Birthday Lunch @ The Manhattan Fish Market, Pavillion

What you see may not be what you will get~ Technically there was nothing wrong but I can't help feel a little disappointed by the food presentation and quality. The image on the left is what I was served compared to the promotional image(right).

My brother had always wanted to try the Flaming Platter @ The Manhattan Fish Market. Since I wasn't going to be around, we decided to take opportunity of the groupon promotion and celebrate his birthday a little earlier. Usually price for the Platter alone is usually RM55.90 and with the groupon it was discounted to RM47 with complementary 'chowder' and salad.

Before I bought the groupon, I called up the Pavillion outlet to enquire if we could use it on Good Friday because it was stated in the t&c that it is not valid on a public holiday. It had to be on this particular day because it was the only day before my flight where his school is off. It was a simple question but the phone was passed around with the employees mumbling and giving me mixed answers. (If they had said no, I would've gone there anyway. The only difference is that I wouldn't waste my money for a groupon that I cannot use.)

I was quite annoyed but luckily the Manhattan Facebook Team had some sense and quickly clarified this issue. During my visit, the service was quick and efficient but the quality of the meal was....well it's not that it taste bad but it leaves something to be desired. The salad was still crunchy and crisp but it had already begin browning. I didn't think much of this but on our way out, there was salads in the display counter. I don't even want to think how long it has been there. 

I didn't ask but I believe we were served Mushroom Garlic Soup since it taste like mushroom but with an overwhelming garlic flavour - kinda like melted garlic bread. It wasn't bad and it was rather thick and filling. However, I was looking forward to being served 'chowder of the day' since that was what printed in the groupon. According to the dictionary, it refers to a rich soup usually containing seafood but if there was any in it I couldn't taste it.

The main meal after over looking its appearance was actually really delicious. They brought the pan over and flamed in front of us before serving. My brother particularly enjoyed the fried oysters and my favourite was the Mediterranean fish. What that was surprising is the rice beneath the seafood! I'm not one who would choose rice as my side dishes as it would usually turn out dry and taste-less but this was simply divine. 

My brother and I was practically bloated by the time we finished it. If you're a small eater, this set could probably feed three as opposed to two and I'm telling you my brother is NOT a small eater. But of course individual appetite applies. 

To digest our lunch we decided to walk around a bit before picking up his dessert (a promise made earlier). He decided to have Gelatomio Fruito and even though we selected the smallest cup that dude serving us really packed up the cup. (Now I know how they make money) It cost me about RM15 for it which is rather expensive to me. My eyes were practically daggers when he looked like he couldn't finish it since he was still stuffed from earlier. 

He managed it in the end with me helping out a little (chocolate still isn't really my thing) and look rather tortured :P We had a great day but I doubt he would want to stuff himself like this for a long time. But then again, its only his birthday once a year. And at this point of writing he still hasn't have the slightest inclination for his dinner. 

Jogoya Buffet Lunch @ Starhill Gallery

While writing this I'm sitting in front of my laptop - stomach bloated like a fat, contented little kitty. :D A little disclaimer - this isn't supposed to be a review but rather my personal experience at the outlet. 

I was supposed to meet up with a college friend of mine who has just returned home for a week of well deserved break after completing her intern-ship. Since we're 'makan' buddies its important that we pick an awesome place to eat. Going to Jogoya was decided and agreed since we both hadn't the chance to try out this place. We were pleasantly surprised (and feeling damn lucky) that there is an ongoing promotion. That brings our bill to about rm70nett per person which is a steal if the buffet is as awesome as I hoped.

I was honestly looking forward to Jogoya despite hearing a lot of negative buzz recently - mostly about the terrible wait staff and the deteriorating food quality compared to 2 years ago. But since I hadn't tried it then I've nothing to say about it. What I can say that I am glad that the bad reviews were unfounded as I had a great time at Jogoya. The staff was attentive,polite and fulfilled our requests promptly although they look rather scared intimidated when we talked to them.

After paying, we were directed to a seat near the sushi/sashimi section. It was nicely secluded while not being too far from the buffet line. As advised by reviews, we decided to order food that supposedly takes a long time to arrive first. This is done by dropping our number clip into a bowl featuring our chosen dish which will then be delivered to our table.  

There was a wide variety of cuisines and we started out with the seafood and sashimi. Mostly since it was the nearest line to us. I have to note that contrary to some reviews, the sashimi and oyster were very fresh which makes for a pleasant experience since its my first time trying out oysters. It wasn't quite my thing but it wasn't too bad either. I guess its an acquired taste. :P If raw seafood is not your thing, there are plenty of other dishes that would surely suit your taste. 

The place is huge and is divided into sections resembling hawker booths rather then buffet lines which I was confused on what they have and where they are located. It was in a way rather nice as we did a tour on the different counters and was nicely surprised by the choices presented (the effect wouldn't be there if the food was delivered in a boring straight buffet line). Although I think this will only affect first-timers since by the end of the day we could probably find our way blindfolded :3

Some of the notable sections -  Deep Fried, Salad, Sashimi, Nigiri Sushi, Cold Dishes, something like BBQ, Western - which I gave a cursory glance and skipped (nothing wrong was with the food but who comes to a buffet to gorge on pasta :3). The Tepanyaki/ Grill segment - from which I ordered the lamb was amazing. I don't remember its name and it did took a while to arrive but it was well worth it as it taste absolutely divine. Another of our favourite dish was the Claypot Curry Crab - .

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We also tried their Steamed Garoupa which was delicious (not oily and no fishy smell). Some of which I skipped was Sushies, Dim sum and Mini Steamboats - basically anything I think is too ordinary or filling but honestly since there was only two of us it was quite hard to try everything. I tried three types of soups at the Chinese Cuisine section even though I know that I'm filling up vital stomach capacity with liquid - Herbal which tastes like Bak Kut Teh, Chicken Abalone and Shark Fin Soup.I didn't regret it at all as it was rich and comforting.

The highlight of the day was their range of dessert which was amazing amazing and AMAZING. If I'm not mistaken they had four large glass displays. One each for jellies/puddings, cakes, cookies and japanese sweets respectively. For ice creams lovers there was variety which you can select from Haagen Dazs and New Zealand. . My favourite was definitely the cakes as it was soft, fluffy and just fabulous. Their cookies looked delicious but I did not try them as I was already full after stuffing myself silly with cakes and ice creams. Although I was looking forward to it, the mochi wasn't anything to shout about though. 

They also had a large selection of drinks from iced slushies and cocktails to juices, coffee, tea. But my personal favourite was the mini coconut. Unlimited mind you. I think its one of their more popular items as I see pretty much every table has it. Beer and Japanese alcoholic is also offered for an additional price. 

Obviously I didn't not try everything as it was really a too large selection for just two person to attempt. :P We left after dining for 3 hours. It was money well spent and we look forward to the next promotion at Jogoya - this time with more friends. These are some moments that I'm glad I was not too influenced by reviews as it would be a shame to miss out on this. This is definitely a must re-visit. :D

Rekindled

It seems to me that blogging ideas comes more easily during the night usually right before I sleep. The problem with this is that I usually forget what I wanted to blog about or if I do remember then I probably lost the flow of it all together. I can only do things once. Once I've done it even if it were in my head I can't exactly re-create it with the same feeling unless I somehow manage to record my thoughts before it disappears. This makes for quite alot of un-completed and un-posted blog posts. Some suggestions on this would be appreciated but on to my topic today.

In preparation for my upcoming trip I'm now the proud owner of Nikon Coolpix P330. Tada~

The reason I selected this camera out of multitudes of others (and paid a great deal more) is because of the manual capabilities - which I'm trying hard to learn. I want to take gorgeous photos and I want to be able to control it and not be at the mercy of the camera instead - which is the problem of my current nearly 10-year-old Olympus. 

After high school I somewhat lost interest in photography (and quite a lot of my other hobbies - eg. writing) for a bit partly due to my outdated gear and the lack of supportive friends. However, researching how exactly to use each mode (I just love AV mode the best) and learning what the heck are stuff like ND filters, Active D-Lightings (sorry if I'm a noob but things like this never came with auto =.=) makes things so much more interesting. The multitudes of websites, guides and blogs available is just awesome. There area also photography magazines which I could download (for free) which had tons of beginner tips.

There is just so much to learn and I hope that college has a real photography club since I saw a couple of kids running around with dslrs. I apparently have the amazing luck of consistently joining a dead club. Any club I join seems to be dead. To proof it I've been a girl guide my entire schooling life but I've never even passed the pre-preparatory grade. This means that technically I'm not allowed to even wear their uniform. The clubs I joined at my various schools either had too many people to effectively do anything or we had not enough people to meet the min requirement for anything. Such a bummer.

Well cross my fingers and I'll hope for better luck in college since I'm supposed to be joining something to get curricular points.  

Proof of Adulthood

When I was younger, reaching my 21st birthday had always signified the gateway of adulthood - the magical age where we are no longer 'controlled' by our parents, where we could do whatever we want...and so it goes.  However, as I matured...I realised that adulthood isn't marked by a number but rather by our actions.

So what if you're 21 this year. Demanding that you want freedom is just plain bullshit for as long as we are dependant...as long as we cannot stand on our own feet we will always be ruled by our parents. Everything goes both ways. How convenient to proclaim that we are already old enough to do whatever we want but still need them to feed us, to cloth us, to pay for our education. Arguing will not serve any purpose but to proof our immaturity - this which I'm not immune to.

Parents have no obligation to fulfil our every whims and wishes. Legally they are only required to support us till 18. So if we are to live in their house we are to abide by their rules - or so my mum says. If you claim that you can do what ever you want, surely you can work for it. Financial freedom - the ability to pay our own. This is truly the ticket to freedom

However to me, health is the most important above all. This which I have experienced first hand. Within a year I've been warded twice which I'm sure is more than most my age. Some of these restrictions will affect my work opportunities as working overseas will not be a possibility. While my friends could...explore for the lack of a better word, I would be restricted to my locality as my life practically revolves around my appointments.

If this is adulthood, sometimes I'd rather be a kid again without worries. But well I'll take everything in a stride as I'm sure there is a silver lining somewhere - or so the proverb says. For now, I will be flying to South Korea in two weeks time. This would be my second trip overseas unaccompanied. I'm estimating expenses around rm5000 - a total which I hope I won't reach. I would probably post a detailed expenditure once I'm back.