Outward Vacay: Zara's Boutique Hotel

Next on my list of hotel hopping (this is a 'disease' that has been inflicted to me and my partner for sometime now) was the Zara's Boutique Hotel, right at the main road entrance to the Harbour City commercial area. Our main reason for choosing this accommodation was because of our budget, as the pricing was very reasonable (but if you booked with them through the internet via their own website). And it does not hurt that one of my favourite food joint Kak Nong's Restaurant was just at the opposite end of the hotel. But do be warn though - the place was a bit out of the main city area, so having your own transportation is a great plus.

Since me and my partner were planning to go all out on our last choice of hotel (more on that on a much later post) we'd decided to choose their Superior Room. We'd tried out their Deluxe Suite Room before (yes, we're returning guests) and even though the room was huge in size, I honestly thought that the room was quite bare looking (as the hotel has supposedly prided itself for being a hotel 'with feminine touches'). Unfortunately the room that we were given recently were pretty much the same bare, very plain looking but is otherwise spacious. I was a bit disappointed though since I was hoping that they would do some changes in terms of adding more furniture and decorations inside the rooms. Cleanliness might also needed to be looked into as we found the floor were a bit 'hairy' upon our arrival. The view that we got was of the back of the hotel (see below pic). It's actually a pretty good deal should you prefer a quieter night (as oppose to the front view of the hotel, facing the busy main road) but there's a gathering of modified cars enthusiasts on the weekend when we were there so you could hear them 'testing' their cars all through the night. And since we choose the bargain pricing for our room, breakfast was not included so I could not give any comments regarding that matter. But on the plus side, you won't have any problems with free parking here and the lobby area actually looks very inviting and elegant. Now if only their rooms reflected the same elegance...

Type - Superior Queen Room
Room - 3/5 (some minor refurbishments might do the trick)
Price - 4/5 (very good pricing via online booking)
Service - 4/5 (the ladies at the reception area were pretty friendly & helpful)
Decor - 2/5 (the back side corridors is in dire need of refurnishing, what with the peeling wallpapers)
Facilities - 3/5 (they do have a meeting room & cafe though)
Location - 4/5 (as I've mentioned above, it's right at the main entrance to the Harbour City area)

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Peppermint Vietnamese Restaurant (KK FoodieVenture #25)

So while me and my partner in crime were staying in at the Palace Hotel, we'd decided to venture out to the nearby Karamunsing Capital on foot (the stairs from the hotel's cliff side made the trip possible of course) one night and pretty much snubbed the Karamunsing shopping mall due to some unpleasant experience earlier on. The Vietnamese restaurant has another branch at Jalan Gaya which again we regularly passed by but never actually visited.

My partner was the one who'd walked into the place first, due to being curious over the food provided within the establishment. Hey, it's not everyday that you can find Vietnamese food right? So after some very thought out food selecting (like 15 seconds flat - yup, we pretty much just instinctively pointed at the pictures which looked nice), we decided to try out their Spicy Chicken Rice (surprisingly not that spicy at all, it's actually sweet and very nutty - lovely taste by the way) and their Crispy Spring Rolls (definitely not your typical spring rolls as it's quite huge and has a rough texture - but taste wise was pretty good even though it's a bit oily). Overall we do not have a high expectation coming into the restaurant (in fact, we do not have any expectations, period!) but we were pretty satisfied coming out of the premises.

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City Food Corner Sinsuran (KK FoodieVenture #24)

I completely forgot to take some pictures for this food cafe the last time I went to KK (I tend to overlook places that I go regularly - which in this case, almost every morning) so this time around I'd reminded myself to take some. Unfortunately for me, my partner was unwell during our visit so we decided to just 'tapau' something quickly. The place is a staple for patrons who're looking for some bargain food with acceptable flavours. The one that we'd frequented was their branch at the Sinsuran town area (in front of Le Meridien Hotel and just across Centre Point shopping mall). But it's good to note that they also had another branch at the lower ground floor of the 1Borneo hypermall.

We went in and out in a jiffy and decided on their Nasi Lemak (pre-packed for convenience of course) which was pretty tasty despite the rather small portion and rice colour that resembles the Nasi Kuning (I swear that the label said 'Nasi Lemak' as oppose to the latter). We also tried out their Tuna Sandwiches and it's pretty filling and okay in terms of taste. It might not be the best there is but it's definitely not something to look down upon as well. They also had a variety of pre cooked dishes for you to choose from and also a slew of bakery goodness ready for your pick-up. But if you can only stomached hot meals then rest assure as they also had cook-to-order dishes available.

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D'KL Restaurant (KK FoodieVenture #23)

Now every time I’m in KK, this is one of the places that is a must on my food hit list. When a friend first brought me to this fine establishment, I was more than a little sceptical, like any other first timers. Why? Well, it’s actually a residence within a housing area, without any signage that indicates the place as a food establishment. So it is very forgivable if you happen to pass along the streets near it and never even know about it, because it looks exactly like any other houses around the same area. It’s located at Kampung Likas (hence the name D’KL which means Di Kampung Likas).

The décor and atmosphere of the place clearly screams Javanese and their food reflected that fact as well. So obviously when we were there, I just got to have their Nasi Ayam Penyet set which was just divine. The sambal and chicken was just one of the best there is in KK. My partner opted to try out their Nasi Ayam Bakar Madu (I think that’s what it was called) set this time around and he absolutely fell in love with it as well. Our dishes will not be complete without their Tomyam Putih (a colourless version of the usually red tomyam) which was just superb and not too spicy. It is good to mention here that the place has a specific opening and closing time (not too sure about the exact timing though) but they're usually closed around late noon to prepare for the night. 

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Yoyo Cafe Centre Point (KK FoodieVenture #22)

My visit to KK this time around were mostly filled with me going through the city's vast selection of finger foods (err, light snacks?) and we’ll start off my list with this establishment (yes, they’ll be plenty more later). This very popular (it practically spawned a slew of wannabes in other parts of KK and even Tawau) had been around since I could possibly remember. They had conveniently opened several branches across KK but the most well-known by far was their Centre Point shopping mall branches (one on the ground floor, while the other is on the 1^st floor).

The place started off as a place that produces mainly ice-blended beverages but has since grown into making pastries as well. But one of their hot selling standout was none other than their croissants. Heck, I didn’t even know what a croissant is before trying theirs. It’s really fluffy and buttery and comes in two main flavours. But it’s a disappointment in my part since they decided to discontinued their chocolate flavoured croissants sometime last year for unknown reasons. It's a bummer since that particular variety was just the best I’ve ever tasted.

Updated on 05/08/2016 - I have stopped by the kiosk recently and found out to my delight that they had started selling the Chocolate flavored croissants again. Yippy!

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