[Kuala Lumpur] Short Staycation at Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur @ Jln Sultan Ismail

The traffic from KLIA to city center was heavy on my day of arrival as it was a few days leading to the Lunar New Year holidays. Thus, reached the hotel at about 6.45pm and by the time checked-in was completed, the evening cocktail had just ended.

I was allocated a room at the 3rd floor which made me curious as usually Club Rooms would be at the higher levels. The staff shared that only the lower floor Club Rooms has a bathtub. 

 

COLLECTION Club Room

welcome amenity from GHA Discovery

coffee

The coffee capsules were nice, though the box holding them, appeared to be somewhat dusty... Taste-wise I liked the classic and decaf.

The welcome plate had pineapple tart, two small slices of cake, strawberry coated with chocolate, white chocolate and a cookie. Thanks to GHA Discovery, it was a nice coffee break.

in-room mini-bar (chargeable)

view from bathroom

Looking forward to the day when in-room minibar would be complimentary for guests staying in Club Rooms.

filtered drinking water in the bathroom

Tried the laundry service and was happy to note that the service was fast and fuss free. Just that the return of the laundry was thwarted twice (unintentionally) due to the 'DND' sign was up, and I didn't know that they would return it in the evening time for the same day service and the retry was the next morning around 8+am. Sorry and thanks to the laundry team!

area outside the rooms

Went downstairs to the Botanist Lounge & Bar in the evening, to see what's interesting over there.

Botanist Lounge & Bar

The place was chill chill and there is actually no need to wait, and one should just seat themselves where ever they prefer.

I only saw two staff at this place when I visited. Hence, it might be hard to catch them from your table but I suppose, one could find them at the bar area.

menu

waiting for musicians to arrive

not busy

Was hungry, so ordered the beef ribs nasi lemak and a cocktail. Don, the staff on bar duty that evening warned that the nasi lemak would need about 45 minutes to prepare. Ok, then I'll just enjoy the drinks first.

Florida Beach @MYR58++

Made a mistake by telling Don that I didn't like too strong a drink. Should've just let them bring the default version instead of this modified version which was nice as a mocktail.

snacks for the drinks

The live performance started at about 15 mins after 9pm. A two-pax band (one keyboardist and one vocalist) and they seemed to prefer music from the 80s.

Angus Beef Ribs Nasi Lemak Bunga Talang @MYR68++

The nasi lemak had blue-pea rice, blanched kang kong, cucumber slices, fried peanuts and anchovies, sunny side up (with a tad burnt bottom) and a large chunk of beef ribs. The beef ribs was tender and especially flavourful at the fatty bits. Sambal was spice level 1 out of 5. This plate was a heavy meal for supper and the richness of the beef ribs got to me towards the end of the meal.

Berries Rhapsody @MYR48++

I ordered another drink from Don with normal alcohol strength and he said he will concoct something. He brought out the Berries Rhapsody. The taste was reminiscent of Ribena. 

Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur

Address: Jln Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Website: https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pr-collection-kuala-lumpur.html

Botanist Lounge & Bar

Address: Jln Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Website: https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pr-collection-kuala-lumpur/dining/the-botanist-lounge-and-bar.html

[Kuala Lumpur] Table & Apron @ Petaling Jaya

Had an opportunity to meet up with my Convent Kajang friends again after our Penang adventures. Read more about our Penang travel here.

Thanks to Grace for organizing, Adeline and Shanta for taking time off for a short dinner meet-up before CNY. As for dinner venue, Grace suggested Table & Apron and I was informed that their fried chicken was good. Keke!

KL traffic was challenging for the days leading up to CNY but I was able to reach the shop earlier than expected. Our dinner reservation was at 8pm.

signage

Opposite of the restaurant are residential terrace houses. Quiet area and parking may be a challenge, and depends on luck.

The place was bustling and many seemed to have made their reservations for upstairs. 

menu

cold water

We were busy catching up and food was served 20 minutes after order was placed.

roasted cauliflower @MYR27++

pucuk paku salad @MYR27++

buckwheat fried chicken (6 pieces) @MYR53++

tagliatelle al ragu @MYR45++

Staff would explain the components inside the dish when it was first brought over to the table and I appreciated that. Loved how passionate the staff was and I was excited to try the food!

Roasted cauliflower had a lovely sauce but the texture was not for me. My favourite salad that night had to be the pucuk paku (fern) salad. It is a rare dish for me, and thanks to the group that we ordered it to try. Tangy and umami.

First impression of the fried chicken? The batter was superbly crispy! Taste wise, there's no particular outstanding flavour of the buckwheat but the chicken was well marinated, fried to perfection and still juicy on its inside.

closer view of the chicken

Staff asked if we would like some dessert. While we were stuffed after all the food, we agreed that we should try one dessert and Grace chose the tiramisu.

tiramisu @MYR28++

Food was comforting, service was excellent with knowledgeable and helpful staff.

Thank you Adeline, Grace and Shanta for the company and cheers to our friendship since Primary school days.

Table & Apron

Address: 23, Jalan SS 20/11, Damansara Kim, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Website: https://www.tableandapron.my/

Contact: +60377334000

Business Hours:

Closed on Mon.

Tue - Thu: 5:30–9:30 pm

Fri - Sun: 11:30 am–2:30 pm, 5:30–9:30 pm

[Staycation] Revisiting Pan Pacific Singapore @ Raffles Boulevard, Experience Breakfast, Afternoon Tea and Evening Cocktails @ Pacific Club Lounge

Reservations made, bags packed and arrived during lunch time to check-in. It was right after New Year's day, hence people might have settled in or have checked out to continue their daily things. Considered an 'off-peak' period. Was ushered to the check-in queue and all the counters were occupied (three counters were observed to be active) and there was a family in-front of me waiting as well. 

After some 10 minutes, a new counter was opened and I was next in line. When it was my turn, the staff probably noticed the GHA membership displayed in the user database and was invited to the GHA VIP Lounge to continue with the rest of the check-in process. Hehe. Oh, the GHA member amenity (a box of macarons) was presented at the lounge instead of it being left in the room.

Was given the Club Room at Level 32, so that was nice. Club Lounge is at Level 38.

Pacific Club Room

room view from the room foyer

Pacific Club Room 46sqm

handwash that smells like grapefruit (which I liked~)

shower

bathtub

wardrobe cupboard

in-room dining menu

coffee & tea

well stocked minibar - sparkling, still and soft drinks only

to chill with an expresso

day view from room

night view from room

Housekeeping came round at 8+pm to replenish the mini-bar.

Pacific Club Lounge 

Club Lounge

Champagne Breakfast (7am to 1030am)

Pacific Club breakfast menu

Champagne and orange juice (mimosa, deconstructed)

three-eggs omelette

Club French Toast with Caramelised Banana

The menu does not have the caviar with waffles anymore, and staff mentioned that this was probably due to it being an unpopular item. Hmm.

The french toast have quite a strong crust for the thick bread. I liked the softer parts of the brioche after cutting away the hardened crust. 

perfect bite

Also tried the nasi lemak section where you could pair the coconut rice with typical nasi lemak ingredients such as chicken rendang, hard boiled egg, fried anchovies, sambal, cucumber, achar or otah.

nasi lemak plate

Absolutely loved the piping hot plate of nasi lemak. The rendang and sambal weren't spicy so it's more for the fragrance and the taste of spice without the heat.

Eggs Benedict

runny yolk

The hollandaise sauce for the eggs benny was one of the better ones tasted. However, the muffin had its underside burnt.

enjoying the view

Afternoon Tea (3pm to 5pm)

enjoying tea-break with fresh mixed juice (orange, apple and carrot)

curry seafood fried noodles was flavourful though texture a tad mushy

mini charcoal burger, potatoes, heirloom tomatoes salad, chicken pie and wrap

can't get enough of juice

The charcoal bun was one of the driest I've tasted. But if you see chai tao kuay or the local fried carrot cake, that I highly recommend.

Afternoon Tea beverage menu

lovely kuehs

mochaccino

I think I like mochaccino more than cappucino. 

delicious fried carrot cake

green apple juice

carrot cake and pandan chicken so delicious, it deserved an encore

beautiful kuehs and tea cakes for finale

There was a guest at the table across mine, and he was intrigued by the pandan chicken and asked the staff on how to get it out of the wrapper. As I had one, I kaypoh and showed him on how to unwrap the chicken albeit the messy way with his partner looking at me. Hahaha. Well, the chicken was well marinated and tasty, so it was worth the effort. There might be a better way to unwrap it with more elegance but between him and me, neither of us know how. Keke.

Evening Cocktails (6pm to 8pm)

If you enjoy your cocktails strong, this is the place to be.

Champagne, cheeses, pastrami slice, salad and smoked salmon

sirloin slices, chicken and minced octopus pie

everyone seemed to be getting a Lychee Martini

lamb slices with mint chutney, sausages

assorted fruits

Lime Margarita

The only thing that I drank excessively were coffee and fruit juice.

Overall experience, lovely to be back at this place. 

Pan Pacific Singapore

Address: 7 Raffles Blvd, Singapore 039595

Website: https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pp-marina.html