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kakivino · 7 years ago

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Tasting: Great Wines of Italy 2016 Bangkok

When thirst meets wanderlust, wine will take you places. If, say, a Tuscan idyll seems implausible for the time being, sneaking a vinous agenda in your regional getaway might just be the next best thing.

Good for you if you’re already frequenting Hong Kong, Shanghai, Asia’s wine hubs high on the Grand Tasting destination list. And no, KL can’t get a look-in, if you have to ask.

The Great Wines of Italy in Bangkok fits the bill nicely (like we need an excuse for Thai break). Hosted by James Suckling—one of the foremost critics in the wine world—the marquee event is arguably the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia.

Better early than late

Now you don’t want to be late to the party or you’d be sorry staring at empty Bruno Giacosa not even halfway through. To four kiasu Malaysians, there’s simply nowhere better to be when the gate to wine heaven opened at the Grand Hyatt Erawan.

No prize for guessing which table I first hit. Both ’13 Barbaresco Rabajà and ’13 Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche had me in a moment of sheer elation. Such incredible finesse, purity (nary a trace of wood) and classicism for such powerful nebbiolo, you just got to take your imaginary hat off to a living legend.

What I wouldn’t give for a taste of the famous red labels. That glass of gustatory orgasm.

A glorious start to the evening was followed by many outstanding baroli, though some more expressive than others. High-toned Ceretto ’09 Barolo Brunate for one caresses with über-fine suppleness. Befittingly La Morra, it’s already drinking marvellously. ’12 Barolo Bricco Rocche too offers genuine immediacy in an oh-so-effortless, gracious manner one associates with the modernista.

Speaking of which, Roberto Voerzio, one of the original “Barolo Boys”, holds a different proposition. Age hasn’t made the late-release ’05 Barolo Riserva 10 anni Fossati Case Nere any softer, yet. Seductive nose apart, it remains stubbornly reticent about what lies beneath its plush veneer. ’12 Barbera d’Alba Riserva Vigneto Pozzo dell'Annunziata must’ve been the most lavishly oaked, boldest barbera I ever tasted. High extraction, even higher prices.

The barbaresco and barolo of La Spinetta are styled along the same high-octane mould, they would sit right at home on a steakhouse table.

Then we had Aldo Conterno, whose aristocratic ’12 Barolo Cicala and ’12 Barolo Colonnello would command a great deal of patience. Tight tannins clench just as tar and roses draw you closer: formidable. Franco Conterno was on hand to let you in on their subtle nuances, reasoning clay-sand variation in Bussia render the former firmer, the latter more floral. Equally as potent nonetheless.

From arguably the most celebrated cru of them all, Guido Damilano showed off his rich and, both literally and figuratively, gripping ’12 Barolo Cannubi which exudes a delicate sense of proportion true to the site.

Sell-out success

As I was elbowing my way to some chianti, I couldn’t help but wonder the entire Bangkok’s wine circles, indeed expat community, had packed into the swanky grand ballroom. A record turnout of 1,300 spoke for the tasting’s sell-out success.

Back to where a poor Federico Manetti was swamped, you did have to maneuvre through a static crowd and stick your glass out for your prize. To decide between Fontodi’s voluminous ’13 Flaccianello della Pieve and ’13 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna del Sorbo was akin to splitting hairs. Seamless oak, velvety tannins, graphite and an amazing core of dark-skinned fruits appear rendered in technicolour clarity, animated by boundless inner energy. Cab-free now, it’s vividly clear why Antonio Galloni thinks the latter is coming into its own.

The tasting galore had also afforded a fascinating study of terroir-driven denominations. Fans of sangiovese would’ve no doubt found rich pickings, from the masculine, earthy Chianti Classico of Fèlsina in Castelnuovo Berardenga, to the metrosexual, polished Fonterutoli in Castellina, to say nothing of lesser-known incarnations like Le Pupille’s Morrelino di Scansano, ColleMassari’s Montecucco and Tenuta di Capezzana’s Carmignano. (It bugged me to see some of these rustic charmers unnecessarily smothered by exuberant new oak.)

Brunello bonanza

Needless to say, there’s no escaping brunello, sangiovese’s highest expression in all of Tuscany. The Montalcinesi had descended en masse to spoil you for choices.

Utterly elegant from start to finish, Livio Sassetti Pertimali ’12 Brunello di Montalcino simply blew me away. Stunning aromatics, nervy acidity, very Montosoli minerality. Winemaker Lorenzo Sassetti poured another winner ’10 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva that was likewise on song. A stylish Altesino ’11 Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli further reinforced that airy, minerally impression of this renowned ‘cru’.

Also stood out is Caprili ’12 Brunello di Montalcino, which best sums up a ripe, racy vintage better off with some bottle age. Something told me it wouldn’t be that long.

It’s a shame I caught Fuligni ’10 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva in a coy mood. Intense, youthfully austere with classically massive structure as imposing as the Montalcino fortress, it just wanted to shut up shop. Bearing similar profundity, Valdicava ’10 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano, the 100-pointer cult wine cut a more endearing figure thanks to better focus and persistence, at this stage no least.

What began as exhilaration would gradually simmer down to palatal exertion, such is the inevitability of mass tasting at where the pace is furious and decanting a luxury for younglings. When poise were increasingly scarce, you can count on the redoubtable Poggio di Sotto ’11 Brunello di Montalcino to hit the right spot. This Castelnuovo dell'Abate icon remains every bit as ravishing as when we last met. Pedigree.

Buoyed by renewed faith, I decided to leave Tuscany in search of fresher ‘pasture’, not before a real head-turner stopped me dead in my tracks: Petrolo ’14 Valdarno di Sopra Galatrona. A pure merlot so satiny and sensual, so gorgeous and gratifying it was no match for any super Tuscan or Bolgheri alike that evening.

Path less travelled

To seek refreshment, one only needs to follow the Italians to their summer retreats (hail local wisdom). I could imagine sipping Donnachiara ’15 Fiano di Avellino anywhere on the Amalfi coast, all day long. Brisk, balanced, very Alsatian in texture, with saline undertones hinting at influence of the Thyrrenian sea.

To my dismal, dammit, I left it too late for the last drops of Pieropan’s classic ’14 Soave Classico La Rocca and Kellerei Terlan’s Südtirol whites in the Northeast. Franz Haas ’14 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Manna showed exactly what I’d missed. Crisp, flavourful and complex, it’s one joy of a wine that proves versatile. Pristine Dolomites air has also breathed life into the understated, moreish Franz Haas ’14 Pinot Nero Alto Adige. All in all, the less taken path had definitely provided much welcomed respite.

If you need to cleanse your palate good, Bellavista ’10 Franciacorta Teatro La Scala is more than up for the task. This metodo classico fizz gives your C-word bubblies a serious run for their money, matching their sophistication with an Italian sensibility.

I made it a point to check out the meteoric rise of red hot nerello mascalese. That led to a most scintillating rendevouz with Pietradolce ’13 Etna Rosso Vigna Barbagalli and ’14 Etna Rosso Archineri. As lovely florals, orange zest, crunchy red fruits, exotic spice tease the senses, these soulful reds shine with mineral-laden, glycerol-textured vigour all of which unfurl from a lithe, burgundian even, frame.

Proprietor Michele Faro was eager to share the peculiarity of pre-phylloxera viticulture on the high-altitude, lava-blackened slopes of Mount Etna. He strongly recommended the read “Volcanic Wines” by John Szabo, to better understand how terroir and convictions of few winemakers pan out in a glass of Etna. Or two, as the same individualistic vein of characters flows in Tasca d'Almerita ’14 Sicilia Nerello Mascalese Tascante.

Drinkability conundrum

There you have it. Vino enthusiasts sure had a whale of a time luxuriating in the four-hour bacchanalia, all the while delighting in mind-boggling discoveries and merrymaking with total strangers.

But I was feeling oddly ambivalent after the curtains fell. Maybe it’s the wine talking. For all the promises of these indisputably first-rate wines, it’s still only potential that we sipped rather than the full-blown, glorious mouthfuls we crave (with few notable exceptions). Unless we cough up the premium, the reality is we owe it to ourselves to take up the waiting game.

Ultimately, it’s all a matter of perspective. Ask the right question [of these wines], you’ll be able to appreciate the Grand Tasting as it is: a glimpse of the big picture, a sort of anteprima largely to handpick on release brunello for your cellar. Looking past frustration, the experience was a rewarding one. As James and his posse of producers return to wow Bangkok next week for the fourth year running, I’m all game for another bout of sniff, sip, swallow. And repeat. — KY

*** This is a sponsored post *** James Suckling is internationally regarded as one of the world’s most influential wine critics. Launched in 2010, the JamesSuckling.com team draw on more than three decades of experience to bring to life the world of wine on an exclusive online platform. Visitors can access articles, high-definition videos, extensive tasting notes and reports which are trusted and relied upon by wineries and consumers all across the globe. Many thanks to the team at JamesSuckling.com for the wonderful soiree. Visit them at jamessuckling.com.

#wine #wine event #wine tasting #great wines of italy #james suckling #bangkok #italian wine

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topfygad · 5 years ago

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Kuala Lumpur’s Choice Chinese Cooking

Chomp your way through the Malaysian capital’s storied eateries.

The city blocks are chock-full with heritage eateries and roadside stalls. On a single outing visitors will most likely see satay (top left) licked by flames, the vermillion skin of Peking duck (top right), chopsticks pull at a tangle of beef noodles (bottom left), and billows of hot air coursing out of behemoth bamboo steamers holding a trove of dim sum (bottom right). Photos by: Julian Manning

Plumes of cigarette smoke rise like white ribbons, coiling amidst the clamour of Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown. What incense is to Tao temples, cigarettes are to these streets. Warm notes of roasted chestnuts are replaced by the beer-soaked breath of elderly men quarrelling in Cantonese as I walk down Petaling Road—the spine of a neighbourhood predominantly made up of Chinese immigrants new and old, and throngs of tourists eager to eat.

Some people insist that Chinatowns are the same everywhere. They are, simply, wrong. From haggling over sweet pork sausages in Bangkok to rolling dice over whisky shots in San Francisco, in my experience, Chinatowns are far from cookie cutter replicas of each other. And if I had to choose one in particular to challenge that ill-informed notion, it would be the wonderfully scruffy streets of KL’s Chinatown.

Cherry-red arches and faux Yeezys on ‘discount’ hardly define the area. Cooks are the core of the community, whether they don a sweat-stained ganji or a double-breasted chef’s jacket, and you will realise as much walking down the streets. The culinary roots of this Chinatown’s inhabitants spread out in a tangle, like that of a banyan tree. Baba-Nyona cuisine, also known as Peranakan cuisine, is a mix of influences from early Chinese immigrants who integrated themselves with the local Malays. They are represented by dishes like beef rendang and nasil emak, the latter a medley of coconut milk rice, sambal, fried anchovies, a boiled egg, with the typical addition of chicken. Later waves of immigrants brought along delicacies from their respective regions: char siu pork and dim sum of the Yue cuisine, porridges of Fujian or Hookien cuisine, and the much-coveted Hainanese or Hunan chicken rice, to name a few. In the bylanes of this bustling quarter, culinary traditions stick to these streets like the patina of a well-used wok.

Here, vermilion-hued ducks hang from hawker stands, glowing like the gauze lanterns that line the streets, outshined only by flames dancing below clay pots filled with golden rice and morsels of chicken, fish, and lap cheong sausages. Each stall and station is manned by a master of their craft. Plastic chairs become portholes to skewers laden with charcoal grilled meat and bowlfuls of fragrant asam laksa, wafting tangy notes of tamarind, the broth waiting to be swiftly slurped up.

Finding a memorable meal in KL’s Chinatown is as easy as promenading down its central streets. A hot jumble of thick hokkien mee noodles have been a staple at Kim Lian Lee for decades, the once-upon-a-time stall now a two-storey tall institution. Just across the street is Koon Kee, another neighbourhood stalwart serving up their popular wan tan mee, char siu pork-topped Cantonese noodles tossed in a sweet black sauce, served with pork and shrimp dumplings. And just down Madras Lane (the street’s name has officially been changed, but locals still use its original title) lies a long line for yong tau foo, tofu typically stuffed with minced pork and fish paste, which has had customers queuing up for over 60 years. The catch? In this hubbub, it is all too easy to miss some of the less central but equally important eateries.

This storied assortment of kopitiams (coffee shops), family restaurants, and outdoor stalls from the halcyon days of Chinese culinary influence in Kuala Lumpur are tucked away from the bustle, a few even mapped outside of the boundaries of Chinatown. So if your palate craves a bit of the past in the present, weave in and out of Chinatown and explore restaurants where the same dishes have been served up for decades, for very good reasons.

1. Sang Kee

Est. 1970s

Address: 5A, Jalan Yap Ah Loy, City Centre

At dinner time Chinatown’s sidewalks (top) turn into a menagerie of meals. Chef Won San (bottom) gets to work on an order of freshwater prawn noodles. Photo by: Julian Manning

Sang har mee, or freshwater prawn noodles, are quite the treat in KL. The best sang har mee places are typically stalls, yet they do not come cheap, the most popular joints serving up the dish from anywhere between RM50-90/Rs835-1,500. Even though the portions are usually enough to fill two people, for those kind of prices you want to be sure you’re indulging in the best sang har mee in the neighbourhood.

Tucked in a discreet alleyway in the shade of pre-World War II buildings, on a little lane where late night courtesans would once congregate, lies Sang Kee. For over four decades this open air kitchen has been serving up some of the best freshwater prawn noodles in KL.

Those interested in a performance can inch up in front of the old man behind the wok and watch him work his wizardry, he doesn’t mind. Two beautifully big freshwater prawns are butterflied and cooked in prawn roe gravy, stirred in with egg, slivers of ginger, and leafy greens. Wong San, the chef, understands his wok like Skywalker understands the force—meaning, the wok hei (wok heat or temperature) is on point.

Once on your plate, plucking a plump piece of prawn out of the open shell is an easy feat. The fresh and supple meat is charged with the gravy, bite into it, and a flash flood of flavour courses out. In KL most versions of sang har mee sport crisp, uncooked yee mee noodles, which are then drenched in the prawn-imbued sauce. A lot of people love ’em this way, but I personally feel this gives the noodles the texture of a wet bird’s nest. Sang Kee’s noodles are cut thick, boiled, and then stir-fried, coated with oodles of scrambled egg, a style that lets the prawn’s flavours permeate every bit of the dish. At Sang Kee, for most folks a single p

ortion is enough for two at RM65/Rs1,085 a plate, but if that’s too steep a price, you can get the dish made with regular prawns for significantly less.

2. Soong Kee Beef Noodles

Est. 1945

Address: 86, Jalan Tun H S Lee, City Centre

The fine people at Soong Kee have been serving up beef noodles since World War II, and the product speaks for itself. It’s always crowded at lunchtime, but don’t worry about waiting around too long. Usually a server will squeeze you in at one of the many large round tables with plenty of neighbours who don’t mind the company. I love this approach because it means you get a good look at what your table-mates are munching on. That being said, newcomers should inaugurate their Soong Kee experience with beef ball soup and beef mince noodles—simple but hearty dishes that will give you a good idea of why the place has stuck around (small bowl of noodles from RM7/Rs120).

3. Sek Yuen

Est.1948

Address: 315, Jalan Pudu, Pudu

Mealtimes beckon travellers to dig into bowlfuls of beef ball soup (bottom left), pluck of piping hot scallop dumplings (middle left), and perhaps chow down on a myriad of meat skewers (top right). For dessert, munch on crunchy ham chim peng (bottom right), delicious doughnuts filled with red bean paste. If the flavour is too earthy for you, just pick up an entire bag of regular doughnuts (top left) or roasted chestnuts (middle right) from one of the city’s many street vendors. Photos by: Julian Manning

Sek Yuen is made up of three separate sections, spread out over adjacent lots a few feet from each other. One is being renovated, another is the original 1948 location, and the last is the crowded AC section built in the 1970s. I wanted to eat in the original section, but by the time I arrived the service was slowing down and everyone was dining in the AC section. When in doubt, follow the locals.

Two noteworthy staples of the restaurant, steam-tofu-and-fish-paste as well as the crab balls, were already sold out by the time I placed my order. So I happily went for the famous roast duck with some stir fried greens. The duck was delicious; the skin extra crispy from being air-dried, yet the meat was juicy with hints of star anise, which paired well with the house sour plum sauce. But what I enjoyed most was the people-watching. A Cantonese rendition of “Happy Birthday” played non-stop on the restaurant’s sound system for the entire 50 minutes I was there. The soundtrack lent extra character to the packed house of local Chinese diners, most of them regulars. To my right, a group of rosy-cheeked businessmen decimated a bottle of 12-year Glenlivet, and were perhaps the most jovial chaps I’ve ever seen. In front of me, a group of aunties were in party mode, laughing the night away with unbridled cackles. Perhaps the most entertaining guest was the worried mother who kept scurrying over to the front door, pulling the curtains aside to check if her sons were outside smoking. The sensory overload hit the spot. You could tell people were comfortable here, like it was a second home—letting loose in unison, reliving old memories while creating new ones.

I learned that when all sections of the restaurant are operational, Sek Yuen is said to employ around 100 people, many of whom have stuck with the restaurant for a very long time, just like the wood fire stoves that still burn in the kitchen (duck from RM30/Rs500).

4. Ho Kow Hainan Kopitiam

Est.1956

Address: 1, Jalan Balai Polis, City Centre

Although it has shifted from Lorong Panggung to the quieter Jalan Balai Polis, Ho Kow Kopitiam remains outrageously popular. Customers are for the most part locals and Asian tourists, unwilling to leave the queue even when the wait extends past an hour. In fact, there is a machine that manages the number system of the queue, albeit with the help of a frazzled young man whose sole job is telling hungry people they’ll have to wait a long time before they get any food. It’s safe to say the gent needs a raise. If you haven’t guessed already, get there early, before they open at 7:30 a.m.—otherwise you’ll be peering through the entrance watching the best dishes get sold out.

Many tables had the champeng (an iced mix of coffee and tea), but I’m a sucker for the hot kopi (coffee) with a bit of kaya toast, airy white toast slathered with coconut egg jam and butter; treats good enough to take my mind off of waiting for an hour on my feet. I then dove into the dim sum, and became rather taken by the fungus and scallop dumplings. The curry mee, whether it is chicken or prawn, was a very popular option as well. When it comes to dessert, the dubiously-named black gluttonous rice soup sells out fast, which devastated the people I was sharing my table with.

They also serve an assortment of kuih for dessert, including my personal favourite, the kuih talam. It is a gelatinous square made up of two layers—one green, one white. They share the same base, a mixture of rice flour, green pea flower, and tapioca flour. The green layer is coloured and flavoured by the juice of pandan leaves, and the white one with coconut milk. For someone like myself, who doesn’t have a big sweet tooth, the savoury punch, balanced by a cool, refreshing finish make this dessert a quick favourite (kaya toast and coffee for RM5.9/Rs100).

5. Kafe Old China

Est. 1920s

Address: 11, Jalan Balai Polis, City Centre

A relic from the 1920s, the Peranakan cuisine at Old China continues to draw in guests. The ambience seems trapped in another era, as is the food, in the best way possible. Post-modern, emerald green pendant lamps, feng shui facing windows, and old timey portraits make up the decor. A meal here is not complete without the beef rendang, hopefully with some blue peaflower rice. It is also one of the few places to get a decent glass of wine in Chinatown (mains from RM11/Rs190).

6. Cafe Old Market Square

Est. 1928

Address: 2, Medan Pasar, City Centre

Kuala Lumpur skyline (top left) lies adjacent to the low-slung Chinatown neighbourhood (bottom right); A regular customer looks inside the original Sek Yuen restaurant (bottom left); Cooked on charcoal, the traditional clay pots brim with chunks of chicken, slivers of lap cheong (Chinese sausage), and morsels of salted fish (top right). Photos by: Julian Manning (food stall, woman), BusakornPongparnit/Moment/Getty Images (skyline), f11photo/shutterstock (market)

There is something incredibly satisfying about cracking a half boiled egg in two at this café, the sunny yolk framed by a cup of kopi, filled to the point the dark liquid decorates the mug with splash marks, and slabs of kaya toast. Despite a new lick of paint, I could feel the almost 100 years of history welling out of the antique, yellow window shutters lining the three storey facade of the building, the last floor operating as the café’s art gallery.

This place won me over as the perfect spot to read my morning paper, everything from the high-ceilings to the petit bistro tables allowed me to pretend I was in another era—a time when people still talked to each other instead of tapping at their smartphones like starved pigeons pecking at breadcrumbs. Yet, the best time to see this place in its full form is post noon, when the lunch crowd buzzes inside. Droves of locals cluster in front of the nasi lemak stand placed inside the café, hijabs jostling for the next plate assembled by an unsmiling woman with the unflinching demeanour of a person who has got several years of lunchtime rushes under her belt (lunch from RM6.5/Rs110, breakfast from RM1/Rs17).

7. Capital Cafe

Est. 1956

Address: 21, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, City Centre

Beneath the now defunct City Hotel, Capital Cafe is your one-stop satay paradise. The cook coaxes up flames from a bed of charcoal with a bamboo hand fan, using his other hand to rotate fistfuls of beef and chicken skewers liberally brushed with a sticky glaze. The satay is a perfect paradox, so sweet, yet so savoury; the meat soft, but also blistered with a crisp char. This snack pairs wonderfully with hot kopi—perhaps because it cuts the sweetness—served by a couple of uncles brimming with cheeky smiles and good conversation (satay from RM4/Rs70).

8. Yut Kee

Est.1928

Address: 1, Jalan Kamunting, Chow Kit

Like many of KL’s golden era restaurants, Yut Kee moved just down the road from its original location. Serving Hainanese fare, like mee hoon and egg foo yoong, with a mix of English and Malay influences, YutKee has remained one of the most famous breakfast joints in all of KL for almost 100 years. At breakfast it features an almost even mix of locals and tourists, the former better at getting to the restaurant early to snag their regular tables.

During peak breakfast hours, waiters slap down face-sized slabs of chicken and pork chops, bread crumbed and fried golden brown, sitting in a pool of matching liquid gold gravy, speckled with peas, carrots, and potatoes. You can’t go wrong with either one. If your gut’s got the girth, follow up a chop with some hailam mee, fat noodles tossed with pork and tiny squid.

On weekends guests also get the opportunity to order two specials, the incredible pork roast and the marble cake. A glutton’s advice is to take an entire marble cake away with you. By not eating it there you save room for their seriously generous portions. The cake also lasts up to five days, which gives you about four more days than you’ll actually need. Plus it makes for a perfect souvenir, especially since the Yut Kee branded cake box is so iconic.

One of the many delighted people I gave a slice of cake to back home hit a homerun when they put into words what was so special about the marble cake: “It’s not super fancy, with extra bells and whistles, but it tastes like what cake is supposed to…like something your grandma would make at home.” As he said the last words he reached for another sliver of cake (chicken chop is for RM 10.5/Rs180, a slice of marble cake is for RM1.3/Rs20).

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source http://cheaprtravels.com/kuala-lumpurs-choice-chinese-cooking/

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buildingmybento · 6 years ago

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Disclaimer: In exchange for this hotel review, I received a stay in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia in one of the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur’s City View Rooms.

Four Seasons Place, located adjacent to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) in the heart of the popular Golden Triangle shopping and business district – you know, a stone’s throw from the Petronas Towers – offers both 209 guest rooms and suites, as well as 27 serviced apartments. It had its soft opening in early July 2018; consequently, as my stay was just in early August, various facilities, such as the spa and executive lounge, were not yet finished (however, both of those have since been opened). In other words, some of my criticism might be directed more towards the fact that it was a soft opening, and that there were still some kinks to iron out. However, one of my pet peeves is having to take more than one elevator to get to the room, and unfortunately, this is the case with this luxury hotel.

My first impression was that I had no idea where the main entrance was. One of KL’s infamously tricky taxi drivers didn’t feel like driving so far into the traffic-laden Golden Triangle (well maybe I don’t feel like paying you the full fare…), which meant that I was deposited onto the busy Jalan Ampang thoroughfare – the entrance to the six-floor Four Seasons Place mall – and not the main hotel lobby behind it. Not to mention, once I found the first lobby (the actual lobby with check-in is accessible only by elevator), I accidentally ended up in the service apartments wing, because the signage wasn’t adequate.

Once in the appropriate lobby, I enjoyed the very high ceiling, comfortable sofa, and without a doubt, the air conditioning.

One of my contacts from the PR team, Jane, kindly took the time to meet with me, and to offer a tour of the premises.

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The ballrooms were spacious and immaculate, and the boardrooms airy, with great views of the urban jungle. Additionally, although not all of the kitchens/dining areas were operating, we did visit the Yun House for a contemporary take on Cantonese specialties, as well as the ultra-modern Bar Trigona, which I’ll speak about later on in this review. Other dining areas will include Decadent for sweets, and a small eatery/bar in the pool area…

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and oh, was that a tempting pool! If only I had time to swim…alas, the pool area was definitely one of the highlights of the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

After the tour, Jane and I sat down for lunch in the buffet restaurant CurATE, which also comes with an open kitchen. At that point, the hotel GM, Tom Roelens, came by to greet us, and Rosemarie Wee, the Director of Communications and Public Relations, joined us for a bite.

I was only expecting to have breakfast at CurATE, so the lunch was a nice and welcome surprise. Given Malaysia’s diverse background as well as the international appeal of Kuala Lumpur, both breakfast and lunch offered a variety of Malay, Arabic, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Western dishes, in addition to fresh fruit and a dessert station.

Let’s start with breakfast, even though it was from the following day:

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And now, for lunch:

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Although I wasn’t particularly taken by the Chinese or Japanese selections, I did keep going back for more of the Arabic, Malay, and Indian treats. This was true for both breakfast and lunch.

After coming back from a long walk around the city, including a brief rainforest amble, it was high time for a drink at the Trigona Bar. In spite of only being in business for roughly 4-5 weeks at the time, it was bustling, perhaps due in large part to their famed bartender, Ashish Sharma. The bar was named after a tropical variety of bee; indeed, locally sourced honey plays a starring role in the bar’s de facto signature cocktail:

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That’s nice and all, but what about the room?? As mentioned earlier, it was a city-view room, one of a number of choices that the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur has designed for its guests.

The room was very clean, offered good air conditioning, and had plenty of space for relaxing and doing work. The views were excellent, and the staff had another surprise waiting for me on the night table– a box of macarons.

City-view room with floor to ceiling windows

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There was one quirk about the bedroom that eluded me for a few minutes– how could I open the curtains? At first, I looked for the chains, then tried pulling them apart. Bodoh! (stupid) Refusing to humiliate myself with this silly question for guest reception, I searched around for a bit more until coming across these bedside switches:

So that’s how you open the curtains, and ignore housekeeping…

The modern marble bathroom was the size of a previous apartment in Tokyo, and slightly larger than my Hong Kong dorm room. In other words, it was more than ample.

Both the bed and shower were great, and my only regret is that neither would fit in the overhead bin on my flight home.

—

All in all, I had an enjoyable stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Staff were generally willing to help, the room, bar, and pool area were particularly welcoming, and Rosemarie and Jane provided a great introduction to the new Four Seasons property. Although there were a few issues here and there – such as inadequate signage, underwhelming food at times, and a non-ground floor lobby – I expect that most of these things will be attended to by the time the hotel is 100% up and running.

Hotel Review: Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Disclaimer: In exchange for this hotel review, I received a stay in Kuala Lumpur (KL),

#Asia #buffet #City View Room #food #Four Seasons #Four Seasons Hotel #Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur #Four Seasons Place #Golden Triangle #hotel #hotel review #Kuala Lumpur #luxury #Malaysia #Petronas Towers #review

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itsworn · 6 years ago

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Take 5: 1320 Video’s Kyle Loftis

Few things are more synonymous with street racing than 1320 Video. Kyle Loftis’ green-tinted home videos put the viewer in the streets with some of world’s quickest and fastest street cars, brewing 1320 Video into a name known today by every horsepower fiend for dramatic upsets, hilarious sleepers, and wild horsepower. Go back far enough and you’ll see several of the Street Outlaws before the cable TV cameras turned to them. Nowadays, the program has grown to almost a dozen full-time staff, and their YouTube channel has grown to more than 2-million subscribers with nearly a billion total views. Few have seen the grassroots end of drag racing culture and media evolve so much around them, so we managed to catch Kyle as the crew drove up to Street Car Takeover for a look behind the curtain.

HRM] How long are you on the road?

KL] I’m going to say 30-percent of the days in the year, maybe 40 – it’s hard to keep track.

HRM] How big is the staff these days?

KL] We have one main crew, but we can split up in two. Then I’ve got friends at home who can help us. We’ve done three events in one weekend

HRM] Where did it all begin?

KL] It started with our local group, we had a message board called Omaha Racing. I started by taking pictures and video of SPL (stereo) competition, back in like 2002. I worked at a stereo shop in Omaha, NE, one of the bigger ones in the country, and one of the guys there took me to a street race. We got to the meeting spot with two or three-hundred cars. I didn’t get to see street racing, it was busted immediately, but I was hooked. Then more and more message boards showed up that liked the same thing, so a couple years into it I was sharing my videos to 20-30 message boards every time I uploaded a video – guerrilla marketing at its best. I wasn’t making any money on it, it was just for fun.

HRM] How did you come to the name 1320 Video?

KL] I started under Howdy-Ho Productions. My nickname was Howdy-Ho because of South Park’s Kyle and Mr. Hanky while I worked at that stereo shop. After about a year of that, I realized as a marketing person, trademark infringement wouldn’t be a good idea long-term. One of my friends came up with 1320 Video on our local Omaha Racing message board because of a quarter-mile — which is actually not that well known of a stat; people don’t know where the number comes from.

We put up a picture on our Instagram that’s like, ‘The moment you realized 1320 is a quarter-mile.’ And it’s one of our most liked photos. There’s not that many people actually knew it.

HRM] How did you gain access to drivers and races?

KL] It was more of a building trust thing. They saw my videos and saw that I was good at leaving out details, being as secret as we could. I heard about a street race in St. Louis on a message board, and these guys invited me to come down to film it. It was a thousand dollars on each car. So I think it was $12,000 pot. I was like, I’ve never filmed a street race for any money, let alone $1,000 a car. And the term ‘Cash Days’ hadn’t really been invented at that point, I don’t think, but that’s basically what it was: was like a drop-of-a-hat, buy-in elimination thing. And that street race is probably the biggest pivotal moment for me because Trent, the guy that runs King of the Streets in Chicago, was there along with some of the racers like Boosted GT, Limpy, (who came up with Cash Days) was helping run the race. Monza was there, back when he had a Chevrolet Monza.

We only got two races off, then the cops came at 6 in the morning, so they split the money between the remaining racers. It was a charitable race, no one got anything done, and everyone drove 13 hours back home. I made a video of it anyways, since it was such a cool experience, and Limpy called me down to Dallas a few days after I released it, asking if I wanted to film their Cash Days [race]. It was their second or third one, and I came down six or seven times after that. Shawn Wilhoit, The Mistress, actually pitched my plane ticket to come down and Boosted GT picked me up and let me stay at his house while being a taxi for the weekend — back before filming street racing was cool, and back four or five years before Street Outlaws.

HRM] When did you start on YouTube?

KL] I think my first video I uploaded was in 2006, but I was pretty hesitant to move over to YouTube, because I would upload a couple of my videos to a server and then put a page up on my website through HTML with a link to it so you could download it. Then from that website you can also order shirts and stickers, so it helped pay for my travel cost. I was really hesitant to upload to YouTube instead of going to my website and make money to help fund my obsession. It wasn’t untill like 2008 or something when they started allowing you to monetize video. And so I started putting more videos on YouTube. Before that, I actually crashed my dorm’s Internet. Like in 2004, when I was staying in the dorms I crashed the server because I had a video that went viral. That was when I had to move over to a legitimate hosting company. It was a dorm of like 200-something kids, and everyone was wondering why the internet was so slow. I didn’t realize that it had been running slow for a couple of days. I think it was a quarter-million views on that viral video of being downloaded from our server under a desk in the network room.

HRM] What was it about that early era of YouTube that kind of stood out to you?

KL] There were a few street racing channels here and there, but few who took it super seriously. I wasn’t taking it super seriously either; I was hooked and I just loved doing it. So I went out more and more, whenever I could take off work and afford to travel. Street Fire was a huge website back then, and I actually think I got more traffic on there for a while. But Street Fire never monetized. They had a message board, and that’s where I got the bulk of my traffic on Street Fire, and then Car Domain bought it and shut it down. There weren’t really that many other car channels out there that I knew of, at least there wasn’t really anything tying it together like modern social media out there, like MySpace didn’t really have amateur video company pages like Facebook now does. So it was a big unknown. You could sometimes find other people doing the same thing on message boards, but that was a different world.

HRM] With the shifts to online media over the last decade, what’s changed for 1320?

KL] I did my first DVD in 2005, though I didn’t really want to. I didn’t know how to do it, I assumed it would be too much work. Then finally someone I went to high school with knew how to offer DVDs, and I started asking questions. He said, ‘Yeah, you just put this stuff together, and I’ll finish it up for you.’ He helped me on my first DVD videos and then I finally figured out how to do it on my own.

The sales of our DVDs didn’t generally change up until about two years ago. We’d been doing digital downloads before; it was actually a popular thing. I knew that there was an international audience that didn’t want the $10 in shipping and waiting six weeks for it to show up. Then we finally started really releasing digital downloads years ago and it was at that point where it started to like flip-flop. So at first we sold like 60 percent physical and 40 percent digital and then the next year it was the other way around. Then last year it was like 80-percent digital, which is really interesting. I think it’s because we offer it now people are becoming used to it. The other part of it is just people wanting it instantly- they want to watch it now. It’s nice because digital is usually a lot easier to first edit and get up then DVDs. We moved from doing three to four DVDs year to just one because we don’t need them anymore. People aren’t buying them.

HRM] What are some of ways you’ve been able to keep ahead and figure it out?

KL] Just living in the space and knowing how our fans and everyone else lives. Watching and breathing this stuff is important. Just like getting on YouTube early was important. I reached a point where I figured, “All right, I’ll try it.” Then Facebook- not many people had Facebook fan pages until a year or two after I created mine. I did that just because my friends were annoyed with car posts on my personal profile every day. So I decided to post it somewhere else and not have to have a bunch of creepers following my personal page. Then it just happened that I ended up with four-and-a-half million fans on Facebook. That really, really helped us out a lot when took off. It definitely helped.

HRM] What a lot of people don’t realize is you started 1320 while working full-time at PayPal. What was it like working 9-to-5 to support a budding business?

KL] Starting a business today is a different game than it was 10 or 20 years ago. Going out and getting a business loan on a gamble is not a way to do it anymore. I was able to run my business through having the right jobs. Just like when I worked at a stereo shop, I wasn’t really traveling that much. When I was at PayPal, I was lucky enough to be able to work from home or from the road. So I’d be in the car on conference calls with Fortune 500 companies helping them with technical questions on setting up PayPal. If we traveled on Thursday I’d have to take off Friday, not a big deal. Then on Monday, I worked on the way back home. Without working 80, 90, 100 hours a week, it wouldn’t have been possible. Luckily I liked both jobs, so it wasn’t too big a deal.

HRM] Did it ever come to a point where they didn’t know that you were involved in street racing?

KL] Every time I got new job, I would tell my boss what I did right away and they’d say, ‘Well that’s cool. As long as it doesn’t interfere with your job, it’s no big deal.’ That’s really the way it was the whole time, which was perfect. The best part about working at PayPal was that I was helping some of the largest companies in the world with optimizing their online sales platform. Not just like how to take payments, but other things outside of that; conversion and marketing. So as I was learning there, I was able to apply that and learn on my website, taking those ideas back to PayPal — so it’s like a give and take. That worked out really nicely.

HRM] When did you start building a team?

KL] It was probably about three years into it. I was shooting by myself for the first years, but I decided it’d be fun to take a friend with me so I could have someone to help drive or just share the experience with. I had an SLR I was shooting with and I taught them how to use it, so I was able to focus on video. They’d be able to focus on the photos, because I would sit there with a video camera and shoot photos my left hand, doing both at the same time for the first five or six years. Even today you’ll still see me shooting on my phone while I’m videotaping, getting still photos as well as video. At first, it was just friends helping here and there just kinda going on trips to have fun. Once we started making decent money with merchandising, it was a no-brainer to start paying people so they can take off work and not do a year’s worth of work for free. Now we’ve got 10 full-time employees. I hired my first when I left PayPal about three-and-a-half years ago, I hired two or three more the next year, then five or six more the next year.

I don’t like to jump into things with too much risk, so it’s a little nerve wracking trying to make sure that you’re able to support all your friends’ livilihoods and have fun on these trips as something that was once really just a hobby for me. With what we’ve built and it’s been pretty easy, and pretty crazy to just look at the whole thing work.

HRM] Well it’s funny you mentioned hopping into things without too much risk because it’s exactly what 1320 Video is. How do you guys go about vetting the cars you ride in?

KL] We’re pretty careful about who we go out with at night and the kinds of cars we’d consider riding in. There’s plenty of cars owners who wanted to give us a ride or we wanted to ride with, but the car didn’t have seat belts or just didn’t look safe, or people just don’t seem like they should be driving a thousand-horsepower car on the street – we’ll shy away from them. Obviously, there’s always the unknown things that are going to happen.

There’s been a few spinouts, just freak accidents. I hit a wall while riding in Houston; I’m not sure what happened, an axle snapped, or something on the road, I’m not really sure. We had a actually had two guys out in St. Louis last year, one was in a car that blew its motor, spitting oil on the ground, and one of the other guys just coming up in a pack of cars a few miles behind. They decided to race right at that spot, and spun out and almost hit some trees. So there’s just that unknown factor we can’t control.

HRM] Stand out match-ups?

KL] My favorite so far was Matt and I hopped in cars in [Mexico] two years ago. One was in a Lamborghini with about 1,700 horsepower. The GTR made about the same power, and we were literally side by side, at 225mph, inching it back and forth. It was the craziest race ever.

HRM] What’s it been like getting involved with the Ice Cream Cruise?

KL] A lot of people actually don’t know that we run that event. We don’t try and overly brand it, it’s ‘presented by 1320’ with our other sponsor, Stereo West, which is actually stereo shop I mentioned earlier.. That was actually an event we used to film back the day, it’s all about the underground culture that started on the street with about 40 cars. The second one was like 80, the next one had 160; then it was 400, 800, and finally 1,200. At that point, my friend didn’t want to deal with it. It got so big we couldn’t be on the street anymore. The police shut it all down, and made us go home. So I picked it up the next and ran it for two years before it got shut down again. So we did it a baseball stadium and over-sold it- it was just a traffic jam. Finally, we’re now at a racetrack, parking over 1,500 show cars on the road course for the weekend and then having a full day of drag racing and roll racing the next day. It is really cool to be able to support our local community through it. Last year we raised $23,000, and the year before that was just under $20,000. We always try to find a local charity that’s special to us somehow, like an organization that’s helped someone in our group or community.

HRM] What’s it like paying it forward to your local car community?

KL] It’s pretty cool. It’s also a very unique event because it’s not like a hot rodder show or a Mustang show. It’s literally anything and everything: bikes, muscle cars, classics, and there’s a lot if newer cars, slow cars. There’s also a mix of fast cars, really weird cars, literally anything and everything under the sun you can find. We’ve tried our best not to change that over the years. We want to make it so everyone feels like they’re welcome.

HRM] Where do you think today’s more cohesive car culture comes from?

KL] I think it’s the awareness- there’s many different kinds of cultures out there. The Internet has done a lot for that. I think it piques people’s interests to consider other types of cars and types of racing. I notice plenty of things that would be cool to go see, but car events have never been bigger, especially with social media. With Facebook events being a thing, people know that shows are out there and they can go experience something. The Internet also does the opposite, too. It also gives people the power to divide our community, but I think it’s more positive than negative in the long run.

HRM] You’re known for owning Corvettes, but you’re also kind of known for a Dodge Neon – what cars have you owned?

KL] Not many people know I started with a Neon. I had about eight different car stereos in that thing! I bought it when I was 16… it was a gem. I sold that and I wanted a boosted car, but I made the mistake of buying the first one I saw, which was a 1989 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe – the biggest pile-of-crap ever. It blew up three weeks into owning it. I had bought a beater for $2,500, put $5,000 into fixing it, and then sold it for $3,500.

After that, I bought a Mustang and ended up turbocharging it, blowing up the motor and transmission, spending a bunch of money on that. Then one winter I went out to the garage, and thought, “I don’t need this anymore.” I sold it and bought a ‘Vette, and that’s when that’s when I fell in love with Corvettes. I bought that one sight unseen. I’d never driven a Corvette in my life. It was just like the car I wanted, so I flew Chicago with my dad and drove it back. It was a half second quicker in the quarter-mile then in my Mustang, so it was nice.

HRM] You’ve been through the wringer with your current Corvette. Does racing something that powerful give you a new perspective?

KL] Oh yeah. Immediately when I took the car out for the first time. I’ve raced at drag strips just casually, but nothing where people really cared what I was driving. It was really interesting being in the driver’s seat and thinking about how I would normally film myself driving. How the guys are filming me? What I realized is how nervous you are in the staging lines about to go into eliminations. Some guy sticks a camera in your face, you’re like, ‘I don’t have time for this.’ Other times it’s the opposite. Sometimes it’s kind of calming; it takes your mind off of what you’re doing, and you have a little bit of fun with it. That’s what I’ve really started to take away from working with some of these racers we see regularly. There’s a different level of enjoyment of racing when we’re there to share it with them while competing and then eventually share it with the world. It’s like we’re there partying with them. It kind of breaks things up, but it was a steep learning curve, and it’s definitely given me that different perspective to help me realize how it looks from the other side of the lens. You know when they’re busy or are angry. Like when there’s an accident, there’s a fine line of documenting it and letting people know what happened, letting people know the driver’s safe. We talk to the driver when they’re safe- when it’s okay and they’re in the right mindset. For example, when I had the fire in the Corvette just a couple of months after we finished, it was a pretty big fire, but one of the first things that popped into my head first was to get out of the car. Second was, “My new laptop is in the passenger seat.” Third was, “I hope the cameras are rolling! This really sucks, but I hope I at least have it on video,” because it’s just a part of racing. To go through something like these drivers we filmed: wrecking, catching on fire, whatever it was, it was really interesting to see that whole process then coming back to race again. We often see drivers total their car, then two weeks later they’ve got a whole new car, and it’s mind blowing. They gave me a different perspective on how that goes down.

You think you’re invincible when driving, then something happens and it makes you re-think everything. Like the first pass I went down after that fire was very nerve wracking. Part of me wanted to take it easy on that pass, and at the same time I felt I needed to be back where I was before the fire. That’s what I did and it felt amazing; I was like, ‘Cool, no smoke!’ It was also a wake-up call because we rushed to get the car down there and skimped on a few safety things, and when that fire happened, I made it very obvious why these different things should have been in place to prevent or shorten the amount of time that fire burned.

HRM] What were those things you pointed out?

KL] Well, the first one is a battery cut-off. When I stopped, I could see the fire and smoke, and I immediately just wanted to get out of the car. The engine had stopped, but it didn’t occur to me that the ignition was still in the on-position and there was power to the battery and the fuel pump, and it was pumping out the injector that’s leaking. So, that was the first one. The second one is a fire suppression system, which is kind of overkill for the car I have, but at the same time, I have suggested it to anyone at 1,000hp-plus. I had a fire bottle, but that it wasn’t going to do anything against a fire that was being fueled by a fuel pump. Also, a fire suit; I had a jacket on, but no fire pants, or gloves… or shoes.

HRM] Is there anything you want to get off your chest or that you always wanted to talk about?

KL] I think the most important thing that really makes what we do work is that I’ve got a really big team of talented people. Most of them have worked with me for at least two years, some five years. The biggest thing making this so big and making it work has been my team of friends that jump on whatever job or something’s filming or whatever, I’ve got a big team of people helping them look out for, for me, the company and for themselves. And so it’s been a fun journey.

The post Take 5: 1320 Video’s Kyle Loftis appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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thoughtsondesign-blog1 · 7 years ago

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Heli Lounge Helipad Bar, KL – Your Questions Answered

Heli Lounge Bar aka the Helipad bar is a bar that sets up at night on a working helipad located on the 35th floor of a KL skyscraper – as such there’s no walls, no ceiling, no safety barrier – just a fabulous view of the KL skyline. It describes itself as KL’s Best Kept Secret, but considering how many people were up there the night I went, that secret is well and truly out! But here’s my need to know guide

Admittedly, Heli Lounge Bar is should not be my first choice of drinking venue – I’m scared of heights. I once got stuck up the top of the Wat Arun temple in Bangkok and had to be carried down by a taxi driver and I cried on the Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver. I won’t let my fear beat me though and so now head up tall buildings in a single bound, albeit it with very sweaty palms – I think I’m getting better, but this was a new test, I was going solo without The Boyfriend to laugh at me supportively calm me down when I start to shake. But more of that in a minute, let’s get to the useful stuff.

Where is Heli Lounge Bar?

It’s in a building called Menera KH on Jalan Sultan Ismail which is very close to the Bukit Bintang area of Kuala Lumpur. I’d read that it was really hard to find….not least as google maps has it in two different locations. Note: it’s actually the one in the slightly triangular building, not the one marked in what looks like two buildings close together (see the map below – it’s marked with a star). I walked from my hotel (The Pullman KLCC) which took about 15 minutes but, if you’re using public transport, the Raja Chulan monorail station is right outside the front door (also handy if you’re in a cab and the driver needs reference point) and the name of the building is clearly marked above the big glass doors. When you get to the building, you won’t see any obvious signs for the bar but head to the bank of lifts on the right that says Floor 34, push that button and you’ll get there.

What time does it open?

Online it will say 5pm – don’t believe them. You see Heli Lounge Bar is actually made up of two bars – a sleek aircraft themed bar on the 34th floor of the building, and the main event – the Helipad bar one floor above this. That actually opens at 6pm. However, don’t rock up then either. You see to gain access to the helipad bar, you have to buy a drink first downstairs. And, if you want to get a good seat on the helipad, you need to be ready to go when they open the secret door at 6pm – which means you need to have your drink in your hand – and have paid for it.

I arrived at 5.50 as I didn’t know any of the above and quickly sussed there were a lot of people ordering cocktails – because I knew I wouldn’t be able to cope with standing up that high, I had to get a seat – so I got tactical and just ordered a glass of wine figuring they’d pour that super fast. I had my drink and had paid for it within five minutes while the couple who had come up in the lift with me were still perusing the cocktail menu.

How much are these drinks?

Actually, drinks at the helipad bar were pretty cheap – which considering the view I was impressed by. Happy Hour at Heli Lounge Bar is between 5-9pm and at that point a glass of wine or pint of Tiger, Heineken or Guinness is 30MR (about AUD$8 or £5) – they also have a selection of cocktails for the same price during Happy Hour, After Happy Hour prices increase, but not by much – beer. for example, goes up to 33-37MR and cocktails start at 33MR.

What happens at 6pm?

I’d done my research and I knew where the door to the Helipad bar was – spoiler, it’s behind the white curtain – and so had chosen a seat within view. There’s no big announcement as the door opens, one guy nodded at another guy and he then beckoned the people at the closest table. At this point, a queue started to form – and the walk to the top began. And this is the bit I’d been scared of.

Can you go up Heli Lounge Bar if you are scared of heights?

Now, this all depends on your level of phobia. I can now handle being in a tall building – but have issues with looking up, looking down – or climbing/descending stairs in them. And this was my worry with Heli Lounge Bar – to get to the top you have to climb what I think was four short flights of stairs (I was slightly hyperventilating so it’s a big vague) – the last one and a half flights of these is outside. Yes, you’re 34 and a half floors up a building and climbing stairs on the side of it.

This was the point I was expecting to freak – but getting there as the doors opened saved me (and I definitely recommend it if you’re nervous). Because I was following a heap of people and had another hoard behind me, I just had to keep moving – I couldn’t think about what I was doing. When I got into the open air I simply stared at the back of the guy in front and kept climbing – seriously there could have been a unicorn above my head and I wouldn’t have seen it!

Once on the roof, I headed straight to a seat with a back not too near the edge – all things I know will keep me calm. I’ve learned I can’t perch on stools in high places, it makes me sway and I start to freak out. I need to ground myself as quickly and firmly as possible – then once I’ve calmed down and got comfortable I can stand up and wander about.

I admit, I wasn’t totally sure how the heck I was going to get down! That was what scuppered me at Wat Arun, I had to seemingly step off the building to go down the stairs and I was frozen. I have similar issues in glass lifts and need a helper to get me in them. Luckily though, I ended up sharing my table with a group of sailors (a story that does not end as excitingly as something including that phrase should) and one of them, also scared of heights, shared a brilliant tip with me. He said to hold the hand rail and just look at my hand on it, rather than my feet. When the time came to leave, it was dark so not quite as obviously ‘I’m launching myself off the side of a building’ and I used his advice. I didn’t look out, just at my hand – and it was all fine. This however is why there is no picture of this set of steps on here – if I’d had to stall long enough to take it, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get on them – you can however find an image here if you want to check them out.

Where to sit when you get up to the helipad bar itself.

At first, I was congratulating myself on my seat – it was on the right of the bar directly opposite the famous Petrona’s Towers and I couldn’t work out why everyone else had headed to the left. Then the sun started to go down – and I realised the left hand side of the building gets the cool sunset views. If you want sunset pics with no people in them, head to that side instead.

Is there actually a bar up there?

I’d been a bit worried about this too – how was I a) going to keep my table as I went to the bar if there was one as I was traveling as Lady No Mates b) if there was no bar, was I going to have to brave the steps if I needed a refill – but no. The waiters from downstairs head upstairs when it opens and take your orders for you. And they notice as soon as you finish your drink – which is good if you do want another one, but might lead to guilt trips if you don’t. Note – the toilet is down the stairs of scariness so you might want to factor that in when placing your order (and maybe go before you get up there).

What’s the dress code?

Before Heli Lounge turns into a nightclub at 9pm the dress code is fairly lenient. After that though the rules comes in – no flip flops, no slippers, no crocs, no sandals, no shorts, no sleeveless wear and no hats. This is another reason for getting there early – you don’t have to gussy up too much (unless you want to). Also, after 9pm you have to buy a lot more booze to get a coveted seat.

Would I recommend Heli Lounge Bar?

Absolutely – once I’d got over the fear of getting up onto the helipad bar itself, the view was brilliant (plus you get to post heaps of pictures on all known social media proclaiming that you’re drinking on a helipad which doesn’t get old) and I thought the prices were super reasonable – especially as alcohol is quite pricey in KL anyway. The bar downstairs doesn’t have the same wow factor, but it is still pretty cool with model planes hanging from the ceiling and seats made from parts of old Boeing planes.

What else is near the Helipad Bar?

It’s about a five-minute walk to Bukit Bintang and all the shopping delights that holds. It’s also good for foodies – I pretty much ate incessantly for the three days I was in town and my nearby haunts were the Lot 10 Hutong Food Court which has bundled up all the best street food in one easy to find venue and Jalan Alor food street which mixes up street food vendors and restaurants in one handy stretch. There’s a post coming soon on the fun things I did eat so if you like the sound of that, sign up to the site by email, or, via your wordpress reader. so you don’t miss it As I was travelling solo this trip I didn’t go to the Changkat drinking area this time, but that’s also nearby and if you want to find more bars all in a handy row, that’s where you should head. Culture Trip have done a recent guide to what’s what or just wander past and see what suits you.

My Top Kuala Lumpur Navigation Tip

I’ve taken to buying SIM cards via Klook for my last few Asia trips. You simply pick them up at the airport and are good to go. My seven-day package in Malaysia cost just $7AUD (about £4.50) and while it’s probably cheaper to source your own deal, the convenience of having wi-fi (and therefore maps) from the get go at the airport and someone activating the card for me meant I was happy to pay a couple of bucks more. It also doesn’t say it, but you can call internationally using the minutes – I can’t tell you exactly how long you get as my mother wasn’t home, but it’s definitely long enough to leave a message saying ‘Where are you? I’ve been trying to face time you for days.’

Have you been to Helipad Bar? Let me know if I missed anything useful above – or what you thought in the comments below.

If you enjoyed this post, why not share it on social media so other people can find this super cool bar too?

#tripadvisor #heli lounge bar #trip #kuala lumpur

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shaunstoffer · 7 years ago

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Kuala Lumpur was a destination I had mixed feelings about visiting, a lot of my fellow expats in Vietnam told me it was “pretty boring” and not worth visiting for more than a day or two tops. So I made a rough itinerary with Kuala Lumpur as a long layover on my way to visit my family in Singapore and using local budget airlines VietjetAir and AirAsia I found a ticket from Ho Chi Minh to KL for merely $65 and from there to Singapore for $20. Initially, curiosity and cheap costs were my primary motivations to visit Malaysia.

Speakeasies: I have an infatuation for speakeasies. Quaint cocktail bars set up to replicate the prohibition era where the sale of alcohol was prohibited and so bar owners put up a front as a business such as a shoe repair, toy store, or antique shop but behind closed curtains they were secretly bars. These bars are a homage to the older times and some even need a verbal password to enter.

PS150’s visage as a Toy company.

Petaling Street Flea Market: I’ve been to a lot of street markets and this one indefinitely caught my eye because it had the biggest variety of products from knives, bongs, and zippos to t-shirts, handbags, and backpacks. It also had a surprisingly warm number of salesmen and women who weren’t borderline harassing me or displaying a complete bullshit friendly attitude only trying to make a sale. They were kind and exclaimed bargains and prices and when I would say no “thank you” or “I’m not interested but thanks” they would simply smile and respond with “okay, no problem” or “that’s okay, have a good night”. It’s responses like these that made me turn around and second guess walking away. My funniest moment was when a local was pitching tattoos and I chuckled, said, “I have enough,” and lifted my t-shirt to reveal I had nine big pieces across my upper arms, chest, or torso. He laughed and retorted, “but have you had a bamboo tattoo?” and I must admit I was intrigued for a moment but ultimately rebuked a spur of the moment tattoo.Central Market: My budget hotel was literally located next door to the Central Market so I was there everyday during my stay naturally. There was a surprisingly vast array of food and drinks most of which I was familiar with except for a few such as rose lychee juice and snake fruit which was named such because it’s outer skin literally looks and feels like a snake’s scales. The outside food market was exceptionally cheap and I would highly recommend a stop here, the inside struck me as more of your cliche touristy and overpriced goods that you could find anywhere if you looked hard enough.

KL Tower: The tallest viewpoint to KL has to offer. The KL Tower has two places to observe one being the skydeck which is highest and partially enclosed and the other being the observation deck which is lower and completely enclosed.

Petronas Twin Towers: The Petronas Towers are arguably one of the most popular photo opportunities for visitors and expats alike in southeast Asia. They’re big, beautiful, and magnificent structures that embody the elements of Kuala Lumpur’s prime and original architecture. I think it would be a huge mistake to not visit the Petronas Towers if visiting Kuala Lumpur for this classic viewpoint selfie alone.Batu Caves: I would argue that Batu Caves was the highlight of my trip. I love nature and architecture and Batu Caves had the best of both worlds. The stairs were over 200 steps but I didn’t see it as a challenge until I decided to partake in the volunteering of carrying bricks up as part of a general request from staff to help aid construction workers in their duties. The caverns themselves were immense and filled with bats gliding by as well as workers constructing expanses on the temples inside of the caves itself. Quite simply there was just so much awe-inspiring scenery.

Walking back down I was looking for a good photo opportunity and by dumb luck I looked over my shoulder and saw this monkey casually eating a coconut within arm’s reach of me. Disclaimer: Don’t feed the monkeys as it makes them aggressive towards people and as a result they spend more time reproducing than foraging. These monkeys are intelligent and took every opportunity whenever someone took an eye off of their food or put their bag of snacks down. They knew how to open bottles, peel off seals, and open bags of chips. Quite amazing yet sneaky little thieves.

Getting Around: The MRT is dirt cheap, very clean, and navigating is straightforward, but has some strict rules and regulations such as no eating or drinking and there is even an entire separate segment of the train that is reserved solely for women. Otherwise, Uber is a cheap, convenient, and tried and trued method when visiting. Taxis are not the best option as they will generally charge you triple if not more than Ubers. Walking isn’t a very viable option because of the hot weather and confusing walkways where it gets easy to head the wrong way if not familiar with the city.

Getting sick while traveling: The unluckiness of getting sick the day of my vacation wasn’t the end of the world for me and I did my best to make the most of it. I powered up on immunity boosters, cold medicine, got my rest everyday, maintained good hygiene, seldom drank alcohol and tried to eat properly to minimize the severity of my cold. If I had been really determined to beat my cold I would have tried to over-hydrate on water and then taken a steaming hot shower or stepped into a sauna in order to flush out my system of toxins.

Missing your flight: I’m an idiot and for the first time missed my flight within a few feet from my gate. How? Good question. I got my timezones mixed up like an amateur. My phone was manually set to Vietnam time which is an hour ahead of Malaysia. My boarding pass was printed out in Malaysian time but my printed out copies were in Vietnam time. Thinking it was a misprint I decided to sit outside my gate and wait until it opened up to inquire like a fool, but instead I dozed off and woke up to my gate being closed and departing. I had to endure the embarrassment of walking back through security and passport control only to pay nearly five times my original ticket’s price as a result.Easiest ways to get foreign currency: Generally speaking I would say order foreign curremcy ahead of time at your local bank as it is the tried and trued method. On the other hand I have an international card with my local Vietcomback in Ho Chi Minh City and because my card is a visa it is widely accepted at ATMs universally. There is generally a small fee of a couple of dollars depending on the country but the convenience alone is worth the ATM fee in my case and because Vietnam is such a cheap country the international transaction fee and currency conversion is minuscule as well. Malaysian ringgit comes in 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 in colorful, vibrant notes as well as coins.Where I stayed: Avenue J Hotel, a 4-star hotel offering 2-star prices, this hotel is located directly next door to the Central Market and has a decent breakfast for a small additional fee.Singapore: I’ve been to Singapore plenty of times but came this time solely to see my family who are from there. Despite having arguably the strictest of immigration or drug laws there are still some good beers to be found here and plenty of things to do.

My Kuala Lumpur Bucket List Kuala Lumpur was a destination I had mixed feelings about visiting, a lot of my fellow expats in Vietnam told me it was "pretty boring" and not worth visiting for more than a day or two tops.

#Asia #Backpacking #Batu Caves #Central Market #KL Tower #Kuala Lumpur #Malaysia #MRT #Petaling Flea Market #Petronas Towers #PS150 #Southeast Asia #Speakeasy #Twin Towers

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topfygad · 5 years ago

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Kuala Lumpur’s Choice Chinese Cooking

Chomp your way through the Malaysian capital’s storied eateries.

1. Sang Kee

Est. 1970s

Address: 5A, Jalan Yap Ah Loy, City Centre

At dinner time Chinatown’s sidewalks (top) turn into a menagerie of meals. Chef Won San (bottom) gets to work on an order of freshwater prawn noodles. Photo by: Julian Manning

ortion is enough for two at RM65/Rs1,085 a plate, but if that’s too steep a price, you can get the dish made with regular prawns for significantly less.

2. Soong Kee Beef Noodles

Est. 1945

Address: 86, Jalan Tun H S Lee, City Centre

3. Sek Yuen

Est.1948

Address: 315, Jalan Pudu, Pudu

4. Ho Kow Hainan Kopitiam

Est.1956

Address: 1, Jalan Balai Polis, City Centre

5. Kafe Old China

Est. 1920s

Address: 11, Jalan Balai Polis, City Centre

6. Cafe Old Market Square

Est. 1928

Address: 2, Medan Pasar, City Centre

7. Capital Cafe

Est. 1956

Address: 21, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, City Centre

8. Yut Kee

Est.1928

Address: 1, Jalan Kamunting, Chow Kit

from Cheapr Travels https://ift.tt/2Ada80O via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Cheapr Travels

0 notes

topfygad · 5 years ago

Text

Kuala Lumpur’s Choice Chinese Cooking

Chomp your way through the Malaysian capital’s storied eateries.

1. Sang Kee

Est. 1970s

Address: 5A, Jalan Yap Ah Loy, City Centre

At dinner time Chinatown’s sidewalks (top) turn into a menagerie of meals. Chef Won San (bottom) gets to work on an order of freshwater prawn noodles. Photo by: Julian Manning

ortion is enough for two at RM65/Rs1,085 a plate, but if that’s too steep a price, you can get the dish made with regular prawns for significantly less.

2. Soong Kee Beef Noodles

Est. 1945

Address: 86, Jalan Tun H S Lee, City Centre

3. Sek Yuen

Est.1948

Address: 315, Jalan Pudu, Pudu

4. Ho Kow Hainan Kopitiam

Est.1956

Address: 1, Jalan Balai Polis, City Centre

5. Kafe Old China

Est. 1920s

Address: 11, Jalan Balai Polis, City Centre

6. Cafe Old Market Square

Est. 1928

Address: 2, Medan Pasar, City Centre

7. Capital Cafe

Est. 1956

Address: 21, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, City Centre

8. Yut Kee

Est.1928

Address: 1, Jalan Kamunting, Chow Kit

from Cheapr Travels https://ift.tt/2Ada80O via https://ift.tt/2NIqXKN

0 notes