Akar Dining

Fine dining is a restaurant dining experience which is unique, sophisticated and pricey than an average restaurant.

Last month, I visited a truly local fine dining restaurant, Akar Dining which sourced all the raw ingredients locally and turn it into unique dishes.

The restaurant is located at 109, Jalan Aminuddin Baki, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, KL. The restaurant itself is not that large. Prior reservation is recommended. The restaurant has a dress code; smart casual with no slippers and shorts. Children are also not allowed to dine here. 

As most of the dishes are made out of sea food, I opted for Sauvignon Blanc which is an elegant wine with hints of white flowers, white fruits with long mineral finish.

The restaurant adopts open kitchen and diners can see how the young chefs work in unison to produce their masterpiece. 

For opening dishes, Saba Perkasam; spring onion soubise, khao jam rice, Sweet Potato; sweet potato sardine filling, tomato chutney and Cassava Bread; budu butter, duck serunding

Sea Wave; broccoli coulis, scallop mousse, seafood umai

Terroir; the Malaysian harvest, tempoyak

Fish; daun sup, purslane

Crustacean; passion fruit kulim hollandaise, jicama slaw

Duck, fermented cassava puree, coconut sothi, mulberry

Spice Duck Broth; sawtooth coriander

Flower Garden; cocnut mousse, flower cordial

Bagan Datok Chocolate; banana & garum, smoked vanilla, ganache

Liberica Bonbon; Jackfruit

When each dish was served, it was meticulously explained by the chefs. Almost everything been served is edible, including the decorative flowers.

At the end of the dining experience, diners will be presented with a momento which have details of the dishes served on the day. The dishes will changed every 3 months and the present one will be available until June 2023.

I really enjoy my dining experience here as it really feel local here. The bill worked out to be RM 550 (with 2 glasses of wine and sparkling natural mineral water) per person

MRT Putrajaya Line

Accessibility from Putrajaya to other areas within Klang Valley is now more easier with the opening of the much awaited MRT Putrajaya Line.

As the name implied, the MRT line starts from Putrajaya Sentral. This station also houses KLIA Transit and the bus station.

The waiting area here is spacious. Pretty much all the elevated stations along the way share the same design. The elevated stations are not air conditioned.

MRT Putrajaya Line starts from Putrajaya and end in Kwasa Damansara. It will passed through Cyberjaya, Taman Equine, Serdang, Sungai Besi, KL, Kepong and Sri Damansara. With this, Putrajaya is pretty much well connected to other areas as there are LRT Sri Petaling Line, MRT Kajang Line, LRT Ampang Line and KL Monorail interchange stations along the line.

The trains here have a distinctive design with its duck look on its front and hence the nickname "Ducky".

I am fortunate to able to try the train on its first day of operation on 16th March 2023 where it offers free ride until 31st March 2023. It took about 40 minutes from Putrajaya Sentral to Tun Razak Exchange.

The full line spans 57.7km with total travelling time of 86 minutes from one end to another (36 stations).

For those familiar with MRT Kajang line, the internal of the MRT Putrajaya line is very much similar. With this line completed, user will have a cheaper alternative to KL from Putrajaya besides the more costlier KLIA transit.

Dango Capsule Slide

Dango Capsule Slide is an accessory for the Dango A10 Adapt Wallet to increase its functionality and capacity. It is priced at RM 249 and delivered in a plastic packaging.

For dimension, it measured at 64mm x 109mm x 15mm and weighted about 113.7g. It is made in the USA out of CNC machined 6061 aluminium.

I find the capsule way too heavier to my liking. The Capsule itself is almost twice the weight of the A10 Adapt wallet. Combining both would mean the overall weight to be 177.5g.

Using the Capsule is rather straight forward with a push of the thumb to slide the lid up to open. The inner dimension is measured to be 93mm tall, 56mm wide and 6mm deep. It can accommodate 5-6 cards or 15 business cards. It can also holds cash, keys, coins, SD cards and etc.

It can be slide together with the A10 Adapt wallet but the combination would be a bit bulky with the thickness around 25.43mm. The Capsule Slide is pretty secured in this configuration and won't slide out accidentally.

The Capsule Slide can also be used independently as a wallet. The A10 chassis clip (sold separately) is compatible to the Capsule and add to the overall functionality of it.

Dango EDC Tray

Dango EDC tray is perfect to organize the most prized everyday carry items in one convenient space. Machined from a solid piece of 6061 aluminium in USA, it weighted at 1.4kg. Priced at RM 749, the seller had also included the DTEX pads.

It consists of 4 different sizes of cavities to store items such as mobile phones, wallet, watch, keys, coins and etc. Its dimension is 8.5" x 11" x 0.75". The DTEX pads which is optional is highly recommended to provide a better storage experience on the tray.

The tray is equipped with rubber footing on all 4 corners on the underside to protect surfaces and keep it safely in place without any concern of it sliding around.

Underneath the tray is an under cavity for wire management for phone charger. There is also a hole at the top right corner which function as a pen holder.

This is one of the many ways to store the everyday carry items on the tray. Apparently, the tray is designed to hold most of the minimalist design wallets in the compartments. A traditional bifold wallet is just a bit too wide for the cavities.

Another extra feature of the tray is the tray also functions as mobile device & tablet stand. There are 3 stands to place the device for different configurations which suit the user.

Loft Pals Urbanstay Lodge

There are many budget hotels sprawling around Kapit town and one will have a hard time guessing how those hotel rooms fare unless one stay in it. One of budget hotels here is Loft Pals Urbanstay Lodge where one need to check in and get the room key from its office just opposite the Petronas station.

After checked in, one will have to walk a few meters away from the check in office to where the rooms are located. The rooms are located next to PMG clinic/self service laundry. There are 2 access, back and front of the building. Just look at the room number to determine which access door to use.

The stairways to the rooms is surprisingly well decorated. There is even an ironing board here.

The room is not spacious but its amenities and furniture are quite new. Nevertheless, the room is clean.

Most of the rules and regulations are posted on the wall of the room. The room is alright for Kapit standard. However, it is quite cumbersome to check in/out at their office and walk to another building block to reach the room.