travel | Rebecca Saw

Europe – Floriade 2012 in Venlo, The Netherlands

Post author:Rebecca Saw
Post published:June 18, 2012
Post category:Travel
Post comments:23 Comments

Alright, are you ready for the avalanche of blogposts on Europe?? 😉

Yes, it’s been a busy busy month! I was in Tanjong Jara Resort, followed shortly by a week of adventures in Europe (my first time ever, thanks to KLM Airlines!), then Marina Bay Sands (also my first time, thanks to Marina Bay Sands) and finally a beach holiday at Pangkor Laut Resort (thanks to YTL Hotels).
Now, I think I need a vacation from my vacations! 😛

As sit here wondering where to start, I realized I have already kicked things off with a post on Pierre Herme; one of the best patisserie in France; thus now perhaps I should talk about the sights around Europe yeah? 🙂

One of the main reasons why I was flown to Europe was to catch the amazing ONCE IN A DECADE Floriade, a World Horticultural Expo at Venlo, The Netherlands.
Floriade is a horticultural expo, staged once every 10 years that showcases the world’s best flowers, plants, trees, fruits and vegetables.

Here’s an excerpt from CNN; “This is a once in a decade flower show so it’s even more spectacular than Keukenhof, and Keukenhof is already amazing“.
Quite a claim isn’t it? 🙂
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Spa Village Resort Tembok, Bali – YTL Hotels’ Summer Holiday Special

Post author:Rebecca Saw
Post published:May 25, 2012
Post category:Accommodations Travel
Post comments:10 Comments

After my recent Tanjong Jara break, I shared about the Resident Package that was a steal going for RM799 nett per night per room, and it includes daily breakfast, lunch and dinner with complimentary coffee, tea and mineral water served during meals for every night of stay.

If you have missed out on that, not to worry as the next one is the all-inclusive Summer Holiday Special which is valid from now until May 31, 2012. Similarly, this package covers accommodation with breakfasts, 3 course lunches and dinners with a selection of complimentary activities.

This experience is available from a minimum of two nights stay at the YTL Hotels awardwinning spa resort, Spa Village Resort Tembok, Bali.

Yes, this time is for Bali, Indonesia!

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What to do in Tanjong Jara Resort, Kuala Terengganu

Post author:Rebecca Saw
Post published:May 8, 2012
Post category:Accommodations Travel
Post comments:28 Comments

Well, preferably absolutely NOTHING but if you want to have an idea of what I did when I was there, scroll down! 😀

1. Explore the grounds. The sprawling land & greens soothes both the eyes and soul.

Tanjong Jara Resort sits on a 17 hectare land so you can imagine the vast space. Just find a spot & make it your corner. No one will fight you for it.

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Tanjong Jara Resort – Dinner with Chef Florent Passard

Post author:Rebecca Saw
Post published:May 7, 2012
Post category:Food Travel
Post comments:16 Comments

I first met Chef Florent Passard and Chef Nicolas Le Toumelin at Shook! Starhill Gallery in January 2011. Back then, both could barely converse in English, thus making any effort for a Q & A session difficult.
Now a year plus later, I had the privilege to savour a full course dinner personally prepared by Chef Florent.

After his short stint at Shook!, Chef Florent (left in the picture above) has returned to Muse Hotel in Saint Tropez briefly before he was transfered to Tanjong Jara Resort, where now he takes charge of the resort’s menu redesign while simultaneously injecting fresh perspective into the dining options here.

Barely 2 months into the job, Chef Florent has been diligently experimenting with the local seafood and produce. My dinner that night showcased some of his “experimental dishes”.

Below: Dinner under the stars, on the soft sand facing the South China Sea and cooled by the gentle evening breeze.

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World Gourmet Summit 2012 – Citibank Gastronomic Jam Session

Post author:Rebecca Saw
Post published:May 5, 2012
Post category:Food
Post comments:6 Comments

I was thrilled to have met and interviewed the chefs during the opening night, but getting passes to watch them cook and eat their creations was another exhilarating experience all together.

No, I didn’t get to taste ALL the food, but I was happy that I got to at least sample the steak Ian Curley prepared on stage! 🙂

Chef Ian Curley is based in Melbourne, Australia and he has 3 kitchens to supervise. The Executive Chef of The European Group, he has these tips for cooking steaks:
1. Start with quality meat. And to obtain the best cuts, get to know your butcher.
2. Always cook your steaks at room temperature. When it’s cold, the meat shrinks.
3. The rest time for steaks is in 50% ratio of the cooking time. If it takes 30mins to cook, then the rest time is 15mins.

And use all parts of the cow. Let not the animal die in vain.
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JOHOR FOOD: Restaurant ZZ Sup Tulang – Good stuff!

Post author:Rebecca Saw
Post published:April 29, 2012
Post category:Food Travel
Post comments:18 Comments

Tonight is my last night for my Johor-Singapore Firefly trip.
And it is tonight that I finally got to savour some local Johoreans cuisine, a delightful respite from the past few days of hotel buffets and common Malay cuisine.

On the menu tonight is Laksa Johor, Sup Tulang and Mee Rebus Tulang!
This was my first time seeing chunky bones sticking out from a plate of noodles. And the amazing thing is, there’s not 1, BUT a minimum of 2-3 bones per plate!

Such novelty. I don’t understand why we can’t have this in KL too. Just combine Sup Tulang and Mee Rebus right?? A plate of this is RM7 for Mee Rebus Tulang, and RM9 for Mee Rebus Tulang + Daging (meat). Pretty reasonable I’ll say!
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Tanjong Jara Retreat: The journey in the Volvo XC60 and McDonalds Chicken Muffin!

Post author:Rebecca Saw
Post published:April 28, 2012
Post category:Automotive Food Travel
Post comments:18 Comments

I woke up at the ungodly hour of 4am to finish packing (read: rushing and dumping everything I think I may need into my luggage) before the start of the journey to Tg Jara Resort in Kuala Dungun, Terengganu.

Below: Laptop bag, camera, tripods for the camera, clothes, some books….all into the boot of the Volvo XC60.

I was anticipating a LONGGGG ride, since it was supposedly a minimum 5 hours ride from KL. I started my journey as early as I could, since I was leaving KL on a Monday morning, and getting stuck in traffic prior to a get-away is not my idea of fun.