Just before I headed to Sydney for the Easter holidays, I decided to meet up with a friend of mine for some Greek delights.

If you guys have read my tweets on Twitter, yall would've known where I went for this nomfest already!

One of my new fave delicacies – Greek food!

Also, I can't believe I've never had it ever before I came to Aussie

So the Sunday just before I left for Sydney, Grace and I headed to this restaurant to have our Hellenic cuisine 🙂

Right along Bridge Road in Richmond, lay a very cosy 'The Olive Grove' Greek eatery. Bingo!

In for lunchies we go!

I loved the interior to bits.

It was in pristine condition; elaborately decorated, yet still boasted a minimalistic concept

The table set-up had a tinge of fine dining to it

Chandeliers, large wooden-framed mirrors and wenge-like furniture

We were ushered to a nice lil table for two and given the menu.

The first thing we ordered was some unctuous wine to kick-start our palate 🙂

'

Some red and white wine for us ladies, please? 🙂

Carbonello for me and Chardonay for her 😀

Although I do prefer white wine to reds, I reckon a slight venture into an acquired  taste would be nice

So we did some catching up and clinking our wine glasses over funny conversations and itsybitsies of our lives 🙂

I vividly remember how we met for the first time though; on the plane. Yup, you read right.

Grace and I met on our flight to Melbourne, some 2 months ago.

And now, we're sitting here together, having a splendid lunch on an Easter Sunday 😀 What are the odds, ey?

Our food came and it sure looked yummy. Here's what we ate, beginning from the Mezedes:

Skordalia and Melitzana served with Pita Bread

(Greek translation: puree of potatoes, garlic & lemon and roasted smoked eggplant sprea)

They were best served warm. Perfect with the dips

I always love the lemon twang in my food, just like how I enjoy most of my meals extra (black) peppery.

Our mains arrived and oh lookie here, a candid picture of me squeezing the lemon!

Lo and behold, get ready for some food porn! 😛

Our mains are as follows :

Soutzoukakia,Marithes and Chicken Souvlaki

(Greek translation: tomato salsa meatballs, white bait and marinated chicken skewers)

It was so nommy! I loved the meatballs – it was so juicy and rich in flavour. Massive too!

The white bait was more like Malaysian 'ikan bilis' to us LOL talk about familiarity 😛

And the chicken skewers was simply fabulous

Reminds me of grilled chicken satay, back in Malaysia – only yummier!

Kalamari, Keftedes & Loukanika

(Greek translation: Calamari, ground beef mince patties & spicy lamb sausages)

The fried calamari was absolute yum and so were the beef patties!

But I didn't really like the sausage, Grace liked it though. She said it tasted like Taiwanese sausages.

Ok since I'm always smiling and readily posed in most of the photos posted up in my blog, below is a rather unglam photo for you to see. Bleh.

It's me nomming – I don't know what it is – looks like the meatball to me.

Also, we had potato crisps served with our meals too. Just the way I like it –

salty crinkle-cut types! 😀 😀 😀 which is probably why I love Cottage Fries so much.

Hand chopped patates crisps

All's well, end's well.

We had a great catch up lunch and shopping in Melbourne Central followed thereafter 🙂

thanks Olive Grove, for a deliciously good time! 😀

Now I know where to get good Greek food. Here, in Richmond!

There's more Hellenic cuisines in Melbourne city too… and in Oakleigh. Heaps of them 😀

Once again, cheers to friendship unexpectedly brewed from an 8 hour plane ride

We click so well that it's not even funny 😀 Now that's why I love flying…

…for you'll never know who you'll meet during a flight!

Dinnertime! 😀

Today will be about the belated Merry Guinness christmas dinner I had in Finnegan's!

 

All dolled up for an evening of chillaxing infused with good food + kick-ass drinks, I buzzed buddy Kelly along with me for some nomnoms

Oh oh oh oumaigawd. Guinness aplenty!
 

A waiter of Philippine descent greeted us with the menu and we skimmed through the list of meals and drinks in a flash.

Heck, we were already so hungry! Traffic jams made it worse. It was 8pm by the time we flipped those pages.
 

While waiting, Mitchell (the Manager of Finnegan's) came outside to join us!

Talk about extra company

And more company! The dude on my left is true blue Irish while Mitchell on my right

is a proud product of the US of A. No prizes on guessing the nationality of us ladies!
 

We ordered quite a lot of food, as we were planning to share all our meals!

So naturally, it took quite a while to arrive. But issokay! We had our Guinness draught flowing non-stop as well, that pretty much distracted me from the dread of waiting to have my tummy satiated 🙂

Slurps! 😀 Taking a swig of my ice-cold frothy beer!

Down 'em all? Easily.

I dare you to dare us.

Anyhoozers, small talk and catching up distracted us from our growling stomachs.

And before we knew it, the food arrived before we could say MORE GUINNESS PLEASE? 😀
 

Check out our Classic Cottage Pie and cute Pizza bites!
 

Unlike the traditional English pastry pie, they way this was

cooked/presented somehow reminded me of lasagna! 😀

But nevetheless, boasting the same fantastic taste any beef cottage pie should rightfully have

Now allow me to indulge in my pizza bites 😀

I liked how it came in miniature pieces, so much easier to chomp it down and share among us.

No more messy and cheesy threads all over the place

Hmm.. Pizza Hut should incorporate this idea!

Ideal for sharing in large groups too. Just grab a chunk and go!

Have a bite of our pizza, would you? 😀

Despite being much smaller in size, that's as far as the reduction went.

For every bite of the pizza was bursting to the max with sausages, smoked bacon and pineapples!

Some snacks to accompany the heavy meal?

We obliged. That's our Calamari and Onion rings served in a basket!
 

Being a natural sucker for soup, I ordered a bowl of Leek and Potato Soup
 

Just a little trivia : I never really like pork.

Sure, I've gobbled down a slice of bacon or two or even a shred of pork knuckle before. But in general, I tend to avoid pork as much as I can. Why? Nothing of religious nature though, just a mere preference.
 

But tonight, these Barbequed Pork Ribs were too hard to resist.
 

So you've seen it in all its glory the moment it was placed onto the table.

But what happened in under 10 minutes? Hmm…
 

I swear it mischievously vanished before our eyes and landed into our stomachs.
 

No no no! The piccie below is NOT photographic evidence of how everything disappeared
 

I'm sorry you have to endure savage gluttony forced upon your viewing consumption.

On normal days I am a tad more refined when I eat, just so you know 😛

Wrapped up our delicious Irish dinner with a clink of our glasses

Cheers, babe!

Nothing like a burp of satisfaction from food paired with a smooth pint of Guinness.

Trust me, it comes hand in hand! 😀
 

I say no meal is complete without it

Yes Mitchell, we get your point

Merry Guinness folks! Needless to say, I had an enjoyable Monday evening! 😀 😀

Now back to reality, time to work that body!

This the season to get fit!

Haha in fact, everyday's a season to get fit. It depends on our willpower after excruciatingly looking at the figure on that weighing scale.

I was recently invited to Prince Hotel KL's Fit For Life campaign this year! Back by popular demand, I was ecstatic to know that it's here again 😀 😀 So anyways, this time round Eccucino restaurant features the exciting and healthy selection of cuisine designed with low cholesterol and calorie intake again.

But it still tastes delightful! Just, less sinful 😀

I like how they put up lil info cards on the dishes! Learn a new thing a day

Executive Chef DJ and his culinary team with the advisory of HSC Medical Center’s professional Dietitians, have specially prepared a wide selection of dishes and drinks suitable for this Fit For Life campaign. Whoa. Professionals in their fields making sure our meals are in tiptop health goodness!

ooo really? 😀 I didn't know that till today!

What I found really cute was this. If you've been to Eccucino in Prince Hotel, you would know that they have this mega awesome huge chocolate fondue fountain there. But in line with this campaign, they put up a mini fondue fountain instead!

So tiny compared to the huge one! 😀

In addition, we were all encouraged to take a blood pressure measurement from the peeps at HSC Medical center.

With the friendly consultants 🙂

Yaaayy! My blood pressure and diastolic systolic info are all normal!!

😀 😀 whoopie doo! That's something good to know

And it's dancing time! 😀 We were treated to a really cool showcase of Belly Dancing and Hip Hop dancing from Celebrity Fitness as well as Line Dancing from i-Dance Studio and more!

And the best part was, I was dragged in to dance with all of them too! 😀 I initially didn't want to but when everyone proceeded, I was like "Ahhh what the heck, I should give this a try! haha" We danced to a very foreign routine of Line Dancing (to me at least!)

or.. was it Square Dancing? I can't tell the difference!

haha #fail me 😛

So after that I went checkin' out the displays and showcases they had there. Guess what I saw!

NO SUGAR CHOCOLATE DRINK! lalalalala~ 😀 😀 oh the joy

We were given a taste of that hot chocolate during dinner too and it tasted fab!

On to some of the food prepared for us! There was just so many, I couldn't possibly shoot each and every single one.. but here's my top faves 😀 😀

Prawns 😀

They were really aromatic and fresh!

Baked fish!

Loved the texture. Ima fish lover so this one was really my cuppa tea 😀

Another kinda fish!

Ohhh the joy 😀 This one had a tangy flavour to it 🙂 🙂

Chicken!

Now this one has some pandan-ish aroma to it, goes fab with the dipping sauce too

Chicken and beef cuts! 😀

Reminds me of kebabs hehe

Chilly prawnssss! 😀

RAWWRRR oh the goodness. Spicy!

Oh and here's a mish mash of what I ate 😀

FYI that grainy thing near the broccoli is not rice 😀

It's risotto – one of my fave! If you haven't tried it you should, aye?

As usual, there was a live cooking demonstration at the Action Station!

😀 I had teppanyaki there hehe

Beside that display table, was something very invigorating 😀 Just the sight of it makes me think of all those Bali massages!

Tea, comfy chair, flowers, tub of water, essential oils, hot pebbles – check!

Pretty things all from Mandara Spa!

To my delight, we were also given a complimentary Balinese massage by these lovely masseurs!

Ahhhhhh. This is the life 😀

Sidney and I enjoying our 5 minutes head and shoulder massage!

There was a bootcamp presentation too. I've heard so much about it but haven't seen it with my very own eyes before! Much like national service but tougher and well… I bet it won't be easy! 🙁 🙁 but with sheer determination and energy, I'm sure we'll all do fine

I even signed up for it too! 😀

Can't wait for my 1st session

Thanks guys for the wholesome experience! 🙂 I had an amazing time as usual. So wutcha waiting for, fellas? 😀 if you're up for a healthy yet delicious meal, you know where to go 😀 😀 No need to starve yourselves silly!

Oh and guess what! Someone made a special appearance that night too!

It's the author of 'Not Another Good Food Guide KL', Alice Yong 🙂 She's written a series of 'Not Another Good Food Guide' of many places around the world, I've looked through the Bangkok one sometime before in the bookstore

Love her books. They're really informational, creative and lived up to it's name, heck, it IS not another good food guide after all. Go get your copy! it's available in MPH and Kinokuniya

And now I'm finally meeting the brains behind those fabulous books 🙂

woots! An autographed version of this copy now sits prettily in my car, so if you ask me where to eat….

JUST FLIP IT OPEN! 😀

Whoops just realized i haven't had breakfast. Imma grab some cereal with milk now.. hey! I'm trying to be healthy too thankewverymuch 😀

What actually comes to your mind when you think of Venezuela?

Or better.. what do you know about Venezuela?

I TOOK MY SHUTTER SIDEKICK ON A FOOD TRIP TO VENEZUELA!

Check out ALL its pretty shoots this time round!

In all honestly, I personally don't know much about Venezuela prior to today. I only know where it is on the World Map and the closest I've ever been to witnessing anything remotely Venezuelan is the Miss Universe pageants where Miss Venezuela struts the catwalk.

Thanks to Prince Hotel & Residencies and the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, I was invited to attend their Venezuelan Gastronomic Festival launch a few days ago. It will be a one week affair of all things Venezuelan – music, dance, food, film, photography & commerce.

Here's what I was greeted to, the moment I walked in and signed my name on the guestbook…

At least i roughly know the iconic colours and culture-props Venezuela has before entering!

Plus, they gave us a really cool CD of Venezuelan music too. It's playing on my MP3 now as I write this 😀 

Celebrity Chef Tamara Rodriquez came all the way from Venezuela to indulge Malaysians with her unique recipies, specially prepared on the occasion of her country's Bicentennial anniversary of Independance! We will be tasting the most delicious and exotic Venezuelan dishes tonight made by the woman herself and Prince Hotel's team of chefs.

Wooots! Got a piccie with the brains behind the Venezuelan culinary masterpieces

 😀 Buenos tardes Tamara!

The other foodies and I began looking around with curiosity and interest at the vibrant set-up of this Venezuelan fest. It's totally likened to a good fusion of South American, Mexican and the Caribbeans.     Gave me a feeling of authentic Native American vibe the moment I explored further!   

Venezuela is so culturally diversified 😀 😀  

I love bright and colorful props!

There were Maracas and Rumba Shakers too. Those were their native musical instruments

Big huge masks and tropical parrots! Check out the parrot eyeing my mussels 🙁

Ohh, I totally loved that miniature wooden cottage on the top right!

SHOW YOU HOW IT LOOKS INSIDE!

adorable much? 😀

it's so homely. A lady sitting at her front porch with 2 geese around her.

The interior decor is really typical Venezuelan style! 😀

dummm dee dummmm the dessert table!

Bueno! Sweet tooths ahoy! 😀

I became a local Venezuelan performer for 2 minutes! 😀 😀 Had fun!

JENGJENGJENG I look the part don't I? don't i? hahahahahah

Some condiments which I saw.. all in coconut husks! 😀

When the event officiated, VIPs and representatives from the Venezuelan Embassy stepped forward to give a welcoming speech to all of us and shared what we will be expecting for the evening. It's nice to see what a good tie Malaysia has with Venezuela. Hmm.. more actitivites should be done like this to foster relationships between countries! 🙂

Soon after the speech, there was a very lively performance for us all. The Salsa dance yo! 😀

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxQU4M0vjI0

Fully shot in High Definition with the Olympus PEN E-PL1

It was time to relish the exotic Venezuelan food! 😀 Can't wait to have my first taste of real South American cuisine prepared by a real Venezuelan Chef! This is called the Asada Negro by the way

Chef DJ Pezar and Chef Tamara were going around making their visits to their guests at each table for a nice casual chat. It was pretty obvious that all the guests and VIPs loved the food 😀 No worries, you peeps done a awesome-pawsome job working your magic fingers at the stove 😀 The cooks at the Action Booths did a jolly good job too, I loved the Venezuelan styled soup he made for me!

TA-DAAA!

This was the fella who made my soup.. perfect, just the way I liked it

There's a mixture of potato, quails egg, veggies and other ingredients

Wanna see more?

Absolutely loved the fish!

It's real tender and the flavour was really superb to my taste!

More of these!

OM NOM NOM NOM 😛

Next up is the beef…

Perfectly done – not too well done yet not too rare

Succulent as you can see.. it's still reddish!

😀 😀 yums!

Next up, the poultry!

Nice and simple presentation no?

This chicken had a tangy flavour to its taste 😀

One of their signature drinks!

Can't wait to slurp it up later

Back at my table, I caught that notty lil parrot who was out to get my mussels! There were lots of parrot figurines with tiny melons all over the buffet table too. So cute! Makes it all the more lively.

Coronation Rings by : Soak Republic

Dear Parrot, don't steal my food okay?

You live in Venezuela, you have Venezuelan food everyday – I   don't ! : D

Time for some desserts! Sugar spice and everything nice! Take a look at those soft fluffy marshmellows 😀 *biggrin* Tastes even better with fondue from their Chocolate Fondue fountain!

Mini tarts were in abundance too!

Cute much?

Piccie shot with the Olympus PEN E-PL1 's 'Blur Background' function on iAuto Mode!

So pretty! No need to lug my heavy DSLR around for my food trips for the time being already

Today's Venezuelan experience was a fab one indeed as I managed to savour the authentic tastes and culture of Venezuela. It took my tummy and I all around Venezuela to experience it in just one day – spoke to a Venezuelan for the first time too! hehe Can't go to Venezuela? They've brought Venezuela to us instead!

Love the music they burned for us in the CD too 😀

A

Key & Lock bracelet + Buckled gold & black bangle by : Soak Republic

Gracias for the fabulous time guys!

I'll be touring USA mid next year, might drop by Venezuela if I have the chance 😀

 Te Quiero!

How didja spend yer Valentines Day dearies? In my entire life, this is the 1st time Val's Day clashes with the Lunar New Year. As expected, I spent my Vals-cum-CNY with the fockerfamily back in my hometown 😀 😀

Ya know the whole Vals Day thing where all the florists in town will be sold out of their best flowers n swanky restaurants with romantic atmosphere gets crowded like sardines in a can? Huge life-sized teddies will be seen everywhere and suddenly your man gets all sappy like never before.

Have u actually tried something new this Valentines? Prince Hotel & Residences had their version of Vals Day and I must say, I found it to be a very ingenious idea indeed! Their Valentines menu this time round, originated from the New Orleans. Head Chef DJ Pezar carefully planned and crafted out the recipes, and with his team, they managed to execute a really interesting menu and a themed concept!

But the star attraction wasnt only the fabulous menu, it was their whole Mardi Gras themed Valentines too! It certainly spiced up the evening of love, instead of just a boring sit-down dinner. How ingenious 🙂 The couples could have fun fooling around with the masks like we did too!

The tables and chairs were all well decorated with colorful beads, masks ala masquerades, cocktail feathers and all things Mardi Gras. Love the music being played too! They certainly know how to set the mood very very well, no?

TOP : Happy masquerade face!

BOTTOM : Sad masquerade face!

Eccucino in Prince Hotel & Residence never fails to keep me intrigued with their ice sculptures 🙂

Just fer extra info, the New Orleans cuisine is a style of cooking originating in the State of Louisiana (centered on New Orleans), U.S.A. which is a melting pot cuisine that blends French, Spanish, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Southern American, American Indian, and African influences. New Orleans cuisine can be divided into two types: Creole and Cajun. What is the difference between Creole and Cajun cooking? The easiest way is to think of them as city and country cooking.

Some of the signature dishes of New Orleans were featured at Eccucino and they were Seafood Jambalaya, Shrimp Creole, Baked Oysters, Seafood Bar,Bread Pudding, Boiled Crawfish, Pumpkin Soup, Gumbo, a Carving Station with Blackened Roast Beef, Action stalls, Icebars, an amazing host of desserts… and so much more I wouldn't be able to finish telling you in one blogpost! :D

Hmm… now what is everyone looking at? 😀

CHECK OUT THE GUMBO! Fresh, tasty and bursting with flavour is this sinful bowl of hot stew. Gumbo gumbo gumbo! It's a really thick soup also originating from Louisana and very popular in the US South. When I took a sip, the meaty aftertaste really lingers and leaves you wanting your 2nd spoonful!

Picture credits to bigboysoven

I especially liked the Seafood Jambalaya. Nice name too, huh? 🙂

Take a look.

That huge bowl contains so much yum! Looks like normal rice but hell it's NOT .
below is a close up version of it

SEAFOOOOOOOD JAMBALAYA!

Picture credits to bigboysoven

Just look at the huge and shrimps below! Pictures never do things justice but take my word for it 🙂

Picture Credits to bigboysoven 🙂

The Poached Sole Paupletted on Spicy Lemon Sage was so good that it was one of the quickest to be finished!

But fear not, the staff of Eccucino restocked the dishes soon enough 🙂

And while you're at it, perhaps you could bring a bottle of your fave booze 😀

Eccucino wasn't the only restaurant having great Valentines Menu. Enju Japanese Restaurant located on their 1st floor was also in heat of their love celebrations. Their dinner set menu of Seared Scallops, Bonito Sakae Soup, Beef Teppanyaki and more will leave every couple walking out with well satisfied appetites!

Creative Japanese origami were placed on the tables for decor as well.

I found a pair of swans on my table!

The Ahi Tuna Duo was a big hit. I bet you're wondering what that is. It's a combination of nori-crusted ahi with spicy tobiko aioli and freshly prepared ahi poke. Still can't imagine what they are? Well… if it helps, Ahi in the Hawaiian language means 'fire' whereas aioli means a mixture of garlic and oils.

There was a live demonstration of the Chef himself preparing it too!

Just like all fine dining would offer you, the portion was really small. Bite sized yo! Seriously, it's an effective way to train you up, gearing your appetite for more awesome bites throughout then night! Like they all say, good things comes in small portions 🙂 🙂

NOM NOM NOM.

oh wait. In this case, it's just – NOM. 😀 and you're done!

I just love such novel celebrations. Especially themed ones! It's so fun to doll up and look the part, all the the spirit of the occasion! And I'm glad this Valentines extravaganza did a good job at hyping the spirit of Vals Day… even if it clashes with Chinese New Year, there's nothing stopping a good event 😀

One thing's fer sure, I definitely enjoyed the whole Mardi Gras Masquerade thing going on

and the food? Perfect as always. What dya expect? It's Prince Hotel & Residences after all 🙂

How was yer Valentines? 😀