Victoria Station in Kuala Lumpur

Check out our non-smoking cabin. 

We're at Victoria Station having dinner after what I think is a very productive Sunday (did the groceries and everything). And I am blogging on location. My husband is busy with the camera as usual and the waiter has taken our order.

Victoria Station is on Jalan Ampang near the Chinese Embassy. Its an isolated building (not in a mall..yayy~). In the car, hubs had given me a choice: "My darling darling wife, shall we eat at Victoria Station or Madame Kwan's?" My reply: "Victoria Station please, I've already done a review on Madame Kwan's". He hits the gas pedal, does his crazy James Bond turns and we were parked behind Victoria Station in less than 5 minutes. I am telling you, his Waja is growing on me. It's got a good grip on the road too when hubs does his emergency brakes which is at least 5 times per trip--and that's from the house to the nearest G-mart store. 

But anyway. This ain't no proton review or of hubs driving skills. We are having dinner in a static train coach: at the best seat in the house! Although I must say, I have been on the tubes at Victoria Station in London and the coaches are nothing like this. This is more like the inside of a pirate ship with curtains from your grandma's recycled baju kurung. Regardless, the setting is comfortable and different and it's not everyday you eat steak in an unmoving cabin. All other restaurants I've been to serve food in a room.

Our food has arrived--very fast. We had both ordered steak. I went for Colonial steak--the most cheapest item on the menu at RM35.90. Actually, second cheapest. The cheapest is Minute steak which is a ringgit less and probably would have arrived earlier. Mazlan ordered T-bone steak at RM65.90. Wife is feeling generous and she told him to go for it. Actually, wife nearly forced him at steak-knife point for the priviledge of paying. Lucky wife.

check out the buns! Yep, we get free buns and butter while we wait for order
to arrive. They've clinched it! A++

Colonial Steak. Mine. B

T-bone steak. Cooked medium well perfectly. B+!

The steaks are good. Chew. Chew. Mmm~~!...Done medium well and quite luxurious. This cow has had much oxygen from the fresh mountains of New Zealand. Lucky cow. If you'd notice, I rarely order red meat because---as the Brits would put it---it's not my cuppa, but the full page introductory section in the giant menu has sucked me right in. Apparently, the Victorian Stationers started off as butlers for the Brits. They mastered how the Brits got their steaks done, improvised on the technique, quit work as butlers and started their own steak business. Suddenly butlerless, the Brits now needed to get new help, and having lost their focus, got ushered out of Malaysia in the process. Merdeka!

Just in case I told it wrong. Here it is.
[Click to read].

For convenience in parking, good food, fast service, free buns and and an unusual dinner setting, head to Victoria Station. Remember it is not a train station nor a bus station. It is a food station. I must say a special thank you to my husband for his kind company. It must be awful having dinner with wife while she blogs after every mouthful. Will try to chat animatedly with you in car on way home instead of holding tightly to door handle Yang.

This is the entrance.

Victoria Station, 
Kuala Lumpur

Cleanliness: A
Food: B
Price: Expensive. RM135 for us both.
Satisfaction Level: B+
Service: A++ superb. I thought they might know I blogged on food or something.
Atmosphere: A --loved the coach setting. Very adventurous.


May Allah help the victims and families of MH370 during this testing period. Only He is capable of all things.. Ameen...

Satay Kajang Haji Samuri (progress! we need progress~~!)

Note: This is a re-post and re-edit from an older entry which is no longer available for your viewing pleasure.

The Glory days. Newspaper cutting from 2001. The one and only wall deco.

Like all mysterious things in life, Satay Kajang baffles me. They know how to make good satay. They have the recipe for the best kuah satay ever, but they have one of the most mediocre restaurants in downtown Bangi.

Suraya Kpg Baru: fresh fish, fast service~~

Check out the telur dadar --- my favourite!!

Welcome to another edition of food intertwined with another flash of my life with my homies. Thank you to Allah for all the blessings He bestows on myself and my family. May we always be grateful servants.

This was us on our way back to Bangi from Ampang Point, where we had spent the whole afternoon at Harvey Normon quizzing the enthusiastic salesman on all aspects of Television and ended up not buying anything. His name is Wan so if you ever find yourself there (there's a sale going on at Harvey's up until the 30th of this month and all the cool flat-screen TV's are virtually free), please seek him out so that he will get the commission he deserves.

So in the car my husband asks me in his Ulu Klang accent: my darling wife, where should we go eat? My answer was: "rice and no malls. How about Kampung Baru?" I can't remember what he said in reply but he did a U-turn and lo and behold we where in Kampung Baru in 3 minutes. It must be the new LED lights in the car. 

Oro: Melaka's must-stop Moroccon Restaurant!

Good times at Oro with my childhood bestie Dor.

I think the last time I did a review with Dor was back in 2011 when we went to TGIF's  and she was holding back on food because she was getting married. Fast forward two years and she and hubs now have the most adorablest little baby called Ahmad and a classy restaurant right in the heart of Ayer Keroh called Oro.

Dor's husband, Adil, used to run a restaurant back in Germany called No Concept. There's no menu and customers would come in and trust the good-looking chef would serve them something good. Since Malaysians in general are a cautious and shy lot of people, No Concept food probably won't make it past our throats. So Adil made the concept here crystal clear: Moroccon and Italian food --the way it should be. 

Kiki :: Taiwanese, anyone?

Me and Kak Shan

Numerous people have been telling me that I need to do more reviews of KL restaurants. So I am obliging as I wait for the Faculty CNY celebration pending at 4:30 pm (that's in 15 minutes). Lets see if I can get a post out in 15 minutes. Dress code today: RED! Red psychology is very interesting, so to speak:

1. Extroverted, optimistic, courageous and confident.
2. action oriented and physically active
3. center of attention
4. radiate a great deal of energy
5. ambitious and competitive
6. explorers and pioneers
7. passion and enthusiasm for life
8. always in a hurry, wanting to do everything right now, patience is not your best virtue. (my husband was right)
9. does not procrastinate (this is a LIE)
10. hard worker (this too)
11. flare up quickly, calm down quickly 
12. strong need for control associated with basic survival instincts
13. somewhat of a know-it-all, not wanting to appear ignorant
14. determined when you want something, but have a short attention span (in my mom's favourite words: HHTA hangat hangat tahi ayam, as if all other animals have cold t***).

Makkah Al Mukarramah: Top 7 eateries for you to try out~~

We went to see some camels for their milk.

I had written this entry last year September 2013 when I was in Mekah on pilgrimage with hubs, and I had wanted to stick it in our Haji Travelog, but editing 40++ entries (for the 47 days we were there) takes a while, and being the perfectionist that I am--along with my teaching job, not to mention wife and motherly duties---means that its going to be a while for that blog to come out. So for now, I will stick this entry in here, as a favour to friends and readers who are there or will be going soon. Mekah really is a wonderful and special place. Be assured in your heart and soul of the Greatness of the One Creator.

Please let me know when you are going~

Breaking News: Sham Visa to Open Top Notch Restaurant!!

From left: Chef Hanapi, En Zaini, Sham Visa, and En Norhazemi.
En Norhazemi is the owner of the well-known Nasi Ayam Gemas :)

This is an special entry because I am promoting a friend's soon-to-open restaurant :) Sham Visa, who probably rocked you to sleep on your walkman back in sekolah menengah (read: Untukmu Selamanya and Gerimis Semalam), is opening a restaurant soon and me and hubs were called in for the food tasting. We were thrilled and honoured, and had literally starved ourselves the whole day for the occasion. Sham and his wife Ila, practically served us the food themselves in a 5-star hotel setting in their family dining room. Good thing I didn't sign my name on the fan-mail I sent back in 1991 or I would be blushing bright red and choking on my food at the arrangement.

Gobo Chit Chat: Delightfully Special..

Gabo Chit Chat's favourite customers :)

This is blogged on location as I wait for hubs to come back to the table with his 5th plate of food. Gobo Chit Chat is one of those places that calls for a write-up immediately. Let me just say that it's just us two this time-- and we are out on a date to rejunvenate our love (ha ha ha). We had just spent the entire afternoon at AEON Seri Kembangan trying out the massive body-crushing massage chairs at what felt like a free day at the spa and then we headed straight for Gobo Chit Chat at Traders Hotel.

Kayu Nasi Kandar: A very popular mamak restaurant.

Out with the GBS girls, for lunch at work. It's reading week and exam starts next week, and supposedly we have all the time in the world, except for the occasional FYP presentation.

So here is the scenario: 4 young healthy professionals (alhamdulillah) with grade A personalities and much ambition, who are very hungry and ready to rate the place. The restaurant was extremely crowded when we arrived, and almost all the tables were full. We headed straight for the nasi station and pointed our fingers at the lauk. "That one, yep, no, no, yes, bit more, please, stop!! that's too much".

Here is the verdict on each of our respective dishes. We use the old-time 1 to 5 rating scale, 1 being extremely bad and 5 being very good; scores given on each picture:

Shima's. Nasi kandar lauk sotong. I give 3 points.

Sharifah: Western dishes priced like kangkung

Abang and Wak. Seen here with ancient soft drinks. Nope, didn't try them.

This was a teh tarik session with Wak on a Monday night, which turned into a full-blown dinner session. Wak is this really cool pakcik we met in Mekah during Haji--- his room was just across mine and he and Mazlan were tight smoking buddies. He's also available and waiting for Miss Right and Undemanding. Good luck Wak.