Category Archives: Leisure & Travel

MammaBunz – stress breaker food

Posted in Food and Drinks by

I was introduced to this bun by a work colleague. She had a stressful day and came back after lunch with a plastic bag full of MammaBunz. There were at least 15 of us working on that day, and every single one of us got the bun. She did not specify the reason for her stress. The only thing she knows is that she needs to alleviate her stress by being on a shopping spree. And the most budget-friendly with positive (sedeqah) after effects is by buying lots of MammaBunz for us, her workplace colleagues. The signature bun is less than RM4 per piece, whereas the Queen Butter Bun is priced just above RM4. You could buy it à la carte or get it in a set with drinks.

Indeed, the warm buns were rich in flavour. The butter could just melt away any of your stress right away. Naturally, I bought some for my husband and kids much later. So that they could also appreciate the nice things the wife/mother gets to eat at work. My daughter loves it, and we’d usually get it during our grocery trip on the weekends.

If you’re someone living outside Malaysia, you might wanna try it once you set foot in this country.

Snap N Snack – celebrating husband’s birthday

Posted in Food and Drinks, Places to Eat by

Celebrating the birthday of family members is probably one small gesture one could do as a family to appreciate their presence. To honour them as a gift to the family. This is because, despite saying that family is important, our actions may suggest otherwise. We either get caught up in work or prioritise other commitments. Hence, to put aside a small portion of your time to spend at least an hour on a simple meal and a birthday cake suffices in some families.

We did just that for my husband’s birthday. He is a busy man at the workplace and is very committed to his side quest of becoming fit. Probably doing Intermittent Fasting. Or being on a product/medicine that he wants to be discreet about. Either way, agreeing to his own birthday dinner is great. I chose a place close to home called Snap N Snack.

I honestly have to tell you. This may not be the best place to get your fix of Western dishes. However, it does boast an Instagrammable venue with a comfortable vibe for family dinners. The latter being the reason why I opted for this place to have my husband’s birthday celebration. By the way, this year, I gifted him some probiotics. A box of Watson probiotics (+ collagen) and a bottle of GKB Lactobacillus Plantarum. I hope he has (better) guts this year.

At the restaurant, my daughter ordered the mac and cheese. The cheese was on the heavy side and was likely prepared by a young cook, as it was salty. Youngsters nowadays seem to be desensitised to sugar and salt. Fortunately, my kids are able to tell when a particular dish is flavourful due to its original taste or burdened by preservatives. My quesadilla was not on par with what I had before at a different restaurant. Even then, I respect that it is their own recipe, only that it was not to my liking. The birthday man had pasta. I ordered a banana split to substitute for the birthday cake. It was alright. In fact, perhaps the only thing we loved about the place was the ambience, the banana split and the service.

The workers did try their best, including the cook. It was just not up my alley. Thus, I chose not to submit my Google review of this place. I will come later and try other dishes. Maybe then I’d find something I like and be able to give a balanced rating for Snap N Snack.

Kings Green Hotel – a hotel near home offering a lifestyle membership

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

Initially, I booked a hotel in Putrajaya because we had a batch reunion at IOI. However, the venue was changed at the last minute because it felt wrong to be singing your heart out when a friend is in sorrow. Her son was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with a rare disease that caused multiple episodes of seizures and general body function. Since the new venue seemed a bit far off from what I am used to, I decided to cancel the booking. However, my daughter was already looking forward to a hotel stay that particular weekend, which is why I booked a place in Melaka itself, the Kings Green Hotel.

It is a 4-star boutique hotel situated in town. Check-in time was at 3 pm. Unfortunately, we were told that the next day, the water supply will be cut off by 10 AM due to some pipe work. I was a bit disappointed as that means that our little staycation will be cut short.

After lunch and a Super Mario movie at Aeon Mall, we drove our way to the hotel. I booked a Superior room that has 1 queen bed and 1 single bed. The rate was RM 154.62/night, including taxes and fees. This covers breakfast for 2. I paid an additional RM18 for my daughter’s breakfast. The usual amenities include Wi-Fi, a mini fridge, and beverages. Upon checking in, guests are required to pay a deposit of RM100. I thought it was quite a hefty amount for a deposit. To be honest, not many people carry that much cash around anymore. I transferred the money through their QR code, and I received my deposit back in cash on checking out.

The room was cosy, and most importantly, we saw so many dining promotions for the month of May.

Breakfast starts at 7 AM at the Hibiscus Cafe on the ground floor. The food selection, in my personal opinion, is alright. There’s a good balance between Western and Asian options. Especially with the price tag. If guests demand more, I think that would be out of touch. Having an omelette station and a coffee machine is good enough already. I really enjoyed my simple breakfast.

I saw that there is a pool, and I believe a gymnasium? I did not have enough time to check it out. It seems that the hotel offers a ‘lifestyle membership’ programme where members are eligible for some perks and vouchers. I read about it on their website. I suppose gym-goers would find it interesting, yes?

We enjoyed being in our cosy room a lot. The shower gel and shampoo have this pleasant scent that kind of reminds me of the ones they had at Limetree Hotel in Kuching. It was that nice. Overall, it was a great staycation in the city. We had dinner at Pak Putra Tandoori, which is less than 20 minutes drive away. Now I am browsing for other hotels in Melaka for our future staycation.

Craving for butter cake

Posted in Food and Drinks, Good Things by

I found a great recipe for butter cake on Instagram a few weeks ago. Everyone should know one good recipe that they can make during craving times. Initially, I was torn between spending some money to order it from a home baker or just making one myself. If I order it, it would take a few days to reach my hands. If I bake it, I could eat it in a few hours.

Thankfully, I have all the ingredients I need at home. Lately, I have this habit of making sure that I’d have at least a block of butter and some Grade A/B eggs all the time. This is because I have recently become very interested in baking. Baking is precise. You just need to follow the instructions to the dot, and the results will almost always come back perfect. Cooking, on the other hand, requires some form of agak- agak in the steps.

I decided to give my butter cake a dash of green colour. Perhaps later, I could make it in purple as Malaysia welcomes BTS in December. The butter cake is best served warm. Even though I kept the leftovers in the fridge, it still tastes great once I’ve heated it in the microwave.

This year, I have tried brownies, lemon cake, apple pie and this butter cake. I am now searching for a good chocolate cake recipe.

Here is the recipe;