A Mother’s Day special edition + celebrating with my 3 superwomen at Marianis Italian Ristorante @ De Garden, Ipoh!

They say people born with the Cancer star sign are usually known to be very homely and close to the family. What do you think?

I reckon I am relatively family-oriented. So I guess it’s partly true?

Perhaps it is evident considering the fact that I’ve already flown to Penang just last weekend to visit mom and dad.

But here I am again catching the next train straight to Ipoh to spend time with the (extended) family for Mother’s Day.

Outfit shot! Mother’s Day dinner celebration with themumsie.

Like mother like daughter, don’tcha think? 

Hello! 😀 Took some selfies en route to the restaurant too. Heh!

I mean.. come on, who wouldn’t spend Mother’s Day with their mothers if they can help it?

I have three (actually four, including our long-serving maid!) very important Superwomen in my life. I wouldn’t dream of spending Mother’s Day without them!

L-R: The Mom – Grandmom – Godmom – Not a mom.

We made a dinner reservation for five at Ipoh’s latest establishment which boasts a concept of classy, fine Italian dining.

Being the blogger that I am, Marianis Italian Ristorante piqued my interest as small town Ipoh hosts only a small handful of exquisite eateries. I was way too excited to see what this new kid on the block has to offer! 

The facade.

As we stepped in, I could tell that I liked the interior decor in an instant.

The well-decorated, spacious and chandelier-lit restaurant had a very baroque-meets-modern feel to it.

There were ample, beautiful seating catering to the different preferences of its patrons.

Lounge sofas, bar top tables, proper sit-down dining, high stools, long tables for large groups, al-fresco and more.

Note to smokers: There are two smoking zones in Marianis.

The open-aired front (pictured above) and the back (pictured below).

We chose the regular dining table as granny wouldn’t be comfortable slouching on a sofa.

(It’s bad for her back if she did!)

Food-wise, I was impressed with their menu and how the menu physically looked.

They were immensely thick and protected by faux leather, all neatly arranged on shelves which reminded me of novels by the likes of J.K Rowling and J.R.R Tolkien the way you would recognize in an instant, on a library bookcase.

The menu featured tapas, appetizers, soups, salads, Focaccias, pasta, main entres, pizzas, dessert and a wide range of alcholic and non-alcoholic beverages. 

Had some fun with the camera while waiting for our food to arrive.

Smile! Let’s get some Mother’s Day snaps rolling in! 

Check out some of the dishes we ravished.

From the Marianis Antipasti (Marianis Appetizers) line-up, we selected:

Calamari Fritti

They were very succulent pieces of fresh squid coated in special batter, deep fried to perfection and served with tartar sauce.

Melanzana Griglia

Fresh eggplant grilled in olive oil.

The dish came extremely and unbearably (rock) salty and after all of us had our first bite, we requested for a change.

When it was served for the second time, it was perfect!

Ice-cold beer!

Occasional sips of alcohol did no one any harm!

(Who am I kidding?) 😛 😛 😛

However I was very disappointed with my cappuccino.

As a heavy coffee drinker (4 cups of cappuccino from various cafes daily), it was the first time I’ve ever tasted coffee like this. 

It was bland and had a strange twang to it. Perhaps the ratio of coffee to milk was a bit off? 

Trancia Di Cod

The grilled fillet of cod fish served with sun-dried tomato sauce was a sure winner.

It was absolutely delicious!

Filetto Eye of Sirloin! (Forgot to take down its exact name)

Granny and I loved this to the very last bite.

Cross section of the steak. We ordered it medium well and it was perfectly executed.

The cut was very succulent, bursting with flavour at just the right tenderness. Yum!

Focaccia Marianis

This dish however, failed to impress.

The Focaccia bread was very limp and all its ingredients were served cold.

It came sandwiched in lettuce, sliced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and mushroom sauce, but surely the grilled chicken breast (and the bread) ought to be served hot or warm at least?

Pizza! Alla Salmone

This thin-crust pizza featured smoked salmon, capers and cheese.

Each slice was delicious and crispy!

For desserts, I asked for a recommendation and the waiter suggested this.

It surely did not disappoint! 

Tortino al Cioccolato

Chocolate brownies with a scoop of ice-cream. Very, very tasty – thumbs up!

Ironically, this dessert hardly had the texture nor consistency of a ‘brownie’, as it was named.

Perhaps it would be more apt if it was renamed a chocolate lava cake in my opinion.

We took lots of photos around Marianis’ vicinity – how could we not? 

The ambience was to die for and the lighting proved just right for picture-perfect moments. 

Overall, I would say it was a relatively pleasant dining experience except for the few aforementioned glitches in the food.  I would recommend Marianis to anyone, unless you are a harsh food critic or an experienced food reviewer too.

Plus points: the environment was lovely, while the waiting staff were friendly and accommodating.

The price tag on the food, however, was a little on the pricey side for Ipoh standards. Nothing too exorbitant but just a tad more expensive in comparison. Nevertheless, I’ll definitely be back for the Stinco d’ Agnello al Forno (Lamb Shank) and the Beef Short Ribs!

I wouldnt label it a fine-dining place though; but more towards a very nice, upscale restaurant that you definitely wouldn’t want to wear your bermudas nor slippers in.

Perfect for romantic dates, birthdays, anniversaries and family gatherings. 

Just put your best foot forward without the extent of dressing to the nines!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the marvellous moms out there, especially mine.

No one receives any training to be a mother, but you sure as ever did a fantastic job raising me – armed with the right morals, the right principles, the right amount of discipline yet with tender loving care.

I couldn’t have done it any better.

Here’s a shout out for the hot mamas, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, godmothers, aunts, nannies, guardians, babysitters and if you’re some sort of a maternal figure to someone, all my love goes out to you too!

Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done! Hey, it isn’t easy raising a child, let alone children! 

Also, shout outs to my circle of girl friends who have just turned mothers themselves; celebrating their first or second Mother’s Day with their newborns and toddlers.

Seeing you girls already being dedicated, proud mums to your bundle of joy (read: screaming infants) kinda makes me think what I’m doing with my life.

You are all busy bearing children while here I am busy with my career, partying really hard and training for a set of rock solid abs. I’m starting to get the feeling that something must not be quite right here LOL  

Life is still one big party for me. Maybe I’m just a late bloomer and prefer to maximize my youth before I move on to later stages in life. *shrugs*

So granny (and mom) stop pestering/hinting for a kid now – I’m far from ready.

Oh wait… now that I think about it, scratch that.

Happy Mother’s Day to me as well! *cheers*

I am a mother too you know, to my two year old son – my furkid Chivas.

 Being a mommy to him isn’t easy as well. He doesn’t just sit there and look pretty.

He eats, he excretes (a lot), he gets tangled, he smells.

He bugs me for food and water but spills everything all over the floor.

He wails for attention, he distracts me from my work and he wants to play.

He makes my fabric sofa and furniture look like an aftermath of a zombie apocalypse.

He walks all over me when I sleep.

He bites, he scratches, he slaps my face with his bushy tail.

He cries to be let into the bedroom, but begs to get out the next minute.

He clings to the  outside of the window railings and gives me a heart attack.

He jumps into bed with me for cuddles but struggles away after a second of cuddling.

He slashes me with his Wolverine claws during shower time.

He pukes out hairballs in the middle of the living room floor for me to clean up after.

He walks all over my keyboard and has accidentally composed and replied emails in gibberish.

(Dear recipient, I am not drunk. That was just my cat, I kid you not) 

But despite it all, I love him unconditionally as I am after all, his one and only mother.

For the mere sound of his soft meows and purrs at the front door greeting me the moment I come home, instantly makes every drop of sweat, effort, time and money worth the world.

I love you, son.

And regardless of your super high-and-mighty, pampered I-am-the-King-of-the-universe attitude (yes yes, I know you are a pure-bred cat but that doesn’t mean you can play nasty with the other kids), I will still defend and adore you to heaven and back.

Throwback: Mommycat and Babycat on the first day I brought him home as a kitten.

My little boy all grown up. Like mother like son?

I miss him! He’s currently staying with theJaanu as I have been away for several weekends back in Penang. Thank you dearest, for babysitting my son in my absence! x

This concludes the Mother’s Day special edition.

Happy Mother’s Day again from Jessicat and Babycat!