Tag Archives: family friendly

Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery. It’s FREE.

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This is a cute, family-friendly place that is FREE. I really enjoyed my time there as an adult – with a husband and kid. My eldest was at school because only Melaka had a long weekend holiday. It was a less than 15 minutes drive from Silka Maytower Hotel and we arrived there was early as 10am. This museum is closed on Mondays.

Parking signage for the public needs to be improved. Apart from that, everything else was good. We started our trip on the Ground Floor where the kids zone was. There were a few interactive stations where the kids can learn about spending money, withdrawing cash from the ATM and tracing pictures and stuff. I think some of the adults got way too excited. But it’s alright. Perhaps it’s their inner child coming through for the experience.

The Insta-worthy terowong duit. Husband is snapping photos of ‘old money’

Imagine carrying money in this form a long time ago

You have RM1 million. What would you buy?

Filling in details to withdraw money

The floors above showcased the history of money and banking services in Malaysia. The displays were really informative and pretty to look at. My daughter loved role-playing as bankers, businesswomen and even a robber. Ha ha. I think we spent roughly 90 minutes here by going through the sections at a leisurely pace. However, if it was just me, reading on every single information and absorbing them, I think it would take me perhaps 4 hours. There were so many interesting things to know about the evolving and improving nature of our financial institution.

The museum was air-conditioned. Making it a great place to spend a hot day there. I believe they have a cafe on the ground floor but we had our lunch elsewhere. We saw a few groups of school children coming just as we were about to leave. I thought it was a great activity for them. Thankfully we arrived earlier. If not, we would be competing with them in the kids zone to get our hands on the interactive stations.

I would definitely recommend this place for families with young children and the elderly for a fun day out at Kuala Lumpur.

Money from all around the world

Nujum Cafe Melaka

Posted in Food and Drinks, Places to Eat by

Address: Lot 450/451, Bandar Bukit Baru Seksyen 5, 75460 Melaka. Phone: 011-1617 4226

Hours: 

Sunday4–11 pm
MondayClosed
Tuesday4–11 pm
Wednesday4–11 pm
Thursday4–11 pm
Friday4–11 pm
Saturday4–11 pm

The moment it was opened, the kids and I briskly walked over to try it out. Nujum Cafe promoted itself as a place that serves Western cuisine, and I was craving a huge chunk of meat. I would say that the price range is about Medium. It is not as pricey as the high end places like Chef Wan. Nor is it priced like the regular family bistro like Mr SteakHouse.

On our first visit there, I ordered a rib-eye. My kids had the familiar spaghetti and macaroni. We shared a Tiramisu Crepe and 2 bottled sodas from Haus Boom. It tasted like those Cola candies. My steak was just shy of RM100, and my kids’ dishes were roughly in mid RM20s.

The rib-eye was prepared quite well. It was not tough to chew.

Hence, during my subsequent visit there with my husband, I ordered a Sirloin steak. However, that second time around, the meat did not taste as good. Maybe it was a different chef. The tiramisu crepe still tasted fabulous, but I really hoped that they would remove the doily paper underneath the crepe.

Overall, Nujum Cafe provides good food. The atmosphere is also Instagrammable, which is a must nowadays. I look forward to many more meals afterwards.

Kokodak Melaka

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This restaurant is located at Bukit Beruang. We were enticed by its buffet price. Adults pay RM35/pax, whereas children less than 130cm are charged RM21/pax. Upon ordering, we get a preset spread consisting of several side dishes like chicken (assorted flavours), banchan, tteokbokki, crispy pancake and fried rice. The refills for these dishes are unlimited. So is the ramen that you cook for yourself. However, drinks are billed separately. I wish they had plain water options to wash down the grease.

Since we are not big eaters as a family, we had some leftovers despite not ordering any refills. So you could imagine that there is a huge portion to begin with. If I had known that we would eat Kokodak that day, I would have fasted. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to tapau the remaining food. Which is a waste. I get sad when food are thrown out but I really couldn’t force down anymore food down my oesophagus.

Although the fried rice seemed burnt (the servers cook it for us), the chicken was delicious. I loved the kimchi. I did not eat any ramen because there was already a lot of food. The tteokbokki is an acquired taste. My daughter loved the crispy pancake. I would definitely go there again for its chicken, but I will bring people with a huge appetite to help gulp it all down.

Money well spent.

Pusat Sains Negara

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Pusat Sains Negara, located in Malaysia, is a prominent national science centre that is a hub for scientific exploration and education. Spanning across a vast area, it offers visitors a range of interactive exhibits, engaging activities, and immersive displays that showcase various fields of science and technology. Pusat Sains Negara is designed to foster curiosity and promote scientific literacy among people of all ages. With its state-of-the-art facilities, it plays a crucial role in inspiring future generations to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), contributing to Malaysia’s scientific advancement and development.

My early bird.

We went there on Christmas Day as early as 0830am because when we went there the day before – the parking space was already full at 12 noon. The entrance fee is cheap which explains why it is a great place for a family day out. Adult ticket is RM6 whereas children and senior citizen (>55 years old) tickets are RM3.

It is a very interactive place. Hence, I would advise visitors to bring their own hand wipes and sanitisers.
Simply because kids touch everything. I tried using one of those step-on sanitisers but they don’t work. The exhibits are cool to look out and there are various games that even adults could try. It is a huge place with plenty of potential.

This is me trying to solve the quiz
As an adult geek, I really loved the exhibits. I wished I could sit and just read it the whole day. We were pressed for time.
There were colouring activities, indoor playgrounds, an Xray demo station and plenty more

We spent at least 2 hours there. We would have spent the time longer if we paused at all the exhibits and absorbed every single piece of information into our minds. Kids got hungry after much activity. Ha ha.

Mini wall for climbing – just the right height for kids.

Enjoying shawarma at Damascus Gate

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Shawarma is made by layering marinated meat, such as chicken or beef, on a vertical rotisserie. As the meat slowly cooks and rotates, it absorbs the flavours of the marinade and becomes tender and juicy. The layers of meat are then thinly sliced and served in a variety of ways, often wrapped in a flatbread and accompanied by a range of condiments and toppings. It is a dish that combines various elements harmoniously.

In life, finding balance and practising moderation is crucial for overall well-being and success. Just as shawarma incorporates a variety of ingredients in appropriate proportions, we need to strive for balance in different areas of our lives. By practising moderation, we can avoid burnout, maintain healthy boundaries, and ensure that our actions align with our values and priorities. Of course, this is not easy when it comes to intrusion from external parties and other surrounding factors. Thus, this is when one needs to learn to say NO and put themselves first before others.

Apply for that work leave. Treasure the weekend. Spend more time with the family at any chance you get.

We discovered a great Shawarma place recently and we don’t even have to go to Bukit Bintang for it. The place is called Damascus Gate Melaka. It is located at Pulau Besar near the beautiful and colourful setup of Selat Avenue. This place is so lively and out of the world at night. You really need to be there to know what I mean. If only the local council could make the nearby areas equally vibrant so that it could churn more economic opportunities in Pulau Besar. There were so many abandoned projects that I felt could have been repurposed for something else. Surely, someone could make a pitch to money-laden investors.

This is the Shawarma Beef Meal
Shawarma Beef Rice
Lamb Cheesy Kebab

We ordered a shawarma beef rice (RM22), a shawarma beef meal(RM20), lamb cheesy kebab(RM37) and a kunafa(RM15). Alongside 3 fruit juices at RM11 each- watermelon, orange and apple. The total was RM139.70 including a 10% service charge. The portion was adequate. The beef was juicy and well-marinated. I loved the rice and yoghurt dip a lot. They were so flavourful. The restaurant also has a great song playlist. The kind of song that makes you want to just shake the hips and belly dance like Shakira.

We went there at 630pm and by the time we finished our meal – the day had gotten dark and the surrounding place looked so beautiful and cute. It’s definitely an astounding place to go for a photography session as the place looked foreign and chic.