Month: March 2017

As you walked into the restaurant, you might be a little confused….The restaurant’s set up makes you feel that you are no longer in Malaysia but somewhere in the Middle East. The interiors are fairly basic and not naturally ambient, it’s not surprising that the venue prefers to focus on the cuisine rather than the decor. “Excellence is not a skill, but an attitude” is reflected in the food and service at Belqis Restaurant.

With the chef armed with years of experience from Yemen, the restaurant promises to serve authentic Arabian food.

Many of the dishes come in platters, of two people and more, enough to feed the whole family. A very common picture of Arabian dining that comes into our mind is of large cluster of people sitting around the table, with generous amount of rice topped with perhaps a whole lamb.

Their Biryanis, notably the most popular dish, are of particular merit and well worth their reputation. However, they also offer a popular selection of starters and kebabs. The “wannabe” authentic Arabic ambiance of the restaurant compliments the cuisine on offer, primarily a selection of tastefully presented and well-made Middle East delicacies. The large-portioned and reasonably priced Biryanis, vegetarian or grilled dishes are a must and so is their popular mixed grill selection, where diners will receive a generous and delicious combination of lamb and chicken, served with tasty sides and fries.

Just don’t take my word for it, Try it! Restoran Belqis, No 165, Jalan S2 B22, Pusat Dagangan Centrio

or contact 066014002 or 0122913170

Saturday morning started at 4am, with coffee, hot milo and with some peanut butter sandwiches and 3 sleepy kids but they were super excited!

The race was held at Padong Merbok. We arrived Padang Merbok an hour before the race start and got our bibs and T-shirts. Met the awesome race director- Former SEA GAMES runner Mr Ganesan. He was extremely busy but always had a smile on his face and always so ever ready to assist in anyway he could.

What a striking sea of orange! We waited for the officials to flag off the 10 km runners, which was on time! It was an awesome start. The race also had tremendous support from the KLCC runners group that came together as one to make this race even more a successful one. A total of 320 members joined this race. Thank you, Mr Matthew Barsing ! KUDOS KLCC RUNNERS!

Few minutes later, the 3 km family fun run was flagged off. The race started with no issues,heading into a very slight incline. Amisha, aged 12 and Avinash, aged 10, ran so fast thanks to their adrenaline..They were running towards the path that leads to a small hilly upslope, my hubby was running with Anjali, aged 14 and me….I checked the race route carefully the day before and I knew this was included! It is not my favourite part of the race, good thing is that this was right at the beginning of the race, fresh legs to do the upslope.

There were several water and electrolye stations along the 10 km course with lots of volunteers manning those stations as well as in between, at every turn and cross over point. All the volunteers were ethusiastic with lots of cheering, words of encouragement and reporting on placing. It was a beautiful day running (or should I say- running after my kids) The route was hilly and with lots of modest rolling hills.

A well organised small scale race. I thought that it was a smooth race with well placed distance markers at each KM, adequate water point for such short distance race, and enough volunteers stationed at different parts of the race to guide runners along.

It was so nice to care more about our quality time, family bonding time instead of keeping pace throughout the race. It was a fun little event, too bad that more people and families didn’t show up but I am hoping that if KL Possible Run do it again next year, the word will get out! This race event had awesome and amazing timing by the 10 km runners such as 33 min and 22 seconds….Just simply amazing!

Once completed, finishers were given a nice, well detailed sturdy medal that says, “Everyone can run”- love the tagline! There were plenty of refreshments and snacks from sponsors such as Milo, 100 Plus, Brooks etc.

We will be back! Super well organized, lots of great features, a nice hilly route (Nice?? More like killer hills….LOL) Fun for the family. This event was fantastic. Everything about this is great amd these sentiments were shared by many running friends, families and people I met on the day! We will be back!

Whether you’re trying to get your family healthy, limit screen time or just looking to spend time with your children, the solution can be as simple as running. Not only can your children benefit from the regular physical and emotional challenges.

The KL Possible Run which will be held March 11 2017 at Padang Merbok!
My Hubby, children and I will be joining the 3 km family fun run. Why join the KL Possible Run 2017, well, it’s the examination week for the kids and the best way to have some fun and relax as well as de-stress is some awesome fun and family bonding too! To me, running is not just about the miles or achieving the best possible time. For kids, we need variety and fun attitude for them to enjoy and de-stress.

Hope to see all of you there at the KL Possible Run regardless of the personal best you’re trying to achieve or the marathon you’re training for, the runs you take with your child are about the two of you.

Take advantage of this time to learn about your son or daughter and what motivates them to achieve their own goals. It may even reinvigorate your own running regimen.

Make the Im-possible………Possible! KL Possible Run 2017

Last Sunday, March 5 2017, my daughter and I participated in the Malaysia Women Marathon. Why is it so popular? Maybe because it
has all the categories from a full marathon 42 km, a half marathon 21 km, 10 km, 6 km fun run and also the Columbia Kids run 2.5 km. I think it’s because of all those reasons!

It was one of those mornings I actually had to wake up earlier than I should just to eat breakfast and have time to digest before the race. However, this race was special….why? Because I ran with my 14th year old daughter Anjali Wong Rajoo for the Malaysia Women Marathon.

On race morning, we were all up nice and early. We were there an hour before the race started-plenty of time. Anjali and I met Siew Kiem, changed our T-shirts ( oversized T-shirts!) and put on our bibs and we walked towards the starting point. (Which was about 2 km). The volunteers were perky and helpful, the DJ had music blaring and everyone seemed to be having fun even though the flag off for 10 and 6 km hadn’t started.

At 6.00 am, the officials announced that there will be a warm up session by the Curve. Then at 6.33 am (3 minute delayed due to the excitement and hyped of the warm up session by the Curve) the 10 km were off. As usual, it was pretty crowded at the start, but I was able to settle into a decent pace after about half a mile.

The race starts and finishes at the Stadium Shah Alam, we started running up a steep hill which took us towards Persiaran D’ Kayangan roundabout. The course did not disappoint. It had it all: Steep hills, winding downhills, loose rocks, mud, sharp turns and loopy loops. The crowd support/cheerleaders was pretty minimal since I assume most people were waiting to cheer for the marathoners (totally understood!), but I loved the drum boys they had out there at the 2 km.

I read a little about the course description prior but I was not prepared for what followed in 2 km through 7 km, hills and lots of them. 2 km met us with a long, gradual ascent that I thought would never end, then a joyous downhill, followed by a steep incline. This went on and on….However, it was nice to care more about my mother and daughter bonding time, instead of keeping pace thoughout the race. We made some awesome, funfilled memories, laughed until our sides ached and got some really great pictures too.

The 10 km course was the 5 km course looped twice. Many 10 km were basically fun runners – to what I have noticed, many did not go through the 5 km check point. Ohhhh, then at the 7 km distance a familiar voice called out…Helloooooo, mummy.. It was simply fantastic! It was my girl, Anjali caught up with me and we even managed to take a selfie.

The course was pretty hilly all the way. Somewhere between 5 km was the check point and the turn around for the 10 km and this is where there was a little problem. The water station was located too near the check point, many 10 km runners almost took the 21 km route- there were no marshalls to direct runners. Several runners went the wrong way and many just stood there for a minute or two thoroughly confused.

The best thing about this race was, we were not focused on the finish line but rather we appreciated the run itself. The hype, the runners (98% women) and the emotions!

There was a huge crush of people after the crossing line as runners filed by to claim their medals (only to discover that the line was for apples and bananas) and it was literally like herding cattle. The organisers do have to consider how a bottleneck venue will perform with as many entrants as there were. It was a bit of a mess as runners (VERY) slowly shuffled and pushed to claim their snacks, water, apples and bananes. A few minutes later, there was an annoucement informing all finishers to collect their medals located at the basement of the Stadium….!! Urrggghhhh….Proper instructions or more volunteers to guide the finishers- next year please!

Overall, it was a good race and well run. The only suggestions I would like to make is work on the turn around directions and medal and goodies distributions.

To me:- Running isn’t about speed, running isn’t about PR’s and running isn’t about how far you go…..Running is a process and one that I should enjoy by allowing myself to go on a journey…and I did it…It was an awesome journey with my daughter, running the Malaysia Women Marathon 2017!  Every runner has a story!! What’s yours???? See you next year!

A hip, cozy spot in Seremban Two, Uptown Avenue, The Narayana- Tea stall is the perfect place for anything from a casual lunch/dinner to a family outing, friendly business meeting or alternative to the been-there-done-that date.

For a sumptuous North and South Indian Cuisine with Asian flavours that tantalizes your taste buds, Narayana-Tea stall is your answer!

The restaurant is easy to miss, but its rather bland exterior gives way to an attractive-almost luxurious-dining room inside. Dimly lit, very clean and comfortable, the restaurant features a spacious dining room. It offers good service and fine food with a menu that features recipes from both north and south India. Serving mouth watering dishes with a crew of experienced staff. Quality food and prompt service. Excellent customer service from the start till the end-leaves customers with nothing less than a feeling of pure satisfaction.

On a Saturday afternoon at 3.30pm that we visited, the place was jammed but our table was reserved. There’s a good buzz in the room.

We were then served a huge variety of food……Fish Pokoda-tender pieces of boneless fish are marinated in yogurt and lemon juice, and then dipped in chickpea batter and deep fried. The pieces of fish were flaky and tasty.

Paneer pakoda- Features homemade Indian semi-soft cubes of cheese stuffed with mint sauce, which are dipped in chickpea batter and deep-fried. I enjoyed its subtle complexities.

Fish cutlets- more like a fish ball, this is minced ‘ikan tenggiri’ meat that is then fried. Soft with very light crisp, this was interesting.

Mysore mutton- Mysore is named after a city in India that also sores this signature dish. I find it quite dry but good curry and spice flavours. From my understanding, the Indians’ preference is for dryer dishes, this is a hit to all customers.

Thosai- is like a crisp and thin pancakes made of a rice and Urad dal batter. Enjoyed them hot and crisp with chutney and sambhar.

Vadas are deep fried savory doughnuts- it is really tasty and goes well and best with the ‘Masala Tea’- Narayana’s signature Tea.

Nasi Lemak- it’s rich coconut rice, Basmati rice is used to give a loose and fluffy texture, the grain also has a nutty flavour that goes well with coconut milk. It is complete with all the side dishes on offer, fried egg/half boiled egg, ikan bilis and sambal, for a full hearty meal. The stir-fried sambal has enough kick and sweetness to tame the taste buds.

At Narayana- Tea stall, think traditional Indian with a new twist! Think hip! Think fresh! Think creative yet casual. Because that’s what it’s all about- here, they believe these fun little dishes are truly the best food has to offer! But you’ll also find signature Indian curries and the most popular entrees for those days that call for classic comfort.

Narayana’s motto is “taste above all”. They make it a point to use fresh, healthy,authentic ingredients-every day and in every dish. Add in a few signature cooking secrets and a whole lot of love and that’s the Narayana- Tea stall difference!

Don’t just take my word for it! Very hospitable people, you will definetly not walk out of Narayana-Tea stall without feeling as stuffed as a turkey! I will be back for more!