Kuala Lumpur – 20 Dec to 23 Dec 2012
Having returned from our Hong Kong trip one week ago, we have an urge to go for a short getaway. ZA and I were sick during our Hong Kong trip and could not enjoy ourselves. Since ZA would be on leave for the rest of the year, we decided to take a drive to Kuala Lumpur. We missed the food in Petaling Jaya, (the last time we were there was back in 2006) especially the Claypot Butter Crab.
Since it was a last minute decision, we were not able to get a reservation at the highly rated Traders Hotel. We decided to stay at One World Hotel in Petaling Jaya instead since most of our favourite eating places are there and so is KidZania. We were offered a room with 2 Queen Sized beds which accommodates us comfortably.
Day 1 – Hello Petaling Jaya!
So, we set off in our Volkswagen Jetta for our 5 hour drive to Petaling Jaya. We made a stop at the famous Overhead Bridge Restaurants in Ayer Keroh. This is a one stop rest area that provides a variety of facilities including the KFC and A&W. We had a quick lunch at A&W, but sadly, the food was disappointing. After lunch, we drove on and relying on or GPS, we found our destination. One World Hotel is located within the thriving Bandar Utama township and is connected to the 1 Utama Shopping Centre.
Our contemporary decorated room was bathed in soothing earth tones. It is rather spacious and after stretching ourselves on the bed, we walked over to 1 Utama Shopping Centre.
I vaguely remembered going to 1 Utama years ago but it looked totally different now. It has undergone expansion and a new wing added. It was then that we realised how large this shopping centre is – the largest shopping mall in Malaysia and the fourth largest in the world! We felt lost in this enormous mall and roamed around the section nearest to our hotel, admiring the Christmas decoration.
As dinner time approaches, we decided to go for the one dish that we always looked forward to eating – KL Hokkien Mee! We set off for Restoran Ahwa, the most popular one in PJ. Relying on our GPS, we navigated our way through housing estates and quiet neighbourhood and thought we were lost. Just as we were about to give up hope and dreaded the idea of coming up with a back up plan, there in front of us stood Restoran Ahwa! As we stepped out of our car, the aroma of smoking woks greeted us and our stomach growled. We ordered a huge plate of KL Hokkien Mee and BBQ stingray and Chilli Lala from another stall. The Hokkien Mee was black, coupled with the unique texture noodle makes this dish so delectable. The ones that we can find in Singapore simply does not make the cut. We slurped up the noodle in no time and it was truly satisfying. Sadly, ZA does not like this dish. The stingray and lala were good too.
Both Jarod and Ashley could not have enough of the noodle, so we ordered take-away to enjoy in the comfort of our room. Interestingly, newspaper was used to wrap the Hokkien Mee which we have not seen before. We went back extremely satisfied. Ashley enjoyed soaking in the tub and tucked in the noodles as supper.
Day 2 – KidZania
KidZania located at The Curve is about 10 minutes drive from One World Hotel. KidZania is an indoor family edutainment centre designed to encourage learning through role-playing activities. Featuring over 90 professions working within a real economy, KidZania allows kids to transcend the boundaries of the grown up world to play their part in a community and also experience the tricks-of-the-trade of their dream careers.
Since we were visiting during the peak season, KidZania offers 2 sessions : 10am to 3pm or 4pm to 9pm. We chose to go for the first session and arrived at KidZania at 9.30am only to be greeted with a long line at the ticketing. How we regretted not purchasing the tickets online as we were told they have reached full capacity. However, we were soon allowed to enter for the first session amidst the chaos. The ticketing counter was set up to emulate that of Air Asia. All adults and kids are given boarding passes as tickets for admission. Kids are also given a cheque of RM50 which they have to encash at CIMB for KidZos which is the only accepted KidZania currency. One thing to note, parents were only allowed to watch the kids. Fortunately, Jarod was there to assist Ashley.
We felt a little lost initially as we were not given a facility map and did not know how and where to start. We wandered around and found Karatz Jewellers where you get to make a piece with jewellery using your Kidzos. Ashley tried this activity and made a bracelet.
There were long queues to most of the activities especially the more popular ones like the Fire Station where kids get to ride on a fire engine and put out a fire. Ashley did not have the patience to queue. So they took on the job to deliver newspapers for The New Straits Time Press next. They were given vests to put on and instructions to deliver newspapers to various venues. Jarod helped to navigate and once the job accomplished, headed back to the press and collected their first hard earned KidZos.
The next job was to be Pump Attendants at BHP Petrol Service Station. It was very cute watching them in action. Soon, it was lunch time and Ashley headed over to Ayam Brand Cooking School. She put on a chef’s hat and got herself busy making Tuna Sandwich which she packed away for lunch. There were a few eateries where adults could grab a bite.
After lunch, they went on to Air Asia, this time as aspiring pilots. There were separate queues for pilots and flight stewardess wannabes with the pilot queue remarkably longer. Ashley was adamant in her pilot career pursuit so Jarod joined her in the queue while we took a break at the adults only lounge. The lounge is definitely a thoughtful idea. As it turned out, Jarod, the avid flight simulator fan was very kind to let his little sister be the pilot while he, the co-pilot. He also provided her with the knowledge and answers to many questions fielded. We could not resist but purchased the photos of our pretty pilot and handsome co-pilot in uniform captured in the ‘cockpit’.
By now, we were running out of time and could only attempt one last activity. We made it to Vitagen & Marigold Milk Factory and Ashley snagged the last spot for this session. The staff had to turn many people away. We were told that it is much less crowded in the afternoon session and will keep that in mind should we visit again. Not only did Ashley concocted her own grape flavoured Vitagen, she also made a friend. Ashley commented that this is the tastiest bottle of Vitagen ever!
With the hard earned KidZos, we went over to the souvenir shop where they could make a purchase. However, the KidZos were barely enough for anything. Jarod contributed all his KidZos to Ashley and she picked a butterfly with launcher. With this, we concluded our trip to KidZania. While this is an interesting concept, we were there at the wrong time and could not attempt much. Most queues were at least 45 minutes each. We will either wait for the one in Singapore to finally open or visit Bangkok which is much less crowded.
We made our way to Restoran Wong Poh for dinner. My Malaysian customer brought us there when we visited years ago and the taste of the yummy-licious crab still lingered. I had never been a big fan of crabs because I disliked the cumbersome and messy procedure to eat it till I discovered this crab. It is only at Wong Poh that you can see me knocking and devouring the crabs. We were there early and the restaurant was not filled, which was good since we did not have a reservation. We ordered the signature Claypot Butter Crab and Man Tou to go with, Deep Fried Squid, Home-made Toufu, Cereal Prawn and KL Hokkien Mee. The crabs with aromatic curry leaves were large with fresh filled sweet succulent meat. We soaked our Fried Man Tou with the thick, rich and creamy butter sauce till the claypot is clean. All the other dishes were good too and as I remembered, the prices were extremely reasonable. The restaurant was packed by the time we finished dinner. This was an incredibly satisfying dinner
Day 3 – Shopping!
We have nothing planned for today besides shopping and eating. We skipped breakfast and headed to Restoran Key Hiong, which is known to be the best Dim Sum place in Petaling Jaya for brunch. When we got there, the sight of steaming bamboo baskets of Dim Sum convinced us that we have come to the right place. Once we were seated, the staff brought the baskets of Dim Sum to our table for us to pick. Everything looked good and soon our table was filled with plates of mouth watering Dim Sum. The Lo Mai Kai was especially good, soft, gooey and full of flavour. We could not finish the food and the staff kindly pack them into takeaway boxes for us. The prices were extremely reasonable too.
Our next destination was Berjaya Times Square. Kuala Lumpur’s city mall which houses the gigantic 2 level Berjaya Times Square Theme Park. ZA and Jarod decided to do some shopping while I took Ashley to the theme park. We were astounded by the heart stopping roller coaster but since Ashley does not meet the age and height restriction of the Galaxy Station, we went on to level 7 which houses the Fantasy Garden.
There were family rides amidst the beautiful scenery and colourful garden setting. The admission tickets included unlimited rides. So we went on The Merry Go Round, Crazy Bus, Flying Bumber Bee and Fantasy Trail which we took several times. There were also indoor playscapes where Ashley had lots of endless fun. A pity I did not have the camera with me so we have no photos in the theme park.
By now, ZA and Jarod were back from shopping and we met. Ashley found Chip and Dale plush at one of the gift shops and clutched them happily which we bought for her. On our way out, we found Krispy Kreme! How we missed Krispy Kreme! We bought a dozen of doughnuts back to our hotel for our enjoyment.
We went back to Restoran Ahwa to satisfy our craving for KL Hokkien Mee. This time, we also tried the Hokkien Bee Hoon. We liked both but Ashley preferred the Bee Hoon. As usual, we ordered take out for supper.
Day 4 – Bye Malaysia!
We are heading home today. We went to 1 utama for last minute shopping before checking out of the hotel. We went back to Restoran Wong Poh for our Claypot Butter Crab fix for lunch. The crabs and Fried Man Tou were as delish as ever. We will definitely miss them. This time, we ordered Hokkien Bee Hoon to bring back to Singapore, Jarod and Ashley just couldn’t get enough of it!
After our yet another satisfying meal, we made our way back to Singapore. Half hour into the drive, I saw a sign which leads to the famous Seremban Siew Pow. Alas, it was too late and we missed the exit. Will keep that in mind next time we are here. We were stuck in a senseless 2 hour jam in Johor Bahru till we crossed the Singapore customs. We arrived home in time for dinner and tucked in the KL Hokkien Bee Hoon which we packed back. Yum Yum!