June 19, 2009

What'sHOT?: Old Pulteney Whiskey @ Vino Vino

By Telca James
Photos by Tdora Photography

I was doing some write up for next month promotion when Anne from D Junction suddenly called me up and asks me if I'm available for product testing. Since it almost reaches 6pm, I start packing up my things, clear off all documents on my desk and drove to Vino Vino, KK Times Square which is not that far from my office. Ughhh...though it's near but I hate the traffic jam during that particular hour....my gossssh!

So...the product test invitation was from Jimmy from Vino Vino for their new product Old Pulteney's single malt Scotch whiskey and I was like...oh whiskey...just what I need after working whole day in office!!! I can almost taste the whiskey glide smoothly in my throat while looking at the bottle…hahahaaa

Jimmy was so kind to spend some time to brief about the origin and taste of the whiskey as he poured Old Pulteney 12 Years Old on the rocks for me and Anne. I raised my glass a bit to have a look at the deep amber tone of the whiskey and started drinking it. It was a bit dry; the first taste that lingers in my mouth was a hint of toffee with a sweet after taste which I like….emmm….


Old Pulteney 12 Years Old is on promotion now where a bottle priced at RM200nett if you open it in Vino Vino while normal price is RM250nett per bottle.

If you happen to look for a warm comfy private place to chill while enjoying your favourite whiskey or wine to savour, why not include Vino Vino in your list…cheers ;)

To discover more on Old Pulteney Whiskey, visit
http://www.oldpulteney.com/ or contact Jimmy from Vino Vino at 088 486 868.


Vino Vino at KK Times Square

Moyog River

By Clara Angelicbug
Photos by Clara Angelicbug















I have always loved the great outdoors. Okay, so I have not done anything extreme nor have I had been doing anything outdoorsy lately but I still heart the greatness of Mother Nature.

Since Ekiel really enjoyed himself during our last picnic, I decided to do his belated birthday celebration at Moyog river, Pusat Pelancongan Tinukadan Kampung Mongkusilad, about 20 minutes drive from Dongggongon town.

Though the road is steep, it was in good condition and inexperienced drivers would not have a problem driving to the place. The only reason why I hang on tightly to my seat is because I got nothing better to do with my hands.

When we got down from the car, I nearly had anxiety attack when I saw the long suspension bridge. When I was told we didn’t have to walk across the river, I actually did my happy dance.

The Moyog river is secluded with almost (2 families came and left while we were there) no one around except for the 3 kampung dogs and 2 free-range chickens who feasted on the leftovers.

The river is made up of few sections which I named: cold + rapid section, cold + deep section and cold + shallow section. There were plenty of stones of all shapes, sizes and colors which were pretty slippery so you need to be careful.

Yes, the water was cold but I guess the rain the night before and the lack of sunshine that day has something to do with it.

It was quite difficult to move from one section to the other and you either walk in the water or climb over those kick-arse stones, which I prefer. It’s like a simpler version of rock climbing but not that easy when I had to drag and carry Ekiel around.

Once you conquer the slippery stones and freezing water, you’ll be rewarded with a refreshing swim, or in my case, dip. My favorite bit of the trip was dipping in the river with my back against the strategically placed rock that hid me from the rest of the world and the sweet sound of nature lull me to Lala Land.

It is one of the best feelings in the world I assure you.

The Moyog river is a good picnic spot with clean toilets, big sheds with table and chairs, BBQ pit and tap water!

However I would not recommend families with small children to go simply because of the deep waters and slippery stones but for those who want good fun, this is definitely it.

One more thing, never throw stones towards the jungle area because you’ll never know what you’ll hit. In our case, it was a big black snake that fell from the trees. Yes, I was the first one to run far far away.

June 16, 2009

HotSpot: What's On @ D Junction in June?

By Telca James
Photo by Jollence Lee / Banner by Florence Fedelis


WHAT’S ON @ D JUNCTION IN JULY?

D Junction's Event
9 JUNE 2009—Semi Final
30 JUNE 2009—Grand Final

Thursday Ladies Night
Buy 1 Free 1 on house pouring liquors by the glass or pitcher
Absolute Vodka & Bombay @ RM155nett

Bilbey's Gin @ RM115nett

What’s Hot from the Bar?
Black Label RM450nett for 2 bottles
Glenmorangie Original RM568nett for 2 bottles
Tiger Beer Tower RM70nett

BOUTIQUE KTV LOUNGE

DAD’S CHILL OUT PACKAGE RM70++
2 bottles of sparkling juice
2 pitchers flavoured iced tea
1 plate fish finger
1 plate tri-decks sandwiches
1 plate potato wedges
2 bowls tidbits
3 hours KTV room usage

Available only from 12noon till 7pm the whole month of June!
Additional hours @RM30++ for small room & RM40++ for big room

UMAI

Father's Day Promotion
20 & 21 June 2009 - Available for lunch and dinner
Spoil your dad with sumptuous Umai’s specialties this coming Father’s Day!

TAI CHUKA PIRI TO YASAI OGURA - RM 28.00
(Double boiled red snapper with sour & spicy sauce served accompanied with lady finger)

SAWARA MISOYAKI TO EBIKO SALADA - RM 25.00
(Grilled marinated fresh mackerel with miso and ebiko salad)

UNATAMA JYU TO YASAI MORIAWASE - RM 35.00
(Fried steamed eel with egg accompanied by sauce & vegetables)

WAFU GYUNIKKU SHOGA - RM 28.00
(Fry pan sliced beef with ginger sauce chili padi and assorted vegetables mixed with mushroom served in box)

TORI AMIYAKI TO WAFU SALADA - RM 28.00
(Fried chicken drumstick with teriyaki sauce, ginger & herb's leaf)

SIDE DISH
Salmon Shashimi
Aji Nigiri Sushi
Tai Shushi

Set meals served with Miso soup, garlic rice, Chawan mushi and fruits.
Complimentary a glass of red wine for all dads only.

ROYAL CHINA
Wah! Royal China's Unbelievable Promotions!


DIM SUM PROMOTION @ RM1.98++ per basket

*Selected Dim Sum items from Mondays to Fridays @ 8am to 2pm valid till 30 June 2009


LUNCH & DINNER VALUE SET MEALS

RM16.50++ per person

*Select from a range of over 80 mouth-watering dishes where each comes with a bowl of steamed rice, soup and dessert of the day.

*Minimum of 2 pax. Limited to promotion set meals only which come in multiple of two.2-3 persons - RM43.80++4-5 persons - RM73.80++6-7 persons - RM108.80++8-10 persons - RM148.80++Set Menu Extravaganza for 10 pax***RM198.80++ *RM298.80++ *RM398.80++


*Terms and conditions apply. For reservations, please contact Eric Lee at 088-703 300 or 0192184711


SPICE GARDEN
Father’s Day Special! 10% OFF on a la carte menu for the whole month of June!
Set Menu Promotion @ RM12.90nett only for the items below!


Lamb Shorba set - Lamb soup served with garlic Naan bread and rice
Chicken Naan set - 2 slices Naan bread with minced chicken stuffing served with curry
Briyani set - Chicken Briyani served with curry

*Discount not applicable for promotion set menu

THAI ODYSSEY
An award winning Thai therapy centre from West Malaysia featuring variety of massages i.e half body massage, traditional foot massage, Thai Herbal, Thai Aromatherapy, Sport massages and Body Scrubs. Thai Odyssey located at the 1st floor of D Junction building, offers serene and relaxing ambience. Open daily from 11:00am till midnight.

June 14, 2009

GETAWAY: Day Trip To Manukan Island

By Jchin
Photos by Jchin & TelcaJ

You can't call yourself a Sabahan if you do not know 'what' or 'where' Manukan Island is. It would be a disgrace actually ;p For those who are not sure, Manukan Island is one of Sabah's beautiful treasures. Anyway, we were there recently with my mom, aunties & cousins. Here, 'we' would be referring to telca & myself. You would not believe the number of times Tel, Julma & I postponed this island trip and at the end, Juls could not make it as we told her last minute about it & because she was working that day (Sorry Juls! There's always next time eh).


Allow me to give you the details of this trip. We departed Sutera's jetty around 9am via Summercruise Holidays and boy you can see the excitement on everyones face (yup..including me LOL). The sea was abit rough that day so it kind of feels like we were on the speed boat longer than the usual. Whatever it is, the boat ride was definitely more than 15mins (Mind you, in normal circumstances, the ride would take less than 15mins). About the weather...It was not sunny enough for sure. But everything was good as this was our first 'Ladies' trip after so long, plus my cousin Kim was back in town for a couple of days so everyone was looking forward to this trip. FYI, she's been in KL for ages but at heart, I know she is still a true Sabahan even though she does not show it.


(Sutera Harbour Marina Jetty)

(Mum poses while waiting for our boat ride)

Upon arrival, the beautiful staffs of Sutera Sanctuary Lodges assisted us with the check-in and briefed us on the necessary. Tel & I were only there for a day trip while the rest stayed overnight. Lucky Them! ;p. The chalet assigned was a beach front and as you all know, the accommodations in Manukan Island are all five star rated (For those who thinks otherwise, please feel free to comment). It has been said that rates for the lodges at Manukan Island are insanely high. To a certain extent, I do agree even though breakfast is inclusive. Its not like they are serving gold for breakfast right. For me, rates will never be an issue as long as it could be justified like for instance, the lodges is of 5 star quality; superb service and good edible food.

Accommodation wise, I would give Manukan Island Resort a two thumbs up. Some units have 2 rooms and some only have 1 room. Anyway, it could be that prices are set high in order to maintain the lodges, however, there could be other reasons as well but it is not my place to say right. One thing for sure, We really wanted to get our tan so after putting all our bags in our rooms, we rushed to the beach to enjoy the so called sun and beautiful waters of Manukan Island.

(Cousinly Love (L to R): Me, Kim & Amy)

(Tel, Kim & Amy enjoying the not so clear waters and not so sunny day)

After the swimming and the tanning, I reckon everyone was hungry so we decided to go to the restaurant. Before that, we only ate apollo cakes so it fugures why we were very hungry. To our surprised mum, Aunt Jo & Aunt Ainie were already seated at the restaurant. Hoping that we do not have to spend any money on our food and drinks, we ordered like crazy since the aunties were there. Ice lemon teas for all and nasi goreng cina to be shared among us. Unfortunately, we paid for our own food and drinks LOL Let me quote what Aunty Jo said to me - "You guys are working adults. You can now afford to pay what you consume" (Reality is painful Haha).

Its really sad to see how badly managed the restaurant was. The restaurant staff who attended us got our orders wrong and worst of all, we waited for 45 minutes for the food!! Poor girls. They had to walk all the way to the kitchen to get our orders. Its just ridiculous. People from the kitchen should be sending the food to them so that they would be able to keep an eye on us and the other guests who were dining there. It was just bad service and bad food. We were abit annoyed by the whole situation as we were extremely hungry. Everything was just plain slow. I seriously would recommend training for all the staffs with reason being, Manukan Island is a tourist hot spot, therefore, the island would really need passionate and trained staff to accommodate the visitors' needs. There is this saying 'first impression counts'. No harm done right to impress and to do a good job.


(Peace Out! LOL)

(Aunt Jo & Aunt Ainie waiting for their chicken rice)

(Ice Lemon Tea - Manukan's Signatory drink)

Though the service and food is of a 2 star quality but I must say that the swimming pool deserves to be credited. Clean, private and well taken care of. FYI, only in house guests are allowed to swim in the swimming pool. Rules are rules my friends. This was definitely the highlight of the day.


Well, what can I say. We had a blast and I enjoyed my time with my love ones. Will definitely organize a day trip to Manukan Island again and I hope this time, there would be heaps of improvements with the service and food. A must visit spot people!! ;)