Hey stranger!

Don’t chide me – I’m more than aware I’ve been gone for almost a year.

Not giving up and will at least pen a few stories before the year ends. But hey, at least you’re following me on Instagram (@imthejessicat) I hope; I didn’t go completely MIA just yet!

OOTD for the night:

Dress by Sarah Joe | Heels by Pedro | Bag by Chanel

Currently working on two blog articles and this is just one of them. The other one is taking a wee bit longer as I’m making a video for that staycation experience too.

I need way more discipline and speed to get back into my old blogging habits. 2019 Resolution maybe?

Dear readers, how I’ve missed you.

How I’ve missed writing and sharing my experiences with all of you! ❤️

There’s so much to update since my absence and so many stories & thoughts to share, but here’s one for today in the spirit of Christmas. This festive season, I had the pleasure of tasting the Christmas & New Year’s Eve Menu of Signature and took in the beautiful sights of Stratosphere – all thanks to the good folks of The Roof.

It’s exactly 1 month after Christmas and I just realized I haven’t blogged about Part 2 of my Christmas celebrations yet. Whoops.

So today will be all about my Christmas celebrations in WEIL Hotel, Ipoh with la familia!

Just like every year, we’ll either head back to Ipoh or Penang to spend Christmas eve all through the Christmas weekend together.

Not for religious purposes, Christmas, to us, is really just an annual ‘year end’ family thing we’ve always been doing since I was a kid. Fast-forward decades later, I’m glad this family tradition never changed 🙂

But first… tonight’s OOTD! 

Outfit of the day/night would be this beautiful, elegant dark fuchsia dress and nude heels.

If you haven’t already realized from my Instagram photos and recent blog posts, I’ve (almost) completely revamped my wardrobe.

Slowly but surely, my style has gradually changed from being a tad too revealing & low-cut, to more of an elegant & classy yet decent one… simply because I’ve learned that a woman’s beauty and purity lies in her modesty.

Dress by: Dorothy Perkins

Gladiator nude heels by: Steve Madden

Accessories by: DIVA

Back to the story!

It wasn’t a long drive there, about a little under 30 minutes from my folks’ place.

One thing’s for sure though, we were starving already. Certainly couldn’t wait for the feast awaiting us! Teehee.

Mom & I – selfie from the backseat

Read on to find out where we went and how we celebrated!

That blessed day of the year has come again!

Wow, looking back… how I spent this last year’s as well as this year’s birthday has been a vast difference from my insane party-hard birthdays of my much younger days.

I guess when we grow up, we tend to want to spend our special day in the comfort of our loved ones and enjoying quality conversations… instead of banging it out hard at the clubs/raves. (Save that for the weekends instead! 😛 )

This year, I’m lucky enough to spend it with the love of my life again – for the second time!

Last year, he surprised me to our city’s Helipad to enjoy the wondrous sky-high view and the delicious meal at Heli Lounge Bar.

Just a little throwback before we start with this year’s birthday celebration.

(Terrible low-light photo quality – forgot to bring my camera!)

Moo brought me to enjoy a rather different cuisine for our dinner date this time round.

As we’re so used to the likes of Italian, Arabic, North Indian, American and local food already, we decided to check out what Spanish cuisine has in store for us.

(Do I hear a hola!?) So off we adjourned to Estilo in Publika KL. 

Beautiful, authentic setting.

The view from our seat

The interior decor was a pretty interesting one – it had wooden arches partitioning different sections of the restaurant, with standard dining tables and seats, with the option of sofa seating (like ours!) and a bar-top area with high chairs. 

There’s also the alfresco area – but we’ll get to that later. 

Handpainted Spanish crockery

The waiter who attended to us was anything we’d want a waiter to be: knowledgeable, friendly and polite.

To manage expectations, he explained what the dishes were, its main ingredients and how it will look like – trust me, reading the menu in Spanish proves to be an arduous task!

We appreciated the gesture and placed our orders.

His and hers (for sharing): Chocolate Milkshake & Freshly Squeezed Watermelon Juice.

Yeah, yeah… kids’ drinks. Don’t chide us! We would’ve gotten wine but it was a weekday and since our weekends are usually full of that, we’d thought we’d play it down a little.

Plus, my guilty pleasure has always been fruit juices and anything chocolate/milk based 😀

While waiting for our sumptuous feast to arrive.

We were half worried that we wouldn’t be able to finish all the dishes we ordered. We hear they come in huge portions! 

Table talks. Let the quality conversations ensue!

We were served fluffy house bread and butter as we await our entrées & main course

Berenjenas 

This tapas appetizer had aubergine crisps, chickpea mash and mostillo reduction. We loved how crispy and tasty this was. I’m a huge fan of aubergine so I was naturally thrilled!

Costillas de Cordero

This dish of whole rack baby lamb ribs was flavourful, and very well-done! 

You know how fat lambs usually are, right? But this one was hardly considered fat, in comparison. It was also served with baked potatoes in their skins, homemade french fries and a delicious triple delight of Estilo signature sauces – Mojo Green, Peri Peri & Piquillo.

Go taste them for yourself and find out what they are made of!

We couldn’t decide which was our fave as all three complemented the ribs perfectly. 

We made sure to make space in our stomachs for the main event… *drumroll*

It’s finally here! The glorious, glorious Paella Estilo 

Strictly for sharing! Unless well, you have an appetite of an entire starving population.

I’ve only eaten Paella once in my life – at a Carlsberg event 2 years ago in La Bodega, Pavilion KL. It was seafood paella and to my best memory, I distinctly remember how delicious and hearty it was.

Moo giving it a good mix before we dug in!

This one surpassed expectations too. With chicken chorizo, chicken & green beans in rich chicken stock, this giant hotplate was certainly a reason to revel in delight.

Largely filling, bursting with flavour and yummy to every bite, I’m glad moo’s first time with Paella was a good experience!

Don’t forget a selfie with the Paella!

 As expected, we weren’t able to finish the entire portion.

We ended up packing the remaining away for brunch the next day. Moo excused himself to wash his hands – at this point, I was thinking to myself, “Wash hands? For? We didn’t even eat with our hands – full on cutlery till the end!”

But as he returned with a smirk on his face, I knew he was up to something. 

Thanks dearest!!

You never cease to surprise me!

Right from the lovely bouquet of pink roses delivered to my office desk this morning to this enjoyable birthday dinner date.

Thank you for the tiramisu birthday cake surprise. Time to make a wish!

Here’s to many more birthdays with you.

We decided to catch a breather and headed to the alfresco area for some fresh air – also to finish up our drinks and dessert.

So full to the brim! 

T’was a lovely end to an awesome dinner date

Our view of Estilo, from the alfresco area.

For the awesome dinner, surprise bouquet at my office this morning and for making my birthday a memorable one yet again, I owe it to you.

Thanks a bunch, moo!

Now, just wait and see what I have up my sleeve for your birthday this time round.

 Also, thumbs up to Estilo for making our night and my birthday one to remember.

Viva la Espana! 

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For reservations and more details on this restaurant:

Check out their website at: www.estilo.com.my

LIKE them on Facebook at: fb.com/estilo.my

Call them at their contact number: +603-62039883

Drop by this address: 

Estilo Tapas Bar & Charcoal Grill
No 34, Level G2 Block C5,
Publika Solaris Dutamas,
Jln Dutamas 1,
50480, Kuala Lumpur

Opening hours: Monday – Sunday (11am – 1am)

Being a health food junkie known for fastidiousness and a hard-to-please demeanor when it comes to food criticism, it usually would take a lot for me to approve or recommend food marketed as ‘healthy’.

As long as it is not made with my bare hands or by the hands of a fellow fit food/health food enthusiast, I tend to raise an eyebrow when labels on pre-packaged foods and menus proclaim themselves to be ‘healthy’, ‘sugar-free’, ‘fat-free’, ‘low calorie’ and other drivel.

My initial skeptical face. Looking forward to unveil KLGCC’s new Healthy Menu regardless!

But when Malaysia’s premiere golf and country club invited me for a food tasting and review session of the newly-launched healthy menu of their Golfer’s Terrace, something tells me that this has gotta be the real deal. 

Arriving at the entrance.

Bestowed with prestigious awards over the years, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) is an exquisite clubhouse nestled on Bukit Kiara hilltop with a golf course to die for and exclusive VIP lifestyle facilities for its members.

Just a little background info (and to blow their trumpet a little!), here are some of their notable honours they’ve been recognized for:

• 2014 Best Golf Course in Malaysia by US Golf Digest
• Best Golf Experience in Malaysia by Expatriate Lifestyle
• Best Clubhouse in Asia Pacific and #1 Gold Course in Malaysia Asian Golf Monthly Awards 2013 and 2012
• The BrandLaureate Awards 2012-2013 Best Brand in Sport-Golf Course.
• Golf Course of the Year by Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards Regional Series 2011-2013

Pulling up into the driveway of KLGCC.

Today’s fashion get-up. Jessicat wears:

Lace button-down blouse in white by H&M / Skater skirt in blue by Topshop /

Tessuto Vitello Daino tote bag by Prada /Jeffrey Campbell inspired boots by Forever 21

Accessories by DIVA.

More often than not, meals at golf clubs and terraces usually comprise selections of club sandwiches, sinful finger food (read chicken drummets, sausages, potato chips, nuggets) and all the other typical snacks that would appease an average golfer’s palate.

However, the exclusive Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC)’s culinary team took a step ahead of its competition to create an additional menu armed with one objective in mind, that is to take our tastebuds around the globe… but with a healthy twist! 

The new menu features a variety of entrees, salads, desserts and more.

Prepared and cooked with the freshest of ingredients by in-house culinary team, this menu is the brainchild of Executive Chef Arnold Kwok, who ingeniously crafted it with good health in mind.

Take a look at some of the masterpieces we were served with that evening. 

From long business lunches to express lunches on-the-go, patrons can savour the light Chicken Romaine Salad from the Western palate to Thailand’s famous and exotic, Green Curry Chicken.

I had the pleasure of indulging in the latter – which you will see in a bit!

Other around-the-world choices are Salmon with Warm Tomato relish, Steamed Sea Bass with baby Bok Choy and Slow Cooked Beef Brisket.

As all healthy main meals would not seem quite complete without an equally healthy drink, diners can opt between 4 of their healthy fruit & vegetable smoothies.

Check out the refreshing (and rather unique, I might add!) blend of smoothies and juices that will tantalize any health junkie.

Clearly I chugged it all down with glee!

To introduce this menu to the public, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club hosted a group of media, lifestyle bloggers and health food enthusiasts to savour and review the new line-up.

Can anyone say, first dibs on all the food? 

I  too, had the good fortune of receiving an invitation to tonight’s dining.

Thanks, KLGCC!

 Executive Chef Arnold Kwok welcoming us and introducing his healthy menu.

With society becoming more health conscious, we also want to serve healthy meals of a good variety that will appeal to all age groups.

We want to encourage patrons to make healthier choices when it comes to food

– Arnold Kwok

In this menu, a variety of healthier alternatives are used to substitute regular ingredients.

For instance, coconut oil replaces the usual cooking oil (high  in cholesterol and saturated fats by the way!), coconut flour replaces white flour and strictly no preservatives or processed food are used.

Instead, Chef Kwok uses ingredients such as  lean chicken, sea salt, unsalted butter and Omega 3 eggs, to name a few.

Fairly convincing, right?
Let’s enter the dining area of the KLGCC’s Golf Terrace now. 

A sneak peak of the interior.

 Tables were reserved for us that evening.

Let’s begin with the first meal of the day!

 What’s the first thing you do when you wake up fresh in the morning? A big, hearty breakfast is what gets me fueled up for the day.

No breakfast, and all you’ll get is a grumpy Jessicat with depleted energy levels throughout the day. Approach with caution. 

For sufficient calories to begin your day, KLGCC’s breakfast is available from 7.30-10.30am. Golfers, start your tee off with these! 😉

Tuna Guacamole Salad

Calorie Counter: 661 Calories

Departing from the standard fare of the usual garden salad or caesar salad,

this meal certainly stands out.

The Tuna Guacamole Salad consists of tuna chunks, guacamole, Omega-3 eggs, tomato, black olives, onion and seasonal salad, topped with creamy pine nut dressing.

The tuna chunks are mashed with guacamole and wrapped up with seaweed lining – just like how sushi rolls would look like! 

This well-seasoned and colourful dish was sprinkled with balsamic vinegar while the slight hint of spiciness from the black pepper in the creamy pine nut dressing is sure to perk you up!

 Moving on…

If salad isn’t up your alley, why don’t you take a look at this oven-baked dish and pastry combination instead? 

Chicken Broccoli Frittata
Calorie Counter: 411 Calories

Care to have a bite?

The frittata really got my nod of approval. 

Bursting with flavours from its fresh vegetable ingredients like broccoli, capsicums, eggplants, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions, as well as Omega-3 eggs and herbs, this well-balanced dish had just the perfect light, fluffiness from the baked eggs.

This contrasts well with that crunch you would least expect from the veggies.

Accompanying the frittata, the side dishes of soft and moist zucchini bread and banana nut muffin made this meal a really wholesome and filling one!

Almond Zucchini Bread  & Banana Nut Muffin
Calorie Counter: 109 Calories  & 155 Calories respectively

Baked with almond flour, the Almond Zucchini Bread felt like a perfect breakfast bread in comparison to other breads and pastries laden with butter, bleached white flour and whatnot.

Good to bite into an infused bread which isn’t overly moist and mushy – such is the case for most banana breads, I must point out.

Similarly, the Banana Nut Muffin is baked with coconut flour and no refined sugar. Thus, it did not contain that cloyingly sweet taste like regular muffins (which is kinda the reason I never fancy muffins). 

Loved that hint of banana and mild nut taste in these fluffy and well-risen muffins.

Vegetarians would be delighted to know that the three dishes above – the frittata, bread and muffin – are suitable for them too!

Now that breakfast is over, what would be your healthy accompaniment? I’d usually whirl up a breakfast shake or smoothie.

KLGCC’s  healthy blended juices available are the:

(L-R) Citrus Kiwi, Tumeric Veggie Blend, Mango Berries & Apple Spinach

I’ve always been a fruit smoothie drinker instead of a fruit juice drinker as the former retains the fruits’ pulp and fibre instead of only allowing the consumption of water and fructose (fruit) sugar. Yup, I prefer my drink 100% pure, with every nutrient intact.

Only then the true benefits of the fruit are maximized!

Let’s put them to test!

Citrus Kiwi

The is a zesty, tangy one with natural mild sweetness. Yum!

Tumeric Veggie Blend

 Definitely an acquired taste. This contains tumeric root, carrots, romaine lettuce, cucumber and lemon. Pretty odd concoction but magically works!

Mango Berries

This combo was a tad too sour for me but if you’re a massive berry fan then this would be your cup of tea.

Apple Spinach

Considering the fact that I drink my smoothies with spinach almost every morning, this one was a familiar taste for me.

All in all, I would go for another shot of Apple Spinach and the Citrus Kiwi.

Now… moving on to the mains!

Salmon with Warm Tomato Relish

Calorie Counter: 275 Calories

The buttery pan-seared Norwegian salmon rests atop a sea of interesting Mediterranean styled gravy and bites, namely tomato, black olives, onions, vinegar, capers and basil.

I’m a strong believer of that crispy golden crust with a pinkish surprise centre for every salmon dish I cut open.

And guess what? This one by KLGCC nailed it right down the middle.

With its tasty, soft tender flakes bursting into a symphony of flavours onto my tastebuds, each bite can only attest to its freshness and divine perfection.

 Jessicat loves her fish. Always my first choice in any menu!

Moving onto something from the exotic east…Well actually, not so exotic for us Malaysians, as Thailand practically is our next-door brethren towards the north.

But for my expat or non-local readers, this one’s an exotic gem from the land of smiles.

 Thai Green Curry Chicken

Calorie Counter: 562 Calories

This was mild and led to a rare occasion where my tastebuds and stomach were both nodding in agreement to finally accommodate my love for spicy food. Yay for me! 

Should opt out of eating rice or on a low-carb diet, select from the 3 tasty alternatives above.

Cauliflower Rice, Mashed Sweet Potato and Brown Rice.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t eat regular rice at all. Not for health purposes – but I just absolutely do not fancy it.

So you bet I loved these 3 alternatives! I often make the first two at home as well.

Moving on to a dish meat-lovin’ fanatics would kill for! 

Seared Beef Strip Loin
Calorie Counter: 488 Calories

This well-done beef steak comes served with steamed vegetables and sits atop a bed of mashed sweet potato.  

Yes, the sides are nothing of those nasty deep fried potato chips/wedges/fries and typical ketchup aka pub food (Some might call it comfort food but all I see is junk) 🙁

The mushrooms were large and juicy too!

I always prefer my steaks medium well, but to each their own. You can always tell the waiter how cooked/uncooked you want it to be.

This dish is very fragrant as I could smell it the moment it arrived my table. The Chimichurri sauce was a refreshing note to the otherwise heavy flavour of this delicious, grilled Australian Grain-fed slab of meat.

Alright… now that the mains are over and done with, still have space for dessert?

You’d better. 😛 😛

Here’s a mixture of seasonal fruits, sweet potato pie, warm mixed berries and coconut ice cream to induce the first drops of salivation. Heehee.

I was served a mini platter of all the desserts available. 

Take your pick!

Warm Mixed Berries served with a dollop of hand-churned coconut ice-cream

This dessert was a sautee  of a variety of berries like strawberries, raspberries and more, with honey and mint.

For the berry sauce, maple syrup and honey are used in replacement of sugar.

The coconut ice cream that came in accompaniment was unlike any other! 

It was smooth with an apparent hints of true coconut taste, yet light and mild – sorbet style! Made with pure coconut milk, this complemented the sourness and sharp taste of the berries so well. 

When served together, the pair was a match made in heaven.

Sweet Potato Pie with a dollop of hand-churned coconut ice-cream

The sweet potato pie had a firm yet soft-to-the-bite crust and made without wheat flour.

It wasn’t the crumbly kind which annoyingly disintegrates with a mere prod of a fork.

The filling was smooth and an excellent combination of almond milk, spices and whipped coconut cream. 

Bravo to KLGCC’s culinary team and masterminds, Executive Arnold Kwok and his sous chef.

Bear in mind that all dishes in KLGCC’s new healthy menu are cooked without processed foods/ingredients.

So if you’re thinking of indulging in some mouth-watering. exquisite food while watching your waistline, you can finally do so!

 I would fully recommend this for any weight-watchers, fitness freaks, fellow health-junkies or any discerning health food enthusiast to relish. Who says healthy food are bland, boring and aesthetically displeasing? Not in a million years.

Being a self-taught clean eating & Paleo chef-at-home myself, I can totally vouch for that.

Always remember, healthy eating is NOT  a fad diet. It’s an active choice, a kind of lifestyle which you choose (or choose not!) to lead.

You are what you eat! It definitely shows.

 So what’s my final verdict on the menu, you ask?

Tried, tested and approved with my seal of healthiness.

GIVE ME MORE OF THAT!  

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For more information on Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, get in touch with them!

Log on to their official website at: www.klgcc.com

Call them at this contact number: +603-2093 1111 ext. 3622/3619

Drop by their clubhouse at: 10 Jalan 1/70D Off Jalan Bukit Kiara, 6000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Last weekend, the three of us caught up at uppity town Bangsar for some delicious bites and sweet indulgences.

It was mid day by the time we arrived, so it was a dilemma whether to eat a really late lunch or a really early dinner. But we decided to eat to our hearts’ content anyway. After all, meals should always be defined by our stomachs and not by the time on the clock.

Smiles!

Today’s look was very… catwoman LOL

Jessicat wears: Tank in black by Mizz Demeanour | Accessories by Hard Rock Shop |

High-waisted shorts by PDI | Cat bag from a fashion bazaar | Jeffrey Campbell inspired heels by H&M

We were scouring Bangsar for good places to eat, but realized that we’ve tried almost every gastronomic delight the buzzing street had to offer. Tired of walking around in circles, we then then decided to look up HungryGoWhere.com to make a quick search on where to eat, right from the palm of our hand. How convenient!

HungryGoWhere.com is a comprehensive Malaysian Food Guide, Restaurant and Rating site. Go check it out!

Arrived at a restaurant called Nosh. Had a chat with the waiters and soon decided

that’s where we’re gonna be parking our arses for the afternoon.

Can’t wait to nosh on our food!

We took a seat and I excused myself to check out the restaurant interior – as usual.

Bet my buddies are  all pretty used to this disappearing act of mine the moment we step foot into any new restaurant we visit 😛

The facade was enough to draw me closer into the dining area.

Loved its classy, clean-cut concept. Wide spaces were used very well!

It boasted an interior of bright and colourful modern art as well as a neat layout.

On the right was the  drinks bar where drinks and light food takes shape.

The main kitchen is inside, of course.

We skimmed through the menu and placed our orders.

Guess what comes next? 😀 More selfies of us! 🙂

Come to think of it, nothing really has changed in 6 years. Except that we probably have make up

on and are now both working professionals instead of party-hard students.

Oh and, bestieJoyce doesn’t have braces on anymore and I don’t have my long red hair anymore.

That’s about it.

On to the food! May I first warn you that they taste just as delicious as they look in photos? 😀

Nosh did a great job in the food presentation and plating.

Beef Bolognese on Chunky Chips

This was a really tasty beef bolognese topped with melted cheese on a bed of potato chips.

Every bite had a light and hearty, smoky aftertaste. I liked how the chips were cut into wide chunks instead of the skinny versions.

Mushroom Gnocchi Symphony

This Italian dish was really filling! Instead of the usual semolina or wheat versions, this was a fabulous combo of gourmet sweet potato gnocchi served with mushrooms and cream sauce. Every bite was a mouthful!

Pumpkin Ravioli

Also another signature Italian dish, this boasted delicate gourmet pasta sheets filled with pumpkin served with a luscious onion butter sauce and fresh sage. Very used to the usual spinach ravioli, Nosh’s version of mashed pumpkins gave me a fresh alternative and complemented these ravioli very well.

Salmon with  Lemon Capers

Always a fish person, I couldn’t possibly give this salmon treat a miss. Loved it to bits!

A thick piece of salmon fillet grilled to perfection greeted me the moment I laid eyes on my plate. Served in a lemon caper cream sauce, the salmon came with delightful sides of roasted rosemary potatoes and grilled seasonal vegetables.

I could definitely order another one of this and finish it in under 10 minutes.

Dessert time. Which one should I pick?

We are sweet tooths by nature so we were spoilt for choice!

After taking almost half an hour to narrow down and select our mutual favorites, here’s what we got!

We chose the Peanut Butter Heaven and Mont Blanc in the end.

The Peanut Butter Heaven promises heaven to the last bite – and heaven I experienced indeed.

As a diehard fan of both peanut butter and chocolate, this peanut butter cheesecake slice was right up my alley. It was light, not too heavy on the cheese consistency, drizzled with caramel on top and sat on a bed of chocolate crumbles and chopped salted peanuts.

The Mont Blanc was a chocolate cake soaked in rum and resembled a mountain after a snow blizzard of chestnut cream. Dusted with sprinkles of green tea powder, it gave this treat a slight bitter aftertaste to an otherwise sweet dessert.

Loved them both! It was interesting how they plated both the desserts like a platter

on one long rectangular plate instead of serving it in individual plates.

It was a fantastic day catching up and noshing delectable food and desserts.

Where else but NOSH, really? Thanks, NOSH for a delightful evening!

Price range for this restaurants from its lighter, smaller meals at RM9 onwards to the heaviest main event at RM70. However, you can be satisfied with most decently sized meals ranging between RM19 to RM40.

If you’d like to search for more similar places that might suit your fancy, just browse the directory at HungryGoWhere.com 🙂 And yes, you’re welcome.

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[highlight style=”yellow” ]For more information on Nosh or to place your reservations, you can:[/highlight]

Log on to their official website: www.nosh.my

LIKE them on Facebook: fb.com/noshKL

Drop by their outlet at this address:

7, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru, 49100, Kuala Lumpur

Business Hours:

Contact them at this number:  +603-2201 3548