Lakeside dining at Secret of Louisiana, Kelana Jaya

Few weeks back, I had an awesome dining experience at a serene place overlooking a tranquil lake. And I would say that it's a perfect lakeside dining experience I had ever experience. Well, this is what I saw when I was sitting down at this lakeside restaurant.

The beautiful sunset brightly welcomes me to gaze at its presence. And can you believe that I'm actually still sitting down in the hectic and busy city in Klang Valley? This is an exotic paradise which not many people are aware of.

After spending more than 8 hours working all your might in the office, this place is the perfect destination to relax and be stress-free for that few remaining hours in a day. I'm sure you'll need one too.

To enjoy this memorable dining experience which I had,  just hop to the Kelana Jaya Lake and dine in at this Secret of Louisiana restaurant. They serve the best Cajun style cuisine in town. This restaurant is owned by Chef Elvin Goh who is also the head chef in its kitchen. Chef Elvin Goh is a star chef with many years of experience in the food industry.

He's a bubbly cheerful and friendly chef who do come out to the dining area to greet its guests whenever he's done with his work in the kitchen. I think this is a good example which other restaurants or cafes need to have too.

As for me, I got to know more info on how my food is being cooked and served - a guarantee that puts your worries at ease in case you're thinking about the hygiene and quality of food prepared in the kitchen. :)

The best time to dine in at this restaurant is between 6pm - 7.30pm where you can enjoy the beautiful sunset by the lake and take some selfies while waiting for your food to be served.

This unique environment with its beautiful scenery make it suitable to host your special occasion or festive dinner here at Secret of Louisiana. They do cater for wedding dinners, ROM, engagement party and so on every month. Thus, if you would like to book this restaurant for your birthday/anniversary/wedding events, do plan ahead to secure your dates. And if you would like to have those special effects such as a mini fireworks to spark when your partner says 'Yes' to you, this is the perfect restaurant that you should be dining at. Do inquire for these additional service at an affordable charge with the restaurant yeah !!!

And I do love their table setting too. They have a clean and neat ones with fresh flowers sitting proudly on all their tables. It makes a normal routine dinner even more special. You might be dining with your partner every other day but this table setting adds a romantic mood to it :) You usually get such romantic table setting at an upscale restaurant but here at Secret of Louisina, you can enjoy such dinner at an affordable price without burning a hole in your pocket!

So, do remember to snap lots of memorable moments while dining here at Secret of Louisina. This is taken at about 6.45pm where the sunset is at its best :)
 p.s. Ignore my tired face after work yeah :P 

I had a wonderful dining journey through the real Cajun cuisine with a few friends that evening. 

My splendid Cajun cuisine journey started off with a glass of mixed fruit juice (RM11) to quench my thirst. I had this orange, green apple and lemon juice which goes down my throat smoothly. A perfect drink to cool yourself down under this hot weather.

If you have read my previous post on the US Potato Culinary Festival 2015, Secret of Louisina is one of the participating restaurants in this event and had crafted 3 unique US Potato dishes make available for order in their restaurant from 1-30 June 2015.

And I didn't missed this opportunity to taste these US Potato dishes again in their restaurant. We sampled all the three US Potato dishes which are US Potato Crawfish Pie, Shrimp Etouffee US Potato Boat and Cajun US Fries Chili Octopus.

The US Potato Crawfish Pie is delightful with its creamy mashed US Potatoes and uses live crawfish instead of frozen ones. Well, the presentation is lovely which resemble a crawfish trying to craw out from this dish scene.

 If you don't believe that the crawfish is live ones, just walk to one of its aquarium located inside the restaurant and you can see them swimming lively there. Be careful and do not put your fingers into the tank as they have strong and sharp claws.

Next on the plate is the Shrimp Etouffee US Potato Boat with a fresh and juicy prawn resting on a baked US Potato. The well seasoned US Potato with its accompanying tomato based gravy goes well with the prawn. It leaves me wanting for more!

This Cajun styled US Fries Chili Octopus is one of our favorites. The fries are not oily and not too salty like those commercial one. It's well seasoned with bit of salt, pepper and some herbs. Do squeeze the lemon on them before you start to attack them. The octopus with fries is a heavenly combination.

Of course, we were not there just for the US Potato dishes but for some real Cajun style dishes. For the appetizer, we had this Seafood Gumbo (RM30) where assorted fresh seafood are cooked in a creamy sauce together with cheese and herbs. Just spread the creamy seafood on top of the garlic bread, it's like having a luxury version of your ordinary bruschetta.

Next is the Smoked Duck Chili Spaghetti (RM35) which comes in generous portion. You'll find some sliced smoked duck, mushrooms, zucchini and some chili in this one. I love the fact that the pasta is al-dente and flavorful. They serve 13 types of pasta on their menu and you might want to come here a few rounds to try them all.

I've got to know from the chef that they do not use frozen and ready cut fillets which some eateries do. All their fish fillets are freshly sliced from the whole fish by the kitchen team. It's a great thing that you'll be consuming some fresh and healthy fillets here.

We tried this Red Fish (RM46) from their Treasure of the Sea category. The red snapper fish fillet is beautifully seared with butter on the hot cast iron and seasoned with Cajun style mixed herbs. You'll also get lots of blackened style vegetables with the fillet to balance your meal. This red snapper served together with its skin on - you don't find this in those tasteless frozen fillets.

This is the Cajun style chicken chop (RM30) where boneless chicken thigh is grilled and served together with garden salad. Yum! It's garnished with some rosemary leaves - do smell them before munching them too as I've read that rosemary can helps to increase memory by 75% according to this article here.

We ended our meal with an awesome dessert; the signature Louisiana's Mud Pie (RM18). I'm a dessert person and this hot chocolate cake goes well with the vanilla ice-cream is just perfect. It's not too sweet and just right.

I had an awesome Cajun style dishes that night and would love to bring my dining partner, pig here to try them soon. Secret of Louisiana serves tasty and healthy food with an awesome lakeside view. It is located by the lakeside inside Plaza Kelana Jaya and parking is not a problem here.

If you're planning to dine here during lunch time, do try out their Eat-All-You-can Pasta at only RM19.90/person. There's 13 choices of pasta available for this buffet style pasta and rest assure that they do not cooked them in bulk. All pasta in this buffet are cooked individually when you order them to guarantee its taste. Available only from 11am - 3pm every Monday to Saturday. Do come early as it's always pack during lunch time :)

For more info on this Secret of Louisiana restaurant, do visit their webpage and follow their Facebook page at Secret of Louisiana.

The New Orleans which is located beside Secret of Louisiana is also owned by the same team. If you're in the mood for some drinks and good music, they have Live Jazz session every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.


Secret of Louisiana
Block D-01-01,
Jalan SS7/13A,
Plaza Kelana Jaya,

47301 Petaling Jaya, 

Selangor. 

Julie's Love Letters with unique Raya packets for the Hari Raya festive

With Hari Raya celebration is only a week from now, malls and supermarkets are packed to the brim especially this weekend with all the last minute preparations for the festive. And remember to purchase some goodies to be used during house visits too. 

When you’re in the supermarket this weekend, be sure to stop by and grab a tin of Julie’s Love Letters for the festive. In conjunction with Hari Raya celebration, Julie has designed some limited edition love letters tin and available for a limited time only. Available in chocolate and strawberry flavors, you will find some special Raya packets inside it. 

If you are afraid that you might buy the wrong tin, do look for the Raya motifs and Raya packets picture label on the tin. They are filled with special Julie’s Raya packets. 

So, what’s so special about Julie’s Raya packets?

Of course the main thing is to put money inside them and gift them during the festive. 

But there’s another unique thing about Julie’s Raya Packets. Julie encourages us to write some precious messages (there’s some the extra space on the reverse side of the packets) and gift them to your family, friends and relatives during the festive. 

I think it’s a lovely thing to do and a great gesture to practice it during the festive. Nowadays, we are so busy with our gadgets that we lost personal touch with our loved ones. I do agree that e-message, e-greetings and e-cards are very convenient and it’s just at your finger tips. But you can’t compare tons of e-greetings to a personal Raya packet filled with written messages. This written message gives you the warmth, care and love which have long lost due to the use of e-messages. Therefore, make a change this Hari Raya and send some warmth through personalized written message to your loved ones. 

 

Julie’s Raya packet comes in 3 symbolic colours (yellow, green and blue) with hinted meaning in it. The word ‘Silaturrahim’ on the yellow Raya packet represents a long lasting friendship. The Blue packet has the word ‘Keampuan’ meant for seeking forgiveness while the Green packet has the word ‘Keberkatan’ printed on it which means blessing, thus to give thanks during the festive. 

These unique Raya packets have the shape of an envelope, perfect to store your duit Raya and served as a love or warmth letter during the festive.

Besides the unique Raya packets aka letters, the Julie’s Love Letters itself is perfect as a festive gift. It’s delicious and has exists in almost everyone’s childhood memories. Gift this Julie’s Love Letters to rekindle your precious and memorable olden days with your loved ones.

Not only that, you can purchase Julie’s Love Letter and bake Raya delicacies with the love letters. Julie has shared a recipe to make cupcake using Julie’s Cocoro Vanilla. For more info on this Julie’s Cocoro Vanilla Cupcake, visit here.

Do follow Julie’s Biscuits Facebook page for more info on their latest updates, promotion and news.

Mary Sharon Spa Sleeping Mask; your best sleeping companion

What is the secret to a healthy looking face? I’m sure everyone has their own secret remedy and list of products that you need to use in order to achieve it.

For me, it’s just very simple. I want to achieve a clean, hydrated and smooth face which enables me to look young and bright. I prefer something more natural rather than rely heavily on makeup cake.  Thus, I never put on makeup whenever I’m in the office or out in the mall. I do sweat a lot as I always walk to my destination and it’s not convenient to have makeup on plus, my nature of work requires me go to the warehouse sometimes – not ideal with heavy makeup on. 

This brings the question, how do I still look young and presentable even without makeup? It is important to have a good beauty product which hydrates, firm and nourish your skin. And this is my secret to a healthy looking skin; Mary Sharon Spa Sleeping Mask. You too, can nourish your skin while you’re sleeping and not necessarily depend on makeup alone during the day.

This super good spa sleeping mask is one of the star products from Mary Sharon. Mary Sharon is a beauty product brand resulting from a great combination of the best brains from both West and East.  With this aim to create ‘A Queen’s Pampering for Every One’ dream, the dream team worked the best they could so that everyone can have their own luxury pampering moment. The products by Mary Sharon are a result of Mary Sharon’s team in France who worked hard to do research and development in finding the best formulation of beauty products. This researched team is lead by a well known Chief in the beauty product industry who had also contributed in many other well known international brands. Who knows, the beauty products which you are using right now might be part of this super Chief’s hard work too.

If you are curious about the safety of these Mary Sharon products, you don’t have to worry because all their products had gone through over 120,000 rounds of clinical tests to guarantee its safety.

These products were then introduced into the world market by Mary Sharon’s Team in China via their Asia headquarters based in Guang Zhou. This diligent team successfully marketed the products through their effective advertising and promotion which resulted in crowning ‘The Most Potential Brand Award’ in year 2014 and achieved 1,000 million Renminbi sales figure in the second half of year 2014.

Mary Sharon Spa Sleeping Mask contains an exclusive seaweed moisturizing formula which is the Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract or also known as Golden Seaweed Extract which works well in creating a hydrated, smooth and firm looking skin. 

Here’s how you should use this Mary Sharon Spa Sleeping Mask...

 

After bath, just apply an adequate amount of mask cream on your face. This Mary Sharon Spa Sleeping Mask cream has a very delicate and creamy texture. I would say that it resemble the soft peak state of beaten egg whites with sugar.

 

It’s so easy to spread it on your face to make an even and nice looking mask due to the delicate texture. You will feel as if you’re spreading some soft peak beaten cream to bake a meringue.

When the mask is evenly spread on your face, you will feel a little cooling sensation on your face. Not those very ticklish cooling effect but it’s like a cold wind touches your face gently after being under the hot weather for a while. Therefore, it’s pretty relaxing to do this face mask under our hot and dry weather.

Now, I add some slices of cucumber to nourish my tired eyes too. Talking about killing two birds with one stone! Do lie down, relax and have some rest after a long day. Perhaps, you can listen to some good music at the same time.

After 15 to 20 minutes minutes, you can wash them off. It’s so easy. Do use your hand to scrub off the mask gently under the running water. You can do the mask on half of your face first to compare the difference.

And then, rediscover the new you with a smoother, firmer and healthier look. I feel that my skin tone turns a bit lighter too after a few usage of this Mary Sharon Spa Sleeping Mask. And when you touch the skin on your face, it definitely has a more delicate and smoother feel. 

Now, after trying out this short 15 to 20 minutes session; do apply a thin layer of mask on your face and leave it till tomorrow morning for your next session. And do wait for the mask to dry off a bit first before falling asleep as you might not want to wake up with these creams on your hair or pillow.

In the morning, you can opt to apply a thin layer of mask and wash it off after 5 minutes before putting on your makeup. This will make your makeup last longer. For me, I don’t put makeup on; thus I usually don’t do this step :P 

 

Why do you use your mask at night? Your skin cells are more relax while you’re sleeping – without distraction to fight against sunlight, stress from work and drowned in makeup. Thus, they are more ready to absorb the nutrients provided to them.  

 During the day, stress can cause your skin to lose its moisture too what more if you’re sweating around the clock. If you do the mask during the day, it may just last an hour or two and the skin cells are not fully moisturized yet at this stage. Continuing your daily activities will result in losing the water content which the skin cell has just absorbed. 

Therefore, a good sleeping mask will be able to hydrate your skin well and your skin cells will thank you for that. You can apply this Mary Sharon Spa Sleeping Mask 1 to 2 times a week, not too many times as you don’t want to over hydrate your skin which is not good for your skin cells too.

...................................................................

This August 2015, Mary Sharon will be officially launched in Malaysia market and you can engage yourself in this new journey to rediscover the new you. Mary Sharon will be bringing 4 star products into Malaysia are Mary Sharon Spa Sleeping Mask, Mary Sharon Queen Radiance Eye Essence, Mary Sharon Collagen Hydrating Mask and Mary Sharon Queen Charcoal Cleansing Mask.  

At the Mary Sharon Malaysia's official launch event, Hong Kong Superstar Julian Cheung Chi-Lam will make a special appearance as the brand’s ambassador. Do not miss this ultimate chance to meet ‘Captain Cool’ at Mary Sharon’s launch event. 

For more info on how to grab a pass to meet ‘Captain Cool’ in person, do visit Mary Sharon Malaysia Facebook page for more details. 

Macau Trip 2015: Hard Rock Hotel Macau

It's summer season now and it's a great time for travelling with your family or friends to enjoy some sightseeing. I was at Macau 2 weeks back for 4 days 3 nights and did a lot of sightseeing and indulge lots of popular Macau must-eat food too. 

It was a last minute trip with family members and we were kinda worried about expensive flight, accommodation and expenses incurred as all bookings were done like 4 weeks before? (We normally plan our holidays way earlier). After comparing all the suitable hotels on rooms, facilities, prices and etc, we came to a conclusion that this is the most suitable hotel to stay in; 

   Hard Rock Hotel, Macau. 

Reason being is that it offers the best room rate (most affordable) yet it's a five star hotel with all the top-notch facilities for your indulgence. We paid only MOP3313.15 (including 15% prevailing taxes) for 3 nights in Double Queen Room which can accommodate up to 3 Adults or 2 Adults & 2 Children (or 4 Adults too). This room rate comes with high-speed wifi and a really comfortable room of 2 queen sized beds (without breakfast as we wanted to explore Macau local food). 

 I did a quick check while writing this and this affordable room rate is available during this December's school holidays too. Time to plan your trip for the upcoming school holidays :)

Tips: If you would like to book the Double queen room meant for 3 Adults or 2 Adults and 2 Children, key-ing in (3 Adults or 2 Adults and 2 Children) in the number of pax column may not be advisable. Sometimes, the double queen room may be unavailable (or the results shows no rooms are available) 

if you key in this. If this happens, do key in 2 Adults in the 'number of pax' column and try again.

I experienced this when I was trying to book the room where no room is available for 3 Adults but the double queen room is available when I key in 2 Adults. I have checked with the hotel that the Double Queen Room can accommodate up to 3 Adults or 2 Adults & 2 Children. Thus, you can search for this room rate with 2 Adults and then at the 'Remarks' column, put in the details of how many pax will be staying in the room. 

Presenting to you the Double Queen Room in Hard Rock Hotel, Macau. 

Super comfy pillow with a touch

Spacious room with large mirror for your ootd shot. Behind the mirror is a large area to hang all your clothes. 

Bar table top makes it convenient to take away food and munch throughout the night :)

Wonderful minibar filled with affordable goodies. 

Don't worry if you bought some wine from the nearby supermarket, convenience store or shopping mall. You have wine glass in the room waiting for you. 

If you didn't buy any alcoholic drinks and in need of some, these are available in the room at an affordable price. 

 Making a margarita or a mojito? Hard Rock Hotel Macau prepare these Mixer set for you to release your inner bartender soul. 

 Yes, they have Chinese wine too :)

Don't worry about feeling hungry or thirsty in the middle of the night. You have a stocked up minibar at an affordable price. 

You can opt for cup noodle and chips at an affordable price too. 

The bathroom actually looks clean and neat. Comes with a bathtub :)

Plenty of towels and bathroom amenities for your convenience. 

Even the bar of soap is nicely presented with a bottle of lotion next to it. 

You can find more bathroom amenities inside this box. 

If you're saying that the room rate is quite expensive compare to those hotel in the Macau city, well do think again. This five-star hotel is located right in the heart of Cotai Strip under City of Dreams entertainment resort. Cotai Strip is a place where all the magic happens - the one stop center which houses all the new hotels, casinos, entertainment hub and luxury shopping experience fit for tourist. Right opposite of City of Dreams is the Venetian City (famous for its blue sky ceiling within the building) and on the left side is the Sands Cotai Central (which also houses Conrad, Holiday Inn and Sheraton). Due to its strategic location, you can just walk across the road (small road - not highway) and within 2 minutes, you can land yourself at Venetian City or Sands Cotai. And if you wish to get to Galaxy Macau (the biggest and most grand place to be at Cotai) for gaming, food, shopping or a gateaway to Taipa Village, there's a shuttle bus from City of Dreams to Galaxy Macau every 10 minutes. If you compare with other room rate in this Cotai area, Hard Rock Macau offers the best room rate. 

It was convenient for us as we get to see both Venetian City and Sands Cotai too. We did some food and casino hopping between City of Dreams, Venetian City and Sands Cotai. 

One thing to take note when you're considering an accommodation in Macau is the Complimentary Shuttle Bus Service provided by the hotel. From Hard Rock Hotel Macau, you can take their complimentary Lucky Express shuttle bus to bring you around. The Lucky Express shuttle bus from City of Dreams could bring you to these locations: Macau ferry Terminal, Border Gate, Hotel Sintra Macau, Cotai Macau Connection, Taipa Ferry Terminal & Airport, Hengqin Check Point and Galaxy Hotel. For more info on these shuttle bus service, do click here. Do get the latest bus schedule from the hotel when you check in in case there's a change in bus schedule. 

Tips: To get to Taipa Village, go to Galaxy Macau and it's 5 minutes walking distance from there. 

         To get to Senado Square, board the bus heading to Hotel Sintra  and walk for about 10 minutes 

         to reach Senado Square. 

Another thing to note when you arrived at Macau International Airport and wish to board the hotel shuttle bus to the hotel. We were kinda lost and walked around at the airport for 40 minutes looking for the shuttle bus (we did asked around and no one has any info  - even the tourism department has no idea at all) when we arrived. Finally, we board the shuttle bus to Venetian City and walk across to City of Dreams to check in. 

Tips: When you arrived at the Macau International Airport, do look for City of Dreams staff at the Arrival hall because their shuttle bus is NOT located at the area where all other hotel shuttle bus waits. Do not follow the 'Hotel shuttle bus' sign (or you'll ended up waiting like us). You will need to approach the City of Dreams staff to board the bus. The City of Dreams staffs are wearing purple colour uniform (according to the hotel staff). So, do hunt for staff in purple uniform once you arrive - their shuttle bus is located at the departure hall/first floor according them. 

- If you can't find the bus/staff at all, board the Venetian shuttle bus (at Hotel Shuttle Bus waiting area) and walk across to City of Dreams when you arrive at Venetian City.  

And the infamous House of Dancing Water is located inside City of Dreams. You can recharge yourself in your room before watching the show - if you're tired from all the exploring in the morning. 

The hotel provides other great facilities too such the outdoor guitar-shaped swimming pool, fitness centre, Rock Spa for a relaxing therapy and even a Kids City (entertainment center for your child) - there's arcade, basketball machine, and etc for them. 

Now, if you're travelling to Macau and in need of a good accommodation for you to rest, refresh and rejuvenate yourself; this is the place you should be staying at. 

For more info on Hard Rock Hotel, Macau; log on to:

Facebook: Hard Rock Hotel, Macau

Website: Hard Rock Macau 

Instagram : @hardrockhotelmacau

To know more about City of Dreams, click here. 

Note: This is not a paid post or sponsored post! Just a piece of my experience here.