Ad: Food Review - The Olive Tree @ Plaza Damas

Hello hello everyone! I know it's been forever since I last wrote a food review, so I'm going to try and go on a review spree. Try being the operative word here haha. Ok, so first up is The Olive Tree located at Plaza Damas, opposite the Hartamas Shopping Centre. It is relatively new; it opened earlier this year. I dined there with Tanvir in mid July (yes, that's how long I've been putting off my food reviews). The Olive Tree serves North Indian food (yummmm!). We purchased discount vouchers from I Love Discounts for RM18 per person so it was definitely a steal! The normal price for the lunch buffet is RM30 per person.

Ok so first, let's talk about the location. I'm not very familiar with the Hartamas area but it wasn't too hard to find. I had called the restaurant beforehand to ask for its exact location and the employee answered "It's right opposite Hartamas Shopping Centre". This was true, I'll give him that, but Hartamas Shopping Centre isn't exactly a small place and I definitely did not know how to get to the other side. We found a connecting bridge that led to Plaza Damas but got lost after we crossed it because believe it or not, there was no way down. There was an elevator which led to the carpark, but it did not lead us to the ground floor where the restaurant was. It was extremely frustrating because we could spot the restaurant from the bridge but had no clue how to get there. So after going up and down repeatedly, and asking a few of the security guards how to get there, we still couldn't find our way there. As you can guess, I was getting impatient. I hated being late. Eventually we decided to go to the lowest floor of the car park and walk out of it via the car park entrance/exit (yes, where cars go in and out). So we made a bigggggg round and then had to walk uphill to reach the restaurant. Nice right? I guess it was a good way to work up an appetite!

We arrived a little later than scheduled (duh) but found that the sign on the entrance of the restaurant still said 'Closed'. We just stood there staring at the sign. Fortunately, one of the waiters came over and greeted us, flipped the sign to 'Open' and led us in. The first thing I noticed was the pleasant aroma of air fresheners. Hahah it smelled fresh and clean - definitely a plus! We were the first and only ones there, and they were still setting up the buffet spread. I didn't mine though, because that meant that we got to dine on freshly-prepared food - YAY! The waiters were courteous and very friendly - service is always really important so I was happy.

I really liked the decor of the restaurant. Almost everything was black and red - super chic! There were metal trees stuck to the walls, olive trees I assume, which doubled as candle holders. There were wooden shelves on the walls which had an edgy design to them; they gave the restaurant a more modern feel. The restaurant was filled with dark brown, wooden tables and chairs. Dark brown leather seats lined the edges of the place. It was simple and elegant.

Decor

Before long, the buffet was set up and we happily took a look at the buffet selection. There weren't many varieties of dishes but they were definitely sufficient. There were a lot of vegetarian dishes and only two non-vegetarian options. I expected more, honestly, but I guess it made sense since non-vegetarians can dine on the vegetarian dishes too. The buffet spread offered naan bread, steamed rice and vegetarian biryani rice to go with the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. I forgot to take note of the names of the dishes but I'll include what I know! The vegetarian menu for that day was tomato shorba (tomato soup), dal tadka (a lentil dish), vegetable shahi kurma, bigan bharta (I don't know what this is to be honest!), and aloo simla mirch (a dish made of potatoes). There were also some chutney, flattened fried chili, mint sauce, and raw veges in yoghurt.  The two non-vegetarian dishes were murg sagwala (a chicken dish) and fish goan curry.

Tomato Shoba (like tomato soup)

A closer look

Part of the buffet spread

Steamed rice

Vegetarian Biryani Rice

Bigan Bharta - A dish primarily made of eggplants

We had a bit of everything of course. The naan was really yummy as they were just prepared. They were still hot; thus, they were very soft. It went particularly well with the dal tadka, the chicken and fish and potatoes. The mint sauce was pretty good too, tasted similar to the ones they serve at d'Tandoor (my family's fave spot for North Indian cuisine). Let me just say that I don't really know what the names of the dishes mean, but I assume they are simply names of the cooking style. The tomato soup was ok - you could taste the different spices infused into the soup but I suppose it was forgettable lol. The biryani was good too. It went well with most of the dishes. On its own, it wasn't particularly flavourful and it was rather bland, but it complemented the other dishes well. I loved most of the vegetarian dishes, particularly the dal tadka (one of the BEST dals I had ever had!) and the bigan bharta. Ok, I just googled this dish and found out that it is made up of eggplants. I usually don't like eggplants, but since I liked it, it must've been really good! hahahhha! I really liked its texture and taste. Who knew vegetables could taste so good right? hahah kudos to this place for making veges yummy! The chicken was alright, but I don't remember going crazy about it, so I guess it wasn't great either. The fish was ok too, but again, not great. I remembered that I liked the vegetarian dishes better than the non-vegetarian ones (for once in my life). I can't complain, but I suppose I've had better so it was hard for some of the dishes to live up to my standards. As for the drinks, well I have no clue what we had, but I'm guessing plain water! Oh and we were served freshly fried poppadoms too to go with our meal :) I've always loved the crispy texture of the poppadom against the soft texture of rice and the other dishes. And some places don't serve them fresh, so they tend to be stale and not crispy - this usually irritates me lol. There was only one type of dessert served. I don't remember what it was called, but if I'm not mistaken it was made of sugee (also known as semolina). It was hot and sweet, but pleasant. I think we would've probably enjoyed it more if we weren't already full by then!

Dal Tadka (Lentils) - Mouth-watering!

Aloo Simla Mirch (Potatoes)

Vegetable Shahi Kurma

The yoghurt that accompanied the raw vegetables

Murg Sagwala (Chicken)

Fish Goan Curry

Dessert

Our table setting

There are fewer things better than freshly-made naan

Doesn't this look good?

My Plate

Another look at my plate

Anyway, I think we arrived at 11ish in the morning, and by 12 people started to arrive. Tourists from India came by the busloads (two, specifically) and office workers filled the place up, too. Fortunately the two groups of tourists arrived at different times so it wasn't too crowded. All in all, our dining experience was pretty good. Some of the dishes were not as delicious as we expected them to be, but the prompt service and lovely ambiance made up for it. I wouldn't say that it was the best North Indian food that I had had, but I wouldn't mind going back there, especially for the vegetarian dishes! :)

Happy with a full-stomach :D

A rose before we end this post

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5

Til next time, take care and happy dining! Don't forget to comment and follow our blog!

Love,

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** All photos belong to me. Please do not use them without permission **

Haneesa: Posh! Nail Spa Launching, SS2 Petaling Jaya

Have you ever met people who get excited over things more then they intend to? I am one of those people.

I have to admit, I like manicures and pedicures more than I actually have them. I've only experienced a pedicure once with my friend Lina, and the rest of my rare visits to the nail parlour are only for manicures. And that's only if my nails are in a state of emergency >.<

Yes, I get excited about nice girly things, and then the excitement dies down :< So to start practicing better nail care, I decided to follow Lina to the launching of Posh! Nail Spa in SS2, Petaling Jaya :)

The view inside Posh! Nail Spa in SS2

For the spa-goers out there, you probably know Posh! opened first in Taman Tun. I've heard pretty good reviews, mainly because of their wonderful service. For someone who doesn't do their nails often, I have friends who are pretty particular about theirs. Some reliable comments were that 1.Posh manicurists take time with your nails to give you the best results and 2.they give you great tips on the color choice.

The happy and pretty staff of Posh!

The event started out at 11am and lasted till about 4pm. Of course, everyone lingered on even till after 4, since the atmosphere was more laxed as the event went on. I liked the layout of the event as it wasn't a really big do and cozy for a small crowd. However the music was a bit too loud for my liking, and seeing that it was a day event and indoors, I didn't get why they had to turn up music till you can't hear people's voices. I could see everyone trying to talk over the music, or else just awkwardly keeping silent.

Goofy staff!

Anyhoos, I came at 1pm and noticed a huge purple tent outside with only a few people sitting under. At first, I was thinking 'Um...ok..what is this ghost town Lina brought me to' but after walking in, I started feeling the vibes of the event. It was pretty nerving at first...I'm still not sure why, but I only started feeling comfy as I stayed on longer.

So relieved to find my darling Lina. xo

Oh! I met someone very interesting at the event; my ex-boss (sort of but not really lol), Larry. I think finding him there, plus Lina, made me feel a little cozier. It turned out that his lovely wife, Sereen, is the owner of Posh! I was so completely shocked at him for not telling me all this time! Imagine the discounts I could've gotten at Posh Taman Tun!! loll I'm kidding

Sweet baloons from PartyMooMoo

The decor of the event was themed pink and purple; there were baloons everywhere, congratulatory flowers and a simple food spread with tidbits like cupcakes, samosas and sandwiches. I think there was a semi charity event going on, as they were promoting OPI nail polishes for breast cancer awareness.

OPI's Pink of Hearts

I spent the first hour or so taking tons of photos of every angle of the spa imaginable. It was a pretty small place with a lot of people, so it was hard to manoeuvre around. Finally I got bored and took to the food table. The cupcakes were so tasty!

Yum de dums~

Rosettes

BPA-free water bottles on promo

This was when I met Larry, who thought I had forgotten him (same thoughts here!) cause I wasn't saying hi to him. Sorry Larry! I was happy you remembered me too! 

While we were talking and laughing, he told me something interesting: Posh! is actually in the process of making 'halal' nail polish, which Muslims can use, worry-free! The ingredients are henna-based, so they aren't water proof and perfectly usable for more conscious Muslims. Sounds great dunnit? In addition to that, they'll be coming in a whole range of colors too! Yayzers!

Larry, Sereen and their daughter. Aww...

Afterwards I realized I hadn't registered, so I got my gift bag that I love and got my free manicure~! We talked some more (Lina introduced me to her pretty friend Joanna, who I found to be just as nutty as we are lol), took part in some lucky draw & games, and basically just people-watched the whole time.

       

Manicure: ON

Voila!

Lina, me and the gorgeous host, Belinda Chee. Photo credits to Lina

At about 3pm the hunger started kicking in for Lina and Joanna so we headed to a kopitiam nearby. I didn't tell them this but it looked obvious that they were starving... lol. I think the drinks were the best part, since it was so blazing hot that day.

My drink versus the girls' drinks. Muahaha!

The event was pretty mild and sort of new for me, but I'm glad Lina got me invited. They gave away some cool freebies in the goody bag, which I'm gonna use and maybe tell you guys about it some time ;)

Vouchers from my goody bag~

Freebies!

Check out Posh! Nail Spa down below :)

23, Jalan SS2/30, Petaling Jaya

03-7877-0815

http://www.facebook.com/NAILSPA.POSH

Congrats again Posh Nail Spa on your launch!

x

Haneesa