Spa Relaxation and Indulgence in PJ

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Once in a while couples will try to look for something they can do together. Something out of the ordinary, not your typical movie or dinner out. Hubby and I decided to have a very long and luxurious relaxing time so I went on the internet to browse nice spa places (which are still in the affordable range). I know that if we were ready to super splurge we could easily choose places like those spa inside hotels... but I wanted to see if Malaysia offers nice spas which are outside the hotel.

I landed on a few blogs and sites, and luckily I ended up with this one : Khareyana Spa at Petaling Jaya. The great thing about it is that they have Indo ladies who specializes on pregnant women! That was great news for me as this was one of hubby's concern. I am now on my 8th month of pregnancy which means I am quite heavy and with a big tummy.

The Khareyana spa is located very near the Assunta Hospital (that landmark makes it easier for customers to find the place). It's located near the round-about and very easy to find. Upon arrival we were greeted by this lady who explained the different scrubs available. As the price goes higher, the scrubs smelled better and better. I guess that's all part of the marketing and upsell... I should know, I am a marketeer myself! Hubby and I ended up with the body scrubs that smelled really good (and highest in the price range). Since we don't do this often, might as well indulge and go all out.

The whole experience took 3 hours and 30 minutes. We also had a nice couple's room which is a bit rustic in design. Hubby liked it because it's different from the typical posh hotel spas. We also had a view of the outside which had lots of greens and water. Walking to the room itself was interesting because we had to walk on the small cement steps and avoid getting your feet into the pond! Very original design spa.

For my treatment it included: body scrub, full body massage, and a milk bath. While hubby had body scrub, full body massage and steam. The spa experience is at RM325 per person. Not bad considering the quality of the service.

In case you visit their website and curious which treatment we took, let me the details. I tried the Javanese Rose while hubby (after smelling several options) ended up with White Tea.

Javanese Rose

Gentle apricot granules enriched with rice extract and rose essential oil. Javanese Rose treatment helps to remove dead skin cells and stimulate skin regeneration bringing out softer and more beautiful skin.
180 Minutes RM325.00

White Tea

Gentle apricot granules enriched with rice and tea leaf extract and panthenol. White tea treatment helps to remove dead skin cells and stimulate skin regeneration leaving skin looking soft and supple.
180 Minutes RM325.00

For reservations and more info, contact:


Khareyana Spa
36 Jalan Selangor
46050 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, MALAYSIA
T : +603 7958 6219
F : +603 7958 6284

For couples thinking of what to do on their special day or simply want to have a lazy afternoon indulgence, I highly recommend some together-time at this place! Compared to prices at the hotels spas, this place is reasonable.

early breakfast at The Bread Shop

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Calling all bread lovers out there... Bread and pastry lovers like me! I was in heaven when I walked in to The Bread Shop at Damansara Heights. The beautiful collection of sumptuous bread really blew me away and I was spoilt for choice. We arrived early in the morning around 830am and the bread / pastries were all ready. We ordered 3 pastries : chocolate danish, cinnamon swirl, and bananas scotch danish plus a cafe latte and cafe mocha. Wow, I really enjoyed every piece of bread that went into my hungry tummy. I'm so glad to discover this place! The interior is modern chic and simple. They also have all day dining in case you want some hot food.

Sigh, brings back memories of Paris and all the yummy bread that goes with it.
Truly a must try place for bread lovers especially those looking for bread with a twist in flavor. Other stuff they have which I will try next time : custard almond, butter sugar, apple danish, cheese sausage, etc.
In case you want to check it out for yourself :

The Bread Shop
11 Jalan Setiakasih 5
Damansara heights
Tel no. 03 20938734
Open : 8am- 730pm mon to fri, 8am to 5pm on saturday
Closed on sunday and public holidays

We got some bread to take-away. One tip for you guys out there who want to enjoy yummy croissant for breakfast: buy the croissant and freeze in a tupperware immediately when you get home. Then, the day you want to eat for breakfast, put it inside the oven for about 10-15 mins and voila! It will be almost as good as a newly baked one. That's how we do it :)

To give you an idea of the bread and pastry prices, let me share the breakdown of our bill. We discovered that dining in they will charge you more because of the service charge.

Cafe Latte - RM 7.80
Cafe Mocha - RM 7.80
Banana Scotch Danish - RM 5.80
Cinnamon Swirl - RM 4.80
Chocolate Danish - RM 4.80
Subtotal - RM 31.00
Service Charge 5% - RM 1.55
TOTAL BILL : RM32.55

I took away some sausage roll (RM 5.80) and butter croissant (RM2.80).

Will surely go back to this place for more pastry and bread tasting. Yummm!

An Evening of Live Music in KL

Tweet or expats out there who don't know what else they can do on quiet evenings, you may want to have a musical adventure. Oftentimes, me and hubby are trying to see what new things we can discover in KL. Also for us, it's time to enjoy our last few weeks of bliss before baby comes!

So after hearing good reviews from friends about this place called No Black Tie, we decided to check it out. True enough, it was definitely worth the time and we had a nice evening. We attended one of the Bossa Nova evenings where they featured a good bossa nova singer. I was in heaven. I love, love Bossa Nova music and the first 2 songs she sang really blew me away. On other evenings, they would feature Jazz and other type of music.

On another evening I tried to drop by with some colleagues to listen to some music and chillout after work. The nice thing of this place is that they start the live music at 9:30pm, which is not too late. Unlike other places I have researched, the live music/band usually starts at 1030pm, and at some restaurants they only have the live stuff during Thurs/Fri/Sat evenings. No Black Tie plays music every night. You can check out their schedule at their website http://www.noblacktie.com.my/

Their cover charge is quite reasonable at RM20 per person. On some occasions, they will charge RM 40 per person because it's a special night. All you need to do is pay the cover charge then you can opt to just order drinks while listening to music. They do serve food also, but we opted to eat somewhere else. Especially as the Jalan Ceylon area has tons of nice restaurants. You can even park at No Black Tie and eat across the street (right in front of them you will find an Italian restaurant called Delucca). If you are not concerned about budget, I would recommend you and your friends to eat at the different restaurants around the area, especially these :

1. Nero Vivo - Italian restaurant

2. El Cerdo - serves crispy pork like no where else! really nice pork place with European setting ambience

3. Neroteca - if you love cheese platter with some parma ham and great wine, then this is the place for you!

4. Le Bouchon - if you love French food (especially their duck .. yummy!) A bit pricey but good quality real french food

So the next time you and your friends don't know what to do on evenings, you can try to check this place out. The place is small and cozy ... just right for a night of music!

Kuriya Japanese Restaurant at BSC Bangsar

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For Japanese food lovers (like me), it's refreshing to find new restaurants in the city. After browsing through some blogs, I decided to give this fairly new restaurant a visit.

Like what they say: a true measurement if a Japanese retaurant is good is if you see many Japanese locals frequenting the joint. True enough, I saw a number of them while I was eating there. So it's safe to say this is an authentic Jap place.

Kuriya is located at the top floor of the newly renovated BSC (Bangsar Shopping Centre) and the ambience is modern chic. Surely a good place to impress your loved one (if that is what you are aiming for). I saw a few couples who were surely having a "dinner date" ... well they picked a nice place!

The service was fast and prompt. The california maki roll I ordered came in just after 5 minutes of ordering it. I also noticed they had quite a number of Filipino staff (waiters and cooks) which may have contributed to the friendly service.

Hubby and I tried the traditional Japanese stuff as we didn't feel like being too adventurous with our orders that evening. Though on the menu they had some exceptionally different stuff which I didn't find in other Jap restaurants... maybe I will try them next time. We opted for ebi tempura, garlic fried rice, chicken teriyaki, cod fish teriyaki and of course some salmon sashimi (which they are proud of bec of the regular fish delivery flights from Japan). I can tell you that the salmon sashimi was really very fresh and tasty. Though I am 8 months pregnant and not supposed to be taking sushi (or any raw stuff), I couldn't help myself and I tasted 1 piece of it. Melt-in-your-mouth sashimi... sigh. Will have to come back after I deliver little baby. Mommy will is craving for sashimi treat!

I didn't feel like drinking anything from their list, given my condition. So I just opted for some warm water while hubby took some hot green tea. Both drinks didn't appear in our bill so I guess these are "gratuit" or free of charge. Good to know especially as some of the other Jap places charge for water and for green tea.

In case you are wondering how does this Jap restaurant fare against others in terms of costing, let me share the breakdown of the bill. For 2 people, we spent RM148.35 which is not too high cost for a posh place like this. But I think if you plan to try the more exotic looking stuff you will surely end up with RM100-120 per person or even more.

Ebi Tempura - RM28
Matcha ice cream - RM8
Gindara Teriyaki - RM 30
Chicken Teriyaki - RM 18
Garlic Fried Rice - RM15
Salmon Sashimi - RM 22
California Maki - RM 8

Service charge + Gov't tax on top of the food cost brought the total bill to RM 148.35.

If you would like to make a reservation, you can contact the restaurant:

KURIYA Japanese Restaurant
Tel. No. 03-20939246 / 03-20939242

Will we come back to try the other stuff? Yes... we will. It gets tiring sometimes going back to the same old-same old Japanese places we frequent : like Rakuzen Sri Hartamas (which is always fully booked) or Sugimoto at Desa Sri Hartamas. It's nice to have some change once in a while.

Hiestand Bakery at Mont Kiara ... finally a good bakery nearby!

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I have always dreamed of walking to a nearby quality bakery for fresh bread in the wee hours of the morning. My dream came true when I was vacationing in South of France at hubby's hometown and cherished every moment we walked to their nearby bakery to buy fresh croissant, pain au chocolat and baguette.

Now... my dream is a reality... here in Mont Kiara! Finally, they opened a decent & quality bakery called Hiestand. It's located at the ground floor of Mont Kiara Meridin condo, minutes away from where I stay. I believe that the neighborhood will truly appreciate this new establishment!

Hiestand opened its doors only last week (Sunday). The good news is that this bakery opens at 7:30am every day Monday to Sunday! Yippeee! Fresh bread anytime!

I went to the shop today to buy some bread and the sales lady informed me that they will have a breakfast set available starting this Saturday (Oct 24), a combination of bread, jam, eggs and coffee. Can't wait til this weekend to try it out. Best of all, they open very early!

In case you are wondering about the prices, let me share with you a breakdown of the items I bought today:
Pain Au Choc- RM 2.60
Strudel Almond - RM2.00
Focaccio bun- RM1.20
Butter Croissant - RM3.80

To my neighborhood friends in Mont Kiara: enjoy freshly baked bread every day!

Rainy wednesday @ Sultan Ismail

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On my way home from work. Suddenly the rain poured. Traffic usually slows down when the rain comes. The good thing about Malaysia's rains is that it usually lasts for a short time. In my 2 years stay, I have not experienced any typhoon. Usually the heavy rains would last 1-3 hours only. Sometimes the sun comes shining through after a heavy rain!
Unlike Manila weather which could literally be gloomy and rainy all day, Malaysia has a more favorable weather in my opinion.

superb hokkaido ice cream at MOF Pavilion

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I was really surprised to see that japanese dessert shop tucked away at the basement corner of Pavilion (near Mercato). I suppose it's been there for a while but I rarely pass by that area since it feels like the end of the world. The friendly waiter explained their best sellers & I decide to be adventurous. I was not disappointed at all. The milky ice cream was oh so good and melt in your mouth. While the small japanese dumplings, jelly and some cute colored candy thing-y which I forgot the name. it also came with some fruits which were fresh and tasty. I would definitely go back to try the other desserts! They also do take away where people can easily order ice cream cone. For the few minutes we were there we saw quite a number of customers. I guess they have established their customer base. Good high quality ice cream!

bad experience at Ichiban Boshi, Pavilion

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We were at Pavilion on a weeknight and decided to try something new. We were going to Pancake House to try some Filipino dish but walked passed this Japanese place called Ichiban Boshi at the basement floor and decided to give it a try.
What a disappointment it was. The service was bad despite so many, many waiters standing around. The food took long to come out from the kitchen and it wasn't piping hot (like the usual japanese dishes). To top it off, we ordered ahead of the table beside us but they got their food first. Then when I followed up, they came to tell me one of the items we ordered was not available anymore which made me more upset. My husband asked for the manager, and instead they brought some Malay supervisor who didn't know a thing about customer service & she just stood there after a short apology. Then we realized there was another manager and called for her. She apologized and quickly said that the chef can make some of the eggplant dish we ordered so we decided to wait. It came after few minutes and the taste was so so, though this time it was warm. Overall it's a dismal japanese place which we will never visit again.

Interesting Performance by Chinese

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I attended one of the I.T. Magazine event this week. It was a sit down dinner event coupled with awarding ceremony.
They had an interesting mid-dinner entertainment. They invited some people from China to come and perform. It's amazing what the mind and body can do when one is determined! These kids were trained to do tricks since they were young. Some of the performance were nerve racking while others were okay. Overall I am amazed at what humans can do with their body when trained well. These people are available for hire for events... just in case anyone out there looking for some for entertainment for their party or event, this may be something you would want to consider.

pregnancy treat: Clarins Massage for pregnant women

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I'm getting heavier everyday. And each new week I discover new 'preggy symptoms' such as water retention, swelling feet, increase in leg cramps, etc. Sigh, all mothers know the drill. I'm very thankful though that things are progressing well and according to plan. Thank God I don't have back pains (yet), especially as many books and online resources warn of it in the late stages of pregnancy. Which brings me to the point of having pregnancy massages, which is highly suggested in western resources to relieve back pain.

A friend of mine told me that she had a pleasant experience when she tried the Clarins pregnancy massage. This idea stuck in my mind for a while. I was keeping it as a treat should I encounter back pains.
Well, thankfully the back pains have not arrived on my door, and hubby insisted that I take this massage as a little treat & indulgence.

I booked myself at the Clarins Institute and I definitely had a pleasant experience!

Let me quickly enumerate the overall experience (and how much time you need, how much it will cost)

• You will need at least 2 hours to complete the whole process: which includes a short briefing, 15-mins body scrub, a short warm shower, then a 1-hour body massage
• You will need to call for an appointment. This is because they have limited masseus who are certified for pregnancy massages. For the KLCC Clarins Institute, you can contact tel 03-23826800, while the 1Utama branch tel +603-7728 7266
• Don't worry about shower cap and displosable undies, as these will be provided. They also provide warm water / tea before, during and after the treatment to help keep you hydrated
• The massage position will include side-way massage as we pregnant women have a big tummy so we cannot face down. The massage table is comfortable and it's even warm (heated) at some point which provides a relaxing feeling
• The massage oils used smell so good! And they warm up the oil before use, so you will feel a relaxing effect the moment it touches your skin
• Oh, and for preggy women like me .. dont worry! They have a toilet inside the Institute, which means you can get easy access... our bladders can't hold water for too long :)
• The overall expense will be RM 265.00 per session. They told me about their package promotion which is buy 5 and get 1 free session. But since the economy is bad and we should be prudent with spending, I decided to just pay for the session. I am not sure if I will go back for another treat before I deliver. That will depend on a lot of things :) But they did encourage me to make an appointment for the next month session. Anyway, you can always cancel it

To all mothers-to-be ... this is one treat that you deserve!

sunday brunch pancake @ paddington

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Opting to be different this Sunday morning, hubby and I went to the Curve (at Mutiara Damansara) to have pancakes at 'paddington house of pancakes'. It's been a while since our last visit to that establishment, which was a favorite of mine when we just moved to KL 2 years ago.
My only complaint is why this restaurant does not open its doors at 8am when in fact pancakes are supposed to be breakfast specialties. They had a branch at Plaza Damas last year which opened early but unfortunately it closed down. I took the hot chocolate drink (which I found too sweet to my taste) but I was so hungry & couldn't wait for the food to arrive. Finally my American stack pancakes arrived with peaches and bananas. The waiter was kind enough to add more bananas for me since I told him I didn't want the vanilla ice cream that was supposed to come with that order. Hubby took a crepe looking dish which is called Brussels. The wheat crepe he took had toppings like baked beans, beef bacon, cheese, guacamole, & egg. Both orders were up to par and would satisfy anyone's pancake craving. Hubby also took a flat white coffee. Total bill came up to rm 54.

leisure lunch at delicious dua klcc

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En route to our parental classes at Gleneagles, we stopped by central kl for a light lunch. The Delicious at Dua Annexe along Tun Razak is a nice venue, with easy parking and spacious restaurant design. There were a number of customers enjoying a lazy late lunch on a Saturday. Hubby and I opted for this place since we wanted a consistent experience on food quality and speed. We needed to be at the parenting class by 2pm so we went for a safe bet, rather than being adventurous. True enough it kept up to the standards we were expecting. The ambience is really nice and spacious. A great place to bring your family and kids, if one prefers to skip the busy human traffic of shopping malls.