Café Review: The Shire Cafe

If you have been to Kuala Lumpur before, you are probably well acquainted with the hundreds of trendy cafés, bars, and restaurants. There is literally something for everyone: from dietary restricts that touch the realms of allergies and religion, to themed environments made specifically for local fandoms.

During my most recent visit to KL, I did not spend as much time in my favourite shops throughout the city. I did however, make it to a new café called The Shire Cafe.

The Shire Cafe, if you haven’t guessed, is a Lord of The Rings themed café (yes, I love LoTR. Yes, I am a dork). Immediately upon entering the space, you are greeted with faint melody of tracks the trilogies soundtrack and a giant hobbit hole; for fan photo opportunities. Lining the walls are a ridiculous amount of paraphernalia and by the espresso bar there is a map of Middle Earth.

Settling in was great. The owner seated us by the window and walked us through the ordering process on their iPad menus. The menu itself is a .pdf file, which you bring up to the espresso bar and place your order. Defeats the purpose of the iPad ordering system but I like the human interaction! While you’re waiting for your food, you have an unlimited amount of games available electronically. There are also clips of the movie rotating on the main page.

They really wanted to touch upon the finer details.

The food here is fantastic!

Compliments to the owner and chef, for allowing us to sample the amazing Lembas bread! “One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of any man” may have been true, however I was a bit gluttonous and wanted to try the whole menu.

I decided upon The Queen; a waffle topped with eggs, smoked salmon, and mayo. My friend chose a bread waffle wrapped hotdog, filled with cheese and topped with mayo.

If you do not like mayo, it is a staple in a lot of restaurants. My recommendation: always ask! Also, please note that mayonnaise in Asia is quite a bit sweeter than in North America.

Conclusion:
I definitely want to try the of their sweets waffles next time: particularly the Pippin or Sam! Also, their coffee topped with candy sounds absolutely fantastic.

I was very satisfied with my MC smoothie – mango and carrot really works well together – and The Queen waffle. The staff, is wonderful and incredibly thoughtful. I would definitely recommend this café!

Midnight Rainbows

         KLCC; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Snaps for Sam

Success!

My first week as ‘Teachaaa Sammm’ is complete and what an interesting start it has been! For one, I now know almost every one of my thirty student’s names (I was terrified Starbucks had ruined me and I wouldn’t be able to pick up anything). Snaps for Sam!

I have tried a plethora of amazing Malaysian food – my favourite being vegetarian curry and tissue roti this morning – and ‘knock-on-wood’ – I have not been sick. Snaps for Sam!

I am now Elsa from Frozen to some of my students. Snaps for Sam?

Working with children again is both a pleasure and a challenge, particularly because no matter where you are there are different codes of conduct when it regards those aged 1 to 18. Some institutions are heavy on rules and regulations while others are lax, and all I can really draw on is my own experience with kids. I am also being retaught by my students.

I am seeing the world as a giant new oyster, ready to be explored. Realizing it is okay to run and climb over things like monkeys sometimes, because we all need to be feel free of social conventions for even a brief moment, and that a smile is a gift to be treasured. Also that learning something new is amazing, and it is the best feeling in the world to be excited by something unknown.

There is so much more but I am off to the Batu Caves this morning. I’ll update you all soon!

xo

Day One in the Big KL

 

Day one in Kuala Lumpur is officially completed! Woo!

Today has been a bit of a whirlwind! A lot of names and travelling to different areas, but it has also been quite fun. I am keen to know more about this city I will be calling home!

To start, I landed and was greeted by a lovely calligraphy teacher, whose name I unfortunately cannot recollect at the moment. Such a nice man though, actively showing me what he could of the area and answering all of my questions to the best of his abilities.

Please note that it was also four in the morning.

The ride from the airport was visually interesting to me as well. In every country, there are different ways of managing traffic. The tolls in Malaysia for instance, are without lines, so you can just pull up to whichever window is available and drive through until you hit regulated road again. This is the only major difference I noticed but I am assuming there are other slight ones that I am intrigued to learn about. Plus I am incredibly curious about all the Malay on the signs! Something to pick up on over the next few months.

After a bit of confusion, we arrived at Evelyn’s house. Evelyn is an incredibly, kind woman who is allowing me to stay in her home for the duration of my trip. She quickly acquainted me with her home before leaving me to get my bearings. A brief unpacking season followed by responding to messages on Whatsapp and I was asleep.

I awoke in the afternoon, and was promptly picked up by a fellow Canadian Alex, Evelyn, and Shane; a Frappucino loving student from the school I will be teaching at. Fact: Alex and I were both Baristas at Starbucks in Toronto which is also how we met! She is the one who inspired and helped me come to Malaysia! I will be replacing her as of next week, while she relaxes in Bali. Lucky girl!

From there I met a plethora of wonderful and unique students, all of whom I am excited to get to know as we spend more time together. I learned that the school is sorted by age into four categories: Tinkerbell (ages 3 – 4/5), Rolly Polly (ages 5 – 7), the Rambunctious Boys [or Chrysalis] (ages 7 – 13) and the Angels (ages 13 – 18). These children are full of creativity – most are musical geniuses – and have a genuine excitement towards learning, which is very motivational for me! I want these students to get the best learning experience that I can provide for them!

I was also introduced to a few of the teachers and Pyen. Pyen is the woman that runs the school. We had been in contact before I arrived so it was very nice to finally put a face to a name. She also kindly bought my first bagged meal in Malaysia!

If you haven’t heard, which I certainly had not until today, food can be served in plastic bags when you use the take away option. There is generally a bag for your dry foods, another for your sauce, and an additional one if you order a beverage. Although it was a little different presentation wise, it is incredibly delicious! I am looking forward to more baggy delights.

As the day winded down, the students gradually began to leave for home. This allowed for a few of the teachers to slip away and run some errands. My one item on the list was to find a towel, because as per tradition, I had forgotten something back home. Yes, I have a habit that no matter how much I prepare, I will, without fail forget an item I need. I suppose I should be thankful that it was just a towel!

Our search for my towel brought us to two of the largest malls I have ever entered. One is the largest in Asia actually and the other was an electronic junkies heaven. Alex and I branched away from our fellow teacher and ran into a beautiful couple who sold me a portable charger. They were so lovely, as we chatted for a bit about Malaysia and different places in the US we had all visited. During my stay, I will definitely visit them again!

We ended the day meeting up with another Sam and having free drinks on a patio. Free alcohol you may ask? Yes! There is all you can drink, free refills access to alcohol! This is a promotion called girl’s nights that bars and clubs seem to put on. Essentially, girls are offered unlimited free alcohol to draw men in to buy beer. Yup.

I can only imagine the mayhem this would cause in Toronto… I am unsure if production could keep up with the demand!

Tomorrow is Alex’s goodbye – booooo – and aside for the sad reason to gather friends, it should be a splendid evening. Now off to bed with me and my jet lagged mind. I hope the above wasn’t just one unfurling ramble.