Malaysian Petroleum Club (MPC) - Chinese Restaurant

For latest updates on the MPC, visit my new blog: Winter Blossoms

As promised, another MPC update! ^^

This time around, Dad took us to have lunch at the MPC's Chinese restaurant - Seligi. (Yes, I know it doesn't sound Chinese at all, but whatever.) So, the thing is, I couldn't go inside there before this year... because I wasn't of age yet. Yup, they have an age restriction for all except the coffeehouse (which was the place that I blogged about before). This year I'm 18, thus I can legitimately go and dine in Seligi. *wide grin*So, in typical Chinese fashion, we were seated at a round table (Chinese always have to have round tables, huh?) and then my parents were given the menu to order dishes. I took a peek and it was really quite simple; several ways of cooking chicken, fish, vegetables, tofu and a few others I can't remember. Thoughtful as ever, they even had 2 set meals for vegetarians. Oh, and of course, the usual desserts.

With some helpful comments and suggestions from the maître d', we (okay, my dad) ordered Cod Steamed in Soy Sauce, Claypot Tofu with Seafood, Prawns Cooked with Oatmeal and Stir-fried Baby Bak Choi. We also added a dessert of the Red Bean Pastry that you always get at Chinese weddings. (They didn't have lotus paste! *disappointed*)
Anyway, the first dish to arrive was the prawns. I gotta tell ya, those were absolutely some of the biggest prawns I've ever seen in my entire life! I mean, it came all covered with oatmeal, so at first I thought, "Wow, those prawns are pretty big, even with the shells still on them," and then when I took a closer look, I just couldn't believe it! The prawns were already de-shelled and ready to eat, and they were HUGE! They were all curled up and almost as big as my fist! My goodness...

Next came the baby bak choi and claypot tofu. I'll admit, the first thought that went through my head when I saw the vegetables was "Ohmigosh! Those baby bak choi really are so small, they look so cute and yummy!" LoL~ The claypot tofu looked pretty normal in comparison.

The "star of the show" finally arrived not long after - the Cod Steamed in Soy Sauce. It looked really, really delicious, with the 2 big pieces of beautifully cut snow-white cod lying in a pool of amber soy sauce and some garnishings on top.The first dish I tried was the oatmeal prawns. Despite their size, the skillful chef managed to get the prawns' texture just right, not too tough and not too soft. The sweetness and aroma of the oatmeal complimented the slight saltiness of the prawns perfectly. Next was the baby bak choi, which was stir-fried with just the right amount of oil, retaining its crunchiness and fresh green colour. The tofu was also not bad, with generous amounts of seafood accompanying the tofu and mushrooms.

Undoubtedly, the best dish was the cod fish. A first bite gives the impression that the fish meat is melting in your mouth, and gone before you even realise it. The second bite lets you savour the experience, and such is the skill of the chef in steaming it that all the flavours of the fish are still very much intact. The meat is very smooth and the skin (normally quite different from the meat and instantly recognisable from its texture) is barely distinguished when put into the mouth. Of course, without the soy sauce, it would not be perfect. But try pouring a generous helping of sauce onto your steamed rice, and then eating it together with the cod fish - now that is what I call a divine mouthful.After that wonderful lunch, we sat for a while drinking tea and watching the scenery outside the 43rd floor window. I was sitting facing the windows, so the building directly in front of me caught my attention. It was [apparently] quite "transparent", with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, *gasp* walls and doors! Seriously. I could even see a worker walking from room to room inside. It was rather... fascinating, to say the least. Or maybe a little freaky. I mean, it looked more like apartment lots than offices, but who would like a transparent house, even if it is 40+ storeys high? People in working in the Petronas Twin Towers (for example) would be able to see everything. O_oOh well, that's about it. Next time, I wanna go to Kiku Japanese restaurant, which is just down the hallway next to Seligi. XD

Me messing around with the teapot before leaving. Where am I looking?!

Malaysian Petroleum Club (MPC)

For more updates on the MPC, visit my new blog: Winter Blossoms

"What, and where, is the Malaysian Petroleum Club?" you ask.

Well, it's an exclusive, by-invitation-only club where the members are made up of people from the oil and gas industry. My dad used to be in that particular industry before he retired, and he still gets to keep his MPC membership. (Hooray!) Which means I get to enjoy the magnificent view of my beloved Kuala Lumpur spread out before me, complete with the KLCC park fountain and fairy lights of the city, every time we go there for dinner. ^^ Oh, did I mention that the club is located at the skybridge (42nd floor) of the Petronas Twin Towers?

Well, once you've been verified by the security at the entrance, you have to pass through the metal detector. (It wasn't there before the 911 incident.) After that, you take the elevator to the 42nd floor (there are only 2 buttons anyway - M and 42). After less than 2 minutes in the elevator, during which your ears go "pop" as the pressure decreases, the doors finally open to reveal big floor-to-ceiling glass windows showcasing the splendid KL city view by night. =) Turn to the left, and you'll see a big golden plaque on the wall with the words "Malaysian Petroleum Club" on it.

Let's just say that if you aren't used to fancy Renaissance-style furnishings and gold-plated stuff, it might be rather overwhelming. It's like walking into a private 5-star hotel's lobby. (I still get pretty awed every time I go there.) Straight ahead a spiral staircase leads down to the coffeehouse, while a left turn leads you to the lounge area and bar. You can also find a reading room that looks exactly like everyone's idea of it - black leather sofas, a big leather captain's chair, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, watercolour landscapes and and several decorative ships in bottles. My goodness, it's the perfect place to do some quiet reading uninterrupted. *drool*

Even the washroom is so pretty and clean. There's a small vase of fresh flowers on the sink, a pile of napkins in a straw basket and a laundry basket to throw your used napkins.

So after having dinner at the coffeehouse (the salmon was perfect!), we went around to the skybridge side to see if the doors were open. I really love walking around the skybridge at night - the city lights twinkling down below are so pretty and you get to have the whole bridge to yourself! *grins and winks* I was kinda amused to see this sign though...

"Please be informed that skybridge leg painting is in progress." Leg?! -lol-

It was raining that day so i guess either they finished it early or had to wait till the next day to continue with the "skybridge leg painting". Haha~

Raindrops. It actually looked like it was snowing because the raindrops were falling down and the spotlights below lit them up and made them look like snow. So pretty! ^^ Oh, and the ring of lights there is actually from the KLCC Park's fountain. =)

I didn't take that many photos there. *looks sheepish* I'll try to get more the next time I go there though! XD

Last but not least... a pic of me and my 2nd bro at the skybridge! (So blur... *swt*)