Home Cooked Ramadhan Favourites at Cinnamon Coffee House, One World Hotel

Yearning home cooked food to break fast this Ramadhan? Head over to Cinnamon Coffee House on the Concourse Level of One World Hotel to satisfy your cravings! Expect yummy as good as ibu's (mummy) dishes including nasi minyak sari shawal, ayam masak rendang raya, ikan tenggiri goreng berlada, nangka muda cili padi dengan tulang ikan masin and many many more.

One of my very favourite is the roast lamb with beriani rice. Juicy succulent lamb with your choice of roast vegetables and fragrant rice. Do request for your choice cuts from the carver there. I opted for the thigh! And a huge lavish scoop of the dhal on my rice and lamb. *burp*

More local delights await including nasi kerabu. Choose from the assorted condiments. Salted egg and the salted fish is a must to go with the nasi kerabu. The simple salty pleasures of life:D

And if you love sambal, you must give the sambal tempoyak and sambal budu a try. The sambal tempoyak is one of the best I have had in quite some time. A little strange for folks and the idea of fermented durian sounds odd enough...but give it a try. Its a wonderful experience for the palate.

Nasi Beriani Gam Johor is quite good here. And I was at a lost of what dishes I wanted with my rice. I took a wee of everything. Thumbs up for their Kari Daging Seri Mersing. Not overly spicy and certainly did not overpower the taste of the beef or rice.

Do not miss out on the Udang Rendang Selat Tebrau. Every sweet juicy prawn is enveloped with the fragrant yummy kerisik and spices. I took 3 pieces and returned for a few more on my subsequent walk around the buffet line.

Its quite an extensive range of food for a Ramadhan break fast buffet. Very typical of Cinnamon Coffee House that is one of the better places to go for buffets in town if you want to be spoiled for choice.

There's a counter for Indian and Malaysian favourites. Choose from the different breads, rice and curries. Local Malaysian favourites such as satay, fried rice and char kueh teow is quite popular with some of the guests! You may also choose your own fish for some ikan bakar action!

Chinese food includes local favourites such as stir fried vegetables, steam fish with ginger, yong tau foo and even dim sum.

And if you love prawns, you must try the Wok Fried Prawn with Salt & Szechuan Pepper. Yes this is another addictive dish that I returned for a second helping.

And what is chinese without soup? Check out the soup for the day. On this day I had turnip chicken soup which was really soothing at the end of some heavy makan session. Quite a strange idea to have chinese soup with bread butter but yet, I did just that.

How to say no to the very delightful looking breads.?

I walked until the end of the buffet line to be rewarded with what I call a keropok and papadam "buffet". This are all addictive and if you're staying back for a chat with your pals, nibble on these yummy chips!

Its been ages since I had ketupat pulut hitam. Most places serve ketupat palas, lemang or the regular ketupats. Here they had ketupat pulut hitam. Look good eh? Taste real good and its a must if you've not tasted this! Have it on its own or eat it with the serunding (meat floss).

For those craving an International flavour, check out the Japanese counter. An assortment of sushi, sashimi and cold salads. What's amazing is the freshness of the oysters. It was a "hot" counter with people coming for plate full of oysters!

International also includes Italian that you can opt for pizzas or pastas. Do note that the pizza counter is not with the pasta station. A wee strange but its good to walk around if we're going to be eating from every station.

The dessert offering is fabulous! Choose from the wide variety of "everything"

Since its Ramadhan, check out their Raya cookies and snacks. Amazingly amazing. It was almost like sitting at my friend's home with home made Raya goodies.

Buffet dinner at Cinnamon Coffee House:

• 6:30p.m. to 10:30p.m.

• Adults RM108++

Children RM54++ (aged 4-12 years)

• For reservations, call +603 7681 1157

For your convenience, there is a Surau available for Muslims to pray after they break fast.

Saying Hello to Mr Peeping Tom

The last couple of weeks, we noted that there was a peeping tom opposite my apartment block. Always on the top floor of the opposite block starring across with his binoculars. When we switched on our lights to get a better sight of him (which now I realise I should not be doing so), he would either evade or hide.

Last night (Wednesday 3rd August), we opted to remain as is i.e. putting out our clothes to dry in the dark when we noted him and his binoculars. I called the guardhouse and 2 guards were dispatched to where he was. True enough, Mr Peeping Tom was discovered there with his binoculars. I arrived soon after with my hubby. We called the police and waiting till they arrived 10 minutes later.

The man was defiant at all times. He insisted that the binoculars was not illegal. Had it been illegal, then he wouldn't be able to buy it. However what was illegal or wrong is the fact that he was using the binoculars to peep at people from another block. He claimed to be admiring the scenery. But really the only scenery you can get from the emergency staircase was really the opposite block, the swimming pool below and the Sungai Besi Highway. Mr Peeping Tom who also stays in Block B has a unit that has a superb view of KL skyline including KL Tower, KLCC, Sungai Besi Airport and the Sungai Besi Highway. What "scenery" was he really looking at?

Tuesday 2nd August (or precisely Wednesday 1230am) this very same peeping Tom was stuck in the lift of Block C. Strangely, what was a resident of Block B doing in Block C at that time of the night? He claimed he wanted to come over to watch fireworks! And what occassion would it warrant fireworks on that time and date?

The security team and a management personnel confirmed that they have seen Mr Peeping Tom walking around with his binoculars. They did not ask him why but they took note of this strange man and his binoculars. And last night when the guards got hold of him, it was the same man with binoculars that they have seen walking around!

Here's a pic of Mr Peeping Tom. Cops from the police station in Old Klang Road where we were confirmed that they could clearly see things across the police station when they used his binoculars. Police station is on a slight hill with 6 car lanes and some mini land between the police station and the nearest building across the station

And here's pics of the said sceneries from where he was standing yesterday. The guard standing in the picture is in the position of where we saw the man with the binoculars.

Now...these are the sceneries that the peeping Tom can see from his unit of Block B that oversees KL skyline. The fact last night was rather hazy / cloudy, this is what he could see.

And on a clear day, this is what he can see from his apartment! No need to resort to standing at the emergency staircase right? The simple illustration obviously shows that Mr Peeping Tom was after a scenery!

Lessons learnt:

• Have your guardhouse number in your phone as one of the speed dials.

• Have the nearest police station number in your phone as one of the speed dials.

• Bring a camera along to take pictures at the crime scene (I learnt this during an accident when someone hit my ride)

• Take pictures with your handphone discreetly when you can.

• Be friends with your neighbours. (Thanx Prudence)

• Insist on making your police report even if the cops tell you to settle for "bincang" i.e. discussion.

How to Make an Origami Box

I remember when one of my staff taught me how to make origami bowls or baskets for CNY. It was a brilliant idea for bones, melon seeds or peanut shells.

And now with a twist to my Operasi Rehome Suki that I'll blog soon, I realised that I need origami bowls for her kibbles. Failing which I will be buying new plastic or metal bowls for her everyday.

Here's a video that I found on YouTube.

Balik Kampung Ramadhan Yummies at Serena Brasserie, Intercontinental Hotel

Its the time of the year when our Muslim pals fast for the month of Ramadhan. And its certainly brilliant to break fast with delectable kampung style dishes. Serena Brasserie at Intercontinental Hotel (previously known as Nikko Hotel) presents us a Balik Kampung Ramadhan buffet.

I've always related Percik with Ramadhan. Here at Serena Brasserie, I was not disappointed. The Ayam Golek Percik was nice and juicy. It went well with the gravy on the chicken. Not too spicy. Just perfect.

And another must have for Ramadhan is the rendang. Rendang Rampai Darul Makmur is one of the better rendang I have had. The meat remains tender yet well flavoured with the spices that enveloped the meat on the outside and was still present within the meat.

Rabbits are cute. Rabbits are unfortunately quite yummy too. The Arnab Masak Rendang Kuning is a must try if you can get over the rabbit cuteness. Very yummy when you have it with rice. Not limited to white rice, you must try this dish with the Nasi Kerabu Ulaman.

Asam Pedas Kepala Ikan bersama Bendi was one of my favourite for the night. One cant go wrong with a good fish and the assam pedas kuah / gravy. With the just nicely cooked lady's fingers on the side...carbo loading begins!

Kalio Udang Galah Minang Kabal is yummy. The spices went well with the natural sweet taste of the prawn. I must say that this is yet another carbo loading dish because you just want to eat more rice with the gravy that is extra sweet with the prawn juice.

Don't be lazy. Use your hands and have a go at the Ketam Goreng Berempah Bersama Tepung. There is something quite addictive about this dish that you just want to nibble on. Pass through the batter, crack the shell and you'll be rewarded with the sweet crab flesh. Worth using the hands:D

I was apprehensive with Masak Pindang Negeri Sembilan Perut Bersama Rebung Muda. For some folks, rebung (a form of bamboo sprout) does have quite a weird smell to it. However this dish didn't have the strong rebung smell that I would normally run away from.

The Ramadhan buffet spread does not end there. Serena Brasserie offers a wide selection of International dishes at the Live Stations including Arabic delicacies such as Mahmous Rubyan (Shrimp with Garlic and Cilantro), Kebabs and Chicken Molokhia. Indulge in the selection of Indian yummies Tandoori Chicken, Murtabak, Naan, Roti Canai and various hot spicy curries. The Roasted Whole Lamb with Stuffed Nasi Briyani is absolutely irresistible. There is also Pizzas, Pies and Puffs on the carving board. One can also opt for Stir-fried Seafood, Lok-Lok and Assorted Dim Sum at the Oriental Station.

How International can one get without having a Japanese counter? OK...I speak for me, myself and I. But yes the Japanese counter is not too bad. I had fun with the sashimi, oyster and prawns:D

The fruit and desserts station was good. I was rather pleased with the fruit platter. Its always good to break fast with some sweet dates but I personally prefer to break my fast with fruits and the fruit offering looked good. The chocolate fountain too looks fabulous with the side items although I actually prefer fruits with the chocolate fountain (Confession: I took a few fruits from the fruit station and swirled them at the chocolate fountain at the dessert station. Yummy!)

Desserts was a mix of good old fashion local ones including Green Bean with Durian Soup, Pengat Pisang, Malay Kuih, Tapai Pulut and Tapai Ubi. The bubur kacang merah was rich and creamy. You'll be craving for a second bowl. Indulge yourself in the Western cakes and tartlets. So yes...save some space for desserts.

And if you're a Muslim, there is a Surau at level 5 for your convenience to complete your Terawih prayers.

Priced at RM95.00 per adult and RM47.50 per child, the Berbuka Puasa ‘Balik Kampung’ is available at Serena Brasserie.

During 1-8 August and 25-30 August 2011, diners enjoy special price at RM80.00 per adult and RM40.00 per child. 20% discounts will be accorded to groups of 40 persons and above. It is only limited to first 20 groups that make reservation with a deposit.

Make your reservations for Serena Brasserie:

T: +60 3 2782 6228

OR

www.intercontinental-kl.com.my