HB

A long, personal journey worth having.

theobroma CHOCOLATE Lounge

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theobroma

theobroma CHOCOLATE Lounge is a dessert establishment specializing in everything chocolate. It’s an international franchise with outlets in Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. The first chocolate lounge in Malaysia that I recall was the popular chocz in Suria KLCC.

theobroma interior

Theobroma is located right in the middle of 1 Utama shopping mall’s passageway, much like it’s predecessor chocz. The setting doesn’t deter chocolate lovers from the lounge though, mainly due to the ample partitions and leather tub chairs, which is well insulated from the throngs of shoppers.

theobroma montage

Theobroma also sells a wide range of chocolate and cakes – it’s the place to be for people with a sweet tooth.

fair lady

I ordered the Fair Lady (RM 12.90) that came in a mug and warmer. It’s one of their specialties made with Belgian milk chocolate. The melted chocolate on the rim of the mug is not the result of carelessness, but the signature finish of theobroma. It’s rich and creamy, with the warmer keeping the drink hot throughout the experience.

fair lady macro

The Fair Lady comes with Belgian milk chocolate shavings down the middle of the frothy drink – a very nice touch. It melts as you consume it, due to the temperature of the beverage. It’s sinfully delicious, and comes highly recommended from me.

princess of iceland

Doris opted for the Princess of Iceland (RM 10.90) – a cold chocolate concoction with beautiful swirls adorning the sides. This Belgian iced chocolate beverage is made with dark and milk chocolate and comes with a scoop of premium chocolate ice cream on top. It’s thirst quenching, but I prefer my Fair Lady for pure, unadulterated chocolate pleasure. 🙂

chocolate affair

We also ordered the signature Chocolate Affair (RM 25.90) – a chocolate fondue with four seasonal fruits for two people. Ours came with bananas, oranges, kiwi fruit…

chocolate affair strawberry

…and strawberries hidden at the back. A strawberry dipped in chocolate is a sweet and tangy contrast that has to be experienced at least once. The melted chocolate inside the warmer can also be consumed straight for a sugar rush or dipped with the marshmallows that come with the platter.

theobroma us

There is something not quite right about me feeding my girlfriend a banana and her reciprocating with a strawberry but I assure you that any innuendo is unintended. 😉

theobroma splash

…even the Splash Damage (TM) that occurred when she accidentally dropped her strawberry down my pants.

theobroma end

theobroma CHOCOLATE Lounge is a great place for people with a sweet tooth. It’s a perfect destination for post lunch or dinner desserts and celebrates all things chocolate – which I’m told is better than sex.

Jarrod & Rawlins, 1U

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jr restaurant

Jarrod & Rawlins is the self-dubbed “Purveyors of fine food & wine” and I decided to check out the place by virtue of a single sign:

jr fresh bacon

Jarrod & Rawlins serves pork and is a restaurant, deli, café and bar all rolled into one. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not an English establishment, but a homegrown operation with the first outlet in Desa Sri Hartamas.

jr promo

I went to the one in 1U with my girlfriend to sample their renowned Sizzling Mix Platter. I have to admit that the tantalizingly placed RM 50 for 5 bottles of Heineken promotion at the entrance was another factor in our chosen destination for lunch.

jr montage

Jarrod & Rawlins is physically partitioned into two dining experiences – there is seating at the front with a café/deli environment and another section to the back called simply “The Pub”, with a more relaxed ambiance. There is a delicatessen serving a wide range of cold cuts and cheeses as well as a pastry counter with offerings of the flaky and puffy variety.

jr beer

I ended up drinking most of the Heineken since Doris opted to go for the orange juice instead so I estimate that’s about 1.7 kg of appetite ruining liquid down the hatch during lunch. I should have gone for the imported beers instead and have a more reasonable amount instead of bloating myself with all that amber fluid.

jr steak sandwich

Steak Sandwich (RM 28)
This is the steak sandwich that I ordered with everything on. They have optional onions and butter for the more health conscious ones amongst us, a fraternity that I’ve never been part of. 😉

jr steak sandwich macro

You can also choose how you like your steak – I had it medium rare, which most establishments mess up, but Jarrod & Rawlins knows what medium rare is. I can’t say that I enjoyed the steak sandwich though, it’s a little plain and on the bland side, not adjectives you use to describe good food.

jr sizzling mix platter

Sizzling Mix Platter (RM 38)
Mixed platter of caramelized ribs, dynamite chili, chorizo, pork belly and streaky bacon served with fries, corn on the cob, asparagus, semi sun dried tomatoes and black pepper or onion gravy in a proper sauce dish on the side.

This is the signature dish of Jarrod & Rawlins and it did not disappoint. There is a wide range of pork offerings and it came sizzling hot. It literally sizzles for about a minute or so due to the hot platter it was served on.

jr sizzling montage

The Sizzling Mix Platter came in a generous portion that took an almost gargantuan effort on our part to finish. I love the spicy pork sausage in this dish – it’s not just mildly spicy, it’s Head for the Hills (to milk the cows) hot. Highly recommended!

jr us

Jarrod & Rawlins is a great place for a hearty lunch. I recommend the Sizzling Mix Platter if you’re feeling particularly famished and there are other menu items to cater for the more health conscious ones amongst us.

jr sign

The bill came up to a total of RM 147.20. It’s not cheap but you could probably shave the bill to a little under RM 100 if you don’t order alcohol.

iichiko mugi shochu

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iichiko

iichiko mugi shochu is a 100% barley shochu from Japan. Japanese shochu is usually made from either sweet potatoes, rice or barley and though it’s difficult to differentiate between the three, I tend to prefer barley fermented drinks.



iichiko mugi shocho weighs in at a respectable 25% alcohol and in the new format of alcohol reviews, this is done vlog style, complete with fake Japanese accent. 😉

Stepping into the Cheeserland.com lair

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cheesie condo

I dropped by Cheesie’s condo earlier this morning to pick up the carton of Marlboros that she had gotten for me duty free during her recent trip to Shanghai. It’s the first time I’ve been to her place and it’s a really nice condominium unit with great security. I’m thinking of getting one myself once my paycheck stabilizes – it’s just about what you would pay for rent, except you get to own the property at the end.

cheesie marlboro

A big thank you goes out to Ringo, who has kindly contributed to my chances of getting lung cancer. 😉

Kidding. I less than 3 you.

How much are you getting?

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speak no evil

Remuneration issues tend to be rather sensitive and most people employ the “Speak no evil” approach to surveys on wages. “The wages of sin is death” and all that aside, I’m very curious about the market rate around KL and Klang Valley (including other states in Malaysia). How much are you getting? Please state your chronological age, gender and profession if you feel comfortable divulging that information.

I’m happy with what I’m getting right now, but it’s just like the itch you can’t scratch. I’m just interested in the market trends for different professions.

Sharing is caring. 😉

(Curiosity also killed the cat, and I’m using way too many idioms in this post)

Skol Super Beer 9% alcohol

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skol super beer pack

Skol Super Beer is a new product line from Skol that lays claim to “The only 9% alcohol super strong beer”. The statement is not inaccurate – it is the King of Lagers (in a fiefdom of mostly 5% alcohol standard beers). Certain fortified beers like Carlsberg’s Special Brew attempt to challenge the sovereignty of Skol Super Beer, weighing in at a respectable 8.8% – close, but no cigar.

skol super beer

The extra 0.2% alcohol in Skol Super Beer crowns it as the current king of all beers (measured by ethanol content). It is by far the highest alcohol content lager among all the other brands over here. I picked up a 3-pack at Jusco for just RM 12.80 (the special introductory price), which works out to about RM 4.20 per can. Skol is of Brazilian origin and considered a less premium brand than Carlsberg Special Brew, but it’s cheaper by a few dollars and has the potential to capture the middle income, non-discerning ethanol consumer market.

The interesting trend with beer nowadays is the introduction of the 3-pack. The six-pack beer packaging is a very established tradition, and to go against that convention would be considered heretical by beer aficionados. However, I have noticed several advantages to the 3-pack retail mechanism – it’s at the right price point for the consumption habits of the majority of casual drinkers.

Skol Super Beer – A very strong lager of the highest quality.

Mobilization @ outdoyourself.com.my

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Rallying all sixthseal.com readers!

sixthseal

Remember the post I made about mountain biking down a flight of concrete stairs? It’s now available at outdoyourself.com.my under the Extreme Sports category. You can vote for the video here.

My ranking is now a respectable 6.3 points but I suspect that’ll change very soon since it’s the only video in the Extreme Sports category. The other one is a sample video. Now, I’m sure you can do better than me, so start filming yourself doing the Me Against the World Challenge.

You can do Sports, Dance, Extreme Sports or Lifestyle videos. It’s no fun being the King of the Hill if I’m the only one on the hill so get off your respective posteriors and challenge me!

buzz

I like how my blurb goes – “Taking the challenge and through cuts and bruises, this tough guy shows us just why fear is not an option when in a challenge”. I’m sure you can do better than me so let’s bring it on – strut your stuff! The contest is open to everyone!

banner

The Me Against the World Challenge energized by 100PLUS is going on a college roadshow tour with JJ & Rudy of Hitz.fm Morning Crew fame making a special appearance at HELP University recently. Note down the dates of the college roadshows:

(All the below events run from 9 am till 6 pm)

20th of October at – Taylors College
21st of October at – KBU International College
22nd of October at – ICOM College
23rd of October at – TAR College
24th of October at – KDU Smart College
28th of October at – Cineleisure (scarlet)
29th of October at – Taylors ADP
30th of October at – HELP College
31st of October at – Dasien College
3rd of November at – Sunway College
4th of November at – Cineleisure (scarlet)
5th of November at – Segi College
6th of November at – The One Academy
7th of November at – TAR College

Challenge yourself at the college roadshows or upload a video of yourself doing something challenging in one of the four categories to win prizes from Nike, Sony and Topshop.

Not so keen on mountain biking down concrete stairs? Well, you can always register as a voter and vote for your favorite videos. You get a chance to win Nike vouchers worth RM 50 every month. There will be 5 vouchers given out per month so you stand a pretty good chance at snagging one of those by just voting.

Voting for me, of course. 😉

Project Bleeding Heart: Heart shaped pudding with real human blood

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Project Bleeding Heart started off innocently enough – my girlfriend found a heart shaped sugar piece on top of a cookie during Hari Raya and (forcibly) inserted it into my mouth, saying that she has metaphorically given her heart to me. Thus, I was coerced to reciprocate in kind and she insisted on me personally making an edible heart for her during our second monthsary.

ingredients

I guess she didn’t know how far I would go. Be careful what you wish for…you just might get it. 😉

You will need:

Field Song Egg Pudding Powder
Arnott’s Tim Tam Love Potions – Chocolate Mud
“It’s love at first bite”
Arnott’s Tim Tam Crush – Mocha Hazelnut
“It’s one Crush that’s sure to end in love…”
Nestle Reduced Fat Cream
Nestle Milo Grab N Go can
Win Vokda Ice Purple XS
Heart shaped molds

Optional:
Razor blade
A few drops of blood from your veins

no heart

The first challenge was getting the heart shaped mold. It was much more difficult than I thought. Heart shaped molds should be everywhere, right? It’s just about the most common design! I thought it would be everywhere. Unfortunately, actually finding a heart shaped mold took us to three (3) different places, to no avail. We found molds in the shape of stars, triangles, circles, and even weird oblique designs…but no hearts.

big heart

The closest we got was this HUGE heart shaped non-stick baking pan…a bit of an overkill for this project. Plus, I don’t think I would be able to bleed enough to fill the pan. I would probably pass out from blood loss or something before the colossal pan filled up.

barbie

We finally managed to get two (admittedly) cheesy Barbie knockoffs molds from a Chinese specialty import outlet (the retail industry prefers the technical term “Cina Mari shop”). It’s made of melamine infused plastic and has a Barbie look-alike imprint, but it was heart shaped and for all intents and purposes, it was sufficient for the single-use, disposable nature of the project.

tim tams

The Arnott’s Tim Tams were procured in New Zealand. My sister just came back and brought back a box of the stuff. I went for the two romance-themed special edition Tim Tams for the project. Tim Tam Love Potions and Tim Tam Crush (as in infatuation, not demolish) are limited edition Tim Tams that I decided to use as a garnish for the pudding.

process

The directions for making the egg pudding were pretty straightforward – the contents of the packet is to be mixed into 500 ml of boiling water and stirred for an unspecified time. I just poured in a little more than a small 500 ml mineral water bottle (to compensate for evaporation) into a saucepan and added in the pudding mixture when it started boiling. The mixture was stirred for about a minute or so before I turned off the heat.

creamy blood

Next, comes the interesting part. I took a razor blade and made a small incision on my left hand at a particularly juicy vein and allowed the blood to drip into the Nestle Reduced Fat Cream – the topping for the pudding. This is of course, rather unorthodox (not to mention unsanitary for consumers who are not already exchanging bodily fluids with you ;)) so it’s a highly optional step.

blood harvest

I also took the liberty of scooping up more blood from the gash and managed to harvest about half a tablespoon of the red stuff in total.

topping

The blood is mixed into the cream by folding it with a spoon before adding a bit of Milo Grab N Go (a RTD – Ready To Drink malt concoction) for flavoring. The cream will acquire a tinge of pink before turning a chocolate hue. The cream topping is set aside…

pour mold

…while the pudding mixture is poured into the heart shaped molds and left at room temperature for 15 minutes. Field Song Egg Pudding Powder sets extremely rapidly. It started solidifying after just a minute in the mold. It still requires refrigeration though, so we transferred it to the fridge and left it in there for 30 minutes.

dallop

The egg pudding turned out to be a perfect heart shape! =D It came out easily from the mold due to the high density of the pudding. It just plopped down when the mold was upended. I added several dollops of the patented Bleeding Heart Topping (TM) on top and garnished it with Arnott’s Tim Tams.

project bleeding heart

This is Project Bleeding Heart – made with blood, sweat and (manly) tears. 😉

Heineken UEFA Champions League – Be Prepared!

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great-together

Heineken is running an online contest on the UEFA Champions League. However, this is not your standard run-off-the-mill contest where you fill in your particulars and tick a few easy to answer questions. Heineken Be Prepared is actually a fully interactive online Flash game!

beer-delivery

The Heineken Be Prepared game has three stages/games – I’ve just completed the first game (Beer Delivery) and found out that I need two other players to complete the remaining stages. I must applaud Heineken for this campaign – it’s very interactive and social, the next wave of online content. The game even has a nice ending video clip to reward you!

video

The Be Prepared games are not about football (soccer) so you don’t need to be a football fan to enjoy it. There are three games – Beer Delivery, Mexican Wave and Beer Slide, which are all arcade style games. I played Beer Delivery, which required me to memorize a map and then guide a Heineken beer truck to the supermarket.

I’m not good with memorizing stuff so I need someone who can do that as a team partner. Heineken Be Prepared requires three (3) people to play so I need two more players.

finish

The second game is described as Mexican Wave, where someone who is good in DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) type games would come in handy here.

I will be playing the third stage/game – Beer Slide, since it requires a steady hand and fast reflexes, both qualities that I possess (though not at the same time ;)).

I need two others players to complete the games. The fastest combined time wins and the prize is three (3 – so all of us gets to go) tickets to Heineken Star Final, an exclusive UEFA Champions League final viewing experience on an exotic tropical island (!).

All right, in order to do this, the first two comments (please leave a valid email address in the comment itself) will get a chance to play the game with me for the prize. Please leave your email address in the comment and an indication that you want to (seriously!) join the sixthseal.com team for this endeavor.

I’m very keen on winning the grand prize. I mean, just look at it – three (3 – so all of us get to go) tickets to the UEFA Champions League Final viewing party on an exotic tropical island!

heineken

Please, refrain from drinking while playing the game, since we do need the fastest time to win.

Three friends. Three games. One Prize.

friends

Off to the exotic tropical island! =D

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