Merry, merry Guinness (Christmas) to you :)

December 9, 2010
spinzer
Events & Travels
2 Comments
7 min read

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I had an early Christmas Celebration this year, thanks to GUINNESS®. In fact, they launched their 2010 MERRY GUINNESS® celebration countdown with a nationwide campaign, held throughout the month of December, and we’re were some of the lucky few who were part of it!

Saw many of the usual blogger friends there, and kinda exclusive too, with bloggers like FourFeetNine, Tim Tiah and Ringo making an appearance! Well, I guess mostly the Nuffnangers la, while I was blessed enough to be invited on a personal basis, which reminded me of that time I got the chance to meet Black Eyed Peas the same way too, during Arthur’s Day last year together with Kenny Sia! Santa has been very happy with me I guess… Santa Guinness that is!

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Guinness and Christmas... they look so GOOD together 😉

So basically the reason we were there is to enjoy our pint (s) of Guinness with a Christmas feast to remember! The day’s tagline is “Merry Guinness. Share the Magic this Christmas!” – hence we were entertained with lots of activities and performances!

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Merry Guinness, ho ho ho!

“The most magical things about Christmas are warm feelings of communion and friendship which go together with pints of GUINNESS®. Pair those pints with a hearty meal and enjoy an unforgettable experience with the people who matter most,” said Mark Jenner, Marketing Director of Guinness Anchor Berhad in his welcome note.

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The officiating by VIPs at Guinness

“In line with our MERRY GUINNESS® campaign, we have prepared a magical journey for our consumers to enjoy and share with their family and friends. Some of the highlights of our nationwide campaign consist of special MERRY GUINNESS® events and the GUINNESS® Heritage collectible premiums” he added.

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No, these aren't the premiums but they are SO adorable!

Some of my blogger friends and I enjoyed a few pints together! Let me introduce them below 😀 (Simon’s missing but view his entry here!)

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Yatz. The only one Yatz.

This is Yatz. He’s wearing a dorky hat 😀 Visit his blog here

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The naughty Jessicat

This is Jessica theJessicat! I help manage her blog, do check it out!

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The name's Tock. Christmas Tock.

This is… me. Oh, I know you wanna see foam all over my lips 😉 Oh yes, and you’re checking out my blog edi 😉

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Chicken, Beef, Turkey, you name it they have it!

ANYWAY! here’s the FEAST OF THE MONTH!! Awesome stuff, well planned by Big Boys Oven!

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Goodness I'm practically drooling!

Here’s my portion. Eh wait, my FIRST portion! I obviously had to go a few rounds right… at least before I started my workout at Celebrity Fitness with my Personal Trainer Syakirin. He would KILL me if I ate this much during my 6 months stint with CF!

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Rest of the crowd having their portion.. YUMMEH!

The selection was a-plenty and honestly, it gave a really awesome Christmassy atmosphere to the whole ambience :))

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Awesomely cute decorations

Coupled with a few sweet decors here and there, it was truly mindblowing 😀

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Nuts, more nuts!

Then of course there are the nuts. What’s Christmas without nuts? Remember Chip & Dale? Yes, now you remember 🙂

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Ringo having a hard time pulling out the Macaroons 😛

There was this mountain of Macaroons that very stubbornly got stuck onto the mound. Funny to watch her trying to pull it out 😛

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Andrew and the Fire Swallower! Though he chickened out 😛

In addition to sharing the spirit of Christmas with family and friends, GUINNESS® has prepared a game with a magical twist. The Merry Mat game is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser which will make the celebration more thrilling and memorable as it fills the air with barrels of laughs amongst friends. Look out for the Merry Mats at your favourite GUINNESS® outlets nationwide. Among other performance that took place is the magic show (which I thought is lame, but hey, at least Andrew here gave us a laughing moment XD

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Jeng Jeng Jeng 😛

Besides the Christmas hearty meals, other jolly highlights include the GUINNESS® Merry Makers caroling with an edgy twist in true GUINNESS® bold fashion, where time-tested Christmas songs known to many will be given a touch of rock n’ roll for that added magical moment this Christmas. Be mesmerized by our magician and GUINNESS® Merry-rinas who will serve you pints of your favourite black brew throughout the night. The highlight, though, was the band who sang many Christmas numbers… really, really awesome 🙂

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Ringo, Jess and I won something from the Guinness event 🙂

The GUINNESS® Heritage Collection will be accessible in more than 2,000 pubs and bars across Malaysia. For every six pints of GUINNESS® draught or one bucket of GUINNESS® Foreign Extra Stout purchased at participating outlets, consumers will receive a free limited edition GUINNESS® Heritage Collection glass inspired by the famed GUINNESS® Gilroy collection.

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Ho ho ho, Merry Guinness!

To continue with the merriment of MERRY GUINNESS®, there will be a total of 54 Merry GUINNESS® events all over the country with a mix of small and large events that will allow consumers to celebrate Christmas the GUINNESS® way while enjoying special GUINNESS® promotions.

“With our exciting line-up of offering this MERRY GUINNESS® season, people will dream of Christmas in a colour better than a white Christmas, a Christmas with the black swirling magic of GUINNESS®. So gather your friends and loved ones and share the magical moment of Christmas with the world’s favourite premium black beer over food and lots of festivities. MERRY GUINNESS®!” stated Jenner.

For more information on the MERRY GUINNESS® festive promotion and the participating outlets for the MERRY GUINNESS® premium parties nationwide, log on to www.facebook.com/guinnessmalaysia.

MERRY GUINNESS® to one and all, so who’s up for a round NOW?! 😀

About GUINNESS®

First brewed in 1759, GUINNESS® has a rich and enduring heritage. Having been in South East Asia for more than 100 years, the drink is today brewed in 51 countries and sold in 151 countries. GUINNESS® has over 85% share of the stout market in Malaysia.

About GUINNESS® Anchor Berhad (GAB)

GAB with its portfolio of iconic, international brands, is the beer and stout market leader in Malaysia. GAB produces markets and distributes:

  • Asia’s fastest growing beer TIGER.
  • The world’s No 1 stout GUINNESS®.
  • The world’s No 1 international premium beer HEINEKEN.
  • The all-time favourite quality local brew ANCHOR SMOOTH and its strong beer variant ANCHOR STRONG.
  • The premium, undisputed “Cream of Beers” KILKENNY.
  • The real shandy ANGLIA.
  • The wholesome, premium quality non-alcoholic MALTA.
  • The world’s best selling cider STRONGBOW.
  • The no. 1 German wheat beer PAULANER.
    • And the original Mexican beer SOL.

Listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia, GAB evolved from the merger between Guinness Malaysia Bhd and Malayan Breweries (Malaya) Sdn Bhd. The company’s principal shareholder is GAPL Pte Ltd based in Singapore.  GAPL Pte Ltd is a joint venture between Diageo PLC and Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd.

GUINNESS® Anchor Marketing Sdn Bhd is a 100% owned subsidiary of GAB.

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My Las Vacas Experience @ Mont Kiara (halal)

November 25, 2010
spinzer
Food Galore
17 Comments
6 min read

Read on for an orgasmic experience in form of steaks, possibly one of the best you can find in Kuala Lumpur.

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250g of Wagyu Sirloin Steak - Melts in your mouth!

I intend to fully hit you with a picture of this finely cut, well charred piece of steak that will leave your mouth agape and saliva drooling away right at the beginning of this post, because nothing else apart from the food would sufficiently do Las Vacas any justice.

Why?

Firstly, I intended the dinner experience to be one-of-a-kind made especially for my sisters as we were celebrating Samantha Tock’s birthday that night. I was also told that Las Vacas was a perfect venue for a birthday do. Frankly speaking the girls and I were disappointed as we were all dressed up for an evening just to find the place a little less appealing than we thought. I, however, wasn’t convinced that the day was ruined just yet.

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250g Ribeye... Juicy and solid!

The thing to note is that, Las Vacas is first and foremost a BUTCHERY, not a five-star classy restaurant that you’d otherwise expect from the much talked about Las Vacas, which stands for “The Cow” in Spanish. That’s right, the place original’s intention is to sell slabs of high quality meat, not to be another “The Ship”, Jake’s or Victoria Station replacement.

We also found out later from the Japanese waitress (the language used there is either English or Japanese!) that the reason why they started the grilling experience from within the shop itself was so that customers could give the meat a go before making an actual purchase. Sweet!

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Lamb Cutlets - Marinated for tasty bite, though a little chewy

While their primary meat consists of the best parts of the cow (Australian, if I’m not wrong), they do serve other meat (lamb, cheaper alternative) and specialities as well. Take for example, the Beef Wrap below.

Carrots, asparagus & cheese wrapped with beef. Succulent and enormously flavorful. - Credits to Eat Drink KL

I couldn’t take a good shot so I would like to thank Eat Drink KL for their picture and description. Read their review via link provided.

Also something to note is that they provide a variety of condiments to go with their food. One highlight would be their mustard choices- dijon and whole grain mustard. (like this!)

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To be safe- The Sandwiches

If you’re not a steak lover, they have a variety of sandwiches for you to choose from, too. Large in portion, quality in their ham cuts, can’t really go wrong with these options.

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Samantha Tock - The Birthday girl

Samantha being the birthday girl obviously had the most expensive premium meat type and cut on the menu, the Wagyu Sirloin Steak. At RM60 per 100 gram, the portion she had was more than enough for most decent serving size and costed a lot too! However it was simply worth it. Every part of the meat was amazingly smooth and filled with juicy fats, due to high marbling on this particular type of meat. You won’t be able to taste the fats too strongly though, because of the way the meat is done, it simply melts in your mouth! You have to try it to believe it.

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Sandra Tock the Cheerleader cum Investment Banker

Sandra had the Rib Eye Steak instead, opting for the RM24-27 per 100 gram choice (a little more pricier than normal beef, as it came from cows that were fed high-protein wheat diet) out of other premium cuts such as Striploin, Rib-Eye, Sirloin, Tenderloin, Ribs, Cube Roll and Brisket. As she went for medium rare, we expected the meat to be a little more chewier as how we had at other places, but here in Las Vacas, there was no such thing! Read below to see what I mean 🙂

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Carol the sneaky genius

Carol took the safest option, the Sandwiches. There are also burgers to consider, you might want to give them a try 🙂

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This is mua - Christopher Tock

Me? I went for one of the cheapest option available. At RM10 per 100 gram, I went for a decent 2 pieces. Found out that it was too small for my liking and made a mental note to stick with their best offering here when I visit next: the steaks.

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Medium rare - yet not chewy like other places!

As mentioned above, this is an example of a cut. Bloody? Yes. Tender? Yes. Chewy like how you would get at other places? NO! It tastes like any other cooked meat but with extreme tenderness and overflowing juices that threatens to spill with every cut. Premium cut indeed, these butchers know what they’re talking about.

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Look at the marbling on this piece of Wagyu cut!

A typical cut of meat (Wagyu) would look like this. Its marbling is gorgeous, no? 😉

For the Las Vacas experience, that was about it. Yeap, it’s all about steaks and more steaks, but no desserts! However if you go to the one at Mont Kiara you’ll find that Baskin Robbins is just right next door, and so we headed there after settling the bill, which was mind you, very affordable!

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Time for some Banana Split!

Then it was banana split time. Filled with all types of condiments just for the birthday girl!

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Birthday girl getting fat

The abovementioned brithday girl and her fattening ice cream. Mwahahahha! We later tapaoed 1 pint of Pralines ice-cream to be enjoyed at home 🙂

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Thanks Las Vacas for the amazing experience!

The Las Vacas experience. Don’t let the environment fool you- it’s the food that you want. Good steak. Excellent steak. Depending on your pocket.

“Cut, Grill, Serve. No Frills Steak. “ – FriedChillies

Details you can find below:

Las Vacas @ Shoplex, Mont Kiara, KL
LG, Lot 1A, New Wing Mont Kiara Shoplex,
Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
(Right Next To Baskin Robbins/ Where Marmalade Used To Be)
Tel: 603-6205 2258

Operating Hours:
10am to 9.30pm (Tuesdays to Thursdays)
10am to 10.30pm (Fridays & Sundays)
10am to 6pm (Saturdays)
Closed on Mondays

Founded by: Yusof Dayan Carey & Freddy Azman Safahan in May 2007.

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Dennis Lau Diversify Album Launch feat. Prelude in F Minor

November 22, 2010
spinzer
Events & Travels
2 Comments
1 min read

You should go. I’m in it. Kelefeh character la. Nevertheless, LEND YOUR SUPPORT TO AN AWESOME SHORT FILM INSPIRED BY ONE SONG (and a great one at that too!)

113 JALAN AMPANG 50450 KL | TEL: +603 2171 1997 | FAX: +603 2171 1998

For more information and news, please visit http://www.zoukclub.com

CATCH THE TRAILER HERE
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I'm Dreaming of a White Starbucks

November 18, 2010
spinzer
Food Galore
10 Comments
5 min read

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It’s Christmas Season
in Starbucks!

A bunch of us were invited to a food (and drink!) review at Starbucks Damansara Utama and I was more than thrilled to accept the invitation! Later when I knew it was going to be a Christmasy affair, I became a nostalgic wreck thinking of the good old days in London, where it would be very cold at this time of the year and Starbucks became one of the best places to warm up to sip a mug of hot chocolate <3

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It's Christmas time baby!

It was pretty obvious the place was done up, and I suspect not just at this branch. In fact, Christmas seems to be everywhere extra early this year!

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Shaz saying "Ho Ho Ho, You've Been Naughty This Year!"

After so long I bumped into Shaz Mukhtar, a great friend and company, who I haven’t been seeing for ages due to my busy schedule. He’s been very patient with me and I really hope I can return his efforts this coming Christmas for being the dearest friend I’ve ever had throughout my problematic life :))

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Coffee, tea, or me?

Maybe I’ll get him one of these gorgeous mugs instead… Don’t they make lovely gifts? 🙂

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Three Christmassy Stoodges

Decors were a-plenty, definitely setting the mood just right 😀

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Me, Ev Ooi and Selena under a Mistletoe Tree 😉

Okay maybe not true, but here’s a Merry Christmas to you!

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Our reserved area!

When we got upstairs we saw our spot immediately, marked by these very nice looking stands… it says “Reserved” for us 😀

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The Uncontrollable Shaz!

Okay moving on to the drinks! The two new drinks on board the Christmas menu are Christmas Toffee Nut Latte & Peppermint Mocha and I chose the latter purely because I wanted something minty, and it was! Yummy, smooth and delicious, I finished my Grande in a blink of an eye.

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Smooth Tiramisu

As I remembered it, it was one of the yummiest dessert here! Just too bad there’s no alcohol in it, yea? 😛

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Chocolate Tuxedo for RM9.00

A clear winner, this one, especially among the girls. Well, and Shaz too. He’s not a girl 😛 MUST TRY!

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Marble Cheesecake for RM9.00

If you’re in for a cheesy delight, the Marble Cheesecake is for you.

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Blueberry Cheesecake for RM9.00

But for a  better taste (well, for me la, I’m a BIG fan of blueberries! – but not blackberry k) try the Blueberry Cheesecake, it’s the yummers!

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Espresso Eclaire for RM3.80

Not a big fan of the Eclaire, but apparently it got smothered pretty quickly 😛

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Peanut Butter Creme Brule for RM9.00

YUMMY YUMMY THERE’S LOVE IN MY TUMMY! Sorry la, peanut better ANYTHING is damn good 😀

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Jazzy Lemon Cheesecake for RM9.00

Jazzy Lemon Cheesecake ain’t too sweet nor sour, and just nice for a Christmassy feeling 😉

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Butterscotch Cinammon Roll for RM4.80

Now this is sinful. And beautiful. And tasty. And yummy. And sweet. Wait, did I say sinful?

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Buttery scone with blueberry filling and crumbly top for RM7.50

Love the icing, best eaten with butter and jam!

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Meat Dog?

There were lots of food too, and luckily there was many of us, otherwise there’d be an overload of yummy pastries to warm your tummies!

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Chicken Pasta Stack for RM14.90

I found some yummy, and some mediocre. While the lasagne looking dish here looks yummy, I wish they had more spices in it like the Chicken Kapitan Pie, else it would be awesome!

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Toasted sandwich for RM6.50

The sandwich leaves nothing much to sight, but you’d be surprised how tasty those morsels of eggs and sausage can be 😛

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The gorgeous Shepherd’s Pie!

The Shepherd’s Pie, however, leaves me nothing to say as I chomped down into the creamy insides and the pastry.

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Taking a deeper look at the Shepherd's Pie

A look at the Shepherd’s Pie gives you an amazing yummilicious, saliva-inducing moment that would whet your appetite up. That’s Rebecca’s camera right there taking a good shot right into the insides, take a look at the picture in her post! – http://www.rebeccasaw.com/starbucks-malaysia-more-food-choices-on-its-new-menu/

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Assorted Food Items - but note the Chicken Kapitan Pie & Bagel Sandwich!

Suffice to say there were MORE than enough to go around. Another must try before I end is the Chicken Kapitan Pie. It’s really special, as if the pastry used is infused with special herbs to give it a unique taste complimenting the curry chicken inside 🙂

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Say HO HO HO from us all the way at Starbucks!

And that pretty much concludes the fun experience I had with Starbucks! Great meeting place, great hang out place to meet friends, amazing love spread all over the place and all these make up the ingredients needed for a perfect Christmas moment with your loved ones 🙂

Merry Coming Christmas to you, would-be Starbucks customers!

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