Dinner in the Sky KL

What a couple of days for interesting dining experiences.  Yesterday I had lunch at a fish farm. The night before that I had dinner in the sky!!

I first heard about Dinner in the Sky in August.  I had read some articles on it.  Basically, there is a large crane that lifts a dining table 40-50 meters (132-165 feet) in the air.  A delicious meal is provided, and you are lowered back to the ground.  But it is only temporary, for the month of August.  I was very disappointed that it was all sold out.  But, wait, they extended through September.  Joe had no interest in the air dining, so I sent a message to a few friends.  Amazing how many friends are afraid of heights.  Or thought I was crazy.  :)

But not Allison!  :)

Dining in the Sky Malaysia sent up temporary camp at the base of Menara Kuala Lumpur carpark.  When you first arrive, you show your ticket and sign a waiver.  Then you are led to this beautiful tent space, to wait for your seating time.

This section of the tent had a clear roof.  We were able to see the KL tower and the group before us, on the right.  As we were driving here, there was a light rain and some haze, so we were a little concerned.  But once it got dark, everything cleared up and was fine.  There is a roof, but it would not  offer too much protection from rain.  By they way, if the weather is too bad, they have the right to cancel and serve dinner on the ground.  With no refund, unless you purchase a 99 riggitt insurance policy.

Here they are, being lowered to the ground.  We had a 7:30 seating, just past the sunset. 

After making a final trip to the washroom, we were strapped into our seats.  We had a seat belt around our waist and a shoulder harness.  I felt very secure.  By the way, you are strapped into your seat for about 1 1/4 hours, start to finish.

Our first course was waiting at our seat.

A cold tomato and watermelon soup.  It was nice.

I didn't get a good picture of the table, but it was a rectangle with an open space in the middle.  Here are the two chefs and two of the servers.  They are all strapped in.  We pre-ordered our dinner so everything was cooked.  The chefs were dong the plating at this point.

Allison and I both had corner seats.  Corner seats are better, offering more viewing options.

This video is more for the sound than the sight.  It was a very festive atmosphere!

There was a small platform to rest your feet on, but I preferred to let them just swing.  It is suggested that you don't wear loose shoes.  You can see the parking lot below.  A friend asked me what would happen if someone drops a fork or item from the table.  Well, the whole area below is roped off.  There is no one walking below the crane.

We got a 4 course meal for $160.  That included water.  Liquor was extra.  The food was good, but of course one is paying for the experience.

Allison made a new friend.  Her friend required some liquid courage.  He was a little nervous.

It was a fun experience!  I am glad I got to do it.  There are Dinners in the Sky in many other locations in Malaysia, Asia, and Europe.  Not sure about the US.

Had to get a full picture of the KL tower.  Speaking of dining experiences, there is a rotating restaurant at the top.  I would recommend the 6:30 seating for both sunset and night views.

Restaurant Thai Fish Farm

Today I had lunch with a group of school moms.  My friends, Michelle and Jacquie, organize a lunch somewhere in KL once a month.  They always do a great job coming up with wonderful and unique dining experiences.  Today's choice was the Restaurant Thai Fish Farm.

This restaurant is located in Ampang.  I have spent lots of time in Ampang, but never in this area.  I left from KLCC and it took 30-40 minutes to arrive.  And it was not easy to find.  Well, my friend's driver knew just how to get there using his GPS.  But it didn't look easy to me.

I am showing this map so you can see the relative location of the fish farm.  It is the blue spot on the bottom right of map.

This is a closer look.  If you are heading out of Ampang, you will be on Hulu Langat road.  You will see Ampang Lookout on your left.  Soon after that, you will see the sign for the restaurant.  The one at the top of this blog post.  When you turn left, it looks as if you are going deep into the jungle.  You will follow a bumpy road and make some hairpin turns before you finally see the restaurant and fish pond.  You have arrived.  It is worth the drive!

What a fun group of gals!  It is never good to take a picture with sunlight behind.  :/ The restaurant is all open-air, under thatched roofs.  I have read that the place can accommodate 500 people.  When we first got here, we were the only customers. 

This place is extremely rustic.  But the rice container, not so much.

I actually arrived a little late to lunch.  Food had already been ordered.  Here is the lamb.

Morning glories!

Michelle and Chantal are digging into the salt-baked tilapia. Yum!  When eating this tilapia, beware of the bones!  At least they were big enough to make them easy to spot.

This was like a treasure hunt.  The fish was moist and tasty.

Fried spinach!!  The spinach had a tempura-like batter and it was delicious.

We all enjoyed the chicken pandan.

This was my second open-air event of the day.  Not a good hair day for me!

Set apart from the tables, is a floating stage.  There is live music every evening, from 7-11 pm.  I have no idea what kind of music.

There are pictures of menu items all along the rafters.

I asked for a diet coke.  Somehow the waiter thought I said Tiger beer!  He had already opened the bottle, so some of the ladies decided that it would be a shame to let it go to waste!

Najwa asked to see a menu.  This is the menu!  Not small by any means.  If you would like to see a more detailed menu, CLICK HERE.

This is where the tilapias are being raised.

I guess they need a lot of rice containers for 500 people!

Vegetables grown right on the property.

I believe you can purchase produce and seafood here to take home with you.

A view of some of the tables.

This is a small shrine right outside the entrance of the restaurant.  I included this picture because Joe has spent some time in rural Thailand.  This is very common.

Our lunch today was delicious and we had good service.  We enjoyed the location and all the dishes we ate.  Evenings may be a different story, however.  The road down to the restaurant can be very dark and a bit dangerous at night.  I have read that service is not that good when the place is crowded, as it tends to be at night.  We all plan on returning with our families.  But we will try to make it early for sure!

Executive Health Screening at Prince Court Hospital

I already blogged about how I celebrated my birthday early-- dinner at Beato's Steak and Saturday Night Fever the Musical.  Now I will tell you how I spent my actual birthday.  Joe and I spent the day together at Prince Court Hospital undergoing an executive health screening.  Not what you expected, I bet!

 Prince Court hospital is located at 39 Jalan Kia Peng in Ampang, right down the street from the American Embassy.  It is "an internationally accredited, multi-specialty hospital located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia", according to its website.

 It is also a Medical Tourist destination.  Interesting.  Anyways, Joe and I both needed physicals.  It had been years since I had had full blood work done.  My friends, Allison and John, had recently done these screenings, for less than $400 each.  In the US, this screening would cost so much more. I paid the bill in full before leaving.  We do have health insurance that should cover some of the cost, but I will now have to file an claim.  One more thing, if you are a Maybank customer, you can now receive 10% the price of executive health screenings or hospital rooms.

There are several packages available for men and women.  Or you can customize your package according to your condition and concerns.  This is the package I did.

This is the one Joe did.  To see all the health screening packages available, CLICK HERE.  To request an appointment, send an email to executivehealth@princecourt.com.

Our appointments were at 8:00 and 8:15 am.  We went in the main entrance of the hospital.  Turn left at the main corridor and go to the second door on right.  We arrived a little bit early, and the doors to the center didn't open until 8:00.  There is a nice waiting area further down the hall.

Once inside the Executive Health Screening center, you will sign in and fill out a standard health questionnaire.  Then you will be called for the first of your tests-- the blood work.  (You will need to fast before your blood work.)  After you are done there, you will be led to your next tests.  There is a steady and organized stream of tests and a chance to visit with a doctor. There is a locker room for you to change into workout clothes for the treadmill test and to store your belongings.  You will travel to other floors for ultrasound and eye screenings.  After you are done with all the tests, you will have a break before seeing the doctor again to discuss your results.  We had two hours, so we headed to the Pavilion Mall for lunch.

After lunch we met first with a nutritionist.  This was not a very long meeting, but after viewing our test results, she gave us some nutritional advice.  Nothing we didn't really already know.  Then we went to see the doctor.  He went over our test results.  No surprises there.  Joe and I are in good health and most things came back normal. Just a couple of issues we were already aware of.  But it is always good to hear that things are okay.  I would recommend having these tests done at Prince Court Hospital.  The entire process was efficient and well-organized.  Something I no longer take for granted!  :)