We had parked at the bottom of the hill since it was quite packed. We had to climb up the stairs like these.

Obviously the kid has an easier time than the adults.

When we got to the top, there were quite a few stalls which greeted us – like this one. There were bags and clothes all around.

We had not made any bookings and so, we hunted around for a while. We finally settled down for this – Bread & Olives.

The dinner did not start off well since they did not have tables which could accomodate all 7 of us. The waiters put 3 tables together and 1 of them were actually smaller than the other 2 and they forced us to sit! But of course we objected and finally, we all sat down, at 3 same sized tables.

The menu arrived and we were looking through some offerings which could be catered to our vegetarian taste. When we saw the Pizza Funghi, we wanted to take out the meat and were told “Cannot! We cannot change the taste.” Then we asked if we could order Spaghetti Carbonara without the meat, we were also told “Cannot!”

Hmm, usually in Western restaurants, we do not encounter this problem. It is usually a breeze since we can just interchange the ingredients and that solves the problem. However, this place could not do it.

The food finally came … I was too hungry and so, did not have any photos of it. But the one thing that we all agreed was that – THE FOOD IS NOT NICE!  My parents’ chicken dish was not tasty. Our pizza was not tentalizing either. Imagine my son who loves pizza decided that he will pass the ones we ordered.

The pasta we ordered was too soft and the cream was too thick. Before we manage to eat all, it was already hard.

The chocolate shake we ordered tasted really “thin” if you know what I mean. Definitely no calories stuck on me even after I finished it! Coke was charged at RM4.00! And they charged for water too.

Here is the bill. And I won’t be complaining if the service and food were great. The problem is, either were up to standards. Even the beautiful view did not help in easing our dissatisfaction.

I definitely will not go there again!

Have you experience this place before? Does your view differ from mine?

Each time I switch companies, the first thing I would do is to scout around to find vegetarian food. I have been a vegetarian for over 10 years and I must say that I have not had any problems finding decent food.

On Jalan Ampang where I am very closely sitting for work, I have plenty of choices which I will highlight here.

Ampang Park – There is a stall in the food court which sells decent vegetarian food and is reasonably priced. You could get 2 vegetables and 1 vegie meat with rice for about RM4.50. They offer more vegetables than the vegie meat although they do use oil quite generously. Occasionally, they will have fried rice which is yellow in colour – really nice smell. However, during lunch hour, be sure to be there early as there are limited sitting space.

Temple, next to the Celcom building – The food here by far is the best on the street. They offer a wide variety of dishes for economy rice as well as a healthy corner for organic stuff. They also have a stall set up for “daily specials” e.g. mushroom mee, curry mee, pan mee, nasi lemak etc.

Apart from the food, they have a good selection of fruits and fruit rojak as well as freshly baked buns, muffins, etc. On the 1st and the 15th day of the month, they also hold “pay-as-you-want” meals where you can take as much as you want and pay your money in a box, as you want.

However, it can be hot if the sun is shining brightly. Be sure to wear something light. Also, good if you could turn up early as the crowd is in by 12.30pm. And oh ya, they are cheap too!

Wisma Central, next to Pelita Nasi Kandar – There is a vegetarian economy rice located on the ground floor. It is quite easy to find if you follow the arrows. The variety is not as much as the others, but it looks clean and tidy. Price wise, they are reasonable.

So there, all the vegetarian food available on Jalan Ampang and you can get a decent plate plus drinks for less than RM10.

 Yesterday, we went to California Pizza Kitchen at KLCC for lunch. It was one of those days where we did not really feel like eating anything and just walked into any restaurant which popped in front of us.

This is like my second or third time there and I must comment that their service is really bad.

For one, they hire a lot of foreigners who does not really understand English. And I honestly do not know their language too you know! But I figured, since you are in KLCC, your staff should be able to understand English right? Wrong!

Incident 1: After concluding our meal, we asked for the bill. The waiter came up and I asked if they have any credit card promotion. He stared at me and just continued to push the bill to me. Despite me repeating the question, he still stared at me and continue to push the bill at me. Only after I raised my voice did his manager come over to apologize and told us of the credit card promotions.

Incident 2: After some months from the first incident, I went there again yesterday. After finishing the food, we asked for the bill. I am not sure why it takes them so long to even notice us raising our hands. It feels like we were in school trying to catch the attention of the teacher!!! After like 10 minutes, the waitress came with our bill.

Me: Do you have any credit card promotion?

Waitress: (Stared at me) Er, huh?

Me: Do you have any credit card promotion?

Waitress: Yes, yes, we accept credit cards.

Me (boiling, repeated my question): No, my question is do you have any credit card promotion?

Waitress: Oh, I check. (She went to check and came back)

Waitress: Yes, we have credit card promotion.

Me: Which bank and what is the promotion?

Waitress: (Stared at me) Er, huh? Er, I have to … (she ran off half way)

Waitress: Er, we have Hong Leong, Citibank promotions etc.

OMG! My friend and I stared after her. I cannot believe CPK actually hire people like that. They are sitting in the middle of a tourist area and yet, their service levels are so horrible! I wonder if the foreigners dining in the restaurant find the foreigners serving them amusing or heart wrenching.

Food wise, they are ok la. But not something very worth it overall considerin the price you pay and the service levels you get.

My take – Not somewhere you want to go if you have the choice.