Early this year, when construction sounds could still be heard coming from the insides and floor-to-ceiling boards still shielded the entrance, I received an invitation for a food tasting session; to sample a menu during an exclusive media preview of a brand new restaurant.

The restaurant was Blu Med Ristoranre e Bar, a new Mediterranean and Italian Restaurant.

Brought my other half along with me – I could use a

Mediterraneanite to assist me in reviewing Mediterranean food!

Since the restaurant was not even open, we had to enter the premises via a side/corner entrance which led us to a staircase directly up to the 2nd floor. 

The boards blocked all public access to the restaurant.

Standing by the 'OPENING SOON' boards at the entrance!

In the invitation, I was told that the menu at Blu Med was produced and consulted by Chef Yasuhiro Sasajima, of Iron Chef fame. Having watched the Iron Chef program on television , I was naturally excited that I will be savouring a menu directed by the talented chef himself!

Chef Sasajima broke out of the realms of traditional Japanese cuisine and started his love affair with Italian cuisine, marrying the two together to cook up a fine fusion of meals from his kitchen.

Chef Yasuhiro Sasajima 

Jia anda tidak kenal nama 'Chef Sasajima', dia merupakan antara salah satu daripada tukang-tukang masak yang paling terkenal di dunia! 

I was looking forward to tasting his unique and distinctive Italian cuisine with a Japanese twist so much.

Upon arriving at the 2nd floor, I was greeted to interior decorations befitting a minimalistic concept.

It was brightly lit with incandescent spotlights, boasted cosy wooden and brick-wall ambiance, spacious and splashed with warm, earthly colours comprising shades of brown, white with a touch of blue.

Part of the upper dining area deck (2nd floor)

I exchanged a few words with the friendly managers present. 

After being ushered to our seats, we sat at our table in anticipation for what the evening had to offer.

The waiters began to pour some wine for us.

We were served the Luis Felipe Edwards Cabernet Sauvignon

I have always been a white wine kind of girl. 

While my buddies had red wine, I opted for white wine instead:

Luis Felipe Edwards Sauvignon Blanc was my pick

Us at the table before our meals arrived  

The Executive Director of Blu Med explaining the concept of the restaurant and the food

The first dish on our table was the appetitzer of Buffalo Mozzarella and Plum Tomato "Caprese".

The buffalo mozzarella, which is typically used in Italian dishes and less rubbery than usual mozzarella, was moist and had a mild piquancy – slightly tasteless, but well paired with the mint sauce drizzled around the dish (which doubles as good presentation too!).

Buffalo Mozzarella and Plum Tomato "Caprese"

For purists, this is made out of curd cheese using pure buffalo milk.

The locally sourced tomatoes and lettuce sprinkled with olive oil, basil oil and vinegar upped its initially bland flavour and hit the concept of freshness in mediterranean food right on the bull's eye.

The second dish that was placed before us was the Carpaccio of Hirame with Wild Rice and Soft Aubergine.

The first thing I did was to look for the aubergine. I couldn't see it at all! Did they give my plate a miss? I soon found out that the soft, "mashed" aubergine was hidden underneath the Hirame. That was my favorite of the night.

Carpaccio of Hirame with Wild Rice and Soft Aubergine

The wild rice reminded me of risotto, but slightly grainer and nutty in comparison. When mixed with the relatively moist and "grassy" taste of the alfafa sprouts, it amassed a rather odd but not unpleasant flavour – definitely an acquired taste.

The Hirame, a popular type of white flesh fish used in Japanese cuisines (see how the fusion of Italian and Japanese influences is depicted now?) was fresh and served cold, just like sashimi.

Then came along our mains.

The third dish to arrive was Spaghetti Tomato Sauce with Sea Bass and Grilled Vegetables.

We were told that the pasta sauce was made from real tomatoes, and not the ones out of cans nor puree versions.

A block of Parmesan cheese was grated to our desired amount, as toppings for the pasta

The cheese added a light but sharp flavour to the pasta, making it a very good choice for garnishing.

We could clearly see how its sauce wasn't the ones right out of the can. 

I found this dish slightly watered down and tasteless, but then again, it was justifiable, as they only used fresh ingredients and we all know how fresh tomatoes holds a high water content. Good or bad? I'll leave you to decide.

Spaghetti Tomato Sauce with Sea Bass and Grilled Vegetables

It also had minimal seasoning; giving way to the natural flavours of tomato, sea bass and its side of grilled vegetables. This dish was fresh, light and had a oceanic and "fishy' flavour to it.

This dish was pretty standard, nothing to shout about especially to people who are more familiar with, or prefer their pasta with strong, heavy flavours. It does has its strengths and weaknesses, whatever suits your palate! 

Being sweet tooths, Shin Yee and I were only looking forward to the desserts after that.

Hopefully, our moods and appetites would take a positive turn once it arrives.

Selfshots of us! 

And finally, our desserts arrived! 

The final dish that we got to taste was the Espresso Pannacotta.

But being a culinary aficionado myself, I do understand that the most difficult part of making the perfect Panna cotta is mixing the right ratio and achieving the right texture – soft, but firm enough to hold it together, with a gentle wobble only when moved.

Espresso Panna cotta

Though pretty in presentation, I must say that the texture of the Panna cotta was slightly dissapointing as it was too jelly-like, stiff and rubbery. I much prefer my Panna cotta to be the usual, softly set, creamier ones with silkier pudding-like consistency.

Apart from that, I loved the rich taste of this typical Italian dessert – especially this one as it is infused with Espresso!

It gave me a smooth mouthful, albeit not a melt-in-the-mouth texture. Still tasted delicious, though. The berries and almonds were a great touch too.

After dinner, the other half and I decided to roam about the second floor to explore beyond our dining table. 

I loved how the upper deck overlooks the first floor (ground floor) dining area. Suh-weeeet!

Apabila berdiri pada tingkat atas, rasanye seperti si puteri melihat ke aras bawah pada himpunan para warganegaranye, tahu? Hahaha.

The other end of the dining area

The cutlery, wine and glass counter beside the entrance of the second floor

One of the two private rooms for private functions/dinners

Took more swigs of the exquisite Savignon Blanc 

Can't ever get enough of white wine. Ever!

My favorite glass of  white wine and I 

How can anyone not love the setting and the ambiance of this restaurant? 

Here are some after-dinner photos with some of the rest who were there as well.

As I headed to Mid Valley Megamall to attend an event a few days ago, I spotted the elaborately furnished and fully finished Blu Med Restaurant from a distance!

Needless to say, I made my way there to admire the completed version of the premises.

Remember the entrance? I had to enter the outlet via a tiny opening at the corner.

Now, the grand entrance looks like this. Holy mama! WOW.

As mentioned earlier, Blu Med is divided into two separate levels.

The restaurant features a trendy cool and modern environment with touches of comfort on the lower floor and luxury on the upper floor – where we dined.

Patrons entering the restaurant will be greeted by an imposing floor to ceiling wall of candles separating the bar and the restaurant area, and a very high verticle garden cascading from the wall (beside the staircase) completed with two large chandeliers made of glass bottles, specially designed for Blu Med.

Remember these unfinished chandeliers wrapped up in black plastic?

Now it has transformed into dazzling glass bottles hung from the ceiling!

Blu Med, nestled amidst the bustling centre of The Boulevard in Mid Valley City, Blu Med clearly presents a perfect and modern-classy destination for both casual and fine dining diners around town. 

As this restaurant is located in a prime setting right smack in between two popular malls – Mid Valley Megamall and The Gardens, I find it a very convenient place to pop by to have lunch, dinners or at any time of the day. 

This restaurant's last orders are at 10.30pm (and opens till midnight) so you know where to go for some bites or drinks when the mall has shut 

Remember these boards covering the entire corner alfresco section?

Now. Boy, I'd love to sit there for some food and wine while enjoying the breeze!

As dissatisfied as I was, something tells me that tonight definitely cannot represent one's dining experience at Blu Med. 

I'm certain that this glamorous, posh restaurant with such a brilliant concept cannot be as inadequate as what I had experienced during tonight's media preview session. After all, this lovely restaurant was far from ready, and I can only assume as much for the unfully-equipped kitchen and the simplified menu we had tonight as well.

One thing's for sure, I'll be back very soon to give this restaurant another chance. 

Perhaps for a date, maybe?  

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For more information or to place your reservations, you can:

Call them at: +603-2201-5081

Visit their restaurant at:
BluMed (located beside the giant fountain!)
Unit 27-G Ground Flr & Unit 27-1 First Flr,
Signature Office,
The Boulevard, Mid Valley City ,
Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur

LIKE them on Facebook at: fb.com/BluMedRistorantiBar

Remember how I said I wanted to take up yoga, or at least give it a try?

I did. One Monday morning, I set off to my gym at Celebrity Fitness for a session of Vinyasa Yoga.

I was all pumped up.

But instead of feeling like I've unleashed a load of stress off my shoulders or looking like a calm-spirited soul who has just achieved inner peace and arriving nirvana, I ended up feeling like this :

All my limbs & joints felt somehow twisted and entangled to the point of no return.

And while all the elderly ladies and my yoga guru effortlessly got into odd, mind-blowing positions without so much as a giggle or even toppling over, I reckon I looked something remotely like this:

I'm not even joking.

I was sweating buckets, had so much difficulty and felt five times older than that 50 year old woman beside me.

But I did enjoy myself. My Body Combat session right after yoga was a breeze as I was already all warmed up and stretched to the maximum. 

Ergo, I forsee myself returning to Yoga more often. Let's just hope my flexibility increases by tenfold!

I was supposed to head straight back home but being a girl, I couldn't resist some shopping beforehand.

Guilty as charged. Heh. Heh. 

Bought these amazing pair of gladiator wedges from Nose!

And another because I realized that in my collection of 70 pairs of shoes,

I don't own a plain pair of black strappy heels. Yeah, I can't believe it either.

Spent some time in one of my all-time favourite restaurants, Delicious.

I absolutely love the food they serve there. It can be a little pricey, but nothing too expensive for top quality food!

I had : Pumpkin Soup, Caesar Salad, Smoked Salmon Angelhair in cream sauce & Iced Chocolate

Yeah, I know I'm a fatty and a sucker for good food. Sue me.

Took a random photo of babyChivas being silly

Dinnerdate with Konzy at Sakae Sushi. It's our usual haunt now!

I'm such a regular that I don't even need the menu anymore.

If you're looking for a healthy bite like I am, I highly recommend the Soft Shell Crab Crepe, Ebi Crepe and the Aburi Salmon Carpaccio. The Dragon Roll is pretty good too! 

For this fortnight's manicure, I decided to do something neon and funky for my weekend of rave-partying

I used lemon yellow, turquoise and OPI's Black Shatter

Guess what? A new Mediterranean restaurant is coming our way this end January.

(exact location : between Mid Valley & The Gardens. Beside the fountain!)

I was invited to sample some of the dishes from their menu. They are:

Carpaccio of Hirame with Wild Rice & Aubergine,

Spaghetti Tomato Sauce with Sea Bass & Grilled Vegetables

Appetizer: Buffalo Mozzarella & Plum Tomato Caprese,

Luis Felipe Edward Sauvignon Blanc

Dessert: Expresso Panna Cotta

Full blog post containing the full review of Blu Med restaurant & its meals coming soon!

After the food tasting session, I set off to The Butter Factory to attend Future Music Festival Asia's pre-party.

Just a little selca fun in the car

Jessicat wears: Asymmetrical dress from Bangkok | Shoulder bag by Coach |

Spiked necklace by Topshop | Brown Leather Heels by Pedro

The party was fabulous! If you missed, full blog post – here

As this week was Konzy's final week in Malaysia for the next two months, we decided to grab some authentic street food in the city. Jalan Alor was our pick! 

Some of the stuff we had. Spicy Clams, Barbequed Ribs in Sesame Sauce, Barbequed Shrimps,

Wan Tan Mee (Wanton Noodles) and… the Barbequed Mushrooms & Broccoli were my favourites! 

It's quite a good place to bring your tourists/foreign friends here for food, to be honest.

The choices are endless! 

Friday afternoon was a sweltering one. So, Konzy surprised me with this 

Usually, I would refuse ice-cream due to my diet requirements but I made this an exception!

My Friday night was mind-blowing. 

'Nuff said. Full blog post – here

If Friday wasn't epic enough already, Sunday was the We Love Asia rave party featuring…

Joachim Garraud

 LMFAO

Steve Aoki

Full blog post coming up shortly! Yes, I'm still so stoked that I got to see one of my idols, Steve Aoki LIVE. IN. THE. FLESH! 

To end today's edition of The Sunday Times, a friend introduced a beautiful video to me and here it is:

httpv://youtu.be/WbdVEwbUL40

He has an amazing voice, ain't it?

Have a great week, folks! 

Much love,

Jessicat

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The Sunday Times is a weekly series; published every Sunday night to recap the highlights of my week, capture what piques my interest and to briefly highlight my recommendations for to-go and to-eat places!

Some of the photos in this edition are posted instantly on my Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr & Facebook

Do follow to get instant updates and pretty photos of the sights & sounds all around me!

Ya know what makes me sweat, gives me the adrenalin rush and gets my blood pumpin'?

No innuendo induced, I hope. For the answer is none other than – Dance Dance Revolution aka DDR!

DDR and I share a history, and we have come a long way back! 

Been busting it on the DDR machine since I was only 18. Back then, Gurney Plaza had DDR 3 machines and you would see me there almost everyday after college.

Back in Penang : Hitting Queensbay Mall's DDR Extreme!

And ever since then, I've been a DDR regular – hitting the "dancefloor" whenever I see DDR machines around! Oh and, my faves are DDR 3rd Mix, DDR Extreme and DDR Supernova; the others doesn't quite cut it. Sigh!

When I was in Australia for the past half a year, I felt deprived of DDR simply because I had no clue at all whether or not there were any in Melbourne.

BUT when I found out through my mates, I was delighted and just had to go to the arcade right away!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KelX4SjCEZI

Here's a video of Konzy and I bustin' it in Mid Valley.

He's not bad for a first timer! 

I cannot wait to go play again! So far the ones in KL are in Sunway Pyramid and Penang has one in Queensbay Mall. The one in Gurney Plaza has changed to something else, that's why I've stopped playing there!

Any challengers? 😀

It was one fine day, my fellow foodies and I paid a visit to this relatively new Chinese restaurant in Mid Valley Megamall.
I was intrigued by the decor upon entering and by the looks of it, this place really brings back old childhood memories!
 

It’s dinner time! Noms 🙂

Talk about old skool chalkboards we had in school huh?

Aptly named Reminisce, this restaurant had the place all done up ala old skool Chinese style. The interior was rustic and filled with antiques as decorations in every nook and cranny of its vicinity. Even the walls were just bare bricks!
 

Some specialties they’ve blown up for all to see

I can’t wait to taste them all already

But first! Before the delicacies arrive our tables, I’d usually check out the place first. When it comes to an awesome restaurant, you’ve gotta look at all aspects, never just the food!
The ambience and setting plays a huge role in the atmosphere of a complete dining experience 🙂
 

So yes, pretty pretty pictures of my surroundings coming your way!

Framed up old skool Chinese comics from circa 1950s!

I bet popoh and my late kungkung recognizes this

I’m diggin’ the way they use old stereo players, cassettes and video tapes as decoration!

Thumbs up

Anyone up for some Tic Tac Toe and Marvel comics?

I used to have all of them when I was little!

Goodness gracious wow! Ya can’t get any old skool than this, can you? 😀

Nothing really beats an ol’ beat up pair of rusty roller skates and a typewriter

Here’s something right beside our table.
A rattan birdcage atop a cupboard full of ancient stuff as well.
 

Highly coincidental 🙂 There used to be a similar birdcage in popoh’s old house as well

I was then beckoned back to my seat by the fellow foodies 🙂
The drinks had arrived!

Among all the glasses of various drinks, mine was ice-cold Green Tea 🙂

The first meal then arrived, very light – serves as a good appetizer before the heavy stuff comes in!
Here’s the toasted soft bun with Bak Kwa, Meat Floss & Egg

A good start! 😀

Next up was the Traditional Yam Cake which was simply delish

It was tender and flavourful

Kinda the type that melts in your mouth! 😀

The next meal that came was somewhat a little heavier, but one of our personal favorites of the night.
Behold, the Dry Curry Chicken Noodles!

Loved loved loved the curry flavour and the potato chicken!

So much so that we asked for another one. Yup, irresistible!
Tastes just like the ones popoh used to make. Noms
 

Mei Yee and I having our 2nd plate of the said dish 😀

Ken twirling with the noodles just before he chomps it all down!

Before we finished devouring the curry noodles, more delights came our way 🙂
Here’s something not in the menu – a specialty! *winks*
 

Check out the Mongolian Spare Ribs

Wicked, juicy and bursting with flavour.

The following meal kept me hyper throughout dinner.
Here’s something I absolutely love since I was a child, it’s the Herbal Drumstick Noodle!
Don’t be fooled by the word ‘Herbal‘, trust me it ain’t bitter or yucky at all 🙂
 

Have a bite? 😀

Another plus point of this dish is that when you spoon up the chicken,

the flesh is soft enough to fall off into your spoon by itself!

I apologize to my Muslim readers for the next photo, as it is Non-Halal. Bear with me, okay? 🙂
To every other pork lover, here’s the Stuffed Pork Balls with Satay Sauce
 

Though I ain’t a pork lover, this one really got me going wow 🙂

Here’s a more common one for the not-so-adventurous! 😀 But yummy all the same
It’s the Crispy Chicken Chop with Steamed Rice combo

A pretty decent and quick meal for lunch! 😀

And who could ever miss out the -arguably- most popular dish in Malaysia?
If you wish to opt for a Malaysian cuisine, make way for the Nasi Lemak with Curry Chicken!

*drumroll*

So gooooooooood! 😀 In fact, I’m bias to all Nasi Lemak

How can anyone seriously go wrong with cooking this? Unless one is a horrid failure of a chef haha!

Before it was time for desserts, I had to take a walk around to continue where I left of – and to ease my full tummy :D
Looking around at pretty thingamajigs make me smile
 

This set-up is just behind their cashier counter!

I like that calender thing on the right. It’s quite an icon in Chinatown streets 😀

Recycable glass bottles as ornament pieces

My, what a genius 😀

I’m not too familiar with these but was told that those are some of the popular Chinese candy/snacks!

And is that beer I see in the carton below? *winks* hehe!

See that stand fan? Most Chinese coffee shops back in the days own those! 😀

And the portable keyboard with the stick-it notes on the background.

Really cool, if i do say so myself.
Props to the owners and the team who actually made the place look so close to a food outlet from the past! 

When the desserts came, I peeked and wondered what it is 🙂

Why is Ken laughing at me!? haha

Among some of the desserts they have, here’s my favorite pick!
It’s called the Black Sesame Tang Yuan in Coconut Milk & Sago Pearls

Really delish! But, I honestly wonder why it has a ‘black’ in its name when it’s pure white! 😀

hehehehe 😀 You should order this when you go to Reminisce. It’s joy in a bowl

Right, Ken? 😀 Sweet tooths will love it too.

I can’t bring myself not to finish it!

All in all, I had a great dinner with a group of fab friends. Of good food and company, what could be better?
Thanks Reminisce!

Feel free to check out this post of me in CHIN’S Stylish Chinese Cuisine if you’re interested!