KEE@FSWMAG.COM
Dato Steve Day, Yap Teak Sing, YTM Tunku Laksamana Tunku Naquiyuddin Tuanku Jaafar, Datin Su Day, Shawna Yap and Farha Shaid
Too Wan Jin, Lillian Too the world's greatest feng shui author and devoted practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, His Excellency Professor Nguyen Hong Thao the Vietnamese Ambassador and Dato' Steve Day
I DARE SAY BUNGA EMAS (WHICH MEANS 'GOLDEN FLOWER' IN MALAY AND REFERS TO THE HISTORICAL METRE HIGH TREE MADE OF SOLID GOLD SENT TO THE SIAMESE KING ANNUALLY FROM KELANTAN ITS VASSAL STATE) IS THE WORLD'S BEST MALAY FINE DINING RESTAURANT.
Well, let's face it, how many fine dining Malay restaurants are there in KL, let alone Malaysia or London, Paris and New York? Actually there is one in London called Awana in highclass Sloane Street in Chelsea London but it is now closed and no date is given for its reopening. Anyway Awana is a Malaysian restaurant opposed to a Malay ie Melayu restaurant!
There are heaps of excellent Malay restaurants but they are not to be compared with FINE dining since most are not even air conditioned let alone being located in a 5-star hotel like Royale Chulan!
So definitely Bunga Emas can safely take credit as the finest fine dining Malay restaurant and so what is it but the only one!
The setting of Bunga Emas is lush and luxuriant and of course classy as befits a Malay Dato and Datin. The foyer is spacious with chandeliers shaped as pomegranate, grand piano and sofas. There is even live entertainment with a singer belting out soothing classics.
As Bunga Emas is favoured as venue for upscale Malay weddings, there is a pair of monumental floral arrangements as big as a tree and completely laden with white, virginal silk flowers. They resemble cherry blossoms on steroids and very impressive to say the least.
Well, these floral displays took care of the obligatory flowers so our tables were not groaning under vases of flowers.
Last night there were 24 guests instead of 20, probably because the Royal Patron Tunku Laksamana Tunku Naquiyuddin Tuanku Jaafar was guest of honour.
As usual, Dato' Steve Day and Datin Su Day took care to invite their eclectic list of guests since variety is the spice of life. So it was with the deepest of deep irony one third or near two thirds of the guests were engineers! Incredible coincidence!
Like they say, what man (or Datin Su Day) ponders, God splits asunder.
There was no Tan Sri last night but a Puan Sri as Tan Sri Stephen Voon could not make it so wifey Puan Sri Ong Li Ling came with glamourous Chua Cheng Lian who sat next to me and revealed she was an avid reader of this blog so I must put her photo here 'big-big'.
MIGF's Royal Patron of 13 years, YTM Tunku Laksamana Negeri Sembilan and one of the Four Noble Princes in line to the Negeri Sembilan throne came without his beautiful wife YAM Tunku Nurul Hayati who could not escape from a prior engagement.
Lillian Too the world's greatest feng shui author and authority and owner of World of Feng Shui empire with daughter Jennifer came with distinguished hubby Too Wan Jin who sat opposite me and regaled us with tales of his life with Lillian Too who he married when she was 21.
Lillian Too's 224-page tome 'Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui' remains the world's best selling book in English on this ancient but effective art of living. Just ask Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble etc!
I could not take my eyes off Lillian Too's latest jade bling as they were so gorgeous and gleamed like emeralds! Her earrings, ring, necklace with matching green watch must be worth millions, more so when she said the jade's imperial green lustre was not so lush and luxuriant when she first purchased them. According to tradition, quality jade slowly but perceptibly improves in colour when worn by someone with good karma!
The ambassador of the European Union HE Luc Vandebon and wife Marti also attended and he admitted his original dream was to be a rock star and he was famous as one for 6 months in his native Belgium!
Dato Steve Day noted Hercule Poirot is also a Belgian and not French as many assumed. For the ignoramus among my 7,000 daily readers, Hercule Poirot is crime novelist Agatha Christie's answer to Sherlock Holmes who also has a sidekick named Captain Hastings, the equivalent to Holmes' Watson!
Another ambassador was His Excellency Professor in Law Nguyen Hong Thao, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam. His Excellency graced our culture by wearing batek. Too bad the Thai ambassador was not there as I wore a lavish top inspired by the costume of a Thai classical dancer.
Too Wan Jin and Lillian Too pose as if they are renewing their nuptials amid the silk flowers
His Excellency the Vietnamese ambassador Prof Nguyen Hong Thao and MIGF president Dato Steve Day
Dato Steve Day introducing Lillian Too who spoke briefly about her feng shui books
Ariff Shah who is an aviation engineer, Shalini Ganendra the renowned art dealer and promoter and son Jerry Ganendra who is studying Engineering in Cambridge
Marti Vandebon, HE Luc Vandebon the ambassador of European Union, Shalini Ganendra and Jerry Ganendra
One for the album
Kee Hua Chee and Chua Cheng Lian toast the good life they are enjoying due to Buddha's blessings
ARIFF SHAH
ARIFF SHAH WILL MARRY IN DECEMBER IN A SIMILAR SETTING LIKE THIS
KEE HUA CHEE HAS NO INTENTION OF FALLING INTO THE MARRIAGE TRAP
BUNGA EMAS RESTAURANT
NICE
FARHA SHAID, ARIFF SHAH AND KEE HUA CHEE
ARIFF SHAH, SHALINI AND JERRY GANENDRA
ARIFF SHAH, SHALINI GANENDRA AND JERRY GANENDRA
DATO STEVE DAY, YAP TEAK SING, TUNKU NAQUIYUDDIN, DATIN SU DAY, SHAWNA YAP AND FARHA SHAID
DAVID TEH, PITT LEE, PETER LO AND PETER SCHLATTER
MARTI VANDEBON, HE LUC VANDEBON, SHALINI AND JERRY GANENDRA
HIS EXCELLENCY PROFESSOR NGUYEN HONG THAO, AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY OF VIETNAM AND DATO STEVE DAY THE BRAINS BEHIND MIGF
TOO WAN JIN, LILLIAN TOO, THE VIETNAMESE AMBASSADOR PROF NGUYEN HONG THAO AND DATO STEVE DAY
LOVE BIRDS OF MANY DECADES TOO WAN JIN AND LILLIAN TOO
LOOK AT LILLIAN TOO'S JADE SUITE OF EARRINGS, NECKLACE AND BANGLE! GORGEOUS BEYOND WORDS!
KEE HUA CHEE IN FULL REGALIA AND CROC BAG
YTM TUNKU NAQUIYUDDIN LISTENING TO DATO STEVE DAY'S WELCOME SPEECH
SHAIFUL HAILMI IDRIS THE CHEF OF BUNGA EMAS, FARAH HALIM PR MANAGER OF ROYALE CHULAN, SABRI THE EXECUTIVE CHEF AND DATO STEVE DAY OF MIGF
GROUP PHOTO
DATO CHEF WAN AND 81 YEAR OLD MOTHER NORAINI ABDULLAH
PUAN SRI ONG LI LING, PRESIDENT OF HEDGEHOG SOCIETY OF MALAYSIA AND TOO WAN JIN
KEE HUA CHEE AND CHUA CHENG LIAN
GUESTS LISTENING TO DESMOND ROHAN EXPLAINING EACH DISH
SALMON ROLL AND BLUE FIN TUNA WAS OUR STARTER
TOP TABLE
DATO STEVE DAY INTRODUCING HIS GUESTS
YTM TUNKU NAQUIYUDDIN THE ROYAL PATRON OF MIGF
BELL PUMPKIN SOUP WITH CUMIN SEEDS
LILLIAN TOO MAKING COMMENTS
DATO STEVE DAY AND LILLIAN TOO
GOOSE LIVER MOUSSE AND SNAKE FRUIT SALSA
DATO CHEF WAN AND MUM NORAINI ABDULLAH WHO IS CHINESE
ASAM BOI ICE SHAVING
CHRIS ROBINSON SAYS NEVER INVEST IN A VINEYARD UNLESS YOU WORK THERE
WAGYU BEEF WITH GREEN PEA CURRY AND SOLE FILLET WITH SWEET TAMARIND SAUCE
DATIN SU DAY THANKING DATO STEVE DAY FOR PRAISING HER WHICH SHE DESERVED!
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