Fuego Troika Sky Dining @ Kuala Lumpur

Over the Good Friday long weekend, I went on a short getaway trip to neighbouring country Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Was rather against it initially as I wanted to fly (yes, I am addicted to taking a plane!) but that option simply proved to be not feasible as 1. too costly 2. duration overseas is too short 3. out of options of places to go, because places that really aroused my interest are not logical for 3 days getaway. 

Glad that I made the decision to explore Malaysia! There are pretty cool things actually, if you venture away from the typical touristy stuff. Am here blogging again because I want to rave about this awesome dining place that really left an impression on me: 

Fuego Troika Sky Dining

Level 23a, Tower B, The Troika

19 Persiaran KLCC

50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Started writing a bit about it on Dayre actually, for Dayre being a mobile blogging platform, makes it much more convenient. Photos are in the mobile and I can post anytime I want, especially while on the go. But unfortunately, I only managed to talk about the first dish and the day is over! Tried to adjust the timing on the phone (as how I read on other Dayreans when they want to backdate a post) but it doesn't work! Boo. 

Fuego Troika Sky Dining is a Grill & Bar place located on level 23 of a mixed use development; spotted some salons and restaurants on the ground floor and residential units up the towers. What makes it cool is that level 23 is actually connected across the various towers, and specially set aside for F&B purpose. There's also Cantaloupe the fine dining option, Strato the Italian eatery, and Claret Wine Bar, all of which falls under the Troika Sky Dining family. 

Fuego, which stands for 'fire' in Spanish, specialises in modern South American food, which to me, is somewhat like tapas. Being a first timer there, the servers are absolutely smiley and friendly, keen to share the dishes they have and very accommodating to patrons who want to take photos together with the view. We pretty much ordered 90% of what was recommended to us =) 

I like the place for the wonderful view, casual setting, and dishes made for sharing. It is rather common to go to some places where they discourage sharing or servers will give a disapproving expression when informed that the order is for sharing. Fuego welcomes sharing by making it the default way of enjoying their dishes, which then encourages patrons to order even more, so as to maximise the number of dishes that they can try. Thumbs up! 

View from the alfresco dining area

Shall start first by sharing the dish that made me salivate even now just by thinking of it: 

Super Spicy Guacamole

Avocado, red & green chilipadi, cilantro, garlic, lime, ancho chillies 

RM20 

Guacamole is an avocado based dip or salad, part of the Mexican cuisine. To be honest, I am not a very adventurous person when it comes to eating but this dish really left me in awe. The dip was just about right with its richness and spiciness, and each mouth just left you wanting more. Which is appropriate as an opening dish for it whets your appetite for the upcoming dishes. It is also served in a traditional stone mashbowl, which I suspect is where they create the avocado. Try lifting the bowl, its heavy! 

Malabar Snapper Ceviche

Malabar snapper, plantain chips, avocado cream, coriander, tomato, chili, lime

RM35

What did I say about Fuego specialising in South American food? Ceviche is a Latin America seafood dish typically made from fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices, such as lemon or lime, and spiced with aji or chili peppers (source: Wikipedia). 

I do not take well to raw food. I do not even eat sashimi. But this dish is acceptable for me and there is so fishy or raw taste at all. In fact, we were even wondering if the fish is raw or cooked! The only giveaway is that the dish is cold; otherwise, us who are foreign to this dish would not have even noticed. 

Salted Cod Roe Croquettes 

Seaweed Crust, Shiso Leaf Gremolata, Salmon Roe Mayonnaise

RM40 

Ordered this dish from the Little Plates category because I saw it being reviewed on a website and wanted to give it a try. Don't look down on these croquettes, they are small and lethal - they fill your tummy fast! Taste wise, find it average. Or perhaps I was too blown away by the guacamole that my expectations are now sky high. 

Left: Australian Grass Fed Rib-Eye

(around 350 grams)

Cambodian Kampot Pepper Rub, Red Wine & Grelot Onions Sauce

RM110

Right: Portobello Mushroom 

Fate, Lemon Yoghurt, Garlic confit

RM25

For the mains, we had the Australian Grass Fed Rib-eye. Chose this dish simply out of elimination; I don't take lamb, chicken seemed too main stream, and we already had fish in an earlier dish. This dish is rated number 2; the steak was so good that I feel it trumps Wooloomooloo Steakhouse in Singapore! I always prefer to have my steak done in Medium Well, but this Medium Rare suits me fine. Not too bloody and very chewy. The sauce was good too, the red wine mix was balanced and not too overwhelming. I also like it that they cut the steak into nice, neat pieces so one doesn't have to struggle to slice it up. Totally suits the style of sharing - how to share one chunk, right? 

Close up of the Portobello mushrooms, from the Sides category on the menu. Taste wise it was just fine, but what made it good was the compliment with the ribeye. Fuego actually takes note of how individual dishes are served, whether it should come first, second etc, or whether it should be served in tandem with another. Consuming the entire ribeye in one go will be a bit too much, hence this served as a good pause in between. 

By now, your stomach should be very pleased with all the food you have been feeding it. Or at least, ours were. But that is not all that they have to offer. If up for it, you can check out their cocktails offerings. 

Back: Dark & Stormy 

Metusalem Classico, calamansi, homemade ginger beer and gunpowder bitters

RM36 

Skull Head: Bebida de los Muertos

made of Centenario Reposado, flor de Jamaica, raspberry, elderflower 

RM36

Cocktails are concocted and prepared via an open concept bar. We tried the Bebida de los Muertos, also known as the Drink of Death, which explains the skull head cup, and Dark & Stormy, one of the most popular drinks at Fuego. Rating - yes for Dark & Stormy, and no for Drink of Death unless you are a fan of sweet cocktails with strong alcohol taste. As mentioned, I am rather sensitive to the taste so I actually had to wait for the ice to melt and dilute it a bit before I can start to enjoy the drink. 

I am neither a food critic nor a food guru; I can't even recognise 90% of the ingredients used in the dishes stated above. But who cares? As long as it is well put together to create heaven on the lips, patrons will continue to visit and make Fuego one of the highly recommended gourmet destination in Kuala Lumpur. I myself have already started gushing about it on Instagram, Dayre, here on blogspot, and to friends who will hear of it. 

All information on the dishes and pricing are taken from Fuego website.

All stated prices are subject to 10% service charge and 6% government tax.  

Travel - when to opt for a tour package instead of going free & easy?

Wow, seems like its been quite awhile since I posted something. Indeed, doesn't seem feasible for me to maintain this blog, but I still need this space occasionally. 

The last post was mid-way about my Korea trip, and halfway through writing, it seems like quite a chore and a bore to document the trip in its entirety. Guess the content should be written in a more interesting way, perhaps? 

My next trip after Korea was the Big Apple - New York City, centre of the world. Had some inspiration while on the train when I was planning the trip, and the content had been stored in the phone ever since. Think it is worth putting it up here. 

So here goes: 

YAYY! I am heading to the Big Apple in approximately 1.5 months time, where I will be spending Xmas and NY there   

The plans were only finalized like, less than 2 months from the departure date, and some people scoffed when they heard that I'm going on a tour package in this bustling city of the world. No offense, but different travel offerings are apt during different circumstances. It's up to you, the consumer, to be savvy and discerning enough to know when to use which  

 So here are my thoughts on when you should take up a tour package instead of free & easy roaming on your own:  

1. When you plan your trip at the last minute  

Like me, heading to NYC during their busiest travel season of the year, at the very last minute, will definitely bust your wallet. Taking on the tour package ensures you have all attractions covered along with comfortable accommodation at not so sky-high prices. Trust me when I say, the room rates for decent or accessible hotels, located in central areas / areas convenient, are at least in the range of USD 200, especially when you are trying to do last minute bookings. Those who book eons in advance may have a higher chance of getting accommodation at a lower price, but I doubt much because I read an article on NYC's accommodation and its said that the city has no low peak season, only peak, and higher peak. Their room occupancy does not fall below 90% the whole year round!  

2. When you have a tight budget  

This will vary on a case by case basis, depending on which country you are heading to. For example, in my case, I wanted to visit sights and attractions outside of the city, and transportation for such travelling will cost me a bomb. Furthermore, its not logical for me to rent a car and fork out all the expenses for the car rental (which includes insurance, petrol, road surcharges etc) on my own. The ticket and entry prices are also not cheap. For the purpose of value for money, taking up a tour package is more reasonable, for the all-in prices would have factored in transport as well. Tips are not included, but from what I see so far, the tip quantum seems reasonable and affordable.  

3. When you have no time to research  

I have a bad habit of planning trips on a whim and rather last minute. Which puts me at a disadvantage because I have lesser time to plan and would have missed out on early bird deals that could have saved me some money. If the place that you are visiting has a VAST offering of attractions to visit and activities to do, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and hinting that much research on price comparisons are required, then a tour package will be the way to go. It is convenient, saves time, and you only need to read up on the already decided sights and sounds. This is far better than stressing yourself out to plan the best way to go about your visitation, and at the same time worrying about how to the trip's finance and time management. Which then defeats the purpose of going on a trip, isn't it, when all you do is stress yourself out and can't get to enjoy?  

4a. When the group number is small and average age of the group is small 

NYC is perfect for doing a road trip out of the city to enjoy the sights, but if the group number is not at least 4 and above, renting a car is not worth it. You incur the same charges as that of a bigger group, but have lesser headcount to split the bill. Plus, road trips are only fun when u have friends around to go wild and crazy with you! 

So when do you do free & easy? Contrary to what many people think, travel agencies do not just offer tour packages alone. They also provide booking services where they do the research for accomm, attractions, transport etc for you. And offer you their discounted industry price. Good deal, no? Once bookings are made, you are off on your own to explore with all the freedom you so desired in the country of travel. 

4b. When the group number is big and average age of the group is big
A big group does not necessary entail that its perfect for free & easy either, because if the logistics and planning may result in disagreements. Furthermore, if there are elders in the group, they may prefer a more stable and safer mode of travelling, than free & easy which has a high element of spontaneity and navigation on one's own. 

Sounds perfect, no? =) 

Korea Hotel Review - Hotel Pop Jungno

Wanted to combine this hotel review together with the post on Day 0, but realised that naggy me simply had too many things to say and was making the post rather long, so decided to split it up since the content is sufficient to warrant a post on its own. 

Here it goes! 

The hotel we booked is Hotel Pop Jungno - an accommodation with very affordable pricing and well furnished with amenities and facilities. Location wise, it is near Jungno-3 ga train station, and hence accessible and convenient. 

It was only after booking that we realised this street and hotel, is so called Korea's Love Hotels, where Korean couples come here for staycations or rent the room for a couple of hours to satisfy their intimacy need. Wanted to change the booking initially, but then thought it would be rather interesting to have a look at their local culture, and since we are foreigners, no one would be judging us anyway. *shrugs* Also read online that nowadays, the love hotels have been undergoing renovation and changing their image to a more hip, more modern, hotel, that locals will think of for staycations. Sounds like the staycation culture is here to stay! 

Comfortable and pretty waiting area in front of the reception desk

Well furnished amenities for hotel guests - free flow mineral water, fruit juices, tea, coffee for consumption, and there is even a microwave for guests to use if they ever need to heat up food. Love it that it is free flow - everyday we will stock up on our water supply before heading out, and also grab some juice to start off the day =) The mega TV also adds to the overall completeness, though I personally think the TV is meant to entertain the reception staff. 

There is also a small area to the left of reception, where laptops are available for guests rental. 

Guess is somewhat serves like a 'Business function room' like those luxury hotels? 

Can you also spot the free flow popcorn supply on the right? 

Next, showing the room that we got...

Yes, I was amazed at the room. Indeed they had done a good job in refurbishing and renovating the room; the pictures on the wall beside the bed gives the room a cosy homely feel, and the room comes with its own private bathtub (or whatever you call it). Yes, the room is actually big enough to house all these! It is still a love hotel after all. Though the tub is well functional, we did not use it cause of fear that it is not very clean, and only used it to soak our tired feet everyday after coming back. 

Most hotel rooms have one TV - this room not only has a TV, but also comes with one PC each for the guests. There are 2 computers, connected to a surround sound system. HOW AWESOME IS THAT! Found this really handy because most of the channels are local Korean channels which we do not understand a single bit, and the PCs helped to serve as a 'TV' of sorts. 

They even provided the below - hairdryer (no biggie) and a... hair straightener. Like WOW. I know that Korea is a country where looks and appearances are important, so I guess the straightener is there because... it is deemed as an essential? This is my first time seeing a straightener provided by the hotel. Was quite tempted to try out the straightener and using it to curl my hair ever so slightly, but as I do not have any hair cream with me and my hair is rather short (only shoulder length), I gave up on the idea. 

Not forgetting moisturizers for guests, a very thoughtful item

I am well impressed with the hotel facilities and amenities; who cares if it is a love hotel? We didn't hear any odd noises coming from our neighbours, free flow mineral water was fantastic (we took 2 bottles each to bring out with us everyday, so we wouldn't run out of water supply halfway), the PCs helped to entertain us when we would like to serve the Internet for both research purposes and for pure entertainment. The shampoo provided in the bathroom was also a local Korean brand, quite established in Singapore, called Kerasys. Did not manage to capture photo of that, but overall, it was a good pick of hotel location for its pricing. Very value for money, will definitely recommend to friends if they do not mind staying on this street =) 

Korea Day 2 (part 3): MyeongDong

After 2 long and sobering posts about the DMZ, time to lighten the atmosphere!

Day 2's evening was spent in MyeongDong, where I did my cosmetics shopping and fulfillment of cosmetics purchase requests from friends and colleagues. 

The sight that greeted me as I stepped out of the station

MyeongDong is the area renowned for cosmetics shopping, the entire street / area is filled with cosmetics retail shops. Whatever brand you name it, they have it. Faceshop, Laneige, Holika Holika, Etude House, Nature Republic, Innisfree, and other local brands that are not available in Singapore. Not only do they have almost all brands possible, they also have multiple branches of the SAME brand on that SAME street. It is crazy. 

A humongous branch of Nature Republic, 

very eyecatching with its green foliage on the building

Coincidentally, it was the season for SALES. 

Can you imagine... the already-very-cheap cosmetics undergoing FURTHER discounts!

It's a no wonder that tourists are grabbing the products without any hesitation.

Spotted Laneige! where I was tasked in buying some items. 

Went in and out, done with the purchasing, within 10 mins. 

When night falls... 

Wanted to try something different for dinner, something that is not the usual jigae or ramyeon or bbq version, and chanced upon this:

Porridge! The chinese character really stood out and caught our eye. 

Located on the 2nd floor... 

Making our way up

The restaurant

(pardon the yellowish photo, was too hungry to bother adjusting 

/ fiddling with the camera settings to change it to white light)

Check out the massive spread of porridge available! 

Oh my, they REALLY specialise in porridge indeed...

Ordered the Crabmeat porridge but they were sold out on it =( 

So we changed to Shrimp porridge instead. 

Order for the night! 

Koreans are really very generous in the side dishes serving, they always make it free flow. The porridge serving was also MEGA huge, luckily it was a shared portion, else I wouldn't be able to finish it on my own. Was glad to try something local and yet, not the typical Korean dish. Porridge is definitely not the first item that comes to mind when one mention 'Korean food'. 

Close-up of the steaming porridge; 

texture was thick enough, taste was sweet enough, and sufficient ingredients for you to munch on.

Thumbs up! 

Korea Day 2 (part 2): DMZ Tour - Joint Security Area (in the afternoon)

The interest from blogging about my Korea trip 1.5 months ago had somewhat waned off, but am trying to keep to my words and continue posting photos of the trip! Need to document down the stories because as you know, the brain is not very reliable when it comes to memories. Even though I am about 40% done? Will be peppering the days of the trip here and there with posts about some interesting things in my life (though mostly are on Dayre, cause it is so much easier to write and post there!), so hopefully it doesn't come across as boring or an information overload. If one were to write for the sake of writing, the it would have lost its meaning and wouldn't be interesting. 

To continue on the second half of the day on DMZ Tour:

We had a brief respite from the solemn topic during lunch, which was included as part of the tour package. We were not expecting much of the meal but were greatly surprised.

We were brought to this house for lunch 

For a superb, and awesome lunch. 

We ranked it as one of the best meals we had in Korea. 

[Comments and summary about our meals there will be done separately in another post]

Afternoon: Camp Bonifas, Joint Security Area, Conference Room, Bridge of No Return

Camp Bonifas
Camp Bonifas is the base which houses the United Nations Command Support Group, who assists the South Korea in guarding their half at the 38th Parallel. 

No photos to share for this visit, because photography is strictly prohibited. The entire atmosphere becomes more solemn and serious at this point onwards, because not only do we have the UN soliders on board the bus to protect and guard us, the entire environment just feels like a military base. 

The only photo I had was the pass that was given to each of us, during the briefing for JSA

We had to take another bus from the camp to the JSA, and the scenery enroute is amazing. Very peaceful, despite the tense situation. It is as if the whole environment is blissfully unaware of what is happening around. 

These fields are actually crop land, manned by locals who are staying in a village located inside the JSA. 

The South Korean government actually allows descendants of the land owners to stay here in a village and grow crops. In order to entice them to stay, males are exempted from the otherwise mandatory army, and all residents of the village need not pay taxes to the government. There is one rule though - only females are allowed to enter and stay in the village via marriage to an existing resident / land owner. Males are not allowed to do so. 

Joint Security Area

This is the joint area which is manned by both sides, and lies on the 38th Parallel. Security is very tight here and we were given a limited amount of time to take a look, with the UN guard playing the role of timekeeper. 

To distinguish the ownership of the houses in this area, blue belongs to the UN, who represents the South, and white belongs to the North. 

The white building that you see, situated beyond those blue houses, is North Korean land and belongs to North Korea. 

The tour includes a visit to one of the blue houses, called the Conference Room. 

It is where important meetings between both sides are held, with half the room situated on the South Korean land, and the other half lying on North Korean land. 

The security personnel standing guard in the modified Taekwondo position

The Military Demarcation Line runs down the middle of this conference table, a line marked by the flag on the table and the wire. You can see that the soldier's position is aligned with that of the flag, which means he is standing ON the line itself. 

The wire line is actually a sound tapping system, which enables the North to listen in to whatever is being discussed in the room. The conference table allows both sides to engage in meetings and discussions without crossing the divide. We were limited to a mere 5 minutes in the room, and allowed to walk to the other end of the room (onto North Korean land). From the room's windows, you get to see North Korean soldiers standing guard outside. A rather tense experience I would say. Some of them will peer in curiously, and some just stand around chatting (probably talking about this group of strangers who come to visit). I spotted one taking photos of the tour group, not sure if he will be using it as propaganda material? 

Bridge of No Return

The last visiting point of the tour - the Bridge of No Return. It is the site where both sides exchanged Prisoners of War from the Korean War. Here, the prisoners were given a choice to on which side they want to go. Once they make their decision and crossed the bridge to their desired side, they were not allowed to return to the other side from then on. Hence the name Bridge of No Return. 

We were not allowed to get off the bus and only given a view of the bridge from the bus, at this point. If you look closely, the bridge starts beyond the blue barricades. Even looking at the photo now gives me the chills. 

This then sums up the tour, and we were brought back to civilian land, where the tour first started. As it was Korean Thanksgiving period, there were some festivities being held. 

A news reporter providing coverage of the event

Performances 

And this sums up the tour! A very sober history lesson indeed. One may feel sad to see such a case, but if you look back at the origins, it started long ago even before the Korean War. After the world war, Northern region of Korea was manned by the USSR, and the Southern region was maintained by US troops. Each region were under the influence of different ideologies - one communism, the other democracy. Unifying both sides proved to be too much of a challenge as both sides refused to budge on the ideology that they wanted to use to rule the country. That, in my opinion, is the start of the divide of the country. Because once they are mentally separated, physical separation will follow. Afterall, man's behavior is guided by his mindset and beliefs, isn't it?

The DMZ tour is a very pricey tour, it costs us SGD 160 each. However, I feel that it is a worthy experience and definitely a must-go if one ever visits Korea!