2Ox, The Row, Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Address:
54-56, The Row, Jalan Doraisamy, Chow Kit, 50300 Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Daily, 11:30am - 12am

Time Visited:
Saturday, 6:45pm

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Duck Leg Confit & Sangria (with White Wine)

After a long day working, I decided to unwind at 2Ox located at the Row which was famously known as Asian Heritage Row and is known for their notorious nightlife. By the way, 2Ox is not twenty x but rather 2 ox. LOL. I really thought the O was an 0 at first.

So I arrived there fairly early but of course parking over there was a breeze right in front of the restaurant, the catch is....you have to pay RM10 for the parking. Pfft. These scalpers. Anyway, since it's right in front of the restaurant, it's okay. Sitting outside, the menu was already on the table so I just need to pick it up and browse through it. It looks like they're just readied for dinner not too long ago since most of the staff were merely lingering around inside and I can't see anyone that's manning the outside of the restaurant. But there's 1 that comes in and out serving a tourist at a table where the guy seems to be busy with his Apple laptop. I soon made up my mind on what to ordered and signaled to a gentleman to take my orders.

Along came the bread as an appetizer with some greenish oil condiments to go with the bread. The complimentary appetizer was great with the bread being good just by eating on it's own and that dip that comes with it goes very well with the bread. I was asked if I liked more bread once I finished but of course I declined since I wanna save some space for my Duck Leg Confit and my Sangria.

The Duck Leg Confit was beautifully cooked and glisten along with the ambiance light and that it's carefully placed on top of some beans and the Dauphinois potato gratin. The beans and potatoes provided quite a crunch to the dish while the orange sauce that accompanies the Duck Leg Confit went very well with the meat. The end product of the duck is simply delicious and it may seemed like just a lovely looking dish but the taste did exceed what it looked like. It was delicious through and through and as I peel the layer of skin away to expose the inside meat of the duck, I was greeted with a steaming hot delicious, moist meat. Throughout my meal, the duck stayed hot and warmed throughout and so there was never a moment where it dropped in it's tastefulness. I was truly satisfied with it and so I would say the RM80 price on it is what it is truly worth. As for the Sangria, there was a many mixture of orange and apples in it thus giving it a refreshing taste. The white wine that was in the mixture was nice and all in all, a good Sangria nonetheless.

After I slowly enjoyed off my drink, I headed back home with satisfaction.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM108. RM80 for the duck, RM28 for the Sangria. There's 10% service charge involved and 6% GST.

Final Verdict:
7/10. Food was excellent and drinks were not bad. Service was okay.

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Hutton Mansion Wine Haus, Georgetown, Penang Island (Pulau Pinang), Malaysia

Address:
149, Jalan Hutton, 10050 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
6 pm to 12 am. Closed on Sundays.

Time Visited:
Saturday, 7pm

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Their Set Dinner, I chose the Amber Chin's Signature Aglio-olio with Pork Belly and to drink, White Wine. Tomato Soup.

"So what are you doing in Penang?" That seems to be the theme of my visit there. Many seemed to ask me this question and each time I'm at the receiving end of this question during that day, I pause for a moment and my mind will just be slated blank. To tell you the truth, I don't even know why I drove all the way to Penang at such a late time of the day just to have a bite and depart back to PJ on the same day. I guess all I wanted to do is distract my mind by keeping myself busy.

Let me start earlier. The day started off with me working from morning till after lunch time where I can't really recall whether I did eat my lunch or breakfast or not but one thing's for sure, I started heading for Penang when the clock surpass 3pm. I stopped by at Sungkai to refuel my car and after that, it was all the way straight to Penang non-stop. When I reached Penang, it had already turned 7 o'clock. Just the perfect time for dinner. And so I headed to Hutton Mansion Wine Haus. It started to rain heavy when I arrive but that didn't deter me.

Hutton Mansion Wine Haus is actually the restaurant that's associated with the Hutton Mansion boarding hostel. I guess that's the main business as oppose to this F&B side. When I was there, I was the only person to enter for food. I was hospitably welcomed and been shown the menu. The sofa area of the place looks congenial, cozy and tones you down a notch. The lighting gives me a sleepy feel and puts me at ease. They allowed me time to look at the menu and I went for their Dinner Set which consists of many main course choices....just different pricing. LOL. As I await for my pasta, I gazed out of the window and get lost in the rain. Over on the opposite side, there's a wine shop and there wasn't much of anyone walking by the road except for a few tourists.

Pretty soon, I was served my wine. The wine was easy on the throat and wasn't heavy on the alcohol level. It provides a certain sweetness syncing with some soft touch of sourness. It certainly was a very pleasant to the mouth feel. I was soon served the appetizer which they name it "Duck Salad with Orange Sauce". Okay, so it's more of a descriptive name rather than an intriguing one but at least you know what you're getting. LOL. Though there's merely 2 peels of mandarin orange on top, the citrus taste permeates throughout the whole of the salad due to it being splashed with the orange sauce and the strong taste only is rivaled by the duck's salty taste. The duck is thick in it's slices and was tender. A nice combination in all even though the greens merely provided a crunch rather than it's refreshing leafy taste.

The next dish is the Tomato Soup. It's served together with a garlic bread which proved to be an odd combination. Without the garlic bread, the Tomato Soup taste way better so I much prefer separating the 2 to eat. The tomato soup was rich though not too thick. Enough for a satisfying slurp that I lapped up the whole dish.

Next came the main course. Garnishing includes some olives that provided some taste of sweetness and I can see sprinkles of cheese but my tongue fail to detect any of it when I put it in my mouth. The pork belly was delightful and some has a crispy texture outside and provides a somewhat chewy taste. It can also sit there for awhile and the pork belly is still warm when I ate it even to the last bit. It was a little too spicy for me since they spruce it up with cili padi but nothing a little water can't combat.

The staff of the place was very hospitable but also gave me ample space I need and only approach when necessary and occasionally just to get my feedback. Not bad even though I was the only one there, they still made sure that everything's alright with me. With a little wine, low lighting and the rain outside, it made me feel rather sleepy and so after that, I decided to go grab some coffee at The Safe Room down the road instead before heading off home. Thanks for the hospitality, Hutton Mansion Wine House.

Total Wallet Damage:
Just RM48 all in. Pretty sweet! No mention of GST nor service charge anywhere so I guess they don't charge.

Final Verdict:
7/10. The food was good and the selection of wine was nice. The only thing is the Tomato Soup does not go with Garlic Bread though you can just eat it separately. Although all the food is good, I just felt as if somethings missing. It's like it could've been perfect if something is added to it. Or maybe there could be dessert? LOL. Or maybe it's just because I had one of the most awesome set lunch ever at Sage Restaurant & Bar, The Gardens not too long before this and I just can't stop comparing that to this. That's not a fair comparison. Haha.

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Poolside, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), Kuala Lumpur (KL)

Address:
Level 2, Grand Hyatt Hotel, 12, Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Daily, 8.30am-10.30pm

Time Visited:
Around 1pm. A chilling and hazy Saturday

Attire worn:
Casual. But not casual enough for a dip in the infinity pool.

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Fried Calamari and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, Saint Clair, Marlborough, New Zealand

The haze was quite bad on that day and yet I pressed on to this location determined to try and chill and relax in a very tumultuous moment in my life.

I knew the hotel Grand Hyatt is closeby to KLCC at the Aquaria side but can't really remember seeing it at all. And so I asked for directions at the counter and the person over there pointed out to me at the same direction as I've imagined. Over at above the Aquaria area, I can see an arrow pointing to the left side saying Grand Hyatt but yet I was still clueless as I couldn't spot any sign saying Grand Hyatt. In the end, I walked out to the main road and started walking towards the direction of the arrow. I finally found out that it's just next door. And so I approach inwards to the hotel lobby.

During that time, I was a little baffled as the fire alarm were sounding but everyone seemed to be so cool and calm, guests and staff. I was wondering is it because their system is having problems? I soon saw a small sign indoors saying to not panic as it's just a fire drill. Some fire drill this turn out to be. The fire alarm was very irritating too. But remembering what was my objective being there, I tried searching on how to get to Poolside. I soon grew impatient and ask the guest relation officer instead which escorted me to the lift that leads to Poolside. Pity the woman. She almost trip on the steps even though she's an employee there. Quite happy that she took me all the way to the lift instead of just telling me the directions which is very cool.

Over at the pool area, I saw that the haze can be seen that it's really bad and decided to stay a little more indoor towards the fans and stuff instead of being closer to the pool. The place was a dead ghost town with only 2 brave guests sunbathing in the haze. I was unsure as to whether it's really opened since there's not a living soul in sight and the employees seem to be hidden behind at maybe the kitchen area. Pretty soon, I spotted somebody and asked the masked woman if they're open. She nodded and I proceeded to pick a spot to sit on. The pool at Grand Hyatt is an infinity pool overlooking the cafe at the building next door assumingly, KLCC Convention Center area.

The menu was brought to me and it didn't differ from their website at all. I wonder if they ever change their menu. Their menu is waterproofed with a hard casing hence it's a very heavy menu. LOL. I had no idea why they love lingering at the back of the house where the kitchen is but I'm guessing maybe because of the haze? Anyway, signaled for their attention when I was ready to order and went for the Calamari and the Sauvignon Blanc White Wine.

They certainly took their time in preparing my order but I was in no hurry anyway so no harm done. If it wasn't for the haze, the view of the pool would be fantastic. Even though the weather wasn't quite the ideal one, it did calm my demeanor and has a very relaxing setting. And with the lack of people abound, it probably had contributed to this factor just as much.

I was first served with the wine. It was fruity, grapish and strong tannin aftertaste. But nonetheless it was a good wine. Well worth the money. I wish I could have more after the first sip but I slowly savored and enjoyed it's enjoyable taste.

Calamari arrived much later and it was served in a conical cup thing. Eating it on it's on proved to be lovely. Dipping on the sauces merely ruins the taste. It's best ate plain. Or if you want to, just dip a very small portion. Each fried calamari is easy to pop in your mouth like a popcorn. Once I started eating one, I just gotta have more and more and more until it's finally all gone. Really good stuff despite the lackadaisical service and the longer than usual wait. It was worth it. I guess you really pay for what you get because despite such a small portion of things, it comes with a hefty price tag.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM78. RM20.58 for the Calamari, RM46.31 for the glass of Sauvignon Blanc, 6% GST and 10% service charge with a rounding up of 1 sen.

Final Verdict:
7/10. Nice place to chill. Just too bad during the time I went, the haze was bad. Not many people there contributes to the peace and quiet. the sound of continuous flow of water is very soothing and helps with relaxation. The problem is it's a bit hot due to Malaysian weather. But that's where the pool comes into play. You're suppose to take a dip because of the heat. LOL.

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