Dining at Top Hat Restaurant

I think I better start blogging a bit about current things as my blog has been living in the past for a bit too long.

I'm only occupied on weekdays when the share market is open nowadays. I've been busy making and losing money. Hahaha. But overall, I'm in the profit. Recently, I've been tempted to the dark side of KLCI futures by my dad. It's totally a new level as compared to the stock market as the risks and rewards are much higher. I hope that I don't get hypertension from trading this.

Yesterday was a weekend, that's why the whole family is so free. We came across a restaurant which was features in The Star newspaper on Saturday so we decided to give it a try. Another reason why we went on a Sunday was because everything on the menu was half price.

After driving in circles, we managed to find the restaurant - Top Hat Restaurant. We didn't even expect the place to be so posh.

The restaurant was packed with people as there was a function to celebrate a baby's 1 month old birthday was ongoing when we got there. Luckily, after waiting for a few minutes, we were ushered upstairs by the owner herself. The restaurant was beautifully decorated with carved furniture, batik and songket.

My eyes popped out when I saw the prices on the menu. Luckily it was 50% off that day or I'll just stick with sky juice.

 The satay wasn't that good. I liked how pieces of lean chicken was used but the sauce was too dilute. The oxtail stew and laksa were really tasty. The oxtail was very tender and the stew itself was very rich in flavour but not salty. The laksa style was more of a Southern style of cooking where it had curry as a soup base. The portions reminded me of UK. Worth the money if you decide to dine on a Sunday.

 That's the address of the restaurant if you're interested. It's very near Petronas Twin Towers. Previously it was a detached house but now converted into this lovely restaurant.

I've found out that one of my friend has got her appointment letter for work. I wonder when will it be my turn. Hmmmmm

Paris through pictures part 2

As we saw Sacre Coeur through the tiny gaps between the buildings yesterday, we decided to visit it today.

Climbing up the hill to reach Sacre Coer. There were many small shops selling souvenirs and squares with painters selling their artwork.

Sacre Coer. It looks magnificent up close.

View of Paris from the hill.

Too bad no pictures were allowed inside. I felt that there was little respect and enforcement around the cathedral as the small of urine was so strong as we made our way up the hill. The interior was very beautiful and cooling. There were paintings in the inner walls of the domes which made me wonder how on earth did they paint such fine details in such an angle.

I noticed the cute cat mural on the way down.

Small little theatre on the slopes.

Moulin Rouge - there were so many sex shops along the way. We didn't stay for cabaret as the prices for the shows were too expensive.

Narrowest escalator in one of the Metro stations.

Our first and only proper meal in Paris. My parents really enjoyed the food. My dad tried making the onion soup when he got back but I think the onions are of different species and doesn't melt even after boiling for hours. Do try the onion soup when in Paris.

Notre Dame Cathedral

So many sparrows blending in with the bushes.

It started to rain when we were queuing to get in.

The interiors were still as captivating as I remembered. Gargoyles are still the lifeless stone creatures resting in the same positions in the day. I think I've watched too much of Disney.

We stayed for the choir practice and till the rain slowed down.

Rose line leading towards Notre Dame.

With the narrow stairs leading to apartments above ground level, ever wondered how the piano and furniture were lifted up? Through the windows.

Pantheon - the resting place for many famous Parisians including Victor Hugo.

When in Paris, do as the Parisians do. Rest on the steps of the Pantheon.

My dad was gripping that signpost as tightly as he could before he turned Mary Poppins.

Luxembourg Palace

So much creativity with lumps of sugar.

Baguettes for dinner. My parents enjoyed the bread as it was crunchy on the outside and really soft inside.

Our breakfast for tomorrow. Brioche was delicious and also available at Tesco in Liverpool. Hahahaha.

Due to such efficiency in covering the major sights of Paris, I didn't know what to do with my parents for our last day in Paris. Keep reading to find out what we ended up doing.

Next: Paris through pictures part 3

Paris through pictures part 1

Paris, the city of love.

We started our morning with a visit to the local bakery and supermarket. I introduced them to crochet monsieur which is still as delicious and oily as I remembered. My parents concluded that the fresh milk in France tastes as delicious as the milk produced by the cows in UK. Now I'm starting to miss the European fresh milk badly as the milk in Malaysia is not as fragrant and nice and mostly they come in powder form which needs to be diluted in warm water.


The 3 storeys RER trains from district 17 to Paris central.


Finally, we reached Eiffel tower. It has changed from the rusty dark green colour from 4 years ago into this less rusty brown. Considering the super duper long queue, we decided that it was enough to just have our breakfast below Eiffel tower. There was a point where so many military soldiers appeared to stop a scuffle between gypsies. Usually if there's a commotion, we would feel very scared but not in Paris where you see tourists wanting to take a photo with the soldiers after they've controlled the situation.


Take 2 of me and Eiffel tower. I somehow feel shocked looking at how long my hair was just a month ago. It is really short right now and fit for Malaysian weather.


Look at the queue! This photo doesn't do the length of the queue justice.


The amount of money and effort spend to get the perfect wedding photo. I think it's all in the Paris package. Won't the bride look fat from that angle? At least her jawline was quite prominent.


My father thought that the street performer was a golden status until it started moving.


Sifu, if you can park your harrier like this and then drive out without a scratch, your father would buy you a car no matter where you're posted. Hahahaha. I don't think I'll pass the driving test in Paris.


We used the underground passage to cross over to Arc De Triomphe.


Arc De Triomphe

Till now, I'm still unsure if we were supposed to pay any entrance fee to go up to this level. The carvings on the ceiling were very impressive and we enjoyed the shade below it. Paris was really hot that day. Temperature reached 37 degree celsius.

As we were in Paris, we had to have lunch like the Parisians. We spotted this bakery which was crowded with customers and bought salmon quiche and salad tropicana. So delicious! I didn't expect so much salmon in the quiche. I think there's a whole fillet in it. The salad had prawns, mango and pineapple in it which made it really unique. No wonder that corner shop was so pack.

We walked to the Opera where our walking tour starts. According to our tourguide who was supposed to be dressed in a purple shirt but he came in a pink shirt and umbrella, there are 3 entrances. 1 is just for Napolean Bonaparte and his wife, the other is for genuine music lovers and the last is for those who came looking for sex. Another interesting history was, the Phantom of the Opera's setting is in this theatre itself. If you've seen the theatre of movie, you'll be wondering where did all the water in the dungeons come from as there were no sight of water currently. The belief is that Paris will be covered with water every 100 years and this coming 100th year was supposed to be in 2010. We'll wait and see.

The avant garde artist who leaves his trademark paintings on famous sites.

Following our tour guide on our walking tour. I highly recommend it as we were led by a local Parisian who speaks good English and was very passionate of his job. Please visit Discover walks for more information. We paid him 20 euros each for his services but this is up to your discretion. The whole tour lasted almost 2 hours and under the hot sun.

Statue of King Edward VII of UK. He spent a lot of his time in Paris while waiting to take the throne.

The place where King Edward VII spent most of his time in Paris.

The price of alcohol in Footsie is like the stock market, it can go up and down as fast as the share prices.

The first luxury hotel in the world - Ritz. The only different which made it a luxury hotel was by offering ensuite bathrooms in every room. Nowadays, this is a common practice.

When the sun sets, people sometimes can see an old but posh looking lady hiding behind a veil walking along Rue Saint-Honore. She used to be a very beautiful lady but couldn't accept the changes that came with old age. So, she destroyed all the mirrors in her home and will only leave her house after sunset and not without a veil. Even after her death, she still occasionally appear at dusk.

The small little gap between the buildings where you can see the Sacre Coer cathedral.

After the long stroll, we did what the Parisians do - relax in the park.

We admired the trees and did some people watching.

The Kiss.

The smaller Arc De Triomphe which was just opposite the other Arc.

Hotel Le Meurice - the hotel where General Dietrich von Choltitz stayed when he saved paris from destruction during World War II by defying Hitler's commands to bomb Paris before German fell.

The general stayed in Room 213 which offered the best view of Paris at that time. Speculation has it that he fell in love with Paris seeing it from his hotel room that deterred him from bombing it up. Another theory was that the Madame of the hotel managed to persuade him from bombing Paris.

Statue in the compounds of The Louvre.

The pyramids of The Louvre. When the pyramids were built, there were many protests as people were unhappy that it destroyed the uniqueness of the old museum buildings but now, their existence has been accepted.

1km of art pieces. Art lovers just love this place.

Many choose to enjoy the fountains.

Time to make our way home. On our way, we stopped by Quick, a fastfood restaurant to get some burgers for dinner and the nearest supermarket for fruits and veg.

Dinner. That's why our trip costs so little.

Next: Paris through pictures part 2