TGIF Lunch Promotion - 2 Course Lunch

Recently, I saw an FB ad that TGIF is having a 2 course lunch promo which is only available from Mon-Thurs from 11am to 3pm.

So i made my way to TGIF on one fine weekday. The nearest one is at Pavilion Bukit Jalil. It was quite empty on a Tuesday noon, after the peak lunch hour.

The promo consists of 1 starter + 1 main + bottomless drink for RM35.90++

After placing my order, i have a good look at the sauces available on the table.

There are ketchup, chili sauce, tabasco and mustard sauce on every table.

[Below] My starter - deep fried calamari, served with marinara sauce.

Not long after, the main was served. I had keywest white fish, which consists of 2 pieces pan-roasted perch fish fillet, rice and roasted veggies.

There goes my solo OMAD meal.

Quite a hearty one😀

Total bill came to RM41.65 nett.

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[Below] TGIF as seen from outside of the Pavilion BJ mall.

It was a quiet evening inside the mall too.

The main concourse area of Pavilion BJ on a typical weekday.

It's Monday again, here's a melodious orchestra to cheer up...

enjoy!

Michael's Restaurant @ Costa del Este, Panama

The following week, the project manager who is based in London flew in to meet me in the Panama office. It was our first 'in-person' meet up although we frequently have online meetings together.

For lunch, we both went down to the nearby restaurant. It was also his first time in the country and we both are kinda 'illiterate' in Spanish, as we couldn't read the menu and depends heavily on the Google translate.

We simply walked-in to this restaurant coz it seems decent enough for a lunch dine-in, despite the place being empty. There were no other customer besides us.

There was a lone waitress and a person manning the drinks counter in this 2-storey premise.

I ordered a chicken burrito, which is quite huge and fully stuffed with chicken meat. It was served with seasoned potato wedges and tartar sauce on the side. The burrito was superb with chunks of succulent chicken meat & condiments. 

Since he is a Dutch, we go Dutch for the bill. I paid USD15 including tax and tips for my portion of meal.

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[Below] The evening traffic captured from Ave Centenario, taken while i was waiting to cross the street.

It was one of the fine evenings (without rain).

Lunch Delivery from Alla Onde Uno

This was a weekday lunch where Mr-Nice-Guy decided to order a delivery. I tag along coz i wanted to have something local.

Despite him not being a local (he is from the BVI), he knows well about the Panamanian cuisine. He recommended the arroz con pollo, which is rice with chicken, a well-known traditional dish in Latin America.

It looks like paella but is typically consists of chicken cooked with rice, onions, saffron, and some other vegetables. The rice was served with salad and a deep fried plantain on the side. The rice itself doesn't have strong flavor, very much like paella, but slightly different flavor/taste. There were chunks of boneless chicken inside, covered with shredded carrots and peas.

I had my lunch at the pantry facing the apartment buildings.

He also ordered a Sancocho (for sharing), which is a meat broth/soup with loads of other veggie ingredients. It tastes like chicken soup. But it is very much depends on the type of meat being put into the soup.

Meanwhile he had ropa vieja (served with rice), which is flank steak, a lean cut with long, thick strands of muscle fiber that can quickly dry out when overcooked.

Total price for our meal: USD24.08nett

Lazy Saturday

Saturday was a lazy day for me, and with the hot weather in Panama (very much like Malaysia weather) I don't feel like goin out at all.

Mr-Nice-Guy texted me that he would order some delivery and asked if i m interested to try.

Of course it is a 'Yes' from me!

He arranged to have it delivered to my doorstep...

And when it says doorstep, it really mean right in front of the door!

I thought of goin down to the lobby to pick up my food, but then the delivery woman came up, with the accompaniment of a kind resident who tag her into the elevator, right up to my floor. Such a great service.

Here's the surprise. I don't know what he ordered, although he mentioned about some local grilled stuffs, but as long as it is edible, then it's fine.

USD16 for this box of grilled meats and cassava. There is also salads tucked inside the box. There are 3 types of sauces provided. I guess those are mint sauces, cheese and tangy lime mayo...sort of...i really have no idea, despite tasting it various times. 

The box consists of grilled beef & pork, as well as roasted pork.

It was a great meal. It is meant for 2 pax. Hence i kept half portion for dinner.

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My lazy day in the apartment. This place is so comfy that I don't feel like goin out.

like why trouble myself with the hot weather outside? better stay indoor and keep myself hydrated, although my inner thought kept telling me to go out venture the new place.

The house owner has an exquisite taste in furniture and interior decor😂

When one portion is meant for 2

The other week, i returned to Luisito Chef to try out their fried rice. I had 'char siew' fried rice which came out in a huge portion, with the rice piled up like our 'ais kacang'.

I was shocked to see that and immediately requested the staff to give me a box to tapao half portion of it, knowing that it is impossible for me to finish it.

Even after split into 2 (one to bring home for dinner), the half portion (on the plate) is still alot.

Definitely carbs-overloaded.

Anyway, i finished off everything on the plate, and gulped down that pot of Chinese tea to digest off the carbs!

USD7 for this meal, was very full and felt like a rice bucket😆

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[Below] Showing off my coins....i mean the Panama coins/Balboa.

After some time, i managed to get the full set of their coins, from (left to right):

one cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, 25 cent, 50 cent and one Balboa (equivalent to a dollar)

The correct denomination is:

Un centésimo (0.01)

Cinco centésimos de balboa (0.05)

Un décimo de balboa (0.10)

Un cuarto de balboa (0.25)

Medio balboa (0.50)

Un balboa (1.00)

I no longer collect foreign coins ever since my coin book was stolen in 2012. Before leaving Panama, i spent all the coins and left only the one-cents at the apartment.

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Back to my full-loaded-carb meal....

Here's what i did to the fried rice. I stir-fried some cabbages and made an omelette to substitute for the lacking veggies & protein in the meal.

There goes my dinner....

New Mun Kee Steam Fish Head @ Happy Garden

Weekend family dinner at New Mun Kee. This place is quite popular among the neighbourhood and usually there will be queue outside the restaurant. When reach there, get a number from the counter to reserve a table. The staff will call out the number once there is a vacant table (that is enough to accommodate your group/diner pax).

We waited for around 5 minutes before our number got called.

We had:

Salted egg chicken-pop

'Four heavenly king' dish, which has okra, long bean, brinjal and prawns cooked in belacan. They don't put petai (stinky beans) in this dish unless you requested for it.

Steamed fish in black beans.

Other dishes that we ordered are stir-fried romaine lettuce and fuyong omelette.

All the dishes taste good. My favourite is the salted egg chicken-pop and 'four heavenly king' which are flavorful and good to eat with rice.

Pricewise reasonable, around RM120++, inclusive of rice and drinks for 5 pax.

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Authentic Bakery in Pinnacle Sri Petaling is having promo with RM10 for any loaf cake.

I bought this choc marble cake, which is moist and fresh. Other loaf cakes available are banana cake, choc walnut, butter cake.

The promotion is until end of this month. I will definitely buy it again.

Monthly Birthday Celebration cum Friday 'Tea Time'

Just some view of the apartment pools taken during the daytime.

And some of the surrounding buildings at west of the apartment.

south

and southwest. 

Apparently some of these apartments are very new as they are still vacant. I can see the interior from the see thru glass window. 

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On Friday evening, the office organised a monthly birthday celebration for May babies. Despite that, everyone is invited and there were cakes and light finger food served. And yes, they sang the birthday song in Spanish.

Finger food with cheese dipping. I guess these are known as 'Tapas'.

[Below] Here's my plate😀

Buen provecho!

Satisfying my food cravings...

It's good to be back home...finally!

Despite a not-too-long trip away from Malaysia, i definitely miss our local food here dearly.

These days, i found myself indulged in:

Nasi Kandar

This plate of nasi kandar with curry mutton, okra and deep fried bitter gourd costs RM13. 

Rice in kari banjir is a must have! 

[Below] I also had abit of everything 'Japanese' in this box that i purchased from the Food Merchant in Pavilion BJ.

It consists of rice in tofu puff, rice roll, chicken karaage, deep fried surimi, a gyoza and a piece of tamagoyaki. Can't remember the exact price, i think is somewhere RM11.

And this comfort food of Cantonese style yee mee.

The crispy noodles soaked in the thick egg gravy with loads of fishcakes, veggies and pork slices. The Chinese fried noodles/rice is priced at RM10 these days.

OK, more to come with my local food indulgence....

Brazzeiro - Eat all you can Brazillian buffet @ Town Center, Costa del Este

Mr-nice-guy sees that I m a foodie and therefore, invited me for a Brazilian buffet dinner. It is a grilled meat eat-all-u-can buffet for USD40++ per pax.

Ample seats on a Thursday evening.

[Below] The salad & hot dishes bar.

Drinks/beverage/liquor bar at another side.

It has a projector that screens the soccer match...from the ESPN channel perhaps.

Well, my focus is of course the food!

Extensive selection of salads, fruits, beans and cold cuts.

It has shrimp salad, tuna, cold meats/hams/chorizo....yummm!

There is also a warning board 'Picante' to warn the diners if the dish is spicy.

On the other side of the bar are the carb dishes such as black bean rice, mac&cheese, baked beans....and beans of all sorts...plus soups as well.

Once we started to dig into our plates of salads/dishes, the staffs kept coming over to the table and served us unlimited grilled meats - mostly beef, pork & lamb. I don't think there is any chicken nor fish.

Here goes my plate of meats and greens.

We walked around the mall after the heavy meal. It was nearing closing time at 8pm. Despite that, some shops were still open until 9pm.

[Below] Foodcourt at the Town Center mall. Mostly consists of established fast food chain such as Carl's Jr, KFC, and the well known ice-cream shop Dairy Queen.

The tall window panel as seen from the food court.

It was a quiet stroll at the mall during the weekday closing hour.

There is also a gallery at the top floor, displaying mostly pictures of the Costa del Este township and the mall when it was firstly launched.

The entire stretch of pictures, even at the opposite row.

This mall is quite new, as well as this neighborhood.

No human in sight. The entire floor seems like just us.

That's it on my first 'date' with mr-nice-guy 😀