Restaurant Review - Kohinoor, Kota Kinabalu

After spending a few days eating the local food in Sabah, the Indian in me was craving for some good curries and roti. We were staying at Le Meridien, and right at the waterfront area, which is a hub of eateries.
While passing by we saw Kohinoor Indian Restaurant and decided to give it a try.

On a weekday night, the place wasn't too crowded. They have indoor and outdoor seating by the water, but we chose to stay indoor as it was cooler and more quiet.
The decore is reminiscent of India with dupattas and bangles forming part of the decore. The wall paintings also depict scenes from Indian villages.
The small kitchen is visible clearly, and the bar counter is right at the entrance. Seating is not too large here, only a few tables inside.

Coming to the food, we ordered palak panner and choley masala with rotis and kulcha. Also had some papad, pickle and onions all of which were chargeable!!
The palak paneer was ok, palak had a good texture and flavour, but paneer was hard as expected. It really is difficult to get good soft paneer in most places outside India.
Choley masala was very tasty though, we finished the whole thing in minutes. The spice levels can be adjusted as per your preference, so no fear. We had medium spicy and it was perfect.

Rotis were nicely baked, neither burnt nor too soft, proper tandoori rotis. The stuffed kulcha was soft and had a nice filling of potatoes and onions, went well with the curries.



Quantities are large and we ended up leaving half of one dish, 2 curries will suffice for 3-4 people easily.

Service is average, some of the local staff were busy playing around rather than looking after customers. The Indian guys in the kitchen were working hard.

Pricing is not very high, and justifies the food. Not a bad place for a bit of Indian tadka.

Rating - 4/5

Movie Review - Queen

I had been hearing rave reviews about Queen for a while and ultimately was almost forced into watching it, and this time i'm glad that i did.

The movie is all about Kangna Ranaut stealing the show with a thunderous performance encompassing very real human emotions. She laughs, she cries, she acts silly, gets angry and takes you through the ups and downs of her life and you very much are a part of her story after a while.

The fact that she is in a role of a simpleton and sans make up for most of the film lends a lot of credibility to the story of Rani, who gets stood up a day before her wedding, and decides to go on her honeymoon alone.

What unfolds before us is a compelling story of her transformation as she befriends strangers in a strange land and forays into an unexplored albeit exciting life. 

She discovers what real friendship is, what real bonding is and how simple life can be if you want it to be.

During this period she constantly relates to what her fiance Vijay (Rajkumar Rao) would say in a lot of situations she encounters, and finds that she is better of being this new person.

Rani falls in love with her new self, she is independent, confident, free and much more happier this way. So much so that she decides to break all connection with Vijay despite his pestering Rani to be back with him again.

The co actors in the movie are great in their roles, especially Lisa Hayden as the half indian half french maid in a Parisian hotel and the host of friends she makes who are from different parts of the world and different walks of life.

This is Vikas Behl's second movie after he had co-directed Chillar Party, but you wouldn't know it going by the finesse with which the film is made. There are hardly any loop holes to speak of and the movie is near flawless, a rarity in Indian cinema really. 

There are some great scenes and on many ocassions the audience were left clapping as they watched what unfolded on the screen in front of them. The movie has cinematic excellence and entertainment value as well, so it appeals on one level or the other to maximum viewers. 

What is also very heartening to see is the spate of recent movies which have really given a platform for our actresses to showcase their talents.
Think about the last 5-6 years and we have seen movies like English Vinglish, Barfi, Fashion, Jab we Met, Kahani, Dirty Picture etc which have really highlighted the actresses.

In stark contrast barely 3-4 movies where our heroes have shone through with their performances. A case for film makers to delve over.. anyone listening?

Rating - a perfect 5/5

Restaurant Review - La Risata, Kuala Lumpur

La Risata means "the laughter" and there are 2 branches in Kuala Lumpur. One is at Medan Damansara, but we happened to visit the Ampang outlet, which is just 4 kms or so from the Petronas Towers.

It is located on pesiaran ampang, which is parallel to Jalan Ampang and the street had a few restaurants in close proximity. 

As you step into the restaurant, you are pleasantly greeted and guided to your table. First up on the left side is the bar and on the right they have some high tables with tall chairs.

Further inside there is more seating which was more comfortable and opposite you can see part of the semi open kitchen. 

The decore is earthen and rustic, very subtle interiors and not too striking, but rather elegant.




We ordered our drinks, Angelo Arusso and the Risata Sling. Now, i'm not much of a cocktail person, but what fantastic flavours they threw up. The fine art of cocktail mixology - perfected!

To go with it we ordered some Bruschetta with tomato and garlic. It was nice, the tomatoes and garlic had a fresh taste and the bread was crisp and not soggy.

After this relaxed start, we opted for a Pizza Porcini, which was ultra thin, and oh so crispy. The base was like nothing i've ever had before, it would crumble like a biscuit at the edges and it was not hard at all, simply brilliant.

The toppings were also good, very organic flavours and not an overload of cheese, quite a light pizza.

We also tried the "SPEZZATINO DI POLLO CON OLIVA E CAPERI" 
(i had to copy the name straight off their website). It is a large piece of chicken braised with olives, onions, tomatoes, capers and white wine and served with some roasted vegetables on the side.

Mama Mia! Lo and behold, another beautiful creation from the very talented chefs here.

The chicken was soft and tender, would come off easily from the bone, the liquid in the plate was a good broth and the pieces of olives, onions and carrot tasted wonderful in it.

The only thing I wish for is if the chicken was boneless, as I always find it hard to have a chicken with bones using cutlery. Still it was a thoroughly enjoyable dish.


Despite being full, we ordered for a dessert, namely the bread and butter pudding with butterscotch and vanilla ice cream. It was just about good, not the best part of our meal. 

Portions of the dishes are not small either.

The service you can expect here is nothing short of exceptional. The waiters are always available and give you good recommendations. The service speed is quick despite the fact that they are usually full. And the best part which won our hearts was the extra help extended to us by one of the staff.

We were worried about getting a cab late at night from that spot and we checked where and how we could get a cab. The person said let me see what I can do.

And by the time we were done paying our bill and walked out, he was waiting there with a cab for us. Such warmth cannot be taught easily, and it speaks volumes about the culture here. Naturally the place has been a hit for the last 18 years and going strong.

The value for money is also good, as the bill for all this came up to 150 ringgits. Not a bad deal at all.

I would highly recommend it for a quiet dinner or a romantic evening in K.L.

Kudos to La Risata!

Rating – 4.5/5

Attraction Review - Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur

The setting is quite filmy, a beautiful limestone hill jutting out of nowhere in the midst of busy K.L.
Stunning cave structures which have been formed for ages by the limestone being dug out naturally. An old hindu temple inside the caves and a 140 ft large statue covered by gold to signify the god inside. What a sight!

It is on one side of the city though and taxi drivers will try their best to rip you off getting here and back. Another good option is to take the train which leads right up to batu caves.



It is a complex with a few things to see.
As you enter on the left side, there is a statue of Lord Hanuman, and as is usually the case, where there is Hanuman, there are hoards of monkeys. In fact people should be vary of the aggressive monkeys, particularly if you have food, you are likely to be attacked. The best thing is to hand over the food or risk being bitten.
There is also a temple next to it which was closed as it was afternoon.

A few stalls selling food and some light bites are situated opposite a waterbody with a fountain.

One can feed pigeons here as well. The entrance with a small bridge over the water leads upto the caves. There is a small ticket of 15 ringetts for this. The caves encompass many sculptures of Indian gods and goddesses which are beautifully painted and it's a nice sight, usually very peaceful and cool inside the caves, saves you from the heat outside. Some spots were surprisingly breezy, guess because of the natural cross ventilation within the caves.





There is another cave whose presense here is rather surprising, it houses some dangerous snakes like the king cobra, 2-3 variants of pythons, turtles, even a small alligator. Apparently they conserve and breed reptiles here, but what has that got to do with a temple?

Some parrots and peacocks also provide a snap opportunity, apart from some stalls selling tourist knick knacks and souvenirs.
There are a few eating joints within the compound and most of them serve Indian food, including veg food. Most of it is south indian, we tried the thali and dosa and both were below average but edible. There were other options like pav bhaji, chats, chole bhature etc which we didn't dare try.


The main temple itself is located on a higher section of the caves and one needs to climb over 250 steps to get there. Before the staircase stands a 140 ft tall statue of Lord Murugan which is covered in gold paint. Once you manage to reach the top, the views of the city are pretty good.
The caves inside have very high ceiling, at some places almost 100 ft high and the stalactite formations will leave you awestruck. The main temple is closed in the afternoons and re opens after 4 p.m. We happened to be there at the time of the Aarti and it was a pious feeling standing there.

Photographers will have a field day capturing all there is to see and making all the adjustments to the camera settings due to the ever fluctuating lighting and contrasts.

Whether you are a hindu or not, if you are in K.L, this is a must visit as it's something unique which can't be seen everywhere.

Attraction Review - Sunway Lagoon, Kuala Lumpur

The sunway lagoon is one of the two very popular amusement parks in K.L, the other bring Genting Highlands which is currently undergoing a major renovation.

About a 25 minute drive from the city center, sunway lagoon offers more than just rides and it is a complete family destination.

The sunway pyramid shopping mall, a luxurious star hotel and some usual shops are in the vicinity of the Sunway Lagoon, all part of the same integrated complex.

The park itself is not very massive, and it can be covered easily within a day. There are 5 zones for visitors to enjoy, namely the water park, adventure park, wildlife park, scream park and extreme park.

The water park has some slides, a wave pool, a lazy river, the usuals. The standout ride is the vuvuzela which takes your tube whirling through before plunging you down into a large pendulum - the mouth of the vuvuzela and then send you splashing into the water. The wave pool hardly had any waves to speak of.
Chargeable locker facilities are available near the waterpark.


The wildlife zone is one of the best, they have few glass displays with snakes and other small animals, but the star attraction are the large glass enclosures of the tiger, the beautiful black panther and gibbons.




The animals were visible clearly and we stood just about 10 feet away from a full grown Malaysian tiger, one of the most majestic creatures on the planet.





The walk through aviary also was very  nice and we saw a number of birds inside including hornbills, parrots, owls and eagles. Thankfully the eagles were not flying around unlike other birds.

The adventure zone features some dry rides, mostly oriented towards kids though pirate's revenge, roller coaster, tomahawk etc should interest the thrill seeking visitors. The grand canyon river rapids is also part of this, though we didn't go there as we had changed back into our dry clothes by then.

The extreme park has a few interesting things to do like the bungy jumping off the bridge or g-force which slingshots you many feet into the sky in a matter of seconds. The flying fox is a zipline from the top of the bridge to the artificial beach in the water park. One can also ride an ATV for thrills across a designed track, but the go-karting is extremely poor and below ordinary as the track is too simple and karts have no power at all. For the faint hearted, archery and paint ball shooting are simple options.

The scream park is a zone for the brave, as you can expect to be walking through zombies, surrounded by the dead and not in a funny way. They have a 3d show and a theater too, so quite a few attractions within the scream zone, unfortunately we didn't happen to go here, so cant comment much on it.

Across the park there are several food stalls, restaurants which serve a variety of snacks, beverages, ice creams and different cuisines of food ranging from local delicacies to arabic, indian, chinese, continental etc.
So there's definitely something for everyone to eat. The park is kept neat and clean including the bathrooms and changing rooms/showers. It can get crowded on weekends, so make sure you get in early. the place opens by 10 am and closes by 6 p.m barring the surf beach which is open only after 6 p.m on weekends.

Ticket price is not extravagant, and though not a must, it can be visited during your stay at K.L.

Having been to some very fine amusement parks around the world, i'll rate this one a 3.5/5.

Bar Review - Heli Lounge Bar, Kuala Lumpur

The heli lounge bar is quite a unique concept really, a helipad by day and a party hot spot after evenings. And it does impress on every count.

Located on the 34th floor of the Menara K.H building, the lounge has indoor seating with a modern and chic decor. Airplane components are integrated into the design and some of the walls have large glass panels which provide a good view of the city.
A staircase takes you 2 floors higher and suddenly you are on to the helipad. The first thing that strikes you is the fact that it's completely open on all sides and not enclosed by any grills/fence. So you'll need to watch your step. However within seconds of coming on top, the staff will come by and tell you to stick within the yellow lines marked out as the danger zone.



Many movable tables and chairs were laid out all over the helipad and several other guests were standing and having a chat or looking at the panoramic view over Kuala Lumpur.
In order to go to the helipad, one has to order and pay for the drinks downstairs, subsequently though you will be served on the rooftop.

We were there by sunset which is a great time to be here, and after standing for about 45 mins, we managed to get a table just as the sun was setting. The top half of petronas towers can be seen quite clearly from here as also the Menara K.L tower.

Though seating is not too comfortable, it's not bad either. We ordered for some beers and cocktails apart from some delicious potato wedges, perfectly done and served with a nice mayo dip and ketchup.
The tiger draught beer was refreshing and the cocktails were mixed very well.



























The waiting staff does a remarkable job considering about 4-5 of them had to look over more than a hundred guests, the service was not slack. After 7.30, we had a live band come over to perform and it was a fusion band with tabla, violins, guitars, key board and a great vocal singer. The performance was simply marvelous, and we were in full groove with our drinks and the soothing  music.


At 9 we were informed that we will need to buy a full bottle of liquor to continue on top, else we would need to move downstairs. This was very sad, even though we understand the management's desire to make money from it, but we were very disappointed.
Once back down, we had a lamb burger before finally moving out of here. The burger was small but juicy and the bun was soft, it tasted quite good.

The pricing is on the higher side, but then the place is not a run off the mill either, so needs to be reserved for those special occasions.

They have a dress code implying smart casuals which means no shorts and no slippers for men, but we saw those being flouted, so it's as per the management's discretion i suppose.

To sum up, i'd say a phenomenal place with good food and cocktails, decent service and slightly pricey.

Rating - 4.5/5

Hotel Review - Sheraton, Kuala Lumpur

To be rated among the top 10 out of 250 hotels in K.L is not an easy task. Yet a global hospitality brand like Sheraton is expected to set the standard for other hotels and it sure doesn't disappoint.

The decore of the hotel is elegant and classy. As you enter the lobby area, it is not too large and there is just a small seating area on one side. A large staircase opens up into the banquet halls which hosts a lot of events and ceremonies.

The check in and check out are quick and smooth, and the staff, everyone from the people welcoming you into the hotel, the receptionists, concierge desk etc are very courteous and ever smiling.

Basic rooms are not very large, a little cramped if you ask me. The bathroom is more spacious in comparison and has a tub. Room has facilities like kettle, iron box, hair dryer, toiletries and minibar. The beds are comfortable and extra pillows are available in the room.
The views are largely good, overlooking the bustling heart of Malaysia.

One big turn off was the sound of running water and flush from the next room which could be heard in our room and woke us up at least a couple of times.

Location is pretty good as Jalan Sultan Ismail is centric in K.L. what's more, the monorail station of tuanku medan is barely 100 ft away.

The breakfast is another positive as they have a really large spread with extensive counters for fruits and juices, bakery products with a live counter for waffles, an oriental area distinctly marked out with red flooring and walls, some Mediterranean and also an Indian section. Good taste and quality of food surely.


The value for money proposition is good i'd say and better for SPG members. Their spa i've heard is one of the best, and they have 4-5 restaurants serving different cuisines like italian, chinese, continental etc.
The wi fi is paid and not free.

Overall it was a good stay and would surely recommend it to my fellow travellers. Good job again Sheraton.