THE LUNCH DATE WITH A TESL FRIEND AT DOLLY'S DIMSUM

   22ND SEPTEMBER 2025    ~ This was a date long overdue. Finally I got to meet Puan Shamsul Niza a.k.a Jyja, a friend of the TESL circle, for lunch before flying home to Johor Bahru.

 

The meeting place was Dolly's Dimsum at NU Sentral which was near to her office. As for me, I could get a train straight from the station near my hotel, and could hop on the ERL [speed train] to get to the airport later.

When I arrived at the restaurant by 1:30 p.m., it was filled with office workers having their lunch but the place was vacated gradually.

This was actually my second time at Dolly's. The first one also took place with TESL friends but in a bigger group [READ HERE].

The food was good but everything tasted better when someone was paying for it. I had to thank Puan Shamsul Niza for treat. We could stay long as my friend had to get back to the office and I had to follow her for s short tour at her workplace, and I was not complaining.

THE COFFEE SESSION AFTER THE BRUNCH AT NU SENTRAL

   2nd MARCH 2024    ~ First, there was a UPM TESL Class of 1993 Brunch Session at Dolly Dim Sum in NU Sentral [READ HERE]. Then, six people rerouted to a nearby coffee shop named Jardin to continue gossiping.

The cakes here were delicious.

We came, we saw, we conquered.

Luckily there were not many people at the cafe and there were still many vacant seats inside. The heated discussion took approximately 2 hours but the ladies had to go to someone's house right after for some women related matters.

It was definitely a day well spent with old friends from college i.e. Universiti Pertanian Malaysia. 30 years after graduation and some people still cherish the friendship. Hoping for more TESL gatherings to happen after this and I will try to be there if time permits.

"There are three things that grow more precious with age; old wood to burn, old books to read, and old friends to enjoy."

~ Henry Ford ~

THE UPM TESL CLASS OF 1993 DIM SUM SESSION AT NU SENTRAL

   2nd MARCH 2024    ~ The original plan for this gathering was to distribute ordered/bought food items to their rightful owners. The discussion was done in the UPM TESL Class of 1993 Whatsapp Group and people even registered their names to attend. I, on the other hand, conspired with Puan Hazlina Aziz, hoping to surprise people with my appearance.

The chosen venue this time was Dolly Dimsum in NU Sentral Mall, in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The restaurant only opened at 10:45 a.m. but we were already there much earlier, standing outside excitedly to get the best spotfor the expected 12 people for brunch. The place was quite small actually for our big group but we still managed to get the few tables combined and conquer the whole eating place.

the moment before the food arrived at the tables

A few members of the group brought along their husbands and daughters, and they were no strangers to everybody by now.

Some people were kind enough to bring cookies, crisps and door gifts as well.

So how did I find the food, especially the Dim Sum? To me, it was like eating Sushi, something I did for leisure. However, the company of old friends was the best thing that ever happened so the food did not really matter.

bidding farewell outside Dolly Dim Sum

Were people surprised to see me there? The plan was a huge success, hurrah!

After almost 2 hours sitting, eating and chatting, the merry makers had to leave the restaurant, and that should be a huge relief for the waiters and waitresses. The place would return to its calm and peaceful ambience once more for sure. It was time to bid our goodbyes to each other and while a few had to make their way home, a few others continued with their coffee session right after.

TO BE CONTINUED HERE