Hwan By Chakri, Mid Valley Megamall

 A lovely little concept has mushroomed in the array of kiosks that line the passageways of the Lower Ground Floor in mid valley megamall.  Hwan, which means sweet in Thai, is a dessert on the go place, but also offers several options of savouries.

When first invited by proprietess, the very charming Caleen, of Chakri Palace, I assumed it was a restaurant outlet.  This is what happens when you don't do any preparation or research before hand.  I was intrigued when I discovered that Hwan by Chakri is a kiosk, and wondered where we would sit.

 The entire set up is too cute, the kiosk is in the shape of a tuk tuk dessert truck.  Caleen explained to us how this brainchild was conceived, and it happened when she was sampling the street food of Thailand with a local celebrity Chef McDang, in the non touristy parts, and was wowed by the wonderful desserts she had that were not readily available.

 Mee krob, a kind of vermicelli that is both sweet and savoury, which is very unique.  It is served with some salty peanuts, and is really an eye catcher as it seems to be the centrepiece of the entire kiosk.

Caleen explains to us about how the celebrity chef fella was very helpful, and she was so surprised he was so accommodating and receptive.

 The mango and sticky rice is a quintessential Thai dessert, and I love the different varieties of sticky rice.  Actually it's a very filling dessert, and certainly meant for sharing.

This Som Tam, or Green papaya salad, packs a nice punch, with the tang and the heat from chilli, and the crunch of the dried shrimp and peanuts, and tastes very healthy too.

 Mieng kheam has to be one of my favourite Thai starters, such a cornucopia of flavours packed within that humble kadok leaf.  It comes in a pack of leaves and filling, which you have to wrap yourself though.  So it could be a bit messy if you're eating it on the go.

 Thai Fish cakes, very reasonably priced... I think everything here is less than RM10.

 Durian sticky rice... A must for durian enthusiasts, but certainly not for the durian averse, as you can tasted the durian pulp very distinctly.

 The very unique take on Thab Tim Krub, the red ruby dessert, which is served atop a coconutty ice cream with some sticky rice.

 As a final encore, that thai green mango salad, which is yummy.  I just love the combination of flavours, which is more or less same as the som tham, but the green mango is a bit more crunchy than the green papaya,

The traditional Thub Theem Krab.  ..

Hwan is located in front of Macdonalds and the Chinese Medicine Hall, you absolutely cannot miss it if you are walking into Jusco Supermarket.

Seafood Buffet at Gobo Chit Chat, Traders Hotel, IMHO, THE BEST VALUE BUFFET in town.

It's been awhile since I've been to Gobo Chit Chat in Traders Hotel, and truth be told, I am not really big on buffets.  It's like buying a CD, you'll be lucky to get two songs that you actually like in the whole album.  But upon entering the familiar surrounds of Gobo CC, I was literally quite stunned by the vast array of creatures from Neptune's kingdom, and the variety of seafood was simply quite amazing.

The seafood buffet is on Fridays & Saturdays only, and is priced at a remarkably affordable rate of RM108++, whereby if you whacked two large legs of the Alaskan king crab would already make it worthwhile.

Platters and platters of cold cuts, deep fried tempura, really something for everyone.

Sashimi...

As I was saying, these babies alone make it worthwhile.  And they seem to be very generous as well, for I noticed that this dish was always replenished.  The King Crab is done the way it should be, just boiled, and served like that with minimal disturbance to the sweet taste.

Clams in all shapes and sizes, but that's just the clam before the storm....

Steamed flower crab, for those who do not wish to partake in the amphibian mud crabs.

Fresh fresh seawater prawns, ..I actually like this steamed/boiled section the best, because good seafood should be eaten that way.

Generous helpings of poached scallops.

Slipper lobsters galore..

And the piece de resistance of the entire buffet, if you ask me, this mud crab station that churns out an amazing butter crab....

Butter crab, in claypot.  When I do revisit, I am so heading here first.

For those who prefer their foods more cooked and flavoured, there is no shortage of choice, from Butter Prawns, Paella,

Fried fish, pastas...

And lovely ladies.....

And dashing young men.....

The grill/bbq section also has an impressive variety of fresh seafood.

If you need your meat, there is certainly no shortage of that either.

I personally LOVED the asparagus, and had my fill of roughage.

But really, who can still eat dessert after such a spread!!!

Gobo Chit Chat features a wide selection of contemporary Western and Asian cuisine with a sushi bar, Thai appetiser buffet, front noodle kitchen and show bakery. The kitchens' unusual layout and arrangement ensure that orders are prepared a la minute and served to the table right away. Guests can catch a glimpse of the restaurants' team of sushi chefs as they roll colourful masterpieces of sushi to entice guests' palates.

Gobo Chit Chat is on level five of the hotel and can seat 215 guests. It opens daily from 6:30 am to 11:00 pm. It offers breakfast buffet from 6:30 am to 10:30 am, lunch buffet from noon to 2:30 pm and dinner buffet from 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm. Last orders are taken at 10:30 pm.

For reservations, call (60 3) 2332 9905 or email foodandbeverage.thkl@tradershotels.com.