Village Park - What happened? Greed?

By the time I'm done with this post, it would seem like I've been complaining about food outlets huh? To be honest, that's not really the case. I do have some GOOD food reviews coming up but first, this is about my favourite place for nasi lemak; well, ex-favourite place.

I used to recommend friends and loved ones about this place for nasi lemak but I think I'll stop doing that. I'm kinda appalled by the quality of service, food preparation and the current ambiance of the place from what it used to be. It's been awhile since I went to Village Park for nasi lemak and with that, my wifey and I went there on Saturday; at about 10am.

As soon as I got near the place, I was shocked. Not only was it extremely crowded, it was dumbfounding. Tables were set up not only infront of the place, but BOTH on the left and right side of their restaurant(on the road). Okay, let's not spoil the mood. We got a parking spot and went ahead with our plan; to have nasi lemak.

Luckily, we got a table within afew minutes. This is where the horror began. NO ONE came to take our orders. Even when I called for them to clear the table, they kept saying "Nanti Nanti, banyak orang"(hold on, hold on. There are too many people). No shit Sherlock. There are TOO MANY tables. While waitng for my table to be cleared(and for someone to take my order), you are surrounded by angry patrons and the staffs are running around like it's a bus station; chaotic.

"Mana saya punya Nasi Lemak? Sudah 20 minit?" *Where is my nasi lemak, it has been 20 mins
"Mana saya punya Teh? Sudah order tadi" *Where is my cup of tea? I've ordered it earlier
"Mana saya punya Roti bakar?" *Where is my toast bread?

And the list goes on. It's simple. Everyone was agitated. Instead of chit chatting over a meal, everyone was waiting and checking on their orders over and over again.

When our food came, it looked like the staff just scooped some rice with their hands and slap it unto your plate. Utterly, a plate of disappoinment. The food presentaion and portion was horrible. You could tell it was just prepared in a fast manner; just to get the food out. I could buy a packet of nasi lemak from a roadside stall, and the amount of rice would be MORE than what was served. Why am I paying RM8.30 for this?

Anyway, we got our food, ate and it was time for payment. The line for payment is long, which is fine with me. While waiting in line, I was observing on how they were dishing up the nasi lemak on the hot plate to be served. It's like a fast food process; Slap some rice on, throw in the chicken, sprinkle in some peanuts, fried anchovies and sambal. They don't care how it's presented and they don't even bother with consistency of rice portion. What happened to the nice-bowl-shaped amount of rice?

And when you're at the counter to make payment, you'll see pictures of so-called celebrities and political figures dining at their place. Not forgetting the Time Out KL Food Award which they won too. I don't think those will matter if the quality of your service and food presentation is neglected.

Obviously, I don't major in hospitality or worked in a food and beverage industry but by watching some of the foodie programs on AFC, I think people tend to forget that it's not just about quality of the food but the quality of the service and food presentation as well.

Village Park used to be a place where family and friends can gather to have a good meal. Despite the long wait, people were still willing to wait patiently. It's a family restaurant and not a fast food outlet, it doesn't have to be complicated; you simply have too many tables and your staffs can't manage! Show some love and passion  quality control for the food.

I think one word sums it all; GREED.

If Village Park was the only place for such nasi lemak, I would have no choice but to go there whenever I have the urge to have their nasi lemak.

But guess what? THERE IS ONE SAVING GRACE. I have another place for nasi lemak. The taste is 99.9999999999% similar to the one at Village Park. Alittle more expensive(by RM1.50 or so) but you get good service and awesome food portion(and CONSISTENT too). Also, the sambal is nicer too; alittle spicier.

I will share this location soon :)

Burger Kaw Kaw at Mayang Oasis

I blogged about Burger Kaw Kaw back in March 2012 and I got quite a number of views on that post alone. 5 digits to be exact. It was about my experience of a 3 hours wait for a burger. Despite the long wait, everyone was waiting patiently for it. The picture above is what it used to be and if I'm not mistaken, they have built a new stall at the current location(Wangsa Maju).

The new change for Burger Kaw Kaw is not just a brand new stall but it has ALOT of branches now. And lucky me, they have an outlet at Mayang Oasis which is near where I live. Burger Kaw Kaw is now easily available minus the long queue which they used to have.

As grateful as I am, I find that the standards have dropped. Don't get me wrong. It doesn't taste bad but from what I tasted previously, the taste and portion isn't up to par. Don't understand what I mean? Let me explain. As advertised by McDonald and all the major fast food chains around the world, "Product images are for illustration purposes only". So of course I knew what I'm getting is going to look different in terms of looks, food preparation and food portion. But I was quite disappointed with the chicken patty.

This was taken last year back in March.

This was what me and my friend Marcky had when we first tried it; and yes, after a freaking 3 hours wait. It wasn't out of this world but still, it was nice. So we decided to try it again since it was near our place at Mayang Oasis.

Just a note: I'm not using the QUALITY of the PHOTO to judge. I was using my iPhone 4. :P

And this was another Burger Kaw Kaw session that I had with another group of friends on another occasion.

The chicken patty looks awesome right(bottom right - Double chicken patties)? Well, it tastes alright, cripsy but there was more flour than chicken meat. My friend had to literally PEEL the layers of fried flour before digging into the meaty parts; Just like how some who likes to eat their KFC chicken without the fried skin.

I even commented on their facebook page but I didn't get a reply. I said "Please check on the Mayang Oasis branch for consistency". So after all the food reviews, articles and newspaper publishing on Burger Kaw Kaw, I guess this is how things end up.

I can almost hear some readers/Burger Kaw Kaw fans going "Kalau tak suka, jangan makan lah?" "Sial punya budak cina"

Listen, Listen. Listen

Bukan macamtu bro. I hanya nak kongsi mengenai burger ayamtu. Masih sedap....I cuma kena makan semua tepung tepungtu dulu :P. Kalau aku nak makan kat Burger Kaw Kaw lain hari, aku akan pesan burger dengan daging lembu je. Senang cite kan? Oleh itu, jangan salah faham bro bro and sis sis sekalian.

Oh my Bahasa Malaysia. It's been awhile. Should I read more Berita Harian or that car magazine "KERETA"? But anyway, for the price I'm paying. I think I would rather make my own burgers or dine elsewhere. Afterall, we're the one with the buying power *FUH! ECONOMICS*

Remember, pictures are for illustration purposes only

Next burger place to try, myBurgerLab :)

Landslide at Ara Damansara

I was out for lunch yesterday and when me and my colleagues went to our usual hawker place, we were in for a shock. Hopefully no one got injured. I wonder how long it will take to "fix" it. I guess the upcoming election will help speed up the process, hopefully.

The Puma Suede #ForTheStreet

W'sup everyone! I have two things to share which I'm sure you guys will enjoy. First of all, inconjuction with PUMA Suede's 45th Years Fresh celebration, PUMA is having 2 contests. For those who don't know, the picture above is Puma's new Future Suede design which still retains the signature 1968 profile of the classic Suede but has a modern twist; a lightweight bottom, painted midsole, light on suede, PUMA Trinomic hexagons, heel clips and eyelets.

So what's the contest all about?

First up is the 2058 Future Suede Designing Contest. With the arrival of the Future Suede, PUMA wants to invite you to express your interpretation of the Future Suede in year 2058. With the Suede template provided at http://go.puma.com/suedetemplate, 30 top designs submitted to PUMA will be selected and exhibited. The designing contest will begin on 18th January 2013, to 1st of March 2013. A winning design will be selected to win the grand prize of PUMA products worth RM2,000 and 2 VIP passes for the PUMA Evolution finale event.

Next up is for you instagramers out there! To celebrate its 45 years of rich heritage and to kick off ‘Evolution of the Suede’, PUMA is inviting their fans from all around the world to be a part of the ‘Classic Suede Instagram Contest’. This contest calls for the public to post pictures of their personal collection of the Suede on Instagram and hashtag #ForTheStreet to join the global conversation with the fans worldwide. PUMA fans can also take pictures with iconic props available in PUMA outlets. The contest will start on the 25th February 2013.

Start putting on your thinking cap and churn out your creative juices and head over to http://go.puma.com/suedetemplate to get the design templates.

Wait a second, where do I get Puma's Future Suede? You're in luck buddy. The Future Suede is available at PUMA outlets in One Utama, Bangsar Village 2, Pavilion KL, Queensbay Mall(Penang), Sunway Pyramid, Suria KLCC, and the Gardens.

Stay tune for more updates as I migth have some goodies to give out in the new future*Puma related :)*

Restaurant Ah Hua at Batu Pahat - Minced Pork Noodle

This place one of the try have when you're Batu Pahat!

How dirty is your lappy?

Warning, viewer discretion is advised.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013!

Okay, so I'm about 22 days late to post this but hey, better late than never. This is one of those post where I'm going to say that I'm sorry for not updating my blog bla bla bla. You get the drill.

Honestly, as a blogger(an active one, well I used to be: going for events, food review, gatherings, so on and so forth), you know you're gonna be accepting paid advertisement or product reviews. If you check back afew pages of mine, you will see that it's all paid reviews/ad campaigns.

Huawei's 'Ascend To New Heights' Event

Remember my blog about Huawei's event last week? Did you guys go for it? I hope you did. Huawei event was awesome and during the 3 days event, Huawei also launched 3 new smartphones too!