Friday, 30 January 2015

Wedding Cake Review - Klang Valley KL

Wedding Cake
Should I or should I not?

Every wedding have a wedding cake should so I? One would wonder if this element or what people see as an necessities, would I be a "lacking" bride? Therefore a bride should have one?

Or some would say, since the reception venue provide one why not? But have you wonder where does this weeding cake tradition come from and why is the cake always in tower tall and white / cream in colour?

Tiny bit of history I read

Wedding cake tradition actually started off from Rome (one of them I guess), where in ancient, people would break bread on the bride's head as a sign of blessing to the couple. In England, wedding cakes are then stacked high and the couple are suppose to kiss each other over the cake without knocking them down so that they would have a prosperous life together.

In fact, Chinese do have these wedding cake tradition too. They are known aa dowry cake. Unlike western who serve the cake during the morning wedding ceremony, dowry cake are given out to relatives before the wedding ceremony to inform that the wedding is approaching. In the past, these dowry cake are round shaped and look more like a pastry.

Let see the evolution of wedding cake.

Source: Google

Evolution of dowry cake.

The Malaysian style.

We Malaysian always know for unique culture or what some says a little touch of everything. What is being observed from friend around me, cup cakes are now used also used dowry cakes while wedding cakes are mostly source from wedding planners.

Today, my sharing are on the cup cakes and wedding cakes vendor that I have engaged before for my wedding, my baby full moon and also birthday! Some are my friends who have good review on their products. Hope you find my sharing useful for you.

This wedding cake are very much Victorian style. Ruffles and white cake of this 8 layered cake are just so elegant - By Burst in the Oven.

If you love ruffles and something cute, this cake will just blow you away. Simple classy three layered cake with a fine hand crafted icing top flower, what else can one ask for? - By Burst in the Oven.

Looking for something simple yet a little England touch? This cake fits you well. It is 100% hand craft, home made by a lovely friend of mine, I guarantee you it is one of the rare baker who serve you edible fondant because it is not diabetic-sweet! - By Lace that Cake

Playful couple need a playful theme cake - By I have sweet tooth.

Instead of having layered cake, how about stake up the cup cake on the beautiful tray and have a unique wedding cake that stand out of the crowd? Are you bold enough for the colour? - By Sweet Ending

Pretty sure a lot of you have seen her in wedding fair (recently at Saujana) or even magazine! Her cakes are highly recommended as they are just too pretty to eat. Guess her good service and reputation among returning customers did the magic. Enough said of that, look at her creative master piece. Originality is something that I want you to see in her - By In the Could Cakes

Fondant and icing top do the work. This baker is a AI designer background who make wonders with his cake. Something that you can rarely see anywhere. I bet he can make whatever you have in your mind, try him, I bet on him - By Eric

My Review

Above mentioned bakers are all review (tasted) by me except for Eric. I personally prefer Lace that Cake because the cake is less sweet and taste good compared to the rest. However, I find that Burst in Oven cake design can last longer (maybe is the icing top material?) compared to the rest.

However, my last draw come now. I engaged this lady for my party three times. Yes. Three time. Just because her price is so reasonable for the quality that she deliver.

Ready to have a peep?

Photo do the work. Tell her what you want and she can do it like almost identically and she give you her piece of professional advise (i.e. what type of topping, flavour, color) The only con of ordering from her? Location! My third order almost fell off because the cake is melting. Blame the delivery man. They just could not keep my cake cold enough. Other than that, I would give her my little michelin star - By Agnes

Tell me what you think - By Agnes

Hope you find my sharing useful! Enjoy your planning - once in a life time :)

Love,

Hot MaMa

Bricks & Barrels @ Desa Sri Hartamas

Posted on 16:51 by Unknown

A very convenient 2nd round to go after dinner at Naughty Nuri's.
Please follow here to our review on Naughty Nuri's
Bricks & Barrels is just located beside Naughty Nuri's.

Very nice ambiance with nice music.

We ordered Flaming Lamborghini for the 3 leavers.

3rd try to fire up

Disappointing
The flame dah mati lemas before we even started

Overall, a nice place to catch up with the folks.

Address: 76, Jalan 27/70a, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

X.O.X.O, Ms. Lor

Naughty Nuri's @ Desa Sri Hartamas

Posted on 16:50 by Unknown

Finally! My farewell from kerang peeps comes nearly 1 year late.
We went for BBQ pork cuisine at Naughty Nuri's @ Desa Sri Hartamas in KL.

The food...

NN's Signature Pork Ribs @ RM39
This is much better and tastier than the ribs served in other famous franchised restaurants

BBQ Pork Chop @ RM23
This is a no-no. The meat is tough and dry. *speechless*

BBQ Pork Loin @ RM25
This is not bad. Meat is juicy and tender, but nothing much to comment further. =P

The chili sauce accompanying the meat is awesome!! (refillable upon request)

The "lead" pork of the day - - Babi Guling~~
Whole piglet @ RM300
This is similar to the BBQ piglet that we'll have during wedding dinners. Nothing special about it.
Don't really fancy the sweet sauce which comes with it.

Lychee Martini @ RM28
One of the famous "shake-shake" martini.
Just another martini with singing and dancing while served.

The verdict...
Taste: as spelled out above
Portion: below expectation
Price (value-for-money): pricey for the portion , compensated by some of the delicious meat
Ambiance: bright, airy ; packed, noisy, tables are closed to each other
Service: good
Convenient-ability: easily searchable via Waze ; limited parking space

Note: It's essential to make reservation

Address: No.2, Ground Floor, 20/70A,, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur

Phone:019-339 9611

This might be "once in a lifetime" experience.

Please follow us to our 2nd round after Naughty Nuri's at Bricks & Barrels.

X.O.X.O, Ms. Lor

Why I hate Freemie and it's improved version

Posted on 11:00 by Unknown

Freemie - Improved Version

When I first purchase Freemie, I was so happy because of the hands free function but the longer I used, the more flaws I discovered. One of the most annoying lacking features of Freemie is that the cup is faintly tint. I could not see what is happening inside the pump (i.e. whether the suction is good, if I position my nipple correctly and etc.).

I hate Freemie because of all these but then, the improved version impressed me :)

If you remember my previous sharing about the cons of Freemie, today's blog post will be a good news for mummies who have the same concern.

There are a few improvements on the new cups, which will be very beneficial for all mothers :

1) The new Freemie cups will come with transparent cups instead of translucent cups, so that mothers can see directly into the cups while pumping to see the amount of milk collected.

2) The Freemie logo, funnel sizes and milk measurements in Ounces will be engraved into the cups!

3) All Freemie cups will come with 2 backflow protectors and all the accessories needed to pump with all brands of breast pumps.

My previous sharing as follows:

My sharing on Freemie will be categorised as below so that it ease your search.

Love,

Hot MaMa

Friday, 23 January 2015

Posted on 10:00 by Unknown

Yoomi – A Feeding Revolution

How did you come to know about Yoomi?

I was passed a set of the Yoomi self-warming bottle and an extra warming pod for the purpose of this review. However, it does not in any way affect my review and the opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This was the first time I’ve heard about Yoomi and the packaging itself differentiated it from the other baby bottles on the market. Besides the standard parts that you would normally find when buying a baby bottle, there was an extra pod and warmer inside.

What would you say is so special about Yoomi?

Yoomi is the first self-warming baby bottle on the market. According to yoomi.com, this revolutionary product is able to gently warm your baby’s feed to the natural temperature of breast milk in just 60 seconds.

It’s also user-friendly with its 3-step approach:

Charge the warmer – this can be done in 2 minutes using a microwave oven or 30 minutes in a pan of boiling water.
When it’s time to feed, simply press the button on the warmer to start warming.
Just wait for 60 seconds and voila, your baby can now be fed!

The warmer also stays warm for 1 hour in case your baby doesn’t finish the feed at one go. It even comes with a nifty chart for you to mark how many times you’ve charged the warmer!

How was your experience with the Yoomi self-warming bottle?

For this review, I tested the Yoomi when I was out shopping with my girl and even at a wedding, as she prefers to latch directly when we’re at home.

Pros:

I like that there is more than 1 way to charge the warmer – as I do not own a microwave oven, I put the warmer into a pan of boiling water for 30 minutes to charge it.
I no longer have to lug around a thermal bag with her feed and worry about it getting cold. Now my baby can have a warm feed each time.
With this Yoomi bottle, it does allow me to dress as I please and not be too concerned about dressing to nurse her in public.

Cons:

The warmer does tend to add a bit of weight to the bottle, but this is a minor drawback when compared to the convenience.
30 minutes is a relatively long time to charge the pod. The mitigating factor is that multiple warmers can be charged at one go.
Once the warmer is charged, it takes about an hour to cool down (using the warmer when it’s still hot may damage the product). So, a bit of planning ahead is needed.

Conclusion:

It does indeed bring convenience to parents who bottle feed their babies as they can dispense with having a separate warmer at home and thermal bags when they’re out and about.
As it warms the milk up in 60 short seconds, night-time feeds will also become more bearable for parents who are already surviving on little sleep.
Having said that, parents eyeing this should bear in mind that having more than one warmer will make it even more effective.

Where to buy:

PumpLove +016 774 9968

** This review is contributed by a friend of mine who is a full time working mother with a 10mo baby girl. Thank to her kind review and sharing tips :)

Love,
Hot MaMa

Travelogue #5 Seoul, Korea Winter 2014 Insa-dong & Samcheong-dong

Posted on 12:00 by Unknown

(source: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/)

I was considering whether should I go for Samcheong-dong or Insa-dong and there, I found rebecca did a good write up on these two places.

If you are wondering of the differences between Samcheong-dong and Insa-dong (though the title of both of my posts would have explained it), it’s pretty simple – both are ancient yet modern streets, but Insa-dong offers more shopping for beauty and cosmetics brands and as well as traditional craft while Samcheong-dong leans more towards boutiques with local designer products (clothes, bags, jewellery) plus pretty cafes.

Source: http://www.rebeccasaw.com/insa-dong-seoul-korea-food-cafes-arts-souvenirs-shopping-leisure-cultural/

Ssamziegil is within Insa-dong and is famously know as mini insa-dong inside insa-dong. It has very fabulous graffiti and packed with shops that sells sourveniors and handcrafts gifts.

Read more here and here!
How to get there?

Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 6.
Go 100m straight, then turn left.
OR
Jonggak Station (Seoul Subway Line 1), Exit 3.
Go straight 300m, and turn left at the 4-way Intersection.
Go straight 100m, and take the left road towards Insadong-gil Road.

Love,
HotMama

Travelogue #4 Seoul Korea, Winter 2014 Attractions & Travel Guide

Posted on 12:00 by Unknown

A thesis titled Where to Visit during winter at Seoul, Korea (Just my two cent thought in fact)

Happily bought the ticket when YOLO told me there is AirAsia Sale. Impulsive buying again. Gonna make full use of this trip since this is going to be my second honeymoon with my hubby.

Seoul, Korea.
Winter.
Me + Hubby.
It is gonna be an awesome trip!

First, let me start with the recommended 5 days travel itinerary by the Korea Travel website.
Link: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr

Day 1: Seoul: City Tour Sightseeing at Changdeokgung Palace → Insadong → Cheonggyecheon Stream → N Seoul Tower → Hotel or shopping at Dongdaemun Market
Day 2: Sightseeing in Suwon Depart from Seoul to Suwon → Sightseeing at Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and Everland → Back to Seoul
Day 3: Namiseom Island Depart from Seoul → Namiseom Island → Gangchon Resort (go night skiing and spend the night at Gangchon Resort)
Day 4: Seoul Gangchon Resort (go skiing in the morning) → Back to Seoul

What I can see from the suggested itinerary of what are the must visit are, heritage palace, food market, amusement park, night market and ski activities. Thus I make sure I visit all these attractions but which to go is the decision to make.

After all the research I keep contemplating which should I go for when I only have 5 days! Thus, let me share my research (all information that I can find online) with you. After all the hard work, I actually feel I have completed a thesis. LOL

Place to visit

Heritage Palace (Top 5)

Gyeongbokgung (경복궁)
Gyeonghuigung (경희궁)
Changdeokgung (창덕궁)
Changgyeonggung (창경궁)
Deoksugung (덕수궁

My choice: Gyeongbokgung - simply is the grandest and most well keep and Changyeonggung the secret garden as recommended by the late emperor LOL My review here

Amusement Park

Everland Park
Lotte World
Seoul Land

My choice: Everland because it have both outdoor and indoor, more variety in terms of sight seeing and rides.

Ski Resort

Bear Town
Jisan
Konjiam
Yangji
Gangchon

My choice: Sharing my compilation and review here. Opt to go for Gangchon because it is nearest to Nami Island.

Shopppping

Gwangmyeong
Insadong
Dongdeamum
Namdeamum
Ssamziegil
Ewha university (nearby night market)

My choice: Going for all if I can make it.

Must Try Foodie

Strawberry and Banana Milk
Hotteok (3 main types)
Gingseng chicken
Bugolgi
King crab
Bimbimbap
Korean BBQ
Sujebi
..

My choice: Too many!! I will update everything that goes into my mouth :P

Hotmama tipsss

Seoul Tips! Rent a pocket wifi for your stays in Seoul. Although many cafes and hotels have free wifi, it's always handy to have them with you for google maps

Seoul Tips! Average fare from Incheon Airport to Seoul is about 10,000W - 15,000W, travelling time 1.5hours - 2 hours. Subway rides around city is about 1,000W - 1,500W.

Groupon M Square Salon review - 2015 new year hair do for breastfeeding mum (it is ammonia free hair colouring!)

Posted on 14:35 by Unknown

Chinese New Year is coming and my favorite salon is fully booked. Well, decided to give Groupon a shot to see if there's any good deal of the day to give my hair a little love :p Decided to give M Square Salon a try because (i) not bad review thus far (ii) use ammonia free product (good/better for breastfeeding mother) and (iii) it is new!

Breastfeeding mother like me often ask, is it safe to do chemical hair services while we BF? Will the ammonia pass thru my BM? Well,experiences mother say it is actually safe to do that, you may refer here, here and here! Even research say it is fine but then again it is up to you, read more here!

Anyway, if you are a little sceptical like me (or we call ourself the kiasi mummy) then opt for organic or ammonia free chemical service -lah (ok my hubby say i am just try to console myself anyhow)

Who don't want to be pretty during CNY?!

My review on M Square Salon.

The shop is newly open in November 2014. They have two outlets; Puchong and Klang respectively. Puchong outlet have 3 stylist and 2 assistant (also a lovely receptionist). It is located upstairs of a coffee shop which is corner, easily spotted when you drive nearby. They are able to accommodate 6 customers at the same time, 2 VIP in another room plus a comfortable area for the mani and pedicure.

My verdict: Location is easily accessible but located above coffee shop is a little bit not my thing. Imagine walking out smelling good and pass by the chicken wing barbecue uncle.

My hair coloring. I bought voucher which entitle me to do a hair coloring - ammonia free using Eugene Perma Hair Care Product from Paris. It also include hair cut, blow and wash. Eugene Perma is excluse trio of plant and mineral which have ingredient that is essential for hair.

My verdict: When I was doing my hair colouring, there was not scent of the strong chemical smell at all! I feel so ~~organic~~ ~~ammonia free~~ ~~natural~~ happy! Haha I give it a 5 likes!

I was lucky enough because they are new so there are promotion going on in the shop. Only MYR88 for this hair colouring. Then again I was peeping at their menu and realise it is the same price if you walk in (just that it is without hair cut). Buy groupon from here!

My verdict: I was given a range of selection of color to choose of. No limitation of color. No hidden cost. Stylist is not push on my to buy anything extra. For the result, highly recommended!

Peace (Y) That's me and Jacky :) Have a nice day!

Psssstt! They having MYR28 promotion for mani and pedicure now! Using OPI products! I am gonna try it soon. Well, dear M Square Salon owner, can you give me a free mani and pedicure since I am your returning customer?

Love,
Hot MaMa