Have Perut Will Travel...: February 2022

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Sunday 13 February 2022

GOMONAE Korean Restaurant

нello everyone! we are caт and нarold. welcoмe тo oυr blog, creaтed ιn нonoυr oғ oυr devoтιon тo тнe everyday ғood ғor тнe everyday perѕon, aѕ well aѕ тo caтalogυe oυr мeмorιeѕ, lιғe'ѕ evenтѕ, and тravelѕ wнere oυr 'perυт' (тυммy) leadѕ тнe way!

Without a doubt Korea Gomonae has been our firm favourite in terms of Korean cuisine for an awfully long time now. Despite its diminutive and cramped premises and with no facilities for barbecuing, we still come back time and again for its simple dishes.

Run by a Korean Ahjumma (married, or middle-aged woman) we have always been certain that the dishes served were authentic. With less than 10 tables and limited seating we made sure to come early to avoid disappointment. As always, we ordered the:

a bowl of Jjajangmyeon (noodles with black bean sauce) for RM20
a serving of Dak Bulgogi (marinated thin slices of chicken) for RM22.00
a cup of hot coffee for RM5.00
a can of Coca Cola for RM4.00

What was the damage? We were incredibly happy that the entire meal was devoid of service charge, but a little uneasy since it came up to RM51.00 (approximately USD12/EUR11) which in our minds was a little steep. Being a novelty cuisine however, we didn’t mind paying a little more.

Our verdict? The Jjajangmyeon here has always been my firm favourite, while Cat loves all manner of Bulgogi here. Needless to say, we will be coming back for more!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Korea Gomonae @ Ampang Point - https://goo.gl/maps/R1SuiN8tVYHEDqau7

We do what we can to support local businesses, and it's always good to know that everyone here observes all related SOPs, it helps make us feel safer and reassured.

Mall Hopping Sunday (Avenue K, Ampang Point, Korea Gomonae)

I noticed that my wardrobe was getting a little dull and gloomy and decided that a trip to my favourite low-cost apparel store, Max Fashion would be in order. Since we planned to visit two shopping malls we agreed against driving, and instead opted to take the bus which we had not been on since the pandemic.

Mindful of the fact Covid-19 cases have been on an alarming upward trend in Malaysia we took all precautions necessary for our little trip which included hand sanitisers, a small alcohol little containers of hand wash and extra face masks.

A short MyRapid bus ride later and we were in Avenue K, situated across KLCC. We love the fact that this shopping mall does not draw nearly as many patrons as its more illustrious brethren across the street and found our time here to be pleasant and relaxing.

We took the opportunity to reload our Touch N Go cards at the LRT station located at its basement. We then rode a few flights of escalators to Max Fashion where I spend some time perusing their collection of T-shirts before settling on a few.

We then took another short MyRapid bus ride to Ampang Point to have lunch at Korea Gomonae. Showing its age, we found it quite cramped, and observing social distancing quite a challenge here. Truth be told it was our first time to Ampang Point since the pandemic, and if not for Korea Gomonae we may not consider coming here again.

From past experiences here parking is a let-down which is why we took the bus. With poor ventilation and gloomy alleyways, a warm and welcoming shopping it is not. Oh well, we move on. Needing to replenish our stocks of nails and cable ties we paid Mr DIY a visit as well, before heading back home on another MyRapid bus.

While we give Avenue K our collective thumbs up, we hope that Ampang Point gives some thought about refurbishing its premise and ensuring that social distancing is made possible to its patrons.

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Avenue K Shopping Mall - https://g.page/avenue-k-shopping-mall?share

Max Fashion @ Avenue K Shopping Mall

- https://goo.gl/maps/2JLhJhi5QXFLvyBo8

Ampang Point - https://goo.gl/maps/rAYwsPZTzhDGGdE9A

Korea Gomonae @ Ampang Point - https://goo.gl/maps/R1SuiN8tVYHEDqau7

MR.DIY - https://goo.gl/maps/paBmvM4392uffQ5R6

We do what we can to support local businesses, and it's always good to know that everyone here observes all related SOPs, it helps make us feel safer and reassured.

RAPIDKL Bus Hopping

Covid-19 cases have been on an alarming upward trend in Malaysia with cases breached the five-figure mark on a week ago (6 February) and have been climbing ever since! The Health Ministry reported 22,802 new Covid-19 cases yesterday, bringing the cumulative infections to 3,019,163 while the national infectivity rate (R number) stood at 1.51 which is detrimental to efforts to prevent an exponential spread of the virus.

With that in mind we stayed home for pretty much the entire week but decided to take a bus ride this morning to 'stretch our legs'. Brendan had a slumber party with a small group of friends, so we were on our own for the weekend.

We walked a short distance to the small MyRapid bus terminal opposite Jakel Mall, and within a few minutes found ourselves on a double decker RapidKL bus number 300 headed to Avenue K. Seeing as it was the first time taking a bus since the pandemic, we were a little apprehensive but found comfort in the fact that the bus was practically empty.

At Avenue K I paid MAX Fashion a visit to see if I could get some new T-shirts. We then hopped on another double decker RapidKL bus number 300 headed to Ampang Point (which was also quite empty) where we intended to have an early lunch (or is it brunch?) at an old favourite Korean restaurant.

Lunch out of the way we popped into Mr DIY before hopping on another double decker RapidKL bus number 300 opposite Ampang Point and headed in the opposite direction to get back home. This time the bus was a little busy, but bearably so. All in all, we were pleasantly surprised to have the double decker RapidKL bus number 300 pretty much to ourselves, and on each bus ride we managed to snare the front seats on the upper berth.

For anyone in the general vicinity of our home heading in the general direction of Ampang we cannot recommend the double decker RapidKL bus number 300 enough!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

KL31 Hentian Munshi Abdullah - https://goo.gl/maps/YJxpaTBgg6sQWcQTA

KL2301 KLCC (Opp) - https://goo.gl/maps/d1SCjkMRVY3d6BgE9

AJ 108 Hab Ampang Point - https://goo.gl/maps/7XXqEpZY8dvKpzKz9

Wednesday 2 February 2022

Plaza Damas BARBER SHOP

It's the second day of Chinese New Year!

After a most sumptuous lunch we set out to Plaza Damas, Cat wanted to pick up a few things from Mercato and Caring Pharmacy while I had an appointment with my barber Santhosh. A half an hour later we arrived, and I made my way to the barber shop simply known as "Kedai Gunting Rambut" or quite literally "Barber Shop". The proprietor Kumar is a friendly and efficient barber, and his partner Santhosh is my go-to barber these days.

I've been coming here for a few years now and have grown accustomed to Santhosh's particular style of cut. If you are in the neighbouring looking for a decent shave and haircut that will only set you back RM35 (approximately USD8/EUR7) do give Santhosh and Kumar a visit!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

(opposite Technique Hair Saloon) - https://goo.gl/maps/ZwTKD5QfEeZxUHP89

We do what we can to support local businesses, and it's always good to know that everyone here observes all related SOPs, it helps make us feel safer and reassured.

ASTANA Restaurant

It's the second day of Chinese New Year!

We are avid fans of the Youtuber Benjamin Rich, better known by his YouTube channel name Bald and Bankrupt and have watched virtually all his videos. We have especially enjoyed his 'adventurizing' in the post-Soviet states and agree that his channel is "where foreigners show you real Russia".

We've often wondered what Shashlik and Borsh tasted like, and partly to make up for our lowkey reunion night dinner decided to splash out on a proper feast at Astana Restaurant. Its facebook page boasts "Our restaurant combines in its menu the best dishes of oriental cuisine (Kazakh and Uzbek), as well as a wide selection of Russian culinary masterpieces, and is able to pleasantly surprise the most demanding and picky gourmets."

We were eager to try some authentic Asian Russian cuisine, and so after a quick scan of the menu, we ordered the:

1 serving of Khachapuri (traditional Georgian dish of cheese-filled bread) for RM25.00
2 serving of Beef Plov (rice simmered in a rich stew of meat and vegetables) for RM34.00
1 bowl of Borscht Soup (loaded with meat, potatoes, vegetables, cabbage and beets) for RM12.00
3 skewers of Shashlik Lamb (skewered and grilled cubes of meat) for RM30.00
1 jug of Kvas (fermented cereal-based beverage)for RM20.00
1 bowl of Olivier Salad (potatoes, vegetables, eggs, meat, mayonnaise) for RM12.00
1 glass of Passion Fruit Juice for RM10.00

What was the damage? This Russian-Kazakh-Uzbek feast inclusive of a 10% service charge came up to RM157.30 (approximately USD38/EUR33). Our verdict? We especially enjoyed the Beef Plov, to the point that we ordered a second serving. We were incredibly pleased with our introduction to Asian Russian cuisine and will look forward to more!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Astana Restaurant - https://g.page/AstanaRestaurant?share

We do what we can to support local businesses, and it's always good to know that everyone here observes all related SOPs, it helps make us feel safer and reassured.

Tuesday 1 February 2022

TACO BELL Cyberjaya

It's Chinese New Year Day!

We resisted the temptation to join the mass exodus out of Kuala Lumpur and spent a quiet reunion dinner at home.

With nothing planned today I thought I would take them out for some so-called Mexican food. The first Taco Bell in Malaysia was opened last year here in Cyberjaya, and there have been three more branches opened in the Klang Valley ever since. We were in the mood for a drive anyway, and within half an hour we arrived at Taco Bell Cyberjaya.

After a quick scan of the menu, we ordered the:

2 Taco Supreme for RM15.90
Chicken Quesadilla for RM13.90
Grilled Stuft Burrito for RM14.90
Loaded Nachos for RM15.90

We acknowledge that this novelty Mexican meal cannot be considered everyday food for the everyday man and including taxes it eventually came up to RM64.20 (approximately USD15.34/EUR13.64). Our verdict? It was okay, but we've honestly had better 'Mexican' food at a food truck nearby!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Taco Bell Cyberjaya - https://goo.gl/maps/VXdHMs5Bq8r2cFRU7

We do what we can to support local businesses, and it's always good to know that everyone here observes all related SOPs, it helps make us feel safer and reassured.