - better to head there during daytime especially weekends. There will be much more activities there then.

Date of visit - Friday, 11th December 2009

Breakfast time - Malaysian style

After the call on Wednesday, things were kind of blurry. This was not helped by the clinic yesterday. Folks in Selangor got to enjoy the day off yesterday while us on the KL side had to slave it out.

Since te next three Fridays will be holidays, the clinic yesterday was enormous! We had about 140 patients and I was the only Specialist. I saw 8 new patients alone as most of them can't wait a month for the next clinic. It went on until about 3.30pm. I was really hypo at the end and stumbled around for what was left for lunch. The worst thing was towards the end, patients were really in a foul mood and made it as if it was my fault that the next few weeks are holidays. There were also a few patients who missed their clinics before and since it was a holiday in Selangor decided to turn up. These are the ones that really got me pissed.

One lady even waited for a couple of weeks, being ill at home, came to my clinic and asked for my advise. What she needed was to go atted Casualty and get themselves admitted. That what I had to ask her to do. The reason for admission was not even Haematological. It was bordering on abuse!

Anyhow, once I arrived home I decided I needed food. We went out to Great Eastern Mall. Right after dinner, exhausted I went straight back home and slept on the couch! Zzzzz!

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Fraser's Hill - Day 1, Part 3 - The Rest of the Day

It's getting misty!The weather was fast becoming gloomy and the mist was closing in by 5.30. We could see the mountain tops being covered by layer of clouds and it was likely going to be raining lather in the evening. A perfect recipe for a night in by the heater I thought. One of our maid can't tolerate cold very well. She asked if she can get her some soup for dinner as my father-in-law would like to have dinner at the hotel restaurant that night, and she don't really know how to eat Western food. She found scones to be strange for a start.

The staircase at the main entrance

After the children had their shower and changed into their jim jams, myself and Puan Anita sneaked out to get some take-away while exploring for places to visit the next day. After about 20 minutes of driving, we stopped by the stalls to order the maid's soup. The cool weather made me kinda peckish. I ordered some yee mee to nibble on while waiting. The place was quite packed at that hour - 6 pm. After a brisk walk around, we returned to the hotel, had our shower and ready ourselves for dinner.

Anita discussing the menu with HenryThe restaurant had a decent selection in the menu if you are into Western food. Steaks, chicken chops, Yorkshire pudding are all on offer. I ordered some chicken pie, similar to what I had at the Smokehouse Restaurant in Telawi, Bangsar the other. I was curious if there were just as good. And they were. The steak that my father-in-law ordered were rarer than expected but the side salad and garnish were all authentic English. I have no complains with the quality and quantity of the food, but as from what I have read from other reviews, the price was a premium. To be honest with hose kind of ambiance and service I should bot really complain. One note of caution though. It was better to order up front as it took about 40 minutes to prepare our dishes.

Unwinding in front of the fireplaceAs we were in a group of 10, we were given a special long table. The eating area was well heated and the candle light added to the atmosphere. The lavatories were freezing however, and that was the only place with a sink. After dinner, we were offered a complimentary nightcap. One can order coffee or tea, or in my case, it was a cup of hot chocolate. We can either have them sent to our rooms and as what we did, had them in the reading room while reading some magazines. What a way to end our first day there.

* The second part can be accessed here, while click here to go to the next installment*

Fraser's Hill - Day 1, Part 2 - Arriving at the Smokehouse

Reading the website about Smokehouse gave me the impression that the place was trying hard to invoke a feeling that the visitors were in an English cottage rather than in Malaysia, but only succeeded in doing it half-baked. In the end the experience was rather hit and miss, some of the review good, some lukewarm while others were downright negative. I did not really have a great expectation of the place. And when I reached there, I was mightily surprised and hugely pleased. Having stayed in England for many years and spent a few weekends in English country cottages, I can assure you the feeling was nearly as authentic. It was like England in fall as the weather was not as dreadful - Yes! Weather is England is dreadful outside summer! This was especially true when it was misty at night. That old air into the lungs while listening to the tranquility of the forest is a contrasting experience, but something I would recommend to all you city dwellers. It was only 100km away, but it felt more than that.

Parking is rather limitedHalcyon rooms were located in the buildong on the left. The main building and the reception were located to the right.Flowers adorning the entranceWe were greeted by the Manager, Mr Hafiz, a smart gentleman in his late forties who seemed to always say the right word. I was initially put off with the fact that apart from him and a couple of cleaners, the rest of the staffs were from Myanmar. The feeling soon disappeared as they were eager to help, a couple of them spoke impeccable English and understood Malay. As an example, later in the afternoon, as we returned from getting our maids some soup for supper from a nearby stalls, rather than telling us off for bringing outside food, they actually offered some bowls and cutlery. That was just classy in my book.

Table set up for lunchThe table for our family, set for ten!Hafiz was leaving for KL the same afternoon, and we were under the capable hands of the Supervisor, Henry. The hotel comprised of the main house where the reception, TV room, restaurants and bar were situated. There were also a few of rooms there with a couple of small seating area and small offices should one need to do some work.

The sign at the bar My family and in-laws stayed at a small cottage at the back of the main building. We stayed in Owen Room, complete with a queen size bed and a pair of bunk beds. Unfortunately it was me who had to sleep on the bunk bed as the boys wanted their mother. There was no TV in any of the rooms. We were supplied with a heater and the toilet was very clean and comfortable, although as the floor was tiled, they were cold and slippery when wet. We actually used the supplied towels to line up the floor to make sure that the boys were OK. My in-laws stayed next door at Ashley, with parquet flooring. Therefore, it was conformable and warm. Owen had a balcony overlooking the mountain range. In the evening when it was misty, we had the feeling as if we were in the clouds. Insect was a problem however.

The mentioned bunk beds in our room. Irfan was downstairs with Idlan occupying the top.Our driver, niece and the maids stayed in another building on the other side of the compound. These rooms were pretty basic, next to each other with an adjoining door. I can see these being suitable if you were visiting with a group of friends. It was called the Halcyon Rooms.

Scones anyone? These were freshly baked at the restaurantWith tea of courseAfter we settled in, I went out with my camera and started snapping. I was later joined by the rest for tea and scones. These were actually in the house, they were prepared in-house and was damn right tasty. We had it in the reading room while enjoying some music and reading the magazines. My boys were really excited with the tea and smearing the butter on the scones. We didn't feel like doing anything else, and after tea, the boys spend the rest of the afternoon on the swings at the garden next door.

* Part one can be read here and part three uploaded here *