Johor Dinner Buffet at Harbour Café at TRADERS Hotel at Puteri Harbour

Aida, Communications Manager at newly opened TRADERS Hotel at Puteri Harbour invited us to visit their Harbour Café.

All guests are warmly welcome at the bright reception and entrance to Harbour Café.



Once pass the Café reception, guests are greeted by this unique cheerful display of fruit and vegetable pickles in large bottles.

Harbour Café offers a wide range of International and local favourites. Obviously, I couldn't taste them all in one day even though I wish I could :P and I could only take photos of food that caught my eye. So, there is much more on offer at Harbour Café than what is shown in this post :)

Alright, let's take a walk around at Harbour Café.



The heap of sweet and succulent blanched shrimps chilled on a bed of ice at the seafood station.



Lots of blanched flower crabs for crab lovers. Fresh crabs, no need for fancy cooking. Best on it's own,  au naturel :)



The Indian section has a large traditional tandoor (clay oven) where the meats on skewers and naan (Indian flat bread) are baked.



Executive Chef Alan, a hands on leader, demonstrating his roti canai flipping skill. 



Thin, crispy roti canai (prata) straight off the hot griddle.



William is the Station Chef in charge of the Indian station at Harbour Café. William who loves Indian cuisine learnt his craft under an Indian master, and now specialises in Indian dishes.




William's freshly baked masala chicken from the tandoor.



Executive Chef Alan who has worked in many countries in hotels under the Shangri-La group, is very proud of his herbal stew and soup station. Alan who hails from the town of Tapah in Perak, Malaysia proudly declared that his mother's cooking is his inspiration. Alan, a Cantonese, said that Cantonese people must have soup at every meal, and he grew up on his mum's soups and stews. I trust any chef who tries to serve us mum's cooking. Mum's cooking is best - no kidding.



I took a bowl of Alan's herbal lamb stew back to our table for three of us to share. I like the tender, flavourful lamb so much that I ended up eating up all three persons' share because they were too slow hehe and I forgot to wait for them haha :P



Chef Meng, the Chef De Cuisine in charge of Harbour Café whipping up a bowl of curry mee for us. Chef Meng also has many years of overseas experience with the Shangri-La group, including in Shangri-La, Singapore.   



Harbour Café's curry mee is as good as any of the old names in Johor Bahru town. Good balance of spices and santan, not overly spicy despite it's fiery looks - actually, just the right amount of spicy hot. The two good sized succulent, shelled prawns is a nice touch.



Chef Meng at the dim sum station. I need to come back to try this as many readers have been asking me where to find good no pork, no lard dim sum.



Pan fried salmon with creamy sauce and zucchini. Looks nice but I didn't try it this round. Too much good food, saving this for my next visit :)



The pasta section. I didn't try the pasta as there was just no more room in my seriously overstretched stomach.





The sashimi station is my personal favourite. Here we can indulge in fresh sashimi to our hearts' content LOL.



Chocolate lovers! Harbour Café has a chocolate fountain! Irresistible to the young and young at heart :)



Coming up next, my Harbour Café breakfast buffet experience :)

Restaurant name: Harbour Café
Address: TRADERS Hotel, Puteri Harbour, Nusajaya, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/3xCnf
GPS: 1.416727,103.659063
Business Hours: Dinner 6.30pm - 10.30pm @ RM78++ (10% svc charge and 6% gov tax). Children below 6 dine for free with two (2) paying adults, children 6-12 at 50% off.
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

Date visited: 17 Jun 2013, 18 Jun 2013

Aida, Communications Manager at newly opened TRADERS Hotel at Puteri Harbour invited us to visit their Harbour Café.

All guests are warmly welcome at the bright reception and entrance to Harbour Café.



Once pass the Café reception, guests are greeted by this unique cheerful display of fruit and vegetable pickles in large bottles.

Harbour Café offers a wide range of International and local favourites. Obviously, I couldn't taste them all in one day even though I wish I could :P and I could only take photos of food that caught my eye. So, there is much more on offer at Harbour Café than what is shown in this post :)

Alright, let's take a walk around at Harbour Café.



The heap of sweet and succulent blanched shrimps chilled on a bed of ice at the seafood station.



Lots of blanched flower crabs for crab lovers. Fresh crabs, no need for fancy cooking. Best on it's own,  au naturel :)



The Indian section has a large traditional tandoor (clay oven) where the meats on skewers and naan (Indian flat bread) are baked.



Executive Chef Alan, a hands on leader, demonstrating his roti canai flipping skill. 



Thin, crispy roti canai (prata) straight off the hot griddle.



William is the Station Chef in charge of the Indian station at Harbour Café. William who loves Indian cuisine learnt his craft under an Indian master, and now specialises in Indian dishes.




William's freshly baked masala chicken from the tandoor.



Executive Chef Alan who has worked in many countries in hotels under the Shangri-La group, is very proud of his herbal stew and soup station. Alan who hails from the town of Tapah in Perak, Malaysia proudly declared that his mother's cooking is his inspiration. Alan, a Cantonese, said that Cantonese people must have soup at every meal, and he grew up on his mum's soups and stews. I trust any chef who tries to serve us mum's cooking. Mum's cooking is best - no kidding.



I took a bowl of Alan's herbal lamb stew back to our table for three of us to share. I like the tender, flavourful lamb so much that I ended up eating up all three persons' share because they were too slow hehe and I forgot to wait for them haha :P



Chef Meng, the Chef De Cuisine in charge of Harbour Café whipping up a bowl of curry mee for us. Chef Meng also has many years of overseas experience with the Shangri-La group, including in Shangri-La, Singapore.   



Harbour Café's curry mee is as good as any of the old names in Johor Bahru town. Good balance of spices and santan, not overly spicy despite it's fiery looks - actually, just the right amount of spicy hot. The two good sized succulent, shelled prawns is a nice touch.



Chef Meng at the dim sum station. I need to come back to try this as many readers have been asking me where to find good no pork, no lard dim sum.



Pan fried salmon with creamy sauce and zucchini. Looks nice but I didn't try it this round. Too much good food, saving this for my next visit :)



The pasta section. I didn't try the pasta as there was just no more room in my seriously overstretched stomach.





The sashimi station is my personal favourite. Here we can indulge in fresh sashimi to our hearts' content LOL.



Chocolate lovers! Harbour Café has a chocolate fountain! Irresistible to the young and young at heart :)



Coming up next, my Harbour Café breakfast buffet experience :)

Restaurant name: Harbour Café
Address: TRADERS Hotel, Puteri Harbour, Nusajaya, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/3xCnf
GPS: 1.416727,103.659063
Business Hours: Dinner 6.30pm - 10.30pm @ RM78++ (10% svc charge and 6% gov tax). Children below 6 dine for free with two (2) paying adults, children 6-12 at 50% off.
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

Date visited: 17 Jun 2013, 18 Jun 2013

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Little Red Cube at Puteri Harbour Johor - Media Launch

Today, I was at the media launch of the Little Red Cube at Puteri Harbour in Nusajaya, Johor. The Little Red Cube is Johor's newest food and fun attraction focused on family oriented entertainment and retail. 



Dato' Eddy Leong, Chief Operating Officer at Destination Resorts and Hotels leading the key tenants at the Little Red Cube media launch.



We were entertained to a fashion show by cute little tykes dressed by Poney, a retailer specialising in children's apparel.



We were hosted to lunch at The Olive Tree - a restaurant and bar that serves Indian cuisine. I liked the food at The Olive Tree a lot and definitely want to come back for a proper try out.

During this school holiday period from 5 to 23 June 2013, Little Red Cube is having a Carnival with lots of activities and games at the concourse.



Photo opportunities with cartoon characters.



Live entertainment by Cherlike, a Johor homegrown music band.



The Stompers making music with oil drums, trash cans, paint tins, pots and pans, and used car parts.



Juggling clown and tumbling "sumo wrestlers".



At the Little Red Cube, the friendly ambassadors are always ready to help visitors have an enjoyable day.

We were given "media passes" and let loose at Sanrio Hello Kitty Town and The Little Big Club.






Sanrio Hello Kitty was packed with Hello Kitty fans of all ages happily lost in the fantasy world of walk-through attractions, interactive activities and rides.




The Little Big Club is a whole floor of rides based on popular children's characters like Bob the Builder, Barney and Friends, Angelina Ballerina, Pingu the Penguin, and Thomas and Friends. The decibel level was high with screams of excited children (or were there some adults too?). I was moving from ride to ride until a Little Red Cube staff tracked me down and informed me that the media visit was already over LOL. Time passes very fast when you are having fun :P



Little Red Cube can be reached by car or by public bus from JB Sentral.

(Take a look also at my post on LAT's Place, another food and fun attraction at the Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park.)



Little Red Cube
Address: Puteri Harbour, Nusajaya, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/eYA8w
GPS: 1.416984,103.658484

Date visited: 5 Jun 2013

Today, I was at the media launch of the Little Red Cube at Puteri Harbour in Nusajaya, Johor. The Little Red Cube is Johor's newest food and fun attraction focused on family oriented entertainment and retail. 



Dato' Eddy Leong, Chief Operating Officer at Destination Resorts and Hotels leading the key tenants at the Little Red Cube media launch.



We were entertained to a fashion show by cute little tykes dressed by Poney, a retailer specialising in children's apparel.



We were hosted to lunch at The Olive Tree - a restaurant and bar that serves Indian cuisine. I liked the food at The Olive Tree a lot and definitely want to come back for a proper try out.

During this school holiday period from 5 to 23 June 2013, Little Red Cube is having a Carnival with lots of activities and games at the concourse.



Photo opportunities with cartoon characters.



Live entertainment by Cherlike, a Johor homegrown music band.



The Stompers making music with oil drums, trash cans, paint tins, pots and pans, and used car parts.



Juggling clown and tumbling "sumo wrestlers".



At the Little Red Cube, the friendly ambassadors are always ready to help visitors have an enjoyable day.

We were given "media passes" and let loose at Sanrio Hello Kitty Town and The Little Big Club.






Sanrio Hello Kitty was packed with Hello Kitty fans of all ages happily lost in the fantasy world of walk-through attractions, interactive activities and rides.




The Little Big Club is a whole floor of rides based on popular children's characters like Bob the Builder, Barney and Friends, Angelina Ballerina, Pingu the Penguin, and Thomas and Friends. The decibel level was high with screams of excited children (or were there some adults too?). I was moving from ride to ride until a Little Red Cube staff tracked me down and informed me that the media visit was already over LOL. Time passes very fast when you are having fun :P



Little Red Cube can be reached by car or by public bus from JB Sentral.

(Take a look also at my post on LAT's Place, another food and fun attraction at the Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park.)



Little Red Cube
Address: Puteri Harbour, Nusajaya, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/eYA8w
GPS: 1.416984,103.658484

Date visited: 5 Jun 2013

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

LAT's Place Restaurant in Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park, Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia

I am going to admit right now and unabashedly that I am a first generation and die hard fan of Lat, the Kampung Boy. That's because I can see myself in Lat's antics and in Lat's world. So I was really excited about the preview of LAT's Place at Puteri Harbour in Nusajaya. LAT's Place opens to the public starting from 9 Feb 2013, in time for the Chinese New Year holidays.

 

 

Walking into LAT's Place, I was greeted by Lat, the cheerful and cheeky Chef. I had that warm fuzzy feeling of meeting an old friend. (Remember, I am a first generation vintage Lat fan :P )

 

 

Stepping further into LAT's Place, there were mock ups of fruit trees like banana, durian, rambutan, mango and then we found ourselves in a kampung.

 

 

The warm wooden tables and comfortable chairs were set in typical Malaysian kampung surroundings, ringed by fully laden fruit trees, and attap kampung houses on stilts. 

 

 

At the table, waiting for us was this welcome drink named "Ranni's Cooler Fizz". Made with fresh fruits, there was plenty of pulpy sediment, so we were politely advised by the friendly staff to give the drink a stir before sucking on the straw. I liked this sweet fruity drink and emptied a couple of glasses, which wasn't any problem as the attentive staff kept our glasses filled.

 

 

Our chunky fish Otak Otak appetitzer. Meaty, lemak, flavourful and just mildly spicy.

 

 

The honey dew prawn appetizer.

 

 

As we enjoyed our appetizer, I began to realise that this was going to be a fun, total sensory experience. LAT's Place was going to take us to Lat's kampung to meet Lat characters and to enjoy a kenduri (an eat together).

 

 

 

We were treated to a rousing welcome song and dance by the staff accompanied by animated Lat characters presented on large High Definition screens. It has been a couple days since my dinner at LAT's Place and I still catch myself unconsciously humming out loud the catchy welcome tune from LAT's place. My amused (hopefully) family and friends have been asking me what tune am I humming.

 

The main course was served next. It was a well balanced set meal with all the major culinary traditions of Malaysia represented.

 

 

I especially love this ayam percik. The chicken was tender and the percik sauce was a mildly spicy, flavourful blend of spices and herbs. I heard it mentioned a few times that this dish is Dato' Lat's favourite.

 

 

The lamb cutlet curry was just mildly spicy, and the meat was lean and firm. I didn't notice any gamey taste and this would be appealing to most palates. Personally, I like my mutton to have that distinct gaminess.



The steamed red snapper in ginger soya sauce.



While having our dinner, we were entertained by animated Lat characters on the large HD screens. I was asked by "Pak Ali" the Village Chief what was my favourite dish of the evening. I replied that I like this steamed vegetable in peanut sauce. I have always liked nutty, mildly spicy sauces and I also liked deep fried hard boiled eggs. The wrinkled fried outer skin of hard boiled eggs had that texture that always trigger happy feelings in me.



The potato cutlet and steamed rice.



Throughout our dinner, we were entertained and amused by animated Lat characters like Pak Ali, Mrs. Hew, Tong and their lovable, funny friends. We were even engaged in chit chat with the Lat characters through state-of-the-art interactive animation technology and an impressive sound system. Pak Ali, the Village Chief, was the consummate host.



Our banter with computer generated animated Lat characters were interspersed with interactions with the well rehearsed staff, so we enjoyed a unique fusion of warm human touch and virtual reality. Here, we were served hot coffee on a thundery, rainy night with lightning flashing. Our hot coffee was accompanied by the clapping of thunder and the music of rain drops striking the attap roofs and the canopy of leafy trees.



We even had dinner with fire flies blinking above our heads. Hmmm... Valentine Day 2013 idea... wink wink.

By the end of the hour long show and dinner, guests were so immersed in the total experience that some spontaneously joined the staff as they performed the good bye song and dance.

As I was at the official opening, I had the opportunity to take a few pictures of the occasion.

 

Themed Attractions and Resorts Managing Director and CEO, Tunku Dato' Ahmad Burhanuddin inviting Dato' Lat to sign on the memento of the official opening.

Dato' Lat, my idol, drew his signature Kampung Boy on the spot, drawing audible gasps of delight from Lat fans (me included).

LAT's Place is a themed attraction featuring Lat, the iconic cartoon character. LAT's Place is more than a restaurant, food is just one aspect of the total sensory experience. The RM120 adult and RM75 child admission price was for the total experience of an interactive hour long show featuring Lat in a virtual traditional kampung with a nice kenduri style  restaurant meal included.

As a Lat fan, I enjoyed myself thoroughly and fellow Lat fans may like the unique and fun experience with their family and friends too.

LAT's Place (Themed Attraction)
Address: Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park, Nusajaya, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/AhUAO
GPS: 1.416298,103.658838
Hours: Lunch show starts 12:30pm; Dinner show starts 6:00pm (advanced booking required on www Dot latsplace Dot com Dot my or telephone 1-300-88-LATS-(5287)
Halal and vegetarian set meal served

Date visited: 5 Feb 2013. 6 Feb 2013

I am going to admit right now and unabashedly that I am a first generation and die hard fan of Lat, the Kampung Boy. That's because I can see myself in Lat's antics and in Lat's world. So I was really excited about the preview of LAT's Place at Puteri Harbour in Nusajaya. LAT's Place opens to the public starting from 9 Feb 2013, in time for the Chinese New Year holidays.

 

 

Walking into LAT's Place, I was greeted by Lat, the cheerful and cheeky Chef. I had that warm fuzzy feeling of meeting an old friend. (Remember, I am a first generation vintage Lat fan :P )

 

 

Stepping further into LAT's Place, there were mock ups of fruit trees like banana, durian, rambutan, mango and then we found ourselves in a kampung.

 

 

The warm wooden tables and comfortable chairs were set in typical Malaysian kampung surroundings, ringed by fully laden fruit trees, and attap kampung houses on stilts. 

 

 

At the table, waiting for us was this welcome drink named "Ranni's Cooler Fizz". Made with fresh fruits, there was plenty of pulpy sediment, so we were politely advised by the friendly staff to give the drink a stir before sucking on the straw. I liked this sweet fruity drink and emptied a couple of glasses, which wasn't any problem as the attentive staff kept our glasses filled.

 

 

Our chunky fish Otak Otak appetitzer. Meaty, lemak, flavourful and just mildly spicy.

 

 

The honey dew prawn appetizer.

 

 

As we enjoyed our appetizer, I began to realise that this was going to be a fun, total sensory experience. LAT's Place was going to take us to Lat's kampung to meet Lat characters and to enjoy a kenduri (an eat together).

 

 

 

We were treated to a rousing welcome song and dance by the staff accompanied by animated Lat characters presented on large High Definition screens. It has been a couple days since my dinner at LAT's Place and I still catch myself unconsciously humming out loud the catchy welcome tune from LAT's place. My amused (hopefully) family and friends have been asking me what tune am I humming.

 

The main course was served next. It was a well balanced set meal with all the major culinary traditions of Malaysia represented.

 

 

I especially love this ayam percik. The chicken was tender and the percik sauce was a mildly spicy, flavourful blend of spices and herbs. I heard it mentioned a few times that this dish is Dato' Lat's favourite.

 

 

The lamb cutlet curry was just mildly spicy, and the meat was lean and firm. I didn't notice any gamey taste and this would be appealing to most palates. Personally, I like my mutton to have that distinct gaminess.



The steamed red snapper in ginger soya sauce.



While having our dinner, we were entertained by animated Lat characters on the large HD screens. I was asked by "Pak Ali" the Village Chief what was my favourite dish of the evening. I replied that I like this steamed vegetable in peanut sauce. I have always liked nutty, mildly spicy sauces and I also liked deep fried hard boiled eggs. The wrinkled fried outer skin of hard boiled eggs had that texture that always trigger happy feelings in me.



The potato cutlet and steamed rice.



Throughout our dinner, we were entertained and amused by animated Lat characters like Pak Ali, Mrs. Hew, Tong and their lovable, funny friends. We were even engaged in chit chat with the Lat characters through state-of-the-art interactive animation technology and an impressive sound system. Pak Ali, the Village Chief, was the consummate host.



Our banter with computer generated animated Lat characters were interspersed with interactions with the well rehearsed staff, so we enjoyed a unique fusion of warm human touch and virtual reality. Here, we were served hot coffee on a thundery, rainy night with lightning flashing. Our hot coffee was accompanied by the clapping of thunder and the music of rain drops striking the attap roofs and the canopy of leafy trees.



We even had dinner with fire flies blinking above our heads. Hmmm... Valentine Day 2013 idea... wink wink.

By the end of the hour long show and dinner, guests were so immersed in the total experience that some spontaneously joined the staff as they performed the good bye song and dance.

As I was at the official opening, I had the opportunity to take a few pictures of the occasion.

 

Themed Attractions and Resorts Managing Director and CEO, Tunku Dato' Ahmad Burhanuddin inviting Dato' Lat to sign on the memento of the official opening.

Dato' Lat, my idol, drew his signature Kampung Boy on the spot, drawing audible gasps of delight from Lat fans (me included).

LAT's Place is a themed attraction featuring Lat, the iconic cartoon character. LAT's Place is more than a restaurant, food is just one aspect of the total sensory experience. The RM120 adult and RM75 child admission price was for the total experience of an interactive hour long show featuring Lat in a virtual traditional kampung with a nice kenduri style  restaurant meal included.

As a Lat fan, I enjoyed myself thoroughly and fellow Lat fans may like the unique and fun experience with their family and friends too.

LAT's Place (Themed Attraction)
Address: Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park, Nusajaya, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/AhUAO
GPS: 1.416298,103.658838
Hours: Lunch show starts 12:30pm; Dinner show starts 6:00pm (advanced booking required on www Dot latsplace Dot com Dot my or telephone 1-300-88-LATS-(5287)
Halal and vegetarian set meal served

Date visited: 5 Feb 2013. 6 Feb 2013

reade more... Résuméabuiyad