Editor’s Note – October 2018

[Editor’s Note]

Weekend Buffet High Tea at Taman Sari, Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur

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Joanne and I recently headed over to Taman Sari (which in the Malay language means Garden of Flowers) which is Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur’s 220-seater all-day Halal dining restaurant with Malaysian flavours. The restaurant is bright and welcoming with filtered natural lighting by day, and overlooks a beautifully landscaped garden (which BTW is great for photos!) and the hotel’s swimming pool. Taman Sari serves both local and western dishes that appeal to both international palates and those of local guests.

We were there to try the Buffet Hi-Tea which is served on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) as well as on Public Holidays. Parents can relax and enjoy the buffet spread, while the children will be entertained at the Kid’s Corner with face painting, kids’ movie and their own mini buffet counter.

The high tea buffet at Taman Sari is priced at RM85 nett per adult with 50% off for children aged 5 – 11 years. The Buffet Hi-Tea menu differs on Saturdays and Sundays while on Public Holidays, the menu will be created according to the festive occasion.

Just one section of the long buffet line

Chef with some of his popular high tea dishes

Scones served with clotted cream and jam – a prerequisite at high teas!

Fluffy pancakes with a variety of toppings like chocolate sauce, maple syrup, peanut butter, jam, etc. etc. Tip – wait for the chef to freshly make a batch then go grab it! Nothing like freshly made pancakes which are light and fluffy!

Crispy fried wantans – great for snacking

Fried noodles that’s pretty substantial and filling!

Assorted breads and pastries! I love bread so this was my favourite section!

I paired the croissants with a cup of black coffee

Mamak soup – select your preferred ingredients and the chef on duty will freshly make a bowl of soup for you! I found this to be very flavourful and hearty indeed!

Same goes with the pasta. Customise your own or take a ready prepared one.

Same concept at the noodles station – this time you get to choose your broth as well as the ingredients

Various ulam and even tempoyak! I went straight for the salted fish though!

The salad bar for those who like greens… Lots of different dressings though.

A very decent selection of desserts including local favourites like ice kacang, durian cendol (seasonal though), Western style cakes and [astries, and ice cream!

Taman Sari is located at:

Ground Floor, Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur,

73, Jalan Raja Chulan,

50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Telephone: 603 2141 9988 (extension 3667)

Website: http://www.hotelistana.com.my

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/istanakl/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HotelIstanaKualaLumpurCityCentre/

High Tea Buffet Hours: Weekends from 12.30pm to 4.30pm

The photos above were shot with the Huawei Mate 10 Pro (except the selfie which was shot with a Huawei P20 Pro). The rear cameras of the Huawei Mate 10 Pro are a 20 MP Monochrome + 12 MP RGB, with f/1.6 aperture, OIS (Optical image stabilisation), BSI CMOS. Dual-LED flash. PDAF + CAF + Laser + Depth auto focus, 2x Hybrid Zoom.

There was absolutely NO editing/ post-processing done to the photos. To be entirely honest, I’m a very lazy person when it comes to editing/ post-processing photos, and with the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, its artificial intelligence (AI) function automatically identifies the scene and adjusts the camera settings to best suit it. Incredibly convenient and it saves me a huge amount of time and effort!

For more info, head over to https://consumer.huawei.com/my/phones/mate10-pro/

Malaysia Best Sommelier Championship 2018

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Malaysia Needs a Return to the Days of Understanding and Acceptance

Those were the days! It’s a pity that the previous BN government and PAS conspired to get more extremist Muslim support by victimising non-Muslims and infringing on our rights, resulting in the whole fiasco last year.

As a result, many organisers do not dare to organise any Oktoberfest activities this year for fear of the religious extremists/ bigots, which includes the current SPORTS MINISTER who led a petition (which you can read here – https://www.change.org/p/hapus-budaya-pesta-arak-di-malaysia) against Oktoberfest last year in an attempt to garner political support.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/397538

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/10/04/siti-kasim-slams-syed-over-oktoberfest-petition/

We must NEVER EVER allow religious extremism to gain a foothold in our beautiful multi-cultural/ multi-ethnic country! We must reject any and all persons/ parties who use race/ religion to divide the rakyat! The strength of our nation lies in our diversity, and we will prosper together without racial/ religious hegemony.

I sincerely yearn for the return to the years when Malaysia had a culture of understanding, acceptance and harmony.