Seen, heard, read and a riddle....

apa ni???? answer the riddle to get some personal satisfaction

Let's shake up the week with something different - little notes on dining related news and a riddle for all of you, especially dedicated to those whose brains are rotting away in the office. Time to crack those brain cells, people and guess what is the picture all about???? No prizes though since I don't have any sponsors but give yourself a big pat on the back, if you scored correct.

Saw that Maredos Steakhouse in Bangsar has closed down, replaced by a interesting named place - Banana Jones. Looks like a banana leaf rice joint, hence I guess the banana reference. Not sure where the Jones part came about unless Indiana Jones aka Harrison Ford is a shareholder? Red Ginger at Plaza Damansara is also gone (I think the one at Northpoint is still around) and replaced with place called Daddy Kitchen. The char kuey teow man in Restoran Seng Lee, Damansara Heights has re-located to Section 25, Shah Alam. Instead, his daughter has taken over the Damansara Heights' stall.

Heard that Cilantro will re-open end of the year, after Micasa finishes their renovations. No one knows what is going to be the arrangement since Sage is now opened and Takashi helms the Chef's Table every night. I guess we will have to wait and see. WIP in Bangsar Shopping Centre closed on 22 February, with a lot of fanfare - they're shutting down to renovate the place (the whole side of that wing has also closed for renovations) as it seems they found their concept. Enter the contest to name the new WIP and win a free dinner for 4 pax. Seems Il Divo of Desa Sri Hartamas is moving to Ampang soon. I guess works are in progress as on Monday, the Italian joint was closed. Sounds like bad news for Desa Sri Hartamas as it has been quite quiet there ever since Solaris opened their doors.

Read that Prive, that hot place in Singapore is opening an outlet at the GTower in Jalan Ampang sometime in the fourth quarter of 2009. From their website, it says that the restaurant will be on the 28th and 29th floors. It also includes an al-fresco rooftop lounge called Modern Alchemy. Sounds like it will give Skybar a run for their monies? Also found while flipping through the pages was the news that we can expect a new Italian joint by Paolo Guiati, the guy behind Nerovivo around Changkat Bukit Bintang in the very near future.

And finally, from now on, there will be a change to how we dine i.e. book ahead to earn points! The Qguides has launched their online booking system, which I had the privilege to beta test last week. A boon for those who hate to wait at the phone, the online system will work with SMS and email confirmations. Believe me, it works as I tried it out last week as long as you book at least 30 minutes ahead. Best of all (for all of us who love great bargains!) they do a reward system - book with them and get cash vouchers back. At the moment, they have 20 restaurants and hopefully more will jump on board with them. It is definitely a very revolutionary idea and it disciplines us to plan ahead (something I rarely do I admit) but with freebies as the dangling carrot, I may change my mind and join the club. The site also carries a list of places to eat, nicely segregated to different types of cuisines. Something great for foodies, as it will be a source for information even though it is not comprehensive.