Hotel Review: Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

One of my favorite things about Malaysia is definitely the Petronas Twin Towers and any hotel which boasts a view of these twins would definitely earn extra brownie points from me. When we walked into our suite at Traders Hotel KL, we were greeted with this amazing view - this is probably the best unobstructed view of the Twin Towers you can get in KL. 

Suite with a killer view

There are 571 well-appointed rooms and suites in the hotel. Guests booked into the Clubs Rooms or suites can check-in and out at the Traders Club Lounge on Level 32. After a delicious champagne lunch at Gobo Upstairs, we retired to our Twin Towers view suite to relax before going for our spa treatment at theSPA. The suite is 48sq m (516 sq ft) and is luxuriously appointed with a king-sized bed, a separate living area and a spacious bathroom with separate shower cubicle.

The bed is extremely comfortable and we sure had a good night's sleep. The living area and bedroom are both equipped with a flat screen LCD TV. There is also a work desk as well as a iLap for your laptops. Complimentary wi-fi is available in the room and throughout the hotel.

The hotel is within close promixity to KLCC shopping mall and KLCC convention centre, and the hotel provides complimetary buggy service to the mall. You can also reach the Golden triangle area (Pavilion, Starhill, Lot 10 area) using the connecting walkway.

Just the two of us - romantic staycation

Separate living area

Complimentary fruits and chocolates

Heart and kisses

The bathroom is well-equipped with premium L'Occitane toiletries, lip balm, and even panty hose (just in case you need them for a night out!). They also provide ample amounts of bath salt, for you to soak your stress away. We also found a lollipop in the bathroom, a sweet for a suite, I guess :)

Premium L'Occitane toiletries

More photos of the Twin Towers from our suite -can't get enough

Sky Bridge

The hotel's swimming pool is located on Level 33 at the Sky Bar, with great panaromic views of the city skyline. You can also find a fully equipped 24-hour gym, as well as a saunarium and steam bath on Level 34 by theSpa. A full 1.3 km jogging trail around KLCC Park at the hotel’s doorstep offers an ideal venue for an early morning jog.

Guests staying in the suites and club rooms have access to the Traders Club Lounge. Open from 6.30am to 11pm daily, privileges include complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails. Cocktail Hours are from 5.00pm to 7.00pm and there is a smart casual dress code. Red and white wine, as well as a selection of cocktails and refreshments are served. The Traders Club Lounge also offers a great view of the Twin Towers, and a great place to watch the sunset.

Watching the sun set

Musical fountain

Illuminated Petronas Twin Towers

Good morning KL!

KL Towers

Buffet breakfast is served at Traders Club Lounge from 6.30am to 10.30am. You can order from the daily offerings menu (eggs, French toast, waffles or pancakes) as well as help yourself to the buffet spread. I ordered the Eggs Benedict - two beautiful poached eggs on toasted bread and smoked turkey breast and hollandaise sauce. Hubby had the poached eggs florentine, which sits on a potato cake with spinach and glazed with Hollandaise. We also tried the French toast, served with maple syrup, whipped cream and berries compote. Lovely breakfast!

Beautiful poached eggs

French toast

For dining, guests can choose from Gobo Chit Chat, the casual all-day dining restaurant or Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill for great steaks. We had lunch and dinner at Gobo Upstairs on the first day of our stay, so lunch was at Gobo Chit Chat. There is a huge buffet spread available, but we opted for the a la carte menu instead.

We tried out some of the new items on the menu including the mosaic of fresh seafood (RM38) which features cured salmon, marinated poached mussels and prawns served with a cocktail sauce, The Bookmaker (RM48), a grilled Australia sirloin steak sandwich which we enjoyed, and Japanese sashimi platter (RM40) of salmon, tuna, mikajiki, octopus and sea bass.

We also enjoyed the spicy Malaysian oxtail soup (RM25) and the Australian grain fed beef tenderloin (RM75 for 180g) was pretty decent, though the place to go for steaks is definitely Gobo Upstairs.

For desserts, we had the Malaysian Sago Gula Melaka (RM22) served with a pandan coconut sauce, traditional mascarpone tiramisu (RM20) and the dark chocolate dome (RM22). The dark chocolate dome blew us away - luscious, rich, creamy.. simply a dream to eat.

Mosaic of fresh seafood

Japanese sashimi

Prawn Noodle Soup

Spicy Malaysian oxtail soup

The Bookmaker

Australian grain fed beef tenderloin with truffle mash, sauteed mushrooms and asparagus

Tiramisu

Malaysian sago gula melaka

Dark chocolate dome

We definitely had a great staycation at the Traders Hotel, thank you for having us!


Verdict: Great location, great view, luxuriously appointed rooms with excellent amenities. 

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Just a reminder that the #MYEatPlayShop Instagram contest is still ongoing. Do submit your photos for a chance to win a room/suite stay at any participating Shangri-la and Traders Hotel in Malaysia. For more info on this contest, check out this post. Contest ends 13 October 2013! Follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more great photos!



Room rate: Depending on date and availability, check on website for current rates.

Location: Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03- 2332 9888

GPS Coordinates: 3.154271, 101.715417


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Recipe: Easy no-churn vanilla ice cream

Hubby asked if I would like to make him some vanilla ice cream to use in his affogato. Since we do not have an ice cream maker at home, I quickly googled "no-churn vanilla ice cream" and the first recipe that appeared was from the BBC Good Food website.

Only 3 ingredients are required - condensed milk, whipping cream and vanilla extract. According to the website, condensed milk is a magic ingredient when making no-churn ice cream - the end result will be creamy, smooth and not at all icy. After reading the comments, it seems that people have mixed feelings about this ice cream - some love it and others don't. Since it was so easy to make and I had all the ingredients to hand, I decided to give it a try. All ingredients are placed in a large bowl and beaten with an electric whisk until it resembles clotted cream, then put in the freezer to freeze until solid. It will take about 6 hours to harden.

No-churn vanilla ice cream with salted caramel and chocolate flakes

Remove it from the freezer 5-10 minutes before scooping. It has a nice, smooth and creamy texture, as promised. It is quite rich so we try not to have too much in one sitting. Not bad for a no-churn recipe which you can make in under 5 minutes.

Our kids loved it with some chocolate flakes/chips and salted caramel sauce. Also great with fresh tart fruits such as strawberries and blueberries.

No-churn vanilla ice cream
Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Makes 1l

Ingredients
600ml whipping cream
150ml sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract


1. Put the condensed milk, cream and vanilla extract into a large bowl. Beat with an electric whisk until thick and quite stiff, a bit like clotted cream. Scrape into a freezer container or a large loaf tin, cover with cling film and freeze until solid. This will take at least 6 hours.

Salted caramel and ice cream.. yum.

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KL Restaurant Week: Machi Japanese Kitchen, Terrace at Hock Choon, KL

Is it possible to get a good Japanese meal for RM20nett? The answer is YES and we found it at Machi Japanese Kitchen in Terrace at Hock Choon. For KL Restaurant Week, Machi Japanese Kitchen is offering a 2-course lunch for RM20 nett, and 3-course dinner for RM50 nett.

All this for RM20 nett!

Machi Japanese Kitchen is helmed by Chef Machi, a down to earth chef with over 20 years of culinary experience and a serious passion for Japanese cuisine. If the restaurant interior looks familiar to you, it is because Machi has taken over what used to be Fukuharu, a place we enjoyed frequenting for its affordable set lunches.

Talking to Chef Machi, he tells us that it is important to cook with the heart and use good quality ingredients, then even simple food will taste good. I like his philosophy. :)

Lucky cat welcomes us to Machi :)

Chef Machi tells us that most of his a la carte menu consists of mainly traditional Japanese dishes as well as a small portion of fusion dishes. For his KLRW lunch menu (priced at RM20 nett), we started off with a silky smooth chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) topped with ikura (salmon roe). This is followed by the pan fried chicken chop with black truffle mayo, served with a cold somen.

Other than chicken katsu, we would rarely order chicken in a Japanese restaurant cos they usually taste too ordinary, but this chicken chop would be something I would order over and over again. Especially with that affordable price tag! The chicken is moist and juicy - Chef Machi tells us that it is important for him to choose the best produce to use in his kitchen to serve to his customers. What really stands out is the black truffle mayo sauce that he tops on the chicken, which makes this an unforgettable dish. Love eating cold somen on a hot afternoon too!

Chicken with black truffle mayo

Chawanmushi with ikura

Cold somen with dipping sauce

For their KLRW dinner menu (priced at RM50nett), diners will start with 2 appetizers - the tamago mentai yaki (Japanese omelette with cod roe and mayo) and eringi yaki (marinated grilled king mushroom). If these two items seem familiar to you, let me tell you why - they were two signature appetizers from Fukuharu days. I can also tell you that they are good and now I know why people love them so much. The tamago mentai yaki is so rich and melts-in-the-mouth. I like the crispy garlic bits on the grilled king mushrooms.

Tamago mentai yaki

Eringi yaki

For mains, diners can choose between the anago teriyaki or sashimi. Anago is a type of salt water eel, and it has such great flavour and richness to it. I do prefer this over unagi, as I dislike the tiny bones you get with unagi. Again, love the teriyaki glaze on the anago. The anago sits atop a bed of mashed potatoes.

Luckily for us, Machi gets their fresh fish shipment on Tuesdays and Fridays (we're doing the review on a Fri), so we got to try some of his freshest sashimi. For KLRW, you will get 2 thick slices of salmon, tuna and butterfish. Very fresh and delicious, especially the salmon which was rather fatty -I like! Both mains are served with cold somen.

Anago teriyaki

Sashimi

For desserts, you will get a choice of green tea ice cream, black sesame ice cream or yuzu sorbet. Perfect way to end our delicious lunch!

Excellent green tea ice cream 

Refreshing and tart yuzu sorbet with a lovely fragrance

For those interested, today (29th September) is the last day to make your bookings for their KLRW menu. Check out their menu here.



Price: For KL Restaurant Week, Machi Japanese Kitchen is offering a 2-course lunch for RM20 nett, and 3-course dinner for RM50 nett.

Location: Machi Japanese Kitchen, Terrace at Hock Choon, 241-B, Lorong Nibong, off Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. (behind Hock Choon Supermarket)

GPS Coordinates: 3.159981, 101.728742

Join their Facebook page here.


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