Brunch at La Casa

We headed to La Casa for the Sunday brunch but decide to order regular food.  CJ had the spaghetti meatballs, the Elder the eggplant and the Frenchman duck pasta.

The food was good but not awesome. CJ did have a question about his meatball and we talked to the owner, Thomas, about that.  He thanked us for the comment and went back to the kitchen.  He returned and told that he scrapped the meatballs and they are making a new batch.  He also comped us three Crème Brulée.

Another issue was that the appetizer, the beef tartare, showed up after the meal were coming out. We returned the main meal and asked them to keep them warm so we could enjoy the appetizer first.

This seems to be an issue in Kuantan.  The definition is as follows:

appetizer

noun

•  a small dish of food or a drink taken before a meal or the main course of a meal to stimulate one's appetite.

I think there is a disconnect with that definition in Malay.  Here is how to say it in Malay:

pembuka selera

I think we need to learn how to say that

Final Note about La Casa

#1 Restaurant and #1 Dessert place

Last night dinner cemented Def Leapard (aka Bayleaf Steakhouse) as the Top of the Top Tier restaurant in Kuantan, hands down.

The service was great, the food awesome again, and we didn't have just the steak which we previously ranked as best in Kuantan. The Elder had the Salmon Spinach Cheese, and CJ had the Rack of lamb.  The Frenchman had the tenderloin steak cooked blue.  We also had a side of Chinese rice. All cooked to perfection.

The appetizer actually showed up as the appetizer, the meals were served together. Service is top notch. The Elder spoke with the chef and owner to give him our compliments.

And Kula Cakes, excuse the pun, takes the cake!

Friendly service. The girl that brulee the creme at the previous visit, came out of the back to say hello to us.  Our choices that night was the coconut cake for the Elder and CJ and the Pavlova for the Frenchman.  The coconut cake was awesome and the Pavlova with its light cream filling and meringue crust was delicious.  As an aside, CJ ordered a bread pudding to take back to the hotel and have for breakfast. It was also outstanding.

The consistency of the quality and taste of the food along with the outstanding service earned Bayleaf #1 restaurant and Kula Cakes #1 Dessert place in Kuantan from the AIK!

Congratulations!

A day at the movies

We had a few minutes to spare after work and before bed and decided to walk to the theater at the East Coast Mall and enjoy a movie:  Justice League was the choice.

A definitely plus of movies in Kuantan is the price; 45 ringgit for the three AIKs ($3.75/person for assigned sitting)

A definitely minus of movies in Kuantan is the total lack  of movie etiquette; they were several small children sitting around us and, at times, we felt we were at the play ground. Children were running around, screaming, crying, jumping.  This is not the first time that we reviewed movies in Kuantan and lack of control (Movies in Kuantan)

Now to the movie review.

Rotten Tomatoes gives Justice League a 40% and My Little Pony a 46%

That pretty much sums up the movies.  Not DC best effort.  Wonder Woman was much better. 

Justice League is slow moving, inconsistent, and lack luster.  Wait for it on DVD, Netflix, Red Box, etc. if you have to pay full American movie theater prices.

Another day, another lunch

We thought we would try a newly opened restaurant at the mall across the way from the hotel, Seoul Garden.  CJ had tried it previously because it open after the two older AIKs left last year.  But this is a first for the Elder and the Frenchman.

In the tier level, Seoul Garden ranks as a middle tier.  The food was decent, the service pretty good. We sat outside. The weather was perfect for us, raining but we sat in a covered area. The inside was very cold because of the air conditioner

The Pros:

• They give you a glove to eat the hot wings.

 The Cons:

• They didn't have all the food that we wanted
• No Mandu
• No cream of chicken soup

We would return as a quick place for lunch that is convenient to the hotel.

Christmas at the East Coast Mall

Kuantan doesn’t mind wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. In song and dance, in decoration and spirit.

There was a little Christmas show at the mall:

Eric the Elder was so enthralled by the girls in the Christmas show that he had to have his picture taken with them.  I'm not sure what his BR girlfriend is going to say about that.  The girls were taking pictures with children at the mall and when Eric approached them, they were a little surprised, but they obliged, reluctantly.

There were no sexual harassment filed, even though the Elder had his hands on them.  Maybe it's his Santa belly and hair that made him innocuous.

 Merry Christmas from Kuantan!

Friday's Lunch

Today is Friday, the day that Sunday Breeze Bar has their special hot lunch.  We headed out in the rain and, thanks to Thomas, we got a ride to the front of plant, to Gate 2.

Remember we are not able to drive in the plant because of Captain Eo and it's monsoon season.

A quick 10 minutes drive to Sunday Breeze Bar and we enjoy a chicken Schnitzel with potatoes.  It was delicious. Actually better than the schnitzel we had Cherating Steak House and a lot cheaper.  For the three of us, the special and a drink was 75 ringgit. That's $18! $6 a person!

And the view is still grand, even in the rain.

I talked to the owner. He is from Paris, France. What a change of scenery for him!

It was nice talking to a fellow Frenchman.

A little too much Jingle Bells

This morning, we were waiting in the hotel's lobby for Eric the Elder to finish a business conference call.  Jingle Bells was playing on the speakers throughout the hotel.

Once the lovely song finish in a crescendo of  "in a one horse open sleigh", a slight pause and the song repeated.  Surely, this was a fluke.

30 minutes later and 8 repeats of the same Jingle Bells, it was time to intervene.  We walked up to the front desk and ask for them to put a stop to the misery. Jingle Bells will never sound the same again.

Jingle Bells

Dashing through the snow
On a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go,
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob tail ring,
making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh

A day or two ago,
I thought I'd take a ride,
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side;
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
We got into a drifted bank,
And then we got upsot.

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
Oh, What fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
Oh, What fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh.

Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young
Take the girls tonight
And sing this sleighing song
Just get a bob tailed bay
two-forty as his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! you'll take the lead

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
Oh, What fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
Oh, What fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh.