Wednesday 28 April 2010

Traffic Woes

I was burning with frustration as I was inching my way through the massive after-work traffic jam along Jalan Ampang and desperately attempting to keep it cool by singing the well-versed sections, namely the chorus bit, of Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce's awesome brand new hit on radio called Telephone. Singing is an activity that indeed does possess some therapeutic qualities. However, in my case, it did manage to mitigate my escalating "foul mood" gauge, but minimally. No doubt, the gale-like rain and after-work traffic jam are the PERFECT ingredients for topsy-turviness in the city centre and definitely THE ultimate test of patience.

Interestingly enough, the news on the radio asserted that Mr Tiger Woods confessed to having affairs with 120 women during his five-marriage with Elin Nordegren. The infamous Tiger Woods, admittedly a sex addict and a double-crossing bastard. Yes, individuals do have the tendency to stray during relationships/marriages, but principals, integrity, self-control and rationalisation is what governs our actions.

Then again the world is filled with dim-witted, irrational individuals. The irony.

Saturday 24 April 2010

The Sage, The Gardens

The Sage, recommended by so many, is a great venue for those with curious taste buds, one who appreciates the tantalizing prepossession of such simplistic yet flavoursome fusion food. The moment the boyfriend and I stepped into The Sage, we were pleasantly greeted by an aromatic whiff of zephyr as the crafty chefs were showing off their skills at the tepanyaki table.

Despite being known to the public as a "fine-dining" restaurant, The Sage does not possess a pseudo-like facade, the intimidating environment that a common fine-dining restaurant harbours. All in all, the down-to-earth ambiance and excellent service further enhanced the likability of the restaurant. Set menus ranged from RM160 for a standard 3-course meal a.k.a The Sage Dinner Set, which I opted for, to RM180 for a 3-course meal plus "Chef's Special of the Day", which Carl opted for. 

Our table d'hôte expenditure was justified the moment we began to savour our impeccably presented mouth-watering dishes and we concluded that the meal was definitely value for money and fit for a king.

Let the photo-whoring begin! :)


Freshly baked bread accompanied with pesto blended olive oil, which was to die for. And before we began gormandizing our appetizers, we were presented with a gelatine-like shot that contained cucumber cubes and baby shrimp. The purpose of this shot is to neutralise our palette.

Chef's Special of the Day: the Brittany oysters, topped with a little fresh cream and caviar, was enough to take me to paradise and back.

My appetizer, the pan seared foie gras with grapes. Orgasmic. The sauce was subtle, accentuating the sweetness of the grapes and the lightly salted pan seared foie gras.

The boyfriend and I relishing our dishes. A meal fit for the Gods.

Carl's Feuillete of Anago with Foie Gras and Duxelles, loosely translated as puff pastry with salt-water eel, foie gras and mixture of finely chopped mushrooms, shallots and herbs.

Carl's leg of lamb and couscous for the main course. The dish offers a myriad of flavour and texture.

My mushroom based risotto accompanied with some lightly sauteed Japanese scallops, which were cooked to absolute perfection.

He made a smart choice by ordering the peach crepe with a spoonful of vanilla ice-cream. Light and fluffy, with a barely perceptible toffee-like sauce, the perfect sweet ending.

 
Strawberry with mascarpone cheese, which I was not very fond of. The accompanying strawberries were sweet and slightly sour a very good foil for the sweetness of the mascarpone cheese.

 
Lovely bite-sized rich chocolate macaroons.
 
 A cup of coffee ended the impressive showcase of culinary expressions at Sage.

All in all, The Sage is a definitely must try. It was a perfect evening - perfect food, perfect service, perfect ambiance with the perfect partner. This is my picture perfect world.

The Sage
The Gardens Residences
6th Floor, The Gardens
Mid Valley City
Lingkaran Syed Putra
59200 Kuala Lumpur.

For reservations, call : 03-2268 1188

Monday 19 April 2010

The Iceland Volcano



The disruption of flights in Europe continue due to the infamous Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull (how on earth do you pronounce this?), which erupted last Wednesday. It is sad to say that the estimated earnings before tax generated per month by many airline companies have been dramatically affected. As a matter of fact, they're literally losing several hundred over million of dollars per day due to flight cancellations and delays.

Deadly images captured by the media shows volcanic ash spewing from the mouth of the volcano and penetrating the earth's atmosphere. However, according to some climatologists, the impact of the sulphuric gases emitted by Eyjafjallajokull is not as significant as Philippine's Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991 and therefore, would not end up altering the global climate.

Am sending my regards out to those affected, especially to my friends who spent their Easter break holidaying in neighbouring European countries and are stranded for the unforeseeable future. The fact that a geologist mentioned that this situation could potentially persist for a few months is definitely worrying.

What on earth is happening?

Sunday 11 April 2010

Haitus Status Removed

Previously known to the public as Rinoa86, website link: www.xanga.com/rinoa86 - recently shutdown due to unruly disputes.

That blog acted as a mere depository instrument to "aide-mémoire" and also, a useful tool for venting. The creation of rinoa86 leads way back to Aug 2003, the year I embarked on my exciting journey to, what is now known to me as my second home, the United Kingdom.

After having spent six very fruitful years in the land of rose, I have now returned to my motherland, Malaysia, where I have successfully established myself as a Treasury executive in one of the largest local banks for approximately nine months now in the country's flourishing capital, Kuala Lumpur.

However, restlessness is an overpowering disease that I seem to suffer from so often nowadays. My thirst for ambition is not close to being fully quenched and I am still seeking for challenges; mentally, physically and spiritually. So, where do I go to next and how do I get there? These are the mind-boggling questions that have no firm answers and are fuming incessantly inside my head.

So, let me start recording and noting down events and plans or perhaps compose any profound literary sightings that might titillate or petrify you. This is my blog and it is about my life.

Every man's memory is his private literature. It is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.