Malaysia Coffee Fest 2018 Part II

Continued from part I here.

A few things caught my eye and was worth mentioning. Nespresso didn't offer anything much and I was already familiar with their products. There was a company called Cristo which offered free machine rental as long as you order their coffee cartridges monthly. Their brew was quite good and straight forward but I've already got my Nespresso kit.

Krup machines were going quite cheap, about half price to what I've seen before. There were also discounts on prosumer coffee makers but the machines were just too complicated and I doubt that I could cope. Anita wasn't much a coffee drinker as well.

That kiosk brew me the best blend of the visitThis one was way too complicated for me ...More brewing and more sampling ...The best coffee I had was brewed by a company called Spetta. I wasn't familiar with their product but the latte they prepared for me was smooth and delicious. With enough kick to wake me up ... But I swore that the barista was Bangladeshi though from the way he was describing the product. I just couldn't get that out of my head as I left his kiosk ...

There were a few competitions going on at the time but with the activities around I lost track about what was going on.

These pastries were nice as well. But it didn't go for free ...I think the barista needed a break ...Some competitors being interviewed ...Time to go, although there were a few more events going on ...I would definitely go there again next time. Hopefully not on a post-call day. The caffeine fix I had should keep me up tonight in time for the World Cup Finals ...

Malaysia Coffee Fest 2018 Part I

Since downloading Facebook Local, looking for events to attend in town during weekends were that much easier. I didn't have to plan much despite this being post-call day. Left my car a Pavilion and I took the MRT to 1Utama. And I wasn't disappointed.

Looking down at the whole event from the upper floorCristo, the Italian blend offer a subscription-based service where the machine comes freeI had a few people recommending me VCR. I didn't get to sample it this time ..This would be the first time I attended the Malaysia Coffee Fest. Not really a big event but a packed one, held at the main lobby of 1Utama new wing over four days.

This being the last day, the place was packed and the barista competition were teaching the finale as well.

The Cristo machines looked to be a hitSamples which led me to drink too much ...Waiting for it to brewI spent about an hour there just looking around the rows of stalls, all selling coffee makers, coffee beans, introducing various method of brewing, some common, some not very ... There were also stalls selling tasty pasties. Plenty of things to sample.

By the time I took my fourth shot, I was really jacked up, blary eyed despite this being post-call. Some strong brew they got there.

Continued in part II here.

Morning Brew

One of my patient gave me a coffee maker, one of those which accept Nesoresso capsules complete with milk Dr other to make cappuccino. I have been meddling around since getting it but had never been too serious about it.

Last weekend, I saw a roadshow at Bangsar Village selling the accessories as well as selection of the coffee capsules. I had another look and decided to give it another go.

I ended up taking up a package of 150 capsules which came with free see-through cups and saucer. I then started meddling with the water pH setting and everything and the results were quite impressive.

They were easy to prepare and cleaning was simple enough every few days which my maid could muster. Unfortunately, I am the only coffee drinker in the house. Anita and the boys preferred tea and hot chocolates.

I dabbled with preparing double-shot espresso last weekend and that resulted in a blend which kept me on my toes doing my Sunday morning ward round. It was potent. I could feel the buzz of ceffeine afterwards and could go on with the rounds for another few hours if I could.

Best not to overdo it I guessed ...

Decided on Me Time

Enough was enough and I decided to devote my Sunday .... to me. Good thing that Anita was out with her friends, I went into town, had some biryani lunch at Masjid India. Took my camera out and walk around town.

Catching my ride from my parking spot, KL SentralFirst stop would be to get some biryaniThe biryani here at Restoran Shahira is not bad at all. A hidden gem!Managed to catch an exhibit or two, before sitting down for a long lunch. For the last 6 straight Sundays I had been at the hospital and it was high time that I stayed away for once. I also had a few days leave lined up from next weekend, so I decided to switch off.

Seeing what's cooking in the bazaar ...Plenty of people coming and going ....Before I walk across to Medan Pasar ....The weather was nice for a walkabout, and I used the time to get myself acquainted with my new camera bag. Yesterday I put a couple of camera bodies in them and it felt a tad too heavy. It had better balance with just one, plus an iPad and some dongles. That was better. And I didn't have to worry about my wallet as well. Everything was in the bag. I only wished that the sides were a bit more sturdy and it tended to lose its shape if I didn't put the content the right way.

Off to Suria for some coffeeThat escalated to some bite ....And a bit of blogging ....So, I planned to enjoy another couple of hours to myself and hopefully there won't be anybody ringing. Happy Sunday!

A Day to Chill

What better way to digest the news of the rally in town and the gossips on social media than sitting in a cafe passing time on a time off. I did just that at Bangsar Village on Malaysia Day, with Anita joining for a bit of shopping.

For the Day's festivities, Bangsar Village had a series of cultural event at the main foyer. Shame that the turn-out was not spectacular. Only a trickle of people here and there. Most people were minding their own business. I stopped by for a moment or two, but I decided to rather spend my time at the cafe.

As far as the day go, there wasn't much for me to capture though. The couple of hours sitting was therapeutic however.