Australia - A Memorable Trip

During the Christmas vacation, Mr & Mrs Umai decided to tour Australia, so we signed up for a 9-day 6-night OZ Tour covering Gold Coast (Brisbane), Sydney and Melbourne cities. Overall the experience was fantastic and filled with fun and satisfaction, thanks to Reliance Tours.

Believe it, although the tour fees cost more than other tour operators, the service and accomodation venues provided were good and comfortable. Even the tour itinerary was well planned and not tiring at all.

Most of all, we had great joy in shopping for souvenirs, shoes, shirts, local food and fruits especially during Boxing Day (26th Dec), after the Christmas break where most items reduced by 20% - 70% from original price.

This blog illustrates the activities and tour itineraries according to categories, starting with FOOD, LANDMARK/SCENERY/FUN RIDES and NATURE.

(A) FOOD

Croissant with Cheese and Bacon in Movie World (Gold Coast) was very nice and yummy. The bacon was tender and not tough, with rich texture of cheese. Priced at $AUD 5, this is justified by its taste.

For dessert, we had the Strawberry Cheese Cake, at $AUD 3.90 a slice.

This Bacon+Lettuce Sandwich was quite juicy, at $AUD 8.90 a portion...but not so special. We highly recommend the below Yogurt by Dairy Farmers which cost only $AUD 3.69 a tub of 550g.

Orchard Peaches & Mangoes (No. 2 Choice)

Vine Passionfruits (No.3 Choice)

Field Strawberries (No.1 Choice)

And a great deal of Wall's Magnum Ice Creams...

Magnum Sandwich at $AUD 3.50 a stick. Nice and creamy...must try!

Magnum Colombia Aroma at $AUD 3.20 a stick...very rich with coffee flavour and creamy.

And Seafood at Sydney Fish Market was simply awesome...

Fresh Oysters

The Blue Sea Crabs

The Southern Rock Lobsters

The Spanner Crabs

Cooked Fish and Chips at $AUD 6.50 a box...economical and delicious.


Baked Cheese Half Lobster at $AUD 15.00 and two pieces of Cheese Baked Oysters at $AUD 4.00 were succulent and rich in taste...we had 3 portions at one go!




McDonald's set meals at Melbourne - Mighty Angus (Beef Burger) and Chicken Bacon Deluxe were simply delicious and appetizing. Total cost at $AUD 19.00 for two set meals.

Sarsaparilla drink or tasted more like Sarsi cola drink at $AUD 2.30 a bottle which we tried in Ballarat's Sovereign Hill.

Potatoes and Bacon at Paradise Farm in Gold Coast...buffet spread included in the Entrance fees. Not sure how much it cost...

Grilled Fish with abundance of salads and greens...at Paradise Farm.


BBQ Beef Steak...well done but very juicy and tender...one of the best steak ever tasted at Paradise Farm.

(B) LANDMARK/SCENERY/ADVENTURE

The Opera House in Sydney

Marching in of the Red Soldiers in Sovereign Hill in Ballarat.

The steepest train ride in the world found in Blue Mountain.

Shrek in 4D at Movie World in Gold Coast.

Mike Myers in action at Movie World Parade

Sheep shearing demonstration at Paradise Farm in Gold Coast

Sheep shepherding at Paradise Farm in Gold Coast

Aerial view of Melbourne from Qantas domestic flight

An adventurous 10-minute helicopter ride around Gold Coast Surfers' Paradise and Sea World vicinity.

Beachfront at Surfers' Paradise in Gold Coast

The Three Sisters formation in Blue Mountain, 2 hours drive from Sydney city.

The City of Sydney viewed from Sydney Tower (misty weather)

Beautiful coast line along Surfers' Paradise in Gold Coast

(C) NATURE

Kangaroo at Paradise Farm

Sleepy Koala at Paradise Farm (Koala is not a bear, but a marsupial)



The Dolphine show in Sea World, Gold Coast

3rd. Wedding Anniversary

To celebrate our 3rd. wedding anniversary, we decided give Restaurant Dubrovnik a try, a well-known Croatian fine dining place located at Solaris Mont Kiara.


Prior reservation was made a day in advance. The interior design and atmosphere inside the restaurant really live up to our expectation. Now lets see the food...

This bread and butter set was on the house...F.O.C.


For starter, we ordered Strukli at RM15.00 a portion. It was very cheesy and not too rich, a well-balanced mixture.

Next, we had Krumpir Soup, more like a wild mushroom blended soup with small chunks of potatoes, at RM15.00 a portion...very well worth the money! This soup is indeed one of the best mushroom soup we have ever tried. It was so delicious that we ordered additional portion.

For main dish, we shared a pizza, Montanara at RM22.00 with generous chicken salami and mushroom toppings.

The next main dish, Riba Champignon at RM52.00, was made up of pan-fried seabass fillet with an assortment of butter rice, brocolli and carrots. The sauce was simply delicious...

We had a romantic time in the midst of an unforgettable dining atmosphere. Service was prompt and courteous.

Restaurant Dubrovnik

J-0G-14, Solaris Mont Kiara

No. 2 Jalan Solaris,

Mont Kiara 50480

Kuala Lumpur

Down the memory lane in Petaling Street

After the Sunday 7.30am church service and TMC5 meeting, Umai , Mrs. Umai and best friends (Yin2 & Vincent) went to Petaling Street, Yook Woo Hin Restaurant to be exact...just for brunch.
This place is very memorable to Umai as during childhood time, most of the family gathering functions had been held here...just missed the older days.

Although it has been nearly 4 years since the last time coming here for a meal, the standard of cooking and service have been well maintained. Apart from being more hygienic and thoroughly ventilated, the waitresses could speak English and some of the dishes names have been translated into English (maybe for tourists).

We tried to order some of the old-timers, such as below.

This is stir-fried rice with lots of vegetables and chicken cubes. This dish is highly recommended and costs RM20. The savoury sauce and onions really enhanced the flavour of this "Kai Lap Fan" dish.

Next, we ordered the "Sang Mein with Fish Meat"......although it looks a bit dry, let the noodles soak in the gravy for a few minutes ensured a well-balanced texture and flavour. This dish costs RM25...quite expensive though.

Wow, the last dish is "Tit Kung Kei" or "Boxing Chicken" , dipped in cooked tomato sauce and mama mia...simply delicious! The batter of the deep fried chicken was very aromatic and crispy...all this at RM20 for 10 pieces.

Well, after all these heavyweight dishes...a few cups of hot Chinese tea will help in the disgestion.

For more information,

Restaurant Yook Woo Hin

100 Jalan Petaling

50000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603-2078 4681

Opening hours: 6am to 3pm

Closed on Thursday

2D1N in Kampar

Umai is back!
Sorry for being dormant for such a long time...needed some time to rest.


For a start, we took a trip to Kampar on a weekday.
We left PJ SS2 at 7.00am and manage to arrive at Kampar Town by 9.00am, just in time for local breakfast. We had a simple breakfast at a food court near the old town market.

Here are some of the local delicacies that we had......cheap and nice.


This is called "Kuih Tebung", costs only RM1.00 for two pieces. Recommended to eat with chili sauce and some fried onions. Please look out for Stall No.47 to get this!


We bought this for RM1.70, basically glutinous rice with "char siew" sprinkled with peanuts and curry. Very appetizing...

After breakfast, we decided to drive up to Penang, just to visit the durian plantations in Balik Pulau. The journey took us another 2.5 hours using the NS-highway.

Finally, we reached Georgetown and we headed to Pulau Tikus area for lunch. We had our long- craved ice cream, Maxim's. We bought a 3 scooped with toppings for RM10.50, with Tiramisu, Chocolate and Kalhua flavours.

Next we drove to Titi Kerawang, a hillshope area with lots of durian plantations. We had 2 fruits which cost RM10 only.
Look at the flesh...so tempting.


After filling up with Penang food like char kuey teow and loh bak in New World Foodcourt, we started the journey back to Ipoh at 4.00pm to attend a wedding reception.

After dinner, we drove back to Kampar and checked in to our hotel at Grand Kampar Hotel.
One night stay in a deluxe room cost only RM128, very worth it.

Go to www.grandkamparhotel.com/ for more information.

We ventured out for supper after washing up. We had Chicken Porridge at the foodcourt in the old town.

A bowl of pipping hot and smooth porridge with fragrant steamed chicken drumstick cost RM3.50 only.

Next day, after having breakfast at the hotel, we walked around the old town and bought some Straits Settlement stamps from Kedai Buku Chee Ming.


For lunch, we went to Restoran Yau Kee to try the "Min Pau Kei". We opted for the Herbal Chicken instead of Curry Chicken since we have tried the latter one in KL. A smaller portion as shown above costs RM23.

Address - Yau Kee Restaurant , 55 Jalan Idris, Kampar. Tel. 05-465-1738

On the way back, we stopped by at Lata Kinjang waterfall, which boast a magnificent view and soothing nature atmosphere.

Upon passing Tapah town, we decided to drive up to Cameron Highlands via the Tapah road for tea.

We headed to T Cafe in Tanah Rata and ordered the Strawberry Cheesecake which cost only RM4.30 per slice. Good to relax with a cuppa of Earl Grey tea.

Another recommendation is the Scones with Strawberry Jam/Butter and Fresh Cream. A portion of this cost RM2.80 only.

The signboard of T Cafe.
Location: 1st Floor, 4 Main Road, Tanah Rata (Above the Marrybrown restaurant which is opposite the Tanah Rata bus station) 39000, Pahang
Goto http://www.t-cafe.biz/

That's about all for this short, yet adventurous trip.