Sangkaya Signature Coconut Ice-cream

I love ice-cream and a few of my favourites are mint with chocolate chips, chocolate and coffee. I'm not a fan of coconut ice-cream and if I have a choice, I wouldn't choose coconut flavour. But this is an exceptional. I have never tasted any coconut ice cream so rich in flavour and so creamy. This will be my first ever coconut ice cream that had shot up into the top of my ice cream flavours list. It was a treat from my husband's brother. I'm glad he brought us there. =)

 

Err...No.. You can't find this in Ipoh. The shop is located somewhere in Damansara Uptown. I saw an outlet at Sunway Pyramid which I think it's more convenient for many as it's quite difficult to find a parking space at Damansara Uptown. Price of a bowl of Sangkaya Signature coconut ice cream is about RM10. The bowl is actually the coconut shell..which is the reason why the ice cream tastes even much better. I'll definitely eat this ice cream again. =)

Wrapping paper from RM2 shop

There is a boom of RM2 shops mushrooming around Perak. I like to check out the place from time to time for good bargain. Sometime you may find things that are really worth the 2 ringgit but sometime, it could be more expensive than buying elsewhere. 

This wrapping paper was bought from the RM2 shop nearby Ipoh Parade. They came in 3 pieces. One pink, one blue and one gold. If you use the other side of the wrapping paper, it's silver color. So you get 4 colors with RM2. Not bad huh?

I've used it to wrap some gifts during last year Christmas. Aren't they classy and expensive? Haha..

Valentine's dinner at Zakka Loft

We didn't plan anything for Valentine's dinner this year. Hubby just came back from a business trip and was tired. But we made it a point to have a special dinner together. We went scouting for a restaurant around Bandar Baru Medan, hoping to find a good restaurant with decent price and not too crowded. 

First stop, Food & Desire.. heard it serves great food here. But we had no chance at all that night. It was full and even though we saw a few empty tables, it was also fully booked. Saw my friend having dinner there and was told that she booked her table 2 weeks earlier! >.< Then, we went to check out a few restaurants along the same row of shops. Hmm.. maybe Japanese or Korean? We tried Michelangelo's pizzeria, no luck. Although the boss told us the waiting time is only 10-15mins, we were too hungry to wait. 

So we hopped in to Zakka Loft opposite the pizzeria, which was quite empty. I thought, why not? I ate here before. The food is not too bad. It's just that the menu does not have much varieties. Zakka Loft serves some healthy drinks and mostly bentos. Hubby ordered a chicken curry bento and I order smoked duck toast. I did not like my food at all. The only thing I like was the nachos that serve as a side. =.=' The salad taste funny to me with sour plum powder and the taste did not match with the smoked duck. The toast was slightly burned and the smoked duck was too dry. I had to 'steal' my hubby's curry sauce to eat with the toast. Hubby said his bento was not bad. Next time, order bento to be safe. 

Smoked duck toast at around RM16.90 (can't remember the exact price)

The restaurant was decorated like a playroom. There are carrom (strike & pocket table game), jenga (wooden block stacking game), card game and this on the floor which I forget the name. 

wall decoration

When we first stepped into the restaurant, we didn't know where to sit. The layout was a bit confusing to me.. there are big tables which can fit in 10 people and low coffee table with sofas. There is not many table for 2 so we opted for a big table with high chairs so that we could eat comfortably. 

Overall..it was Ok. After all, we just wanted to fill our stomachs and had some time alone since it's Valentine's. *wink*

obligatory selfie of the day

Zakka Loft Cafe opens every day from 1pm to 11pm except on Mondays. 

Address : 2, Jln Medan Ipoh 1C, Medan Ipoh Bistari, 31400 Ipoh, Perak.

Tel: 013-4888503

Chest of Drawers

Looking at my chest of drawers, I feel really fortunate to have engaged with a trustworthy contractor who has done a great carpentry job and at a reasonable price too. I liked a white color chest of drawers from IKEA. It has exactly the size I wanted. But to get that, I need to travel about 3hrs to Kuala Lumpur as Ipoh does not have IKEA and then, carry it back to IPOH and assemble it myself....and it's not cheap too. With the addition cost from the travel, that's just too troublesome and too much effort. 

IKEA Birkeland Chest of 6 Drawers with size 109x52x112cm (WxDxL) at RM1090 (£200)

It's a beauty, isn't it? But too bad..It's out of my reach...

Some other chest of drawers I found on the web that I liked

Hubby and I tried to search for a suitable one in our local furniture stores but none suits my requirements. They were either not the right size or the color does not match our room's color or they were too expensive. In the end, we asked our kitchen cabinet contractor, Hisham, whether he could spare some time and fabricate one including installation within a week as we wanted to have it before the wedding. (This happened last year dec 2013 and after all other renovation jobs were done)

I drew a sketch of the chest of drawers I would like to have and consulted Hisham. Consultation with him was a brisk. Everything I asked for can be done. Since I wanted big drawers of different sizes, he suggested to use a better quality drawer slide to hold the heavy drawer. I'm ok to pay extra, as long as the drawers are stable and last me at least 10-15 years. (so greedy)

So, after waiting for 1-2 weeks, the chest of drawers are completed. It is fixed permanently to the wall. The color material also matches with our wardrobe and dressing table. Very nicely made! It cost me RM750 but I have everything I wanted for this chest of drawers. Size was 110cm Width x 110cm Height x 52.5cm Depth. Drawers size from top to bottom: 20cm, 20cm, 25cm, 30cm

Top drawers: Hubby's and toiletries; 2nd drawer: mine; 3rd drawer: Hubby's shorts and Ts; bottom drawer: Towels

Up-close with nature

I like nature but the hot weather in Malaysia makes it hard to enjoy outdoor activities. I hate to be sweaty and the scorching sun in the afternoon. However, it was a pleasant day when we visited The Haven Lakeside Residences and Taiping Zoo 2 weeks ago. There was little sun and it didn't rain either. 

We stopped by at The Haven for a short while before we headed to the zoo. The place is exactly like what it was advertised on billboards. The limestone hills surrounding the residences are so awesome. It is so peaceful and calm standing there, enjoying the picturesque scenery. 

Taiping Zoo is about 1 hour drive through the highway. It's wise to arrive at the zoo early if you want to see active animals because most animals will probably be sleeping in the afternoon. (that's what we experienced during the previous visit) 

We managed to see quite a handful of animals that were very active and interactive as well. The elephants were playful and were taking bath in the pond. It was fun watching them played. We saw a pair of Orang Utans. One looked like meditating at a corner and the other was resting on the tree. From their looks, I think the one on the tree is a female. Look at the hairstyle!

The tigers were sort of like giving a performance as they were swimming from one side to the other side of the pond in their enclosure and then, walked up the hill and then, back to the pond again. This routine was repeated many times by 2 of the 3 tigers. They were not afraid to show off their swimming talent. It was excited to watch them. =) 

I love to see the sun bear the most. It walked toward us thinking that we had food in our hands. My husband would really love to touch it if it wasn't for their sharp claws that looked really dangerous. We tried to make it to stand up and raise its hands so that the crest is shown. It did! But I wasn't fast enough to take photos. What a pity...

We also saw giraffes, zebras, camels, hippopotamus, crocodiles, monkeys, birds and a lot more. I think this is the best zoo to visit in Malaysia. Not that we have a lot. There are only two zoos and the other zoo is in Kuala Lumpur. I haven't been there since primary school. I wonder how it is now because I heard a lot of bad reviews about it. 

Taiping zoo is open all year round from 8:30am to 6:00pm. Do visit with family and children. They will love it! 

STG Boutique Cafe

My dear husband brought me to a nice cafe situated in oldtown, Ipoh. He kept it as a surprise and I only know where we're heading to when we arrived at the cafe. 

So, here we were at STG Boutique Cafe (Jalan Tun Sambanthan). 

The cafe was quite empty when we arrived. There was only one table with 3 guests. After we ordered our food, I took my time taking photographs of the cafe's interior. It has a classic style, with an elegant and serene feel. I felt a constant need to sit straight, cross my leg and speak quietly when I was there. =P

Husband and I had photos taken each while we waited for our food. Unfortunately, we forgot to take a selfie together. Aiseh...because I was busy photographing the macarons. 

We had a pot of Sabah Tea Geranium flavour to go with our food. Didn't know what is geranium and found this picture on google image. Beautiful flowers. 

The cafe manager suggested us to take this tea flavour and i think she did very well. Haha.. It was said that geranium is excellent for the female reproductive system. I'm TTC now. So you know how this excites me when I found out about its benefits. The aroma also helps calm the mind and body. No wonder i felt so calm yesterday. Hehehe... oh, i think the tea was selling at RM14 per pot. Can't remember exactly.

I had Valencia chicken with a touch of citrus. I love everything with citrus flavor. That's why this dish is so appetizing to me. The poached egg on top of the chicken breast was beautifully cooked. But remember to eat together with the chicken so that the yolk will melt in your mouth. At first, I was skeptical to the chicken breast but it was soft, tender and juicy. I'll definitely recommend this dish to anyone who likes chicken breast and citrus. Selling at RM25.00, it's a great deal. 

Husband had Chicken Roulade which he highly recommends. He loves it so much that this was his 2nd time ordering the same food. He had it once with a customer. 

My husband knows I like cakes and he ordered a chocolate lava cake for dessert. I got to say it was a lovely gesture from him. The chocolate and vanilla ice-cream were really refreshing after a full main course. 

While my husband is settling the bill, I had the opportunity to tour the first floor of the cafe. Here, they have several rooms for private function and there's a big hall for big parties & celebrations. I was wondering why the cafe is so huge from the outside. Now, I know why...

Overall, I was very satisfied with the food and very happy indeed to have enjoyed the meal with my husband.