Culina has set up a supermarket and a restaurant in KL at the Four Seasons.
The supermarket is top class as they fly in produce from all over the world. You can buy meats, fish or vegetables from the supermarket and the restaurant will cook it for you in any style you want.
The food quality at the restaurant is of course top class. But more importantly, their service is very good. It is a pity that it’s has been quiet everytime I have been there. I do hope it picks up. They deserve a much wider audience.
I had my lunch there. Spaghetti spanner crab meat with spicy tomato sauce and a side dish of crab cakes. Both dishes were delicious and it was topped off with a soft serve ice cream!
One to make final call on whether to buy it. Two to meet up with the lawyers on how to structure it and three to see if there were any other alternative units I would want other than the one I had booked.
The third reason became moot very shortly as I realized all the remaining units were much more expensive and so there were no alternatives to look at.
The meeting with the lawyers went well and I told them how I wanted it and they agreed with my structure.
After one more look at the lot I had booked the last time, I decided that I will proceed.
Its about 70% sold already. They do have another phase that they will launch next year but that’s supposed to be more expensive by about another 30%.
The wealthy Chinese in Malaysia are the biggest buyers of this project and some have purchased up to 3 lots.
There is a time frame of up to 5 years to build the house on your lot, after which the developer has the right to buy it back from you at your purchase price with interest.
With all the amenities they have planned, it should be a beautiful project. Full facilities and full concierge service. Armed guards. Butler and gardening services. Natural hot springs. In house chef to cook for you at your house.
For now, they have swans from Holland swimming in the lakes and deer from Australia roaming the parks.
My lotDeers huddled together
Following the visit, I went with the agent and the managers for a simple lunch at a restaurant at the nearby village. Very simple place but with really good and fresh food. We had steamed fish, yam ring, braised bitter gourd, tofu and curry vegetables. Yummy.
Lunch venue
With this purchase I also get 4 acres of a Mao Shang Wang durian planation in Raub, Pahang. I will start seeing the financial fruits of my 4 acres in 2027 with the first harvest due then.
I took delivery of this collection from Purple Cane Malaysia. They call it the Ultimate Tea Collection. It comprises of 7 raw puer tea cakes, one from each year 2001 to 2007. The leaves used to make this tea were collected from primitive organic trees over 500 years.
This collection came about as result of a collaboration between Purple Cane Tea in Malaysia and Shuangjiang Mengku Tea in Yunnan, a famous tea producing company in China. The collaboration started just about the time when puer tea from China started getting a world wide audience. These 2 companies decided to produce 1000 cakes for each year. The collaboration ended in 2007 when the Chinese government prohibited tea plucking from these very old trees.
I have had tea from ancient trees, which receive this designation when they are more than 100 years old. But I have not seen tea from trees aged more than 500 years. And of course after 2007 it was no longer possible to pick leaves from these trees.
Each set is numbered and nicely packaged in a pretty wooden box. Should I open this set and drink it? Would be a shame to break the collection. But the tea is ready for drinking after having been stored for about 20 years after it hasbeen picked. And if I don’t drink it, why did I even buy it? Keep as an investment?
I am sitting in the plane waiting to take off to go to KL.
I was intending to drive but have not been sleeping well since my Germany trip. Jet lag and age. Sigh. So I decided not such a great idea to drive at 530 am in the morning.
So last minute switch to a flight.
A few things to do there. Collect my puer tea picked from tea trees which are more than 500 years old and another visit to Anyara Hills to make a final call on whether to buy..
An early morning breakfast with one of my favorite Ministers at Burnt Ends, Dempsey.
The place was his choice. I have never been there before. So when I arrived slightly earlier I saw that there was no air conditioned sitting area. I was actually thinking of suggesting a different venue. Luckily they had good fans and so it was bearable. Besides he was enjoying the pastries so I don’t think he would have wanted to move locations!
The place was popular and many people were either buying pastries to take away or to eat there. Constant stream of people that early in the morning.
We had great conversation on many topics. It was good to know that some of the serious challenges facing Singapore with an ageing population are being looked at holistically and thoroughly.
I told him about the book that I was currently reading “The Party’s Interests Come First”. He suggested ” A Year of No Significance”. I shall look for that book.
Today morning while I was having coffee, I had a text from Murali asking if I was free for lunch.
I was fortunately free and we ended up having a good vegetarian lunch at MTR restaurant in Serangoon Road. Clearly he is a regular there. But that’s not surprising I guess since he is a vegetarian.
We were formerly colleagues and so we talked about the firm, people we know in politics and challenges ahead for Singapore.
I saw on a Facebook post yesterday that Saraoja Devi passed away aged 87.
That brought back memories. When I was growing up, we only watched Tamil movies and heard Tamil songs at home. My parents were Tamil school teachers and were not conversant in English and so that was what we heard and saw.
So I am very familiar with the 60s and early 70s Tamil movies and songs. And in the early 60s, Saraoja Devi was a very famous actress. She starred in all the major hits of that era together with the 2 male heroes of that period, MGR and Sivaji. Most of them were black and white movies.
She was the last surviving actor from that era and now with her gone, that era has come to an end
Fortunately the movies are still with us, together with all the wonderful songs from those movies.
About 10 years ago, when Benson Puah was still the CEO of the Esplanade, he came up with a novel fundraising idea for the Esplanade.
There were a number of trees outside the Esplanade facing the waters and he said he would make each tree a memorial for the sum of $10,000.
Partly to support the Esplanade and him and to set up a small memorial for my grandparents and my father, I took up 2 trees in my name and that of my mother.
I have since visited the trees a few times over the years but the last time I went there was several years back.
My sister, who is back for a short visit, went there and sent me pictures of the plaques on the trees.
Last night was our regular catch up cum birthday celebration. This time it was Crystal’s birthday.
Someone suggested Garibaldi’s at Purvis Street and it was a good suggestion.
Good food. Not exactly the cheapest but fair and with a free valet service, which allows you to stop right in front of the restaurant, hand the over keys to the valet and walk right in.
As always conversation was good but this time Mei Ling could not make it.
As usual , I saw many lovely things from all over the world.
My sense was that prices were lower and a number of dealers told me that they did more sales this because of the lower prices.
As usual , I saw so many things that I liked but on the final day I narrowed it down to 3 items ; a buccaletti bracelet with sapphires, a jadeite ring and a Russian alexandrite ring.
Spent far less than last year and that’s a relief!
Now hopefully I wear them more often to justify buying them.
daily musings 