My 22nd Birthday Celebration @ Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in The Curve, Mutiara Damansara

Entry: 102
20th October 2008

Dear Diary,

22 years and 20 days old. Damn I'm old.... Luckily I have someone older.... My darling!! Muahaha... To pamper and spoil me and sometimes annoy and irritate me :p Erm, also to love me perhaps? Haha... He took me for a movie on my birthday and gave me the privilege of choosing the show at GSC 1 Utama. Sigh, I chose a show which almost ruined my entire day, Black Water. Why oh why did the show have to be so brutally gory? It sent shivers down my spine the whole day just thinking of the big bad croc that chomped everyone!! Nasty show... Should never watch something like this on my birthday ever again. Next time, only chic flicks allowed on my birthday.

After the movie, darling took me to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in The Curve for my birthday dinner. Really brightened up my day a whole lot. Well, how can it not with such good food?

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant and Market is a chain of seafood restaurants inspired by the 1994 film Forrest Gump. Their menu consists mostly of shrimp dishes, but also other seafood, as well as Southern and Cajun cuisine, due to the main character Forrest coming from Alabama.

The restaurant has also gained fame for its unique paging system consisting of two license plates on the tables marked "Run Forrest Run" from Jenny's famous quote and "Stop Forrest Stop" based on the signs used to help Forrest when he played football at the University of Alabama. The red "Stop Forrest Stop" sign is used to signal that a table needs service and the blue "Run Forrest Run" means that all is well.

"Run Forrest Run" when you do not want to be disturbed :)

What's prince charming looking at?

Why it's their dessert and cocktail menu served on a ping-pong bat :p Creative!!

We ordered only one drink, their Mango Sparkler which is a unique mixture of mango, lemonade, orange juice and lemon-lime. Priced at RM9.90, this drink was huge and just the right thing to have with a platter of greasy food such as fried shrimps etc. Loved it!!

For our appetizer, darling ordered us Calamari Rings. It looked very appetizing when it came. Served along with the deep fried calamari were red bell peppers and pepperoncinis as well as their dippin' sauces. Yums... Crunchy and nice, however at the price of RM17.90, you get more salad underneath the calamari than the calamari rings itself. Me no likey :( But on the bright side, they served only calamari rings with no creepy crawlers whatsoever. Haha.. Just hate creepy crawlers. On the plus side, the food came amazingly fast!! Wonderful!!

We had two main entrees. The first being their famous Shrimper's Heaven (RM44.90) which came with 4 assortments of shrimps. They consisted of Coconut Shrimp, Chilly Shrimp, Fried Shrimp and Tempura Shrimp. Oh, not to forget fries and their dippin' sauces of course. We both loved the fried shrimp the most. The coconut shrimp was too sweet for our liking. Overall, it was a generous serving of shrimps with more salad beneath!! Hmm... I feel like a goat munching all those greens.

Our second main course was this lovely Bourbon Street Baramundi which is priced at RM29.90. This entree consisted of charbroiled cajun spiced baramundi with bourbon street sauce and shrimps, served over mashed potatoes. The sauce had a creamy buttery texture while the shrimps and mashed potatoes were just heavenly. Too bad the fish was a little on the dry side otherwise it would have been perfecto. The serving was just huge. Even darling with the no-wasting-food-policy couldn't finish the mashed potatoes. It would be advisable to share this among 2 people while dining as attempting to finish it yourself will be an utterly cloying attempt.

Finally we're moving on to dessert. My most favourite part of a meal. We decided to try their "That Chocolate Thing" which was highly recommendable on their menu. That Chocolate Thing which is priced at RM16.90 is actually a special jar of warm flourless Chocolate Cake, topped with Vanilla Ice Cream and Whipped Cream, and drizzled with a Raspberry Sauce. Sounds totally devilishious huh? Well it was at first, till we made our way almost to the bottom. The thing is, darling and I both just adore Brownies and Ice-Cream a lot and we're very used to the texture of those served in Secret Recipe and Delicious. When you eat this, its like eating warm gooey mashed up chocolate cake soaked with melted ice-cream, whipped cream and raspberry sauce. It kind of was overwhelming for our tastebuds to handle. More like eating baby food or something. Enough said. Next time I'm trying their Bread Pudding thingy. The next table ordered it. Looked good! Overall, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. provides good food and excellent service. Their staff were friendly and helpful. Humorous as well! Would love to go back and try their cocktails and desserts. By the way, while walking in Sunway Pyramid the other day, we noticed that Bubba Gump will be opening a new branch there, next to Coffee Bean at the main entrance. Joys!!


Our couple picture taken by one of their nice staff. Look at me. I'm a Red!! Haha... This was darling's birthday gift to me this year. My very own authentic, 100% original Adidas Liverpool's women jersey with a mini little Carlsberg in the middle. Oh-so-cute-u-just-wanna-die!! I've always wanted one and now I have one, delivered all the way from the UK specially just for me at my size and it fits me so perfectly! I love it, I love it, I love it!! Hugs and kisses to Mr. Gong, the Red AIG Devil. You'll never walk alone. Now I want my own baby prints of Gerrard's name. *Hint to gong* We even got a few comments from the staff at Bubba Gump saying "Oh, Manchester and Liverpool huh..." Haha, nice :p

Another surprise from darling awaits me in his car after our meal :) What's in the box?

Fatal Attraction + Cookies 'n Cream Cupcakes from CupCakeChic, my favorite cupcake bakery in town. Fatal attraction is the one with chocolate frosting and cookies 'n cream is the one with the oreo cookie on top. A box of 6 cup cakes costs you RM25.00. When bought individually, a cup cake costs RM4.90. Expensive as they may be, these cupcakes are made with the best quality ingredients and best of all, they do not compromise size for quality. These cupcakes are definitely larger than your typical cupcakes around. I heart them. They sit next to J.Co donuts on my comfort food ladder.

Since it was still early, darling suggested that we go for a drink in Starbucks just to pass time. Stuffed from dinner, we shared this Mango Tea Frappuccino. Priced at RM14.90, this beverage is a refreshing combination of fruit juice and Tazo tea blended with ice. Quite nice as it wasn't too sweet for my liking. Also available in raspberry flavour.

All in all, I had a wonderful birthday this year celebrating it with darling. I appreciate everything and all the efforts and loving gestures he has made and not to mention all the trouble he went through to make that evening such a special and memorable one. It has definitely put a smile to my face and a cherished memory sealed in my heart forever. Thank you and I love you heaps gong... XoXo.... :)

Would also like to express my thanx to my family and friends who had remembered my birthday. Thank you for all your unforgettable wishes.


XoXo,
~* joychariz *~

My Pre-Birthday Celebration @ TGIF, The Curve

Entry: 101
19th October 2008

Dear Diary,

I know I'm like 19 days late since my birthday which was on Oct 1. Been really preoccupied with college, mood swings, procrastination etc. Nevertheless, better late than never right? Anyway, darling took me for cocktails the night before my birthday at TGIF in The Curve. Its kinda like a countdown to midnight to kickstart my 22nd birthday celebration. Old ady hor.... :p

I had the Ultimate Hawaiian Volcano (the cocktail on your left with the cherry) which is priced at RM25.90, while darling had the Top Shelf Ice Tea priced at RM24.90. Darling's drink tasted like their Long Island Tea, only stronger with much more vodka perhaps?

Since we already had dinner, Darling asked if I wanted dessert. Gosh, can I ever say NO to dessert??? We noticed that TGIF has changed their menu, adding more varieties and goodies along the way. Among the food there that caught my eyes on the menu was their new appetizer which was Fried Mac & Cheese. The description to it sounded perfectly yummy. Will wanna try that out the next time I dine there. I opt for their new range of mini desserts. There were about 4 or 5 kinds to choose from. We chose their Snickers and Strawberry Custard Mini Dessert which was priced at RM7.80 for 2. They charge you RM9.00 if you choose 3. Was not a very good choice though as it was really mini and too watery to be custard or even pudding! Darn, should have gone with our regular Mocha Mud Pie. Sigh.... I miss their Ultimate Mudslide cocktail....

So yeah, that was kind of it for the evening before we called it a night. Stay tune for my birthday post!!

XoXo,
~* joychariz *~

Lou Gong's 25th Birthday Celebration in Tony Roma's @ The Curve

Entry: 98
24th September 2008


Dear Diary,

This overdue post is specially dedicated to a very very special person in my life.............

A Birthday wish for my special love,
Message sent by the purest dove.
Wishing you happiness and success,
With eternal love, I must profess.

I celebrate your birth today,
A dashing prince you always portray.
Best friends and lovers all in one,
We always have the greatest fun.

I only wish the best for you,
New experiences we will always pursue.
On this special birthday, I’ll hold you tight,
As our flames of love, begin to ignite.

The love of my life turns 25 on July 2nd this year :)

We celebrated by having dinner in Tony Roma's at The Curve. This is what my darling had. I've forgotten the name of this combo. But I think it's New York strip with ribs?? Or something like that. Haha... Sorry, was still in my MIA period so I can't really recall the names :p

This is what I had. Something similar to darling's entree but instead of ribs, I had shrimps and replaced my fries for rice. The shrimps were really really good!!! Grilled to perfection. Simply lip-smackingly good! Darling's one was nice too. Tony Roma's ribs are the best you can get in town :)

You and I together forever,
Nothing can stand in the way,
My love for you grows stronger each new day,
I've fallen deeply in love with you...

XoXo,

~* joychariz *~

Allegro Cafe @ SS15 Subang Jaya

Entry: 93
24th May 2007

Dear Diary,

It's darling and my 16th month anniversary and I'm embarrassed to be blogging about it so late when it has already been way past our 17th month anniversary :$:$ Anway, darling brought me to the Italian restaurant near our place in SS15 Subang Jaya called Allegro Cafe. This eatery is located opposite Kopitiam and is on the same row as Coffee Cabana. We've always passed by this place on our way to Salmon Steak but have never seen it having a full house which often puzzles us. As darling and I guessed, it might be due to the huge potted plants placed in the way of the entrance making it look more like a jungle than a cafe. Haha... Dunno why lah.


The Hot Chocolate (RM5.50) drink I ordered. This drink was rather tasteless and not as chocolatey compared to Secret Recipe's hot chocolate.

Darling's Iced Lemon Tea (RM5.00) which wasnt sweet. Frown...

We started off with a plate of Spaghetti Alla Cabonara (RM22.00) which is spaghetti tossed in cream with bits of ham and bacon. This cabonara was creamy enough but tasted rather bland. The chef probably needs to add a little more salt to bring out its flavour. Haha... I'm just guessing only. We still prefer the cabonara in Italiannies. Gosh I miss their pasta buffet so much. Wonder when will gong gong have the time to take me there again.


Our second choice was their Lagsana Di Manzo. Priced at RM20.00, this oven baked beef lagsana came topped with mozzarella cheese and sprinkled parsley. Quite nice and cheesielicious I must say but then again, it lacked flavour. Wonder why....

This Tropicale Pizza here won our star-of-the-day award!! Priced at RM25.00, this 12-inch pizza came topped with a generous amount of pan fried chicken breast cubes, pineapples, and loads of mozzarella cheese. Truly cheesie and absolutely delicious. Darling and I both practically drooled over the pan fried chicken breast cubes which was so tasty that we could only scream more except that we were stuffed full and 8 slices of pizza was more than what we could take.

Dessert time... I kind of regretted ordering dessert as I was very very full by the time we wiped the pizza pan clean. And I also regretted ordering their La Coppa Di Tiramisu which was priced at RM11.00 because it tasted like fermented yoghurt or perhaps I wasnt used to the liquor they used. Hmm... Should have ordered their Panna Cotta instead.

We'll definitely be back for their amazing Tropicale Pizza or to give their other pizza's a try. It sure is a life saver for saving our special evening from being ruined by disasterous tastelss food. Haha... :p

And as for you, my dear lou gong zhai, I love you from the bottom of my heart. Thanx for the lovely evening. Its another priceless memory to be treasured. XOXOXO!!!

I heart you,
~* joychariz *~

Tony Roma's @ Sunway Pyramid

Entry: 85
24th April 2007

Dear Diary,

It is already the 15th month since darling and I got together now. Wow, time really does fly by when u're have fun. Tee hee :p Psst... I'll let you in on a little secret. This is the longest relationship I've ever been in. Lol!! Now it is no longer a secret. Hahahaha... Anyway, to celebrate our 15th month anniversary today, darling brought me to Tony Roma's in Sunway Pyramid for dinner.



I have heard and read so much about Tony Roma's. My knowledge of this place ranges from its origins to its huge servings in steaks and ribs. Yummilicious!! Tony Roma's which originated from the States, had just opened its first outlet here in Sunway Pyramid not too long ago last year. I've read many comments from other foodies mentioning their disappointment in the outlet here being Halal. It seems that Tony Roma's is well known for their baby back ribs which is sadly unavailable in Malaysia. Oh well, never mind that. Both darling and I found the service here to be excellently good. Waiters were prompt in serving and taking your orders as well as being attentive to your needs. The waitress that served us for the evening was especially helpful in explaining everything to us in detail. I would have given her an A++ if it wasnt for one major flaw which was her heavy accent whereby darling and I could hardly understand whatever she told us. Hmm... I was like 'Huh?'. Lol :p

For drinks, darling chosed to go for their bottomless Coke which was priced at RM6.90.


I decided to have a Chocolate Milkshake which was priced at RM9.90. Very sweet, thick, creamy and nice :)


Complimentary Bread on the house with garlic spread.

These were the BBQ sauces in which we had a hard time understanding what the waitress was explaining to us. Haha!! Apparently, they had 4 types of BBQ Sauces ranging from original BBQ sauce, smoked BBQ sauce, honey BBQ sauce and hot BBQ sauce. Darling and I both agreed that the best were the hot and smoked BBQ sauce. The other 2 were simply unbearable.

For his main course, darling chose to have their Signature NY Strip. Priced at RM49.90, this 10 oz strip is grilled to your liking (medium or well-done) and topped with their special steak butter. Mmmm... its already delicious even in my imagination. This entree also includes two side dishes in which darling chose to have their fries and mashed potatoes. Darling ordered his steak to be medium done. It turned out very nice and juicy with a hint of pinkness in the centre. Darling's fries were absolutely large and good but the mashed potatoes were a disappointment to us as it was tasteless and lacked cream. Aside from that, I would give this steak thumbs up for its perfection. Darling enjoyed this steak very much too :)

I ordered their Grilled Chicken Spinach Stack for my main course. Priced at RM29.90, this entree consisted of two stacked, grilled chicken breasts straight from the open grill covered with a rich blend of four cheeses, artichoke hearts and creamy spinach. It also came served with rice and sauteed vege which I switched to mash potatoes thinking that it was good. A very bad choice made there I suppose. Hmph... But my chicken was quite good and blended well with the cheese. I've never expected cheese and spinach to be such a good combination together. Lol :p

Yes, we never fail to have dessert. Despite finishing such huge portions of our main meals (well, I cheated, darling helped me out here.. hehe :p), we ordered their signature Chocolate Avalanche (RM12.90) as I was curious to know what chocolate molten cake tasted like. This dessert consisted of a molten chocolate cake overflowing with vanilla ice-cream, hot fudge and Oreo crumbles. It is described in the menu to be a true dessert explosion. It definitely was a sinfully rich explosion and I enjoyed every bite of it. Now I know what molten cake tastes like :) Darling said that the molten cake in Chili's is way better. Gotta try that out one day.

Oh, I forgot to mention that our dessert was served in a martini glass. Sweet... *grin*

We got complimentary Mentos sweets and warm towels at the end of our meal. Im starting to love this place already. Good food, nice service, romantic atmosphere, what more could we ask for? Erm, the bill perhaps?? Haha... Thank you darling for such a wonderful evening. You know it will be treasured in my heart, locked and sealed forever. I love you gong... Muax muax...

Cheers,
~* joychariz *~

Daddy's Birthday Celebration

Entry: 84
24th April 2007

Dear Diary,

It was Dad's birthday last Tuesday. We went back to Seremban to give him a little birthday surprise celebration.

We got this specially for him :)

Chocolate Mud Cake from Secret Recipe.

Happy Birthday Daddy dearest!! Wishing you good health and prosperity in the many many more long years to come. We love you to bits!!! Hugs...

Specially dedicated to my daddy :)
~* joychariz *~