MY HOMETOWN GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE: IKEA'S MEATBALLS FOR THE WEEKEND'S LUNCH

The weekend was here again and it was time for our regular gastronomic adventure. The chosen venue: the cafe at IKEA and we were like other Malaysians who went there to eat and not to buy anything from the store.

As usual, the table centrepiece would be the famouse IKEA's meatballs but we still had other foods to accompany the main course.

The best thing about the cafe was actually the free flow of drinks and I chose its coffee to go with the food.

We have to already think of where to go the upcoming weekend for our gastronomic adventure as, believe or not, it will be here real soon.

HOTEL REVIEW: HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS JAKARTA

I stayed at Holiday Inn Ekspress when I was in Jakarta last year, from the 13th-16th March 2020. It was a decent hotel and I have already decided I will be staying here if I am to get back to the city again one day.

The room was clean and spacious enough and it was strategically located at at a spot in the heart of the city. There was this tram/commuter station near the place which was connected to major tourist attractions and shopping malls.

For a person who is not fussy about food, I just loved the buffet breakfast spread in the morning.

And the price of the room was reasonable too, which should be one of the reasons why this should be the hotel to choose when you are in Jakarta.

SPOT THE ERROR 152

 Can you spot one word which is spelled wrongly from the list of drinks in the menu?

THE GOSSIP GIRLS WERE FINALLY REUNITED

The gossip girls, the complete members, were finally reunited after people were allowed to dine in at restaurants during the MCO period. We met after work at KFry for our late lunch and everyone was already very hungry that we didn't take photos of the food served on the table like we used to do. All the Korean dishes disappeared quickly as they were brought to us. One group member had gone back earlier before we could remember to snap a pic. This time, we obviously missed the Korean food more than each other's company. 😀

Let's pray things will get back to normal real soon so we could go and eat out more frequently [and grow fat together].

THE PUBLIC EXAM THAT HAS BEEN LONG OVERDUE

The SPM [translate: Malaysia Certificate of Education] 2020 was originally scheduled to be done in November last year but because of the C-19 pandemic, only today the form five students came to school and sat for it.

More strict SOPs have to be observed and students have to be reminded of too many of do's and don'ts throughout the exam period.

Food has to be prepared for the candidates so as to limit their movements as well as to save time, especially when there is just a short break between papers. This year we are lucky as generous parents of SMK Dato' Jaafar contributed cash for the school to buy food for the students.

Today was just the first day and with many more weeks to come, let's pray everyone will stay healthy and the exam can be completed as planned.

 

SPOT THE ERROR 151

        Yeah... RIGHT!

 

MY HOMETOWN GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE: ZAITUNA RESTAURANT REVISITED

Guess this should be the one and only exciting activity that I get myself involved in regularly. We had Arab food for this week's gastronomic adventure with my loyal partner in crime. This was my third time in Zaituna Restaurant and I don't mind coming back many times if the food was good.

We had rice with lamb, I think it's called Maqluba, hot mint tea and kunafa for dessert to sum it all up.

My friend loved the food and the place I recommended and we had already planned, to get something not-rice when we would get back to this place one more time.

WHAT DID I WATCH ON NETFLIX: HAPPY OLD YEAR

When Jean came back to Thailand after working in Stockholm, she wanted to renovate and redecorate her [mother's] house with minimalist concept. The biggest problems were there were just too many antique and useless items [read: junk] at her place. The first step she and her brother had to do was to unclutter and throw away all the things to make way for a new and modern living space. Nevertheless, she soon found out getting rid of things related to the past was something not easy to do. She had to part with memories and people she once had and all those items held some sentimental values. On top of that, in her effort to make the house more spacious, she was also going to hurt other people - her own mother, her best friend, ex-boyfriend and her own self. It was the haunting past that was attached to all the things that she wanted to let go.

Another movie which seems to have a simple plot but there is more that lies deep within than what the eyes can see.

I have to start planning to unclutter all my belongings at home - at least right after I have opted out for my early retirement. 😀

EATING OUT BEFORE THE SCHOOL REOPENS AFTER THE CNY BREAK

It is the last day of the 5-day school break for the Chinese New Year. The biggest achievement for me during the holiday: to be able to eat out twice before school reopens.

This time, my late lunch consisted of huge burger and onion rings at Woodfire located at Taman Suria, which is near my house. Mr. Afif Farhan, an ex-student of SMK Taman Universiti, was my partner in crime this time.

It was great to get the chance to chat again after not being able to dine in. Hoping to get to see more people and more food outside after this.

 

GOING CHINESE FOR THE CNY WEEKEND

Most of the time, it was not easy to choose what to eat so I suggested we go Chinese, as it was a Chinese New Year weekend break. My ex-schoolmate agreed so we met at Mee Tarik Warisan Asli in Bandar Baru Uda, a restaurant which served halal Chinese food.

It was my first time eating the Curry Mee here but I wished the gravy could be thicker and there were more food items inside the bowl for me to fish while eating. However, the bowl was real big and the generous quantity of noodles could last me through dinner.

I love the Bao Bao Tea the most.

And we had dumplings for dessert. 😀😀

Now that people are allowed to dine in at restaurants, I guess there will be more gastronomic adventures to come - but by abiding all the SOP and choosing not a crowded eating place.