Sky Bar & Gobo Upstairs Bar & Grill @ Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

5 months down the line, and I still haven't blogged about our evening at Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. We went there to meet Hubby's good friend from university who was here in KL for business.

We started off with some drinks in Sky Bar, the hotel's open air rooftop bar on Level 33. The view here was quite spectacular, a good closeup of the iconic Petronas Twin Towers. The boys had some beers while I had a Shirley Temple mocktail (RM20), which unfortunately was very diluted.


Crystal decoration at hotel lobby which I adored



View from Sky Bar (Level 33)


Sorry I'm taken


There is a pool in the middle of SkyBar if you want to take a dip...


Ladies Night on Wednesdays here


Shirley Temple Mocktail

Illuminated Petronas Twin Towers

Sky Bar in the evening


Since it was late by the time we finished our drinks, we decided to have dinner in one of the hotel restaurants. We chose Gobo Upstairs Bar & Grill over Gobo Chit Chat since the menu looked more interesting. From the restaurant, we could also get a very good view of the Twin Towers (if you sit by the window). The setting is quite nice, but a little too dark for photographs.



Open kitchen

While we waited for our food, we were served some olive bread with truffle butter. Real! ly good stuff! Amuse bouche was Mediterranean vegetables with pesto.



Amuse bouche


I had the Brandy Flamed Lobster Bisque (RM26), which I thought was pretty delicious. It is one of those soups which you find yourself spooning mouth after mouth and never wanting to put your spoon down.


Hubby had the Trio of Seafood (RM45) which came beautifully presented. The trio is made up of smoked salmon with a pickled eggplant with orange vanilla reduction, pan seared scallop with truffles and potato fondants and king prawn cocktail. All components were immaculately prepared, though portions were a little small.


Our guest had the fresh tomato soup and a filet mignon steak, grilled to perfection. All main courses are served with a side salad.


Fresh Tomato Soup (RM20)


Filet mignon steak (RM75 for 200g)


Hubby had the Norwegian Salmon Steak (RM45), the fish was moist with a beautifully crisp skin.


I had the Lamb Shank (RM55) which was pretty damn good. And the portion was really HUGE! I struggled to finish it all... my advice if you're ordering this is to skip the starter if you want to have a dessert after. The meat was tender and fell off the bone easily.




The waiter recommended that we ordered a side dish each, since the main courses only came with a side salad. In my opinion, two side dishes is plenty to share among three adults. We had the truffle mashed potato (my choice which also is my fav), whipped potato with roasted garlic, mascarpone and Sarawak pepper and creamy baby French bean with garlic.



Truffle mashed potato (RM15)


!
Whipped potato with roasted garlic, mascarpone and Sarawan peppercorn (RM14)


Creamy baby French beans with garlic (RM14)


After dinner, our guest enjoyed a 21 year old Auchentoshan whisky (RM59). Smooth.



Restaurant interior

Wine


For desserts, Hubby had the Tiramisu (RM22). Sadly this didn't quite make the mark. I think it was meant to be an alcoholic version, but I couldn't taste any alcohol. We also had to wait quite a while for this to be served.

Verdict: I was pretty impressed with the food quality here, though prices are on the high side.


Service: Good in general, but a bit slow towards the end.

Price: RM509 for 3 adults, including 2 glasses of wine.

Location: Sky Bar, Level 33, Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill, Level 6, Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03- 2332 9888

GPS Coordinates: 3.154271, 101.715417


The Vanilla Place desserts galore!

Contrary to what some may think, leaving my job wasnt an easy decision. I wasnt exactly rejoicing in triumph. I left with a heavy heart.
But I walked out knowing I have done my best, and accepted that there are times when one has to admit defeat & this is one of them. Some things are just not within my field or control to change.

Anyhow, when things gets low, desserts are the way to go. (Eh, it rhythms!! :) )
I have heard of how Empire Shopping Gallery has become THE place for desserts, which is true, considering the amount of eateries here that specialised in sweets & pretty pastries.

This time round I decided to check out The Vanilla Place.

The Vanilla Place, Empire Shopping Gallery-01

Macarons are the craze these days & The Vanilla Place offers the options of cute, pocket -friendly one at a mere RM1.50.

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Or for a better sized bite, the RM2.50 ones are value for money.

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Even the big ones like these are priced at only RM4.50!

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Tastewise? Well, Im not a fan of macarons but my friend said it was alright. It looked the part though; the skirtings at the side, smooth domed top & ruffled circumference.

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I was more interested in the actual cakes, and my Carrot Cake, RM8.80+ was a nice-sized portion for the price. There was plenty of carrots & walnuts, with a hint of cinnamon (but not much to the point it was overpowering) & moist enough to recommend.

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Another comfort food that works for me is milkshakes, and my Strawberry milkshake (RM9.80+) was light & frothy, in contrast with the usual thick & creamy ones we get here, but Im not complaining, as I do like mine not too cloyingly rich. The other milkshake the Passionfruit, however received less than stellar reviews from its owner, who said it tasted weird to him; whatever that means. In the first place, I thought passionfruit & milk wasnt a good match anyways.

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Its good to have happy-go-lucky friends, such as this one who ordered the Pavlova, (RM8.80+). He was kept amused with our stories & misadventures with a certain individual, & threw in a bit of his well-meaning but useless advice every now & then.
Men, one should never rely on them for comforting words or emotional support.

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Thankfully his choice of dessert was much better than his words of advice, for this Pav was delightful enough; light, non-overly saccharine sweet meringue with lovely fresh cream.

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Another female friend gorged on Coffee Cheesecake (RM8.80+), another passable cake here. The texture wasnt too dense (unlike someone we were gossiping about) & the faint flavour of coffee came from the coffee infused sponge embedded within the cake.

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Emotions were slightly elevated after some desserts, and we walked away pleased enough; having had a good session of friendship & laughter.

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Conclusion:
Desserts were overall good. Prices are definitely reasonable. I would be back for their savoury mains.
Total RM52.80
10% tax RM58.10.

The Vanilla Place, Empire Shopping Gallery.
03 50222198


Go Gourmet

Go Gourmet: Round Two. Earlier entry: Nov. 4, 2010.

This food delivery service provides plenty of meat to placate carnivorous cravings. For beef-eaters, recommendations include this toasted brown multi-grain sandwich with salted beef, mustard & gherkins. A savory treat, hearty enough for two to share.

Surprise! Pork is available too. Go Gourmet has its own kitchen that whips up its food, but it also offers a small selection from Bangsar's El Meson. The non-halal items are placed in separate bags during delivery _ so non-Muslim customers can enjoy this "Ultimate Pork Burger," featuring a thick, juicy patty sinfully topped with cheese, bacon, mushrooms & caramelized onions.

Lamb steals the spotlight in the Thai massaman curry, a rich but rather oily creation packed with not-too-chewy meat, peanuts & potatoes.

Fowl isn't forgotten. The Chicken Diane is a competently executed version of this classic Western recipe, featuring a thick chunk of chicken breast, pan-fried and topped with mushroom-&-asparagus cream. Kids will probably adore this (though they might ignore all the veggies).

Don't denigrate the duck: this duck rilette linguine with garlic confit & chili was a competently prepared Italian pleasure, al dente and all.

Go Gourmet's forte is promptness, with food always arriving within an hour. Can't accuse them of working at a snail's pace, though they do serve escargot. Meaty ones, submerged in a cloying cream sauce.

Fans of seafood will find much to savor. For fish, the Madras curry of Spanish mackerel, okra & tomatoes is similar to what an South Indian outlet might concoct.

Michel Chapoutier Domaine Bila-Haut, bought from wineactually.com.

Go Gourmet,
Kuala Lumpur.