Monday, September 24, 2018

[FOOD REVIEW] Restoran Chinese Muslim Abdullah in Ipoh | MUST TRY!


Being a Malaysian, what I love the most about my country would be the number of public holidays that we get in a year. Having a long weekend with public holidays, I've decided to explore Ipoh by staying for a night for a foodie trip in which I've found myself dining in a very unique halal Chinese restaurant called the Restaurant Chinese Muslim Abdullah in Ipoh located near the Bulatan in Bandar Meru Raya. Having a hotel located just near the restaurant, it was very convenient for me to have my dinner.

MENU OPTIONS






As a little teaser, let me share with you a few options on their food variety. First, you might want to know what kind of dishes they offer. From the menu, I listed above, you can see that they serve fish, prawn, squid, sharks fin, soft shell crab, abalone, fish fillet, chicken, bean curd, egg, soup and more! What's even better was that they mentioned that if you would like to request for a special dish, it can also be arranged by the chef to satisfy your cravings! YAY! I don't know about you, but its honestly really hard to find HALAL Chinese food, and I was really happy to see how Chinese flavors are now available for Muslims to enjoy. 

REVIEW TIME


So here we have a few dishes to try with some of my friends. Being my Chinese self, i cant resist not to order the popular bean curd dish cooked in Chinese Style. This is the signature bean curd, and i have to say that it was just what i expected it to be. The Beancurd was soft, and since it came with gravy, it will definitely enhance any dish youre enjoying. No regrets ordering this for sure! Cooked to perfection, and the most important part, it tasted really authentic. Would definitely come back for more!


Add caption
 Next would be the Deep Fried Crisp Cabbage. This was actually something pretty unique as its fried but surprisingly not at all oily. Im not exactly sure how this was prepared, but I absolutely love the fact that it was crunchy, fresh and was not overseasoned. Honestly, if you ask me, I'd say it's a simple dish that is pretty hard to perfect. Also, i would like to emphasize that this is not available on the menu, but was specially requested and made possible at Restoran Chinese Muslim Abdullah. Super happy that they were very flexible with the options requested.


Next, we have Steamed Fish with special soy sauce. Again, this was not on the menu, but since it was specially requested, again, the chef is ever ready to surprise. The presentations looks really appetizing,m and I have to give credit to the chef for being able to present the fish with its mouth open. hehe. In terms of taste, this was also well done! I was expecting it to be slightly salty since its drained in soy sauce, but surprisingly it tasted sweet and light. The fish naturally has its own flavor, and the sauce definitely complimented it pretty well. Two thumbs up!


Next would be their Asam Pedas dish. Actually, this was from their list of options under the fish section, but since we already had the fish earlier, the owner, Aiman, suggested that we tried the Asam Pedas in mix seafood. Asam pedas is normally served with fish, but this is my first time trying out Asam Pedas seafood. It had a very unique seafood taste, and I love the surprises that you'll find in this dish as its cooked in Asam Pedas gravy. Definitely not a boring dish, and I truly enjoyed the modified version of the Asam Pedas dish.


 Craving for some squid, we also decided to try out the Salted Egg Squid. This honestly was slightly dry for my liking, but if you're a fan of salted egg, then its a must try. The squid is fried coated with flour and salted egg making it the dish that you see in the picture. If they had a gravy version of the dish, I would definitely go for the squid to be cooked in gravy. Its really not bad, and everyone around the table loved it! Just that to my liking, I may prefer my dish to be not too dry. Hehe. It's basically on personal preference.


Here we have Roasted chicken, and I honestly liked this a lot. It may not look as appetizing, but you can really taste the amount of effort it takes to prepare this dish. I and my friends were extremely curious on the way this chicken was prepared, so we managed to ask the chef on how did he manage to keep it juicy but a crispy roasted texture on the outer layer. We found out that the chicken was steamed first before it was dip into a hot pan of oil for a very short period of time to avoid the dish from being too oily. I really liked the crispy texture with the soft chewy tender of chicken as I enjoy each and every bite.


And last but not least, we have Marmite chicken which was among the favorite dish around the table. Im usually not a fan of Marmite, but this dish had all the taste that any person would expect. It had a combination of sweet and slightly salty, and I could actually sense that there is honey present in this dish as well. The flavors were well balanced and cooked to perfection. During my next visit, I would really want to re-order this again cause it tasted really good!

VERDICT

Meet Aiman, the owner of Restoran Chinese Muslim Abdullah
Overall thougts?
As an overall thought, I would have to say that the Restoran Chinese Muslim Abdullah highly recommended by me if you're seeking for halal Chinese Muslim food in Ipoh, Malaysia. Its pretty rare to find Chinese dishes that are halal, so if you would want to try Chinese dishes without worrying about the halal certificate, this is the place to be. During my next Ipoh visit, I would definitely stop by to try more options. Hehe. They open every Thursday through Tuesday from 4.30pm - 12am, so its a great place to enjoy your dinner with family and friends. Be sure to check out their official Facebook or give them a call to make reservations to avoid disappointments. The last time I went, it was very full, but luckily we managed to grab a table. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! :)

Restoran Chinese Muslim Abdullah
No. 5 & 5a & 5b, Jalan Meru Bestari A14, 
Bandar Meru Raya, Ipoh, Perak 30020
019-516 9516
Hours 4:00 PM - 11:30 PM
Facebook

Introduction to the Zephyrine Classic Starter Pack

Introducing Zephyrine Classic Started Pack
Hey guys! Other than a new month approaching, I found myself a new skincare range to try out and hopefully maintain and enhance my skin condition with the big day coming up. I was recently introduced to Zephyrine, which was founded in 2011 to be known as a gentle skincare segment. The collection is pretty unique as it provides five series of products which includes Classic, Whitening, Anti-aging, Moisturizing and Cleansing. The brand claims to be formulated with luxurious materials, in which I was immediately curious on what Zephyrine has to offer! Got you curious too? Well, let's find out more!

Currenly 50% off on their website
 A unique feature that this brand has would be that it focuses more on a complete skincare range that caters to all your skin worries. For example, I usually have a different skincare range set to target my acne issues and a different skincare range as my everyday daily moisturizing cleansing. What makes Zephyrine different is that it targets almost all your concerns from anti-aging to moisturizing to whitening, all in one skincare set! Another bonus point would be that they have specially formulated the products to suit Asian skin. With so many thoughts being put into creating the perfect range, I couldn't resist but to try it out myself. Currently, on-site, Zephyrine is having a 50% for their skincare sets, and I got myself the Classic Starter Pack to try out.

1 | ROSE ESSENCE TREATMENT LOTION | TONER


Rose Essence Treamennt Lotion, toner
Starting off with the Rose Essence Treatment Lotion, I was sold when I knew that it's made out of rose essence. I absolutely love roses, and its pretty rare to find a Rose Essence Treatment lotion that uses Bulgary Ruby-Damascus Rose as the water base. Known to be good to replenish skin moisture and helps to balance the skin while soothing sensitive skin. Not only that, but it also contains pearl extract from Uwajima to control pigment spots and whitens the skin from the inside out. Im pretty convinced that this lotion not only moisturizes but also soothes and brightens the skin almost effortlessly!

4 | WHITE TRUFFLE REPAIRING CREAM | MOISTURIZER


White Truffle Repairing Cream
Next would be the White Truffle Repairing Cream that helps to repair, moisturizes and firms the skin. Containing white truffle extract, the ingredient is known to encourage self-repairing and improves the hydration of the skin. It also contains Yeast extract which helps to activate skin cell and improve skin firmness and elasticity. Yeast is also high in anti-oxidation which helps to detox the skin.

Creamy texture
Just to complement the formulation, it also contains wheat protein for skin brightening and UV protection, Aloe Vera for deep moisturization, Hyaluronic for moisture locking while improving skin elasticity and Allantoin that lightly exfoliates and encourages skin regeneration. Apparently, the hype on this would be that it doesn't feel sticky and it reduces redness very well for those who have sensitive skin. Honestly, I really can't wait to try this one out!

6 | PLACENTA EXTRACT REPAIRING MASK | MASK


Placenta Extract Repairing Mask
Last but not least would be the Placenta Extract Repairing Mask. Just an honest opinion, when I found out that this mask includes placenta within its ingredients, I knew I had to try this out myself. Did you know that placenta is known to maintain hydration while reducing melanin and spots to give your skin that natural glow? It also has oat extract which is highly concentrated with vitamin E to help maintain hydration while repairing the skin by improving skin elasticity and firmness.

Has an easy tear function and includes hte MFG date for refference
From what I know, if you have dry, damaged, sensitive skin, this mask would help you repair the protection layer to soothe redness. It claims to strengthen the skin layer while giving better tone and brighter results. OH, did I also mention that they have designed the mask to be the most comfortable mask sheet that encourages 3 times of essence absorption? Being Asian, I noticed that some mask usually does not fit as its either too big around the eyes, but this has been improved to cover the eye bag area and also the corners of your nose.

CONCLUSION


The complete Classic Starter Pack by Zephyrine
As a conclusion, I would like to highlight that Zephrine focuses on using premium ingredients, ensures that all products are securely tested for safety and it has SGS certification which means all the products, processes and systems are compliant with the proper regulation and standards. I also respect that they do not use alcohol or artificial colors, does not use preservatives, does not contain heavy metal/silicon and does not experiment on animals. I don't know about you, but im a huge supporter of brands with values.

Well, that's all for now! Please note that this is only an introduction to the brand, and I will definitely be sharing with you a review on what I think of the product itself. Since I've only started using it for a few days now, its too soon to say on how good the product is, but do stay tuned on ze blog to find out! To keep things short, that's all for now. If you may have any questions, please feel free to leave me a comment below and I'll try my best to get back to you ASAP :)

Zephyrine

Friday, September 21, 2018

Stay Active and Energetic with Anlene


Hey guys, in case you haven't heard about my Anlene craze lately, I've been obsessed with the new Anlene formulation featuring 50% extra nutrients! Been pretty active in catching their on-going campaigns from RM1 breakfast hunting, to truck hunting, to even meeting Stacy Anam in person to jump with her in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. To be honest, I truely find campaigns as such really exciting to be a part of. So if you missed out on the excitement, here's a little breakdown on how my month went.



To those who know me pretty well, you would be aware that im very active in sports and also not to forget my ballet classes which I have to attend on a weekly basis. Getting older each day, I noticed that my level of energy and strength is slowly reducing, thus leading me to a solution to help keep my energy and bones strong to ensure that I can keep up with my active lifestyle. The reasons why I took part in this month's Anlene campaigns is mainly to understand the new formulation upgrade and also to basically snag some insane deals to save me some $$. Hehe. Here's what that went up!

Anlene RM1 Breakfast 



So, starting my month off with some Anlene goodness, I managed to grab myself an RM1 breakfast where I managed to grab myself 1 box drink of Anlene milk and a pack of bread to keep myself energized throughout the day. What I admired the most was that i never realized that breakfast is truly one of the most important meals of the day. I usually skip my breakfast thinking that I don't need that much of energy in the morning, but the truth is, when I actually consumed breakfast in the morning, it made me feel more productive during the day! Guys, legit all you need is a box of Anlene and bread to understand how much difference it made my day.

Anlene Roving Truck




Next, i was told that they were having a Roving Truck roving around Klang Valley. Lucky enough, I managed to catch one of their roving trucks in Kuala Lumpur via MRT and had a good time enjoying free testers and pretty cool activities planned by the Anlene team. But one of the highlights to me was the offers that the Roving Truck was offering. With deals that are hard to resist, I just had to get my hands on some Anlene goodness to stock up my fridge at home. Here, I managed to get 3 sets of Anlene milk at only RM10! Usually, a set would cost about RM6 on average, but im pretty happy that I managed to stock up before they went out of stock.

Meet Stacy Anam @ Anlene Jump Billboard



Coincidently, while I was catching the roving truck, I managed to also meet the none other Stacy Anam! I remember during my high school days, I used to watch her sing on 'Akademi Fantasia' and being able to see her life was pretty spazzing. Pretty happy to see her on the wagon to keep her body nutrients up with Anlene, setting a good example to her fans to follow too! I was eager to get a photo with her while jumping, but this photo would do I guess since she had tons of fans lining up to get a photo with her as well. In conjunction to that, Anlene also had an app challenge they are required to run on the spot to get yourself a free sample from the roving truck, which I believe everyone who participated had a good time breaking a sweat while getting a complimentary Anlene drink as a reward.


Just to conclude my memories of the month, I have been a loyal consumer of Anlene milk (specifically chocolate) and I realize that my bones do feel stronger and not to forget that I do feel a boost of energy each time I consume a box of Anlene milk. YUMS! Believe it or not, I even stock up some Anlene Milk in my office fridge just in case I need that extra boost of energy when I need it. With Protein, Collagen, and Calcium being packed in one nutritional drink, you can never go wrong with Anlene cause im living proof that it helped me maintain my physique. THANK YOU ANLENE! Psst, did you know that you can request for your free sample on Anlene from their official website? The link will be below, and you're welcome!

Anlene Malaysia

Friday, August 31, 2018

High Quality Pillows by Leyna | Reviewing Malaysian Pillows


An honest review of Leyna Pillows
I don't know about you, but I find pillows as a huge essential to get substantial beauty sleep that you need on a daily basis. Like legit, think about the last time you slept in a hotel which easily got you to doze off within seconds. So yes, this is my way to justify that pillows play a huge role for bedtime. The only thing is that most hotel pillows are usually crazy expensive that I struggle to find good pillows that are affordable. Thankfully, I found out about Leyna just recently and quickly took the opportunity to get my hands on it because it was insanely affordable for a high-quality pillow.

Whats important is that it's FLUFFY
And there's definitely enough head support
What makes Leyna pillows so different than other pillows? Well, let's start with the value of the brand. The brand believes that they can provide comfortable pillows at a lower rate and claims that instead of buying 4 pillows for a queen size bed, you’ll only need 2 just to get the pillow at the height you want. Did you know that it's important to get a pillow that is not too soft as it would strain your neck muscles and decrease the blood flow to your head? With that in mind, I’ll be sharing with you a review of my experience of using Leyna Pillows for the past 1 month.

Do you see that? Its made in Malaysia!
When delivered it comes in a pre-packed vacuumed bag
Upon receiving the pillow, I was in shock that it's received it in a flat vacuumed bag. Nothing to worry about as the vacuumed bag is only for easy storage and so that its easy to send for shipping. Hehe. Once you cut the bag open, the pillow would automatically expand on its own and its ready to be used after a few fluffs just so that you get the pillow in shape. I store extra's at home, just in case I need a new batch. So yeap, it saves me space and also gives the assurance of ensuring that I'll forever have an extra pillow in store.

I honestly love the prints this pillow has! So vintage and classy
In case you havent noticed, the pillow has an exclusive printed design on the pillow, giving you the option to use it as it is without a pillow case. It really depends on how you’d like to use the pillow, but personally, I believe the reason to this is so that when the pillow used without a pillowcase, it would encourage you to wash your pillow more frequently. Honestly, when was the last time you washed your pillow right? Haha. Don't worry guys! Im guilty too!

Find it too thick? Don't worry, there's a zip at the side!
To remove the extra fluff to suit your preferred thickness
For the past month, i actually enjoyed sleeping on this pillow by Leyna as the height of the pillow is perfect to support my head. But if you think its too high, fret not as you can just remove the fibres from the pillow since it has a side zip on one side. I think the details are really well thought of from the printing, the edges, the fine details and the filling of the pillow. Being the petite self I am, I have to admit that I practically removed half of the fluff out of the pillow to suit my preferred height. So feel free to remove the fluff! Hehe

VERDICT

Not to forget that it makes you look good in bed too. #nonaughtythoughts
An actual verdict, I would have to say that RM39 for 1 Leyna pillow, it's actually pretty good! The quality is the kind that would last you for years till you buy your next pillow. So far I took out the fiber cotton cause it eventually felt a little too high, but im happy that its flexible in a way that you can remove the cotton fibers when needed. There's one time, I got back home and just laid down on the bed with this pillow on my head and within 10 seconds, I dozed off! I usually have problems sleeping, but ever since I used the pillow I had no insomnia problems throughout the night.

Even my cat loves this pillow too! At only RM39/each, I think its a steal deal for head support!
As an overall conclusion, i have not regretted getting two Leyna pillows as it pretty much solved my insomnia nights. I honestly don't know what made this pillow so different, but i suspect that the support is good thus giving me better sleeping experience. If you’d like to know more about Leyna, please feel free to ask me any question or just leave a comment below. Hehe that's all for now. I know that i can go on and on and on, but i’ll keep this short cause its definitely recommended if youre looking for a pillow that provides good head support that assured you with comfort and a good night sleep

Leyna Elegant Pillows

Monday, August 20, 2018

BLACKMORES Vitamin E Cream is Now in Malaysia

Presenting to you the BLACKMORES Vitamin E Cream
Recently consuming BLACKMORES 10,000mg high strength collagen, and of course, when you're dating a pharmacist, you get pretty caught up with the type of skin care that you use and don't get me started about the supplements that you consider taking to maintain the health of your skin. Walking by Watsons the other day, I couldn't help but notice that Blackmores now has a skincare range targetted to provide your skin with Vitamin E. What is vitamin E? Vitamin E helps the skin to fight off radicals and at the same time reduce wrinkles to keep the skin looking youthful. If you're here to find out 'How to take care of your skin', well, with Blackmores Vitamin E would be one of your solutions!

When was the last time you got your skin checked?
Did you know that the skin can regenerate itself every 27 days? Living in a world with harsh environments and nutrient deficiencies can create an impact on the structure and function of the skin which may contribute to skin issues. Personally, I prefer going for natural supplements such as BLACKMORES to boost the collagen level in my skin, and now with their high-quality natural skincare, BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream range, it can help moisturize, protect, nourish, and soothe the skin by preventing moisture loss. With the basic ingredients containing vitamin E together with lanolin, avocado oil, apricot kernel oil and Vitamin A, each having its own functions to protect and restore the skin. It also has no artificial colors or fragrances being added to the product.

Fun fact: The BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E cream has been a part of the 
BLACKMORES range since 1978 (Which is equivalent to almost 40 years in 2018!)

BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream + Lanolin | RM35
Now let's get into details starting the BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream + Lanolin. This cream is a rich and soothing cream which helps to deeply moisturize and protect dry skin. Containing natural sources of vitamin E, 7% natural lanolin, avocado oil, apricot kernel oil and vitamin A, this cream helps prevent moisture loss by locking moisture into the skin and is suitable for both body and face. Great for everyday use and also as a very versatile moisturizer in any situation.

BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream Skin Bright | RM65
Targetting more detailed skin issues, if you're looking to achieve a brighter glowy skin, the BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream Skin Bright helps to moisturize and promote radiant skin. It contains antioxidants (licorice root extract, glabridin, wakame seaweed extract, vitamin E) which help to promote the appearance of a brighter complexion while vitamin A and oils of avocado and apricot kernel help to nourish and smoothen the skin.

BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream Skin Carrier | RM65 
Next would be a cream that would protect you when you're outdoors, the BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream Skin Barrier helps to protect the skin from the harsh environment and hydrates and softens the skin. This is a protective and hydrating cream blended with nourishing plant-derived oils containing omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids that form a film on the skin, providing a layer of protection from environmental pollutants with added DepollutineTM (moisturising algae) and PhytovieTM (a copolymer conditioning oils that help to provide a barrier to environmental pollutants).

BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream Firm & Smooth | RM65
And last but not lest would be the BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream Firm & Smooth helps moisturize and firm the skin and reduce the appearance of fine wrinkles. This cream is perfect to compliment your current anti-aging skincare as it contains DermcomTM that features Crocus crysanthus (snow crocus) bulb extract which improves skin firmness and skin elasticity, and Tamanu (Calophyllum inophyllum) seed oil that contains fatty acids (including calophyllic acid) which are emollient and function to fill in the fine lines, increase skin softness and smoothness, and improve the overall appearance of skin.

I was told that its best to constantly apply the cream for at least 2 weeks to see significant improvements. So, im thinking if i should share my experience on this with you guys? If i see a YES in the comments section, i'll update this post with a before and after result on the selected cream that i use. Hehe. Also, according to researchers, if you're using the Firm & Smooth range, it has significantly reduced wrinkle depth by 9% within 2 weeks! Not bad, not bad. Hehe

Mandatory photo with this pretty backdrop!
The BLACKMORES Vitamin E Cream range has been very popular overseas and I remember I had times where I had to purchase a few tubes and pumps of this specific range as requested by friends when im traveling. Well, guys, GOOD NEWS cause it's finally available in Malaysia! The BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream range is currently available exclusively in all Watsons Malaysia stores! So if you happen to be in Watsons, don't forget to check out this new collection out where the BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream + Lanolin retails at RM 35.00 for its single tube and the range of facial moisturizers retails at RM 65.00 for each pump bottle. Can't wait to get a bottle for myself to try it out! Shall I do a personal review on this? Leave me a comment below.

BLACKMORES