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TheJessicat - Extractions of a Disoriented Mind
  • Entertainment
    • Film & Movies
    • International Artists
    • Live Concerts & Gigs
    • Local Artists
    • Music Festivals/Rave Parties
    • Nightlife/Parties
  • Food
    • American
    • Asian
    • Coffee joints/Cafe hopping
    • French
    • Fusion
    • Italian
    • Japanese
    • My Cookbook
    • Others/Fusion
  • Fashion
    • Body Art
    • Cosplay
    • Fashion Shows
  • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Makeup/Skincare
  • Travels
    • Thailand
    • The Australian Diaries
  • Health & Fitness
    • EatFitSlam: Clean Eating
    • GymJamSlam: Gym/Workouts
    • Sports
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A Mother’s Day special edition + celebrating with my 3 superwomen at Marianis Italian Ristorante @ De Garden, Ipoh!

May 12, 2014 by thejessicat

 

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? Wink

 

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! Laughing

 

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. Smile

 

 

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

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

 

 

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. Undecided

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! Smile

 

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? Big Smile

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. Smile 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. Cool

 

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! SurprisedSurprised

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 Yell 

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) Yell

 

 

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!

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The Sunday Times XV: Sights, sounds, adventures & eats! My week in a flash ♥

December 30, 2012 by thejessicat

 

 

 

So this is it, eh? The final week of the year 2012.

 

The beginning of the week was a rather quiet one. 

Spent the time alternating back and forth with my family in Ipoh and Penang!

 

Did some hiking up Bukit Bangkong in Tanah Hitam

Nature at its best 

 

As Christmas eve & Christmas day has always been a family affair, I spent it with my family! 

Christmas 2012 blog post – here

 

The Christmas cake that mom decorated 

 

Played host again. Took my Aussiemate, Shane, around Georgetown, Penang!

Since he was craving to try some of Penang's best Nasi Kandar, where else would I take him but Nasi Kandar Line Clear along Penang Road? ;)

 

Shane & I at Nasi Kandar Line Clear (with the mamak guy)

 

They had Nasi Briyani! I was over the moon.

Usually, I wouldn't eat Nasi Kandar because I don't eat white rice. But since Nasi Briyani was an alternative, I jumped straight for a nice steamy hot plate of Nasi Kandar with some chicken 

 

As Konzy and Shane included 2 Giant Tiger Prawns (a specialty of the store!) each, as well as chicken & vegetables in their Nasi Kandar, their bill came up to almost RM30! Mine was only RM8 LOL

 

My night was spent at Chin's Stylish Chinese Cuisine, a lavish, posh fine-dining restaurant above the sea at QE II (Queen Elizabeth II) :)

 

Lovely! It was splashed with several, varied influences from around the world! :D

 

Chin's serves authentic Sze Chuan, Hunan, Mongolian and Northern Beijing cuisine, but it is certainly not your typical Chinese restaurant, as you can probably tell by the ambience and modern interior design

I'm can't wait to share this place with you, (especially my Chinese readers!) as I will be reviewing Chin's CNY menu, perfect for reunion dinners.

 

Amazing hand-painted ceramic plates on all the dining tables of Chin's! 

 

I caught up with some friends over a delightful herbal tea – Fairy Blossom – to be exact. 

 

It was smoky and had a light floral taste to it. 

Perfect alternative to some of the more commercial types of tea that we see almost everywhere.

 

After a wonderful week in Penang & Ipoh, it was time to head back to the big city.

I invited mom & kakak to stay with me in KL for the weekend 

 

As mom has always wanted to visit the i-City in Shah Alam for herself and kakak had always dreamed of sight-seeing KL city, especially the Petronas Twin Towers + KL Tower, I decided that I was going to make it happen for them 

 

Kakak & I were overlooking the entire KL city + its suburbs on the observation deck of KL Tower 

 

She was thrilled, completely dumbfounded and left in awe by how KL city looks from up above

No words could describe the joy on my face, upon seeing her euphoric gestures and expressions.

 

A lil selca-time while she enthuses over the sights of KL with the built-in binoculars

 

Clearly, I love her very much. My Indonesian maid who has been with me for 20 years.

Over two decades, she has become like another mother of mine and she deserved this weekend among everything else in my capacity to make her happy.


My actual mother, on the other hand, has often expressed her fascination of i-City and how she would love to be there in person to admire the wondrous lights with her very own eyes.

 

And her wish was my command 

She was mesmerized by the ethereal neon, laser and LED lights surrounding i-City

 

A full day was spent with them, bringing them around like tourists haha!

The very next day, I took them to the PETRONAS Twin Towers for lunch and some more sight-seeing.

 

KLCC bracing the storm clouds looming around the city

 

We decided to eat at the Signature Food Court at Suria KLCC as it had heaps more choices!

It was my first time dining there.

 

I had the Smoked Norweigian Salmon sandwich with alfafa sprouts and hardboiled egg

and a marble cheesecake.

 

The former was delicious and hearty but the latter was rather dry and had an unpleasant crumbly texture.

Photo-taking of the twin-towers soon ensured & they went back to Penang soon after.

 

Today was a rather relaxed Sunday with Konzy!

 

Dinner at Sakae Sushi

 

We spent the afternoon running some errands, shopping, reading, eating kebabs, doing groceries, getting a massage, listening to live band/live vocal music, sipping on chocolate drinks at The Obroma Lounge & lots of talking 

Sounds like a typical lazy Sunday, ain't it?

(Photo taken whilst at i-City Shah Alam btw)

 

Oh and.. my seven days included my latest craze over the adorable Mon Shu girl by Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura's Holiday 2012 collection.

Amazing how two giants in the fashion & beauty world collaborate to produce this dark, iconic, illustrated girl

 

Mon Shu and I. 

 

2012's coming to an end. Have you done up your new year resolutions yet?

 

I've already started on some of them! :D 

Don't need to wait for a new year to embark on personal goals & reforming habits!

 

 

Have a great end to 2012 and welcome 2013 with open arms! 

I'd like to share an original quote of mine which goes, "Don't fret the future, live for the moment and never look back". How true is that? :D

 

I've lived by this principle ever since I've got it inscribed onto my body. It made me a more carefree person in life.

Maybe it will help you too?

 

Much love,

Jessicat

 

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

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!

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ELEVATE Ipoh! The finale rocks Perak’s brand new hotspot – Sensation of Sound (SOS)

December 4, 2012 by thejessicat

 

 

 

When a party is set to hit a small town you spent your childhood in, you know it will only spell a whole new experience.

I accepted the invitation with full anticipation when Ipoh, Perak was the chosen destination of ELEVATE’s finale of its nation-wide series of events.

 

My plus one & I 

It’s the last ELEVATE party of the year – already?

Throughout the year, partygoers from all over the country didn’t need to travel all the way to KL city to partyrock the night away. ELEVATE brought the party to the revellers instead.

 

 

I’ve personally attended a couple of ELEVATE events – ELEVATE Penang & ELEVATE KL.

Two out of the total number of six parties which was also held in Malacca, Kuantan, Johor Bahru, Kuching… and tonight, it’s time for ELEVATE Ipoh to wrap it all up with a fantastic closure 

The latest dance club in Ipoh was the chosen partyzone

Growing up in this little quaint state, one would quite naturally assume that I know everything there is to know about it.

Before you request I point you in the right direction of Ipoh’s best clubbing scene… Sorry to break it to you, I can’t LOL. It is rather surprising (even to me!) that I’ve never once partied within the grounds of Ipoh’s townscape before.

 

You can’t ever miss the neon prism-like hotspot that is

Sensation of Sound (SOS) located along Jalan Raja Ekram!

 

We arrived in all shades of blue, adhering to ELEVATE’s colour theme.

The venue was already packed with guests as early as 9.30pm! Hmm.. that’s something vastly different from the KL club scene where partygoers would only begin to flock the venue just before midnight.


Soaking in everything Ipoh’s partyscene has to offer 

To warm-up the party before it set off, we were first entertained by SOS’s very own in-house entertainment.

 

Their DJ was spinning us electronic & RnB tunes

And their nine-piece Filipino live band

 

They belted various renditions of popular songs ranging from the classics, alternative rock, rap, to the latest chart-topping pop hits.  

We enjoyed the free-flow of Carlsberg for the night. There was plenty to go around! 

 

Us with some local Ipoh friends!

Girls decked in blue & our boys in grey

The other half & I 

Chillin’ on one of the many comfy, velvety red lounge seats in SOS!

 

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and we were shrouded in darkness 

The music took us by storm and local dance crew Elecoldxhot, fully clad in robotic LED gear appeared before us!

 

They worked their tight & well-synchronized routines on stage

 

Some of them were breakdancing, while others were shuffling, popping & locking!

They ended their first performance bearing ELEVATE’s logo in a creative formation of their arms!

After a short interval, the next performance gave us something to jump right outta our seats to dance and sing along with.

Any guesses? There was no surprise when the band belted out the ever-contagious, annoyingly amusing song of the year, Gangnam Style! :D:D

 

The lead singer was even dressed to mimic Psy!

 

Heeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy! Sexy lady!

All of us, myself included, went on a frenzy and galloped along to the rhythmic horse-riding moves that made the song hilariously popular in the first place.

It was certainly a sight to see! Partygoers, both young and old were seen doing the exact same dance moves. Gangnam Style is no doubt, a phenomenon that is here to stay! 

 

Elecoldxhot joined the fun and gangnam-styled on stage too

We had so much fun! That certainly cranked up the mood of the party.

Really, now… what’s a party without Gangnam Style nowadays, huh? ;)

 

Just being silly 

 

More party pictures ensued. It was lovely catching up with familiar faces that night!

 

 

Elecoldxhot took to the stage again – this time, in a different apparel.

They were donning their signature vibrant & colourful streetwear this time 

 

How smooth can these boys move? 

Sparks lit up the stage and fizzled for a good few minutes

Their closing dance was certainly a bang!

Confetti burst out in the open and engulfed the dance floor with shimmery tinsels of blue and silver.

Some of the shiny paper even landed on our faces and got into our glasses of beer, from where we were standing!  No matter, all in the name of good fun! 

 

We had to fetch ourselves new drinks though, just before the free-flow ended at midnight.

 

DJ Yasmin raises the temperature!

We needn’t have to wait long before our final act stole the limelight & took full control of the night.

It was great to have this petite beauty hailing all the way from Jakarta, Indonesia, right here with us!

 

Tonight, she not only played uplifting trance beats but also house, techno and dubstep as well

Such a paparazzi shot, no? :P:P

 

The party kept going for what felt like all night long! However, all good things must come to an end.

ELEVATE officially ended when the doors swung open to the public just after midnight, but this can only mean the more the merrier!

As expected, the venue got even more packed with people than it already is, all in the name of a hectic, buzzing Saturday night.

 

Thank you, once again, ELEVATE, for having me at your train of parties throughout Malaysia!

Check out KL and Penang’s ELEVATE previous events respectively for more!

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Hi! Welcome to TheJessicat.com - an urban lifestyle blog established since 2005, written from the perspective of a Malaysian blogger. Discover the latest and all that the city has to offer! Do bear with her occasional rants & musings though. Happy reading! ❤

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