18 The Fest, The Food, The Fish

Women Fest Malaysia, Malaysia's first fashion and beauty festival, was held last weekend at Matrade Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

WomenFest Malaysia 2017 with me as self-appointed Official Supporter

I popped by early Sunday morning to see what it's all about since it's nearby home and also because I'm pretty much a big fan of the Malaysian Women's Weekly magazine. Their events have always been exciting! I was even hoping to meet the Editor. Lol. No such luck after rounding the area twice.

I spun the wheel at the lucky draw booth and received a couple of discount vouchers.

WomenFest Malaysia 2017 - Lucky Draws and Beauty Booths

Although it was fun, it was only a half-hour adventure for me. Zoomed in and out after a quick browse at the booths. There were many food trucks outside but none called out to my taste buds. It was a case of 'just not in the mood for such stuff right now'.

WomenFest Malaysia 2017 - Talks and Food Trucks

Hubs and I left the festival to explore the newly opened road, DUKE 2, that leads to Desa ParkCity. There, we had lunch at Amelio Restaurant, which I blogged about before here.

We ordered the yummy pork curry pizza and Texan meatballs. It was a satisfying meal. The pork meat was tender, the cheese was heavenly and I love the crispy thin crust! The meatballs? Juicy!

Pork Curry Pizza

Pork Curry Pizza

Texan Meatballs

The same two warm and friendly staff attended to us.

After that, we checked out Desa ParkCity's latest development, South Brooks and the PPA1M civil servant housing, which was right next to the church. Not intending to get a home here. Just being a busybody! The monthly maintenance fee in this community is obscene. I would save that money for a holiday.

We dropped by Plaza Arkadia for a walkabout too, exploring mostly empty shop lots. It was humid although the skies were a gloomy grey so I popped into Coffee Bean to get a chilled drink.

Ice Blended Caramel, No Coffee

Our day out ended with a trip to Taman Tun's night market which opened earlier than usual possibly due to a forecast of rain. I did a bit of marketing and was excited to get a plate of medium-sized fresh fish (6pcs) for RM13. My only mistake was to trust them to remove the scales lining the middle. I usually do it myself, but since they asked ... sweetly.

Minutes later, my beautiful fish was mutilated, skin and flesh brutally torn off, some so deeply that parts of the bone could be seen. Pretty sure my heart plonked down to the bottom. Sigh, but I couldn't be mad at the guy - he was smiling and friendly so I returned his smile too. Keep calm and relax - It's SUNday!

Here it is freshly fried, the better looking side:

Fried Fish Dinner

With that, I end this post with warm wishes for a wonderful week for all of us. Tata!

10 Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna Rice Salad

Remember my earlier post on Ayam Brand™'s Chilli Tuna Fire-Hot Level 5? This is what I had it with for dinner. Best eaten in the comfort of home where you can sweat unashamedly. It's a spicy rice salad.

 Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna Rice Salad

In a wooden salad bowl, I tossed together warm rice, Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna and freshly chopped Daun Pegaga (Centella Asiatica/Gotu Kola). Daun Pegaga is a local herb that is best eaten raw but in my opinion, is also great cooked 'masak lemak' style. I added pan-fried traditional tofu to give the salad more texture.

Salad greens is a nice substitute if you're not into fresh herbs. Two cups of cooked rice for one can of tuna - a rough idea on how much to use.

Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna Rice Salad

Eat as is or as a side. This is a spicy dish so I served it with chilled watermelon balls to bring the heat down.

 Hot, hot, hot! Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna Fire-Hot Level 5 Rice Salad

There you go. A quick and satisfying meal for lazy days. That ends my adventure on Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna .. for now.

Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna range is certified Halal by JAKIM.

Website: http://www.ayambrand.com.my/tasty-tuna.html

This is a sponsored post, where I was provided with some products to try out.

That said, this piece is wholly written by me and all opinions are my own.

Please read the Disclaimer for this blog under Policies.

16 Langkawi : Kilim Karst Geoforest Park

Kilim Karst Geoforest Park or Kilim Geoforest Park for short, is a beautiful place to visit in Langkawi. Hubs and I thoroughly enjoyed the RM240 private speedboat Mangrove Tour we signed up for via a relative. It includes pick-up from the hotel.

A geopark is a UNESCO designated site of geological importance that is managed for conservation through sustainable development and given protection through public awareness, usually by way of tourism.

Karst : an area of land formed of rock such as limestone that is worn away by water to make caves and other formations. ~ Cambridge Dictionary.

Kilim Karst Geoforest Park, Langkawi

The park is an hour's drive from Cenang Beach, where we stayed. We chose to go in the morning because it was cooler and to coincide with lunch at the floating fish farm.

Our ride, me at the jetty and on the boat.

The Boat at Tanjung Rhu Mangrove Tour Jetty, Langkawi

The Tanjung Rhu Jetty at Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

Vrrrrroom...! The boatman drove us out towards the turquoise waters of Andaman Sea. The scenery was incredible.

Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

We zipped past beautiful karst formations and slowed at certain locations to admire the rocky hills. The best thing about going on a private tour is that we have a say as to what we want to do. Our boatman is an accommodating young chap. As we headed into the mangrove swamp, the waters turned a murkier green and was muddy brown in certain areas.

Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

Here we are at the short and narrow Crocodile Cave. It is named as such because it looks like a crocodile at a certain angle. There are no crocodiles here; At least none have been sighted thus far. This cave can only be accessed during low tide, allowing one small boat to pass through at a time.

Crocodile Cave Entrance at Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

Crocodile Cave at Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

Further in, we saw monkeys loitering along the mangrove trees, then lots of eagles flying in the air and swooping down for food. No feeding is allowed to preserve the eco-system.

Monkeys at Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

An Eagle at Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

Mangrove Trees at Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

We gave the bat cave a miss as there was a long queue and because we much preferred blue skies over damp, dark places.

Bat Cave at Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

The floating restaurant is one of my favourite experience. We were the only tourists there at the time and a lovely guy showed us the various live fish he had in captivity. The most eye-catching being the stingray which had a smiley face. It was an informational visit and nice sitting down for a meal or just a drink in the open sea.

Floating Restaurant at Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

We picked out a hybrid grouper for lunch, asking for the smallest one since it was only two of us. But as they patiently netted out several, it was obvious that fish here are a 'healthy' lot so we skipped the rice and settled for a large one which costs RM200-ish. No regrets - we tasted indescribable freshness and felt the difference from the ones we had back home in restaurants with water tank live seafood. It was delicious and unforgettable.

Choosing A Fish For Lunch
Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

Fresh Fish Lunch at a Floating Restaurant
Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

This floating restaurant has private rooms where people can rest or dine romantically with their other half. I enjoyed this place so much. It has a view so beautiful that it's like your mind is getting a massage. Sounds funny, I know. I went to the restroom before leaving and was surprised to find it very clean. Nothing goes into the sea if that's what you're worried about!

We passed several other floating restaurants earlier on our journey. This one, which is further out, has a much better ambiance. It was our last stop before heading back to the jetty.

Floating Restaurants, Floating Home and A Lighthouse
Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

The boat tour alone was close to a 3-hour adventure for us. It was the perfect way to spend the first half of the day before winding down with a drive around Kuah town for food and a stop at the iconic Eagle Square.

Website: http://langkawigeopark.com.my/en/

16 Buffet Breakfast At The Andaman Luxury Resort

Continuing my post on our stay at The Andaman ...

The next morning, we had the loveliest buffet breakfast at The Restaurant on the ground floor. A wide variety of food was on display. There's something for vegetarians, health buffs and greedy pigs like me (we try everything).

Breakfast at The Andaman, Langkawi

The bread pudding is to-die-for and I am not ashamed to say that we helped ourselves to two servings. The bread on top was crisp giving it a nice contrast to the soft custard underneath.

The Awesome Bread Pudding

I especially loved the bread room which was filled with scrumptious baked goodies - so much to try, but so little stomach space. It felt like my thoughts were doing cartwheels trying to decide what to put on the plate. There was also a wide array of fruits in one corner.

Bread, Bread, Bread!

Fruits

After much thinking, I walked away with these ..for a start.

Fruit and Pastries

The eggs are a must for Hubs so we headed to the egg bar to order an omelette.

The Restaurant at The Andaman Luxury Resort

The Omelette From The Egg Bar

Alcohol in the morning? This isn't my thing but I was excited to see it anyway.

Wine, anyone?

Vodka, Tomato Juice, The Works

I didn't snap any pictures of the Malaysian food that was available since my stomach was grumbling by then, possibly upset that I was spending too much time with my camera than sitting down and eating.

Yoghurt

Salami And The Sort

The Restaurant has a cosy ambiance, with indoor and outdoor seating.

The Restaurant, The Andaman Luxury Resort

There you go. That ends my adventure in The Andaman Luxury Resort. Hope you enjoyed salivating over my breakfast.

23 Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna Fire-Hot Level 5 On Mini Pancakes

Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna has been my favourite choice of canned tuna for as long as I can remember.

Nomming On Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna Fire-Hot Level 5 On Mini Pancakes

It comes in three degrees of spiciness :
- Chilli Tuna Light Level 2 has 33% less fat. Perfect for anyone watching their weight and want a little kick in their meals!
- Chilli Tuna Original Level 3 has been my longtime companion during those lonely nights when I'm making a meal for one.
- Chilli Tuna Fire-Hot Level 5, the newest in the market, had so much oomph that I 'tambah nasi' (add rice) !

Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna

Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna Fire-Hot is perfect with rice but I was thinking about picnics and teatime snacks when I came out with these sturdy pancakes. It had to hold so that it's convenient to eat.

The great thing about Ayam Brand™'s Chilli Tuna is that it's 'ready-to-eat' . This means that I can bring it along on road trips and open it only when we're hungry - mess free!

Ayam Brand™'s Chilli Tuna is 'Ready-to-Eat' !

Since Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna packs a ton of flavour, there was no need for me to add salt to the pancake batter. Half an hour later, I was munching on my third piece and running for a glass of cold, COLD water!

Look at that fiery hot chilli! It is no joke but the deliciousness kept me going. This is an addictive snack!

Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna On Mini Pancakes

Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna Fire-Hot Level 5 On Mini Pancakes

Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna Fire-Hot On Mini Pancakes
(Makes 10 palm-sized pancakes)
Ingredients:
Pancake
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk
---------------------------------------
- Cooking oil
- Spring onions (chopped)

Method:
1) In a large bowl, whisk all the pancake ingredients together.
2) Take a napkin, wipe thin layer of cooking oil onto the pan. Heat pan. Pour enough batter to make small / palm-sized pancakes. Turn once, until done. Wipe the pan clean. Repeat.
3) Eat topped with Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna Fire-Hot (we don't do 'mild' here) and garnish with spring onions.


I make these when I feel like rolling up my sleeves in the kitchen and getting down to a bit of work. However, when I just want a quickie, I go for something simple like the one pictured below; served on plain cream crackers along with fresh lettuce. Yum stuff!

Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna Fire-Hot Level 5 On A Cream Cracker

These are just two ways I enjoy Ayam Brand™'s Chilli Tuna . Wait 'til you see what I did for dinner! In another post ...

Before I end, Ayam Brand™ Malaysia is currently running a selfie contest, #ayamonfire , on Instagram and Facebook.
The contest mechanics, which I took from Ayam's Brand's Facebook post, are as below. Good luck!

Post a selfie or video of you trying this new Chilli Tuna Fire-Hot Level 5 and you might just win RM50 worth of Ayam Brand™ products.

The how-to:
1. Take a selfie or video of you trying Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna Fire-Hot Level 5.
2. Post on YOUR Facebook or Instagram. Use the hashtag #ayamonfire (make sure post is public).
3. Tag Ayam Brand Malaysia on FB or if it's on Instagram : @ayambrandmy .
Terms & Conditions apply.

Contest ends 30 October 2017!

Ayam Brand™ Chilli Tuna range is certified Halal by JAKIM.

Website: http://www.ayambrand.com.my/tasty-tuna.html

This is a sponsored post, where I was provided with some products to try out.

That said, this piece is wholly written by me and all opinions are my own.

Please read the Disclaimer for this blog under Policies.

25 Langkawi : Inner Peace At The Andaman Luxury Resort

A hidden paradise in a secluded corner of Langkawi island, The Andaman Luxury Resort is a dream for anyone looking for some quiet to revitalise themselves. Indulge in holistic spa treatments, take a nature walk or a swim in the beautiful waters of Datai Bay, this place is heaven tucked away in a rainforest with a wide stretch of sandy beach within walking distance from the rooms.

The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort

The Andaman Resort, Langkawi

"Ma'am, we've upgraded your room. Please enjoy your stay." I was ecstatic by the kind gesture upon check-in and in awe by the VIP attention. When it comes to hospitality and attention to comfort, The Andaman Resort is the place to be.

Hubs and I stayed here for a night. It was the best sleep I had ever had. The soft bed felt heavenly on my tired bones, brought on by two days of gallivanting up and down this beautiful island and twice, we were caught in the rain. I huddled under the cool, soft blanket, reluctant to leave the room. But I knew there was a stunning horizon to look forward to when dusk falls.

This is our room, one with a garden terrace.

Our Room At The Andaman, Langkawi

The glass door opens out to a lovely view of the rainforest. There was a warning about monkeys taking guest belongings out of the room so we kept our stuff out of view.

Room With A Garden, The Andaman, Langkawi

The bathroom is the cleanest I had ever seen! The toiletries? Of amazing quality. I tried the shampoo and I'm happy to say that it did wonders to the rain-drenched frizzy mop of locks on my head. Nothing like a good hair day to lift my spirits.

The Bathroom and Toiletries, The Andaman Resort

We took a romantic stroll down the seaside that evening and explored the jungly trails within the resort. It was a treat to see a group of monkeys on the beach. The Andaman Resort is surrounded by an old rainforest which is home to many wildlife.

The Beach At The Andaman, Langkawi

The Andaman, Langkawi

Twilight descended in brilliant hues of pinkish orange. We sat down for a meal at Tepian Laut shortly after, a cosy beach restaurant where the sound of waves rushing to shore is part of the music permeating the air.

Tepian Laut Restaurant at The Andaman, Langkawi

Twilight At The Andaman, Langkawi

Dinner At Tepian Laut, The Andaman

One of the waiters regaled us with stories of his life, adding to the charm of the Malay restaurant. I must warn you that food is very pricey here, but then again this is a 'luxury' resort!

Tepian Laut, Restaurant By The Beach

Breakfast the next morning? Oh, that deserves another blog post. I'm leaving this page with more pictures of the hotel area.

The Lobby Of The Andaman Resort, Langkawi

The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort, Langkawi

The Andaman Luxury Resort, Langkawi - Pool and Guest Room Area

The Andaman is a kind of resort that makes you feel you never want to leave its compound. I was actually sad to get into our rented car to head to the airport that morning...

The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort, Langkawi
Address: Jalan Teluk Datai, 07000 Langkawi, Malaysia
Telephone: +60 4 - 959 1088