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Vote PlacesAndFoods.com for Best Travel and Food Blog for World Bloggers and Social Media Awards 2012. Firstly, we are humbled to be nominated for two categories (Best Travel Blog 2012 and Best F&B Blog 2012) by our reader for the World Bloggers and Social Media Awards 2012.

We have been running this blog since 2007 and we have been involved in various blog competitions since then. Even though we did not win any award in these three years, we were excited to be selected as the top 12 finalist for the US$10,000 2010 Thailand Medical Tourism Blog Competition. It was one of the best blogging competitions we competed.

Last year, we were also finalist for Digi WWWOW Award for Best Food Blog and Time Out KL Magazine Food Awards 2011 Bloggers Selections.

In this few years, we have worked together with Tourism boards such as Tourism Victoria, Tourism of Australia, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Tourism of Malaysia Perlis, Tourism of Philippines and Singapore Tourism Board through various channels.

On our food blogging side, we usually pay our own food for our reviews. Hence, we also work together with Asian Food Channel to promote their food events in Malaysia.

We have been also contributing stories to magazines and newspapers in this few years. Thus, we were lucky enough to be interview on our national TV too.

We really hope to break our duck with this competition. For that, we need the help of our readers and friends to vote for PlacesAndFoods.com for Best Travel and Food Blog for World Bloggers and Social Media Awards 2012.

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Please click the link to World Bloggers and Social Media Awards 2012 and register your email and username. Then, verify your email and you can vote for us one time (per email).

We hope that we can achieve something in this competition to give us a moral boost and moral support. Thank you everyone who has been reading and supporting us.

For those who know me well, I was heavily influenced by JPOP (Japanese POP Culture) during my childhood. I am also in love with Japanese food and my first love with Asahi Super Dry was seven years ago when I went for a road trip to Southern Thailand and I bought my first Asahi Super Dry. It was a 2 liter Asahi Super Dry can and I kept the huge can up to today. (I had problem bringing the can back because it exceeded the 1 liter limit for alcohol at the Malaysian Custom). I still enjoy Asahi Super Dry from time to time even though some prefer the regular brands.

Sakura Season at Double Tree Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Recently I was invited by Milk PR and Carlsberg Malaysia to attend the launch of the Asahi Super Dry Draught in Double Tree Hotel. Asahi Super Dry will be brewed locally by Carlsberg Malaysia at its brewery in Shah Alam, and to be made available on tap at selected trendy bars, concept restaurants and high-end eateries nationwide. It was a remarkable deal between Asahi Group Holdings Ltd and Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd.

Asahi Super Dry Launch at Double Tree Hotel, picture credits to MikeYip.com
At the event, Mr. Soren Ravn, Managing Director of Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd said that “Malaysian’s can now enjoy Asahi Super Dry using Karakuchi, a secretly guarded Japanese brewing style, that has not only captured the taste buds of premium beer drinkers the world over but that has also set the gold standard in Japanese brewing.”

Next, Mr. Toshido Kodato, Director, Corporate Officer, of Asahi Group Holdings Ltd commented “Carlsberg Malaysia is the second brewery after Balkita Breweries (Carlsberg Russia) that was awarded the rights to manufacture this high quality beer.”

Harujuku Model dancing during the event.
Hence with this alliance, Carlsberg Malaysia now adds the No. 1 Japanese beer brand to its long list of no. 1s which includes the Kronenbourg 1664 & Blanc (No. 1 of France), Corona (No. 1 of Mexico), Budweiser (No. 1 of USA), Foster (No. 1 Australian beer in the world), Becks (No. 1 German beer in the world), and Hoegaarden (No. 1 Belgian Wheat beer in the world). Thus, Carlsberg Malaysia aimed to have a bigger market share in beer segment in Malaysia.

Asahi Super Dry Draught, sorry for the bad quality picture.

The taste of the beer was refreshing! Trust me I had heaps of Asahi Super Dry at the event.

Me and Malaysia Hottest Bloggers Naomi and Isabella.
I enjoyed myself during the event and met with the usual whose who such as friends, media and blogger friends. We were also entertained by DJ Faith and a troupe of Harajuku dancers, Dennis Lau, Shawn Lee, Nadhira and rapper Vandal.

Thank you Milk Pr and Calsberg Malaysia for the invitation, as usual I enjoyed Asahi Super Dry!

This afternoon we were invited to St. Mary Residences showroom for the THE UNVEILING OF THE WINNER OF “E&O SEARCH FOR AFC’S NEXT CELEBRITY CHEF” GRAND FINALE PARTY & & PRESS CONFERENCE.

For first ever produced reality series for TV in Asia, the winner of the E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef will be unveiled in person & announced at a special party specially organized for the media in Kuala Lumpur. The winner will be awarded the opportunity of a year-long employment contract with the E&O Group, taking on the mantle of Creative Director and Head of R&D for the E&O Gourmet Group. Crowned as AFC Celebrity Chef, contestants were placed through culinary challenges across five countries – Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.  This is the first time in Asia, Eastern & Oriental Berhad (E&O) and the Asian Food Channel (AFC) conducted a region-wide search for Asia’s next Celebrity Chef by creating AFC’s first-ever reality television series, a first for a regional broadcaster.

We were the lucky few to be there to watch the final episode before everyone else. We were also joined by Chef BRUCE LIM, Chef EMMANUEL STROOBANT, Chef Anis Nabilah, MARIA BROWN, AFC CO-FOUNDER & MD of Asian Food Channel and Ms. Lyn Chai, Director – Group Corporate Strategy Eastern & Oriental Berhad.

There we met the winner of E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef in person!

Could it be Dino?

Or Diane?

The winner is revealed and it is Dino. Congratulations on his winning, had a short chat with him just now, he is a great guy!

Thank you Asian Food Channel and E&O Group for the invitation, we were “celebrity chef-struck”.

Finally I met the plate throwing Chef Bruce, had a great time chatting with him!

Thanks for reading everyone!

Last week I was invited by Asian Food Channel and Alice George Communications to meet the “Good Chef, Bad Chef” star Australian Chef Adrian Richardson at J.W. Marriot Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

Let me share some of the hard rock data of this Aussie chef.

Chef Adrian Richardson is the owner and head chef of the successful and bustling La Luna, one of Melbourne’s best Mediterranean bistros in North Carlton, where he has been serving up clean, fresh and innovative food since 1999.

Chef Richardson’s passion for cooking and belief in “homemade and home-grown” is attributed to his upbringing from his family. His father was trained as a chef in England and France, and ran the Balzac, a legendary restaurant in East Melbourne. Similarly, his uncles were also chefs. He grew up eating Italian-Middle Eastern-North African cuisine dished up in an Italian household in Melbourne, with vegetables and fruits growing in the garden.

A regular face on television, Chef Richardson has appeared alongside Tobie Puttock and Jamie Oliver in Jamie’s Kitchen Australia. He is also one of the team of regular chefs on Ready Steady Cook, Fresh, Switching Lives and Good Morning Australia. The Asian Food Channel recently aired his hit television programme, Secret Meat Business between April to July 2011. In November, AFC will also air his latest show, Good Chef Bad Chef, which sees him playing the devil next to co-host Janella Purcell, a nutritionist.

Chef Richardson also has two cookbooks under his publishing belt, Meat and The Good Life, both of which are paeans to the virtues and benefits of knowing where your food comes from, as well as home cooking.

The Chef is a proud Australian, reminding us on quality products of Australia especially their beef. I have no argument on that based on my one year stay in Australia some time ago. They do take pride on their products.

The Aussie chef started off with Sauteed Calamari, Chili, Garlic and Spinach (“Yuen Choy” in Chinese). This is a light dish and similar to one of our local dishes (minus the anchovies).

The second dish was the Lamb and Spinach Filo Pie, Labne. It is one of the best Filo Pies I had for a very long time. The Filo pastry is made in Australia and so was the Aussie lamb.

The thin layer crust of the Filo pie and the tasty lamb filling was excellent.

Chef Adrian handling the lamb intestines and demonstrate how he made the sausages with it.

The Merquez Sausages was beautiful. I wished I could have more. The skin of the sausages was made of the lamb intestines and they are Australian made products.

The Perfect Steak was the superstar. I thought it was a bit raw to my liking as I saw a little blood from the steak. However, I was so wrong. When I sliced the steak, it was soft and tender and it surprised me. It was the perfect steak with minimal seasoning and I could taste the natural taste of the beef. Using the Australian beef rib-eye, the Perfect Steak lived up to its name. Yes, he reminded us the beef is from Australia.

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee and the chocolate ice cream was the last dish. The Crème Brulee didn’t caramelized as much as I expected but the taste was there.

It was a fun afternoon with Aussie Chef Adrian Richardson. You can catch him on Asian Food Channel (Astro 703) for his show “Good Chef, Bad Chef”. Thank you Asian Food Channel and Alice George Communications of the invitation, I enjoyed every part of it.

It was a great evening with free flow champagne, wine, beer and finger food in KL Pac Sentul for the Time Out KL Food Awards 2011. This was my first time attending the award show after missing the first few.

Interesting enough, this year’s nominees for the awards are broader than previous years. There are hawkers to fine dining restaurants and it is interesting to know who will prevail as winners.

Christine, KY, WeiZhi and Me

This is also the first year Time Out KL inviting bloggers to participate in the award show. We are one of them, nominating Lot 10 Hutong for the Best Hawker category.

On top of having a great time there, we were also delighted to see old friends and we did a lot of catch up there. There were also a number of familiar faces from restaurant owners and media friends.

Dominic Lau and Daphne Iking run the show, a short and funny award show. After thousands have voted, we were also as anxious as the rest. The winners and the results of Time Out KL Food Awards 2011 are as below:

Best Chinese:

Li Yen, Ritz Carlton (Winner)

Chynna, KL Hilton

Grand Imperial

Restaurant New Paris, PJ SS2

Shang Palace

Yut Kee

Best Continental:

Hakka Republic (Winner)

El Cerdo (Specially Commended)

Albion KL

The Press Room

Tanzini

Twenty.One Tables+Terrace

Best Fine Dining:

Cilantro (Winner)

Lafite, Shangri-La KL (Specially Commended)

Sage, The Gardens Hotel & Residences

Shook!, Starhill Gallery

Chalet, Hotel Equatorial

Best Hawker/Mamak:

Devi’s Corner (Winner)

Hutong, Lot 10 (Our Choice)

Nagasari Curry House

Nasi Kandar Pelita

Sri Nirwana Maju, Bangsar

Best Healthy Eating/Vegetarian

Marmalade, Bangsar Village (Winner)

Annalakshmi, Brickfields

Haven, Ampang Hilir

R.A.W. (Real and Wholesome)

The Yogitree

Best Indian

Kanna Curry House (Winner)

Bombay Palace (specially commended)

Gills

Passage Thru’ India

Sri Nirwana Maju, Subang Jaya

Best Italian

La Risata (Winner)

Il Lido (Specially Commended)

Cicio

Nerovivo

Sassorosso

Best Japanese

Kampachi (Winner)

Fukuharu (Specially Commended)

Rakuzen (Specially Commended)

Tatsu, Intercontinental Hotel

Gonbei San, Starhill Gallery

Zipangu, Shangri-La

Best Malay

Bijan (Winner)

Enak KL

Makan Kitchen

Songket

Restauran Rebung Chef Ismail

Best Middle Eastern

Al-Amar (Winner)

Al Andalus

Al Rawsha

Hadramawt

Laziz

Tarbush

Best Thai/Indochinese

Rama V (Winner)

Erawan

My Elephant

Sao Nam

Tamarind Springs

Best for Pub Grub

Jarrod & Rawlins (Winner)

Arthur’s Bar & Grill

Hoofed

Sid’s Pub

Tom, Dick & Harry’s

Best for Coffee

Espressamente Illy (Winner)

Antipodean, Bangsar

Chilla Cup

R.A.W. (Real and Wholesome)

Whisk Espresso Bar & Bake Shop, Empire Subang

Best Seafood

Restaurant Fatty Crab, Taman Megah (Winner)

Causeway Bay Spicy Crab

Fisherman’s Cove, Starhill Gallery

Green View, PJ

Lala Chong Seafood Restaurant

Pantai Seafood Restaurant

Best for Steak

Prime, Le Meridien KL (Winner)

Jake’s Charbroil Steak

MeatWorks

Qba, The Westin KL

Suzi’s Corner, Ampang

Best New Restaurant

Ben’s (Winner)

Antipodean

Arthur’s Bar & Grill

Brotzeit

Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie

Hoofed, TTDI

Outstanding Chef of the Year

Chef Nathalie Arbefeuille (Winner)

Chef Saiful Baharin, formerly of The Press Room

Chef Michel Karam, Al-Amar

Chef David King, formerly of The Westin KL

Chef Adi Radzi, Hakka Republic

Restaurateur of the Year

T forty Two, Tate (Winner)

Benjamin Yong, BIG – Ben’s, Ben’s General Food STore, Bistro 42, Canoodling, Plan B, Ricetaurant,

Joseph Afaki, Al-Amar

Richard Holland & Dan Thompson, DrBar

Edward Hyde, Gastrodome

Werner Kuhn, The Werner’s Group

Blogger’s Choice Award goes to Memoirs of a Chocoholic for recommending Village Park, a great choice.

We didn’t win but enjoyed the event. Thank you Time Out KL for having us and giving us the opportunity to be part of a successful award show.

Want to see more pictures? Check our photo album on our Facebook Fan Page.

We heard and seen much about the flood situation in Bangkok Thailand. My 4×4 friends decided to do something in helping the Bangkok Flood Relief.

On 26^th of November, in the tradition of the 4×4 Heart Drive, they are bringing essential sponsored goods to the people of Thailand. RM 50 per head for registration and volunteer your vehicle ( 4×4 or SUV ) for the pick up and delivery. Stay in Hatyai Thailand TWO nights before returning on the 28 Nov.

The sponsored goods will be passed on to TV Station Channel 3 in Hatyai as they are currently running a food distribution programme, so there is no need to drive all the way north up to Bangkok.

The Selangor state government, Selangor MB Tan Sri Khalid and Adun Jenice Lee has helped to raise fund as much as RM 30,000 (US$ 10,000) for this event. The state government took one day to approve the fund and they also organized the transportation of the food to the border. There are also sponsors pouring from KK Mart and also volunteers from Elite Disaster Relief Malaysia (EDRM). 

The convoy is currently on their way up north to Thailand.

We are glad and happy that the Selangor state government offered the cash aid to this meaningful charity event. Thus, Adun Jenice Lee came early to the flag off area this morning and had a lengthy chat with everyone. Hence, I was quite surprised when she knows most of the volunteers today. She is the Adun for Teratai area of Cheras and you can follow her blog on http://jenice-lee.blogspot.com/. Once again, we thank everyone who helped and sponsored this event.

The Asian Food Channel (AFC) announced that the highly-anticipated original production, E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Search will premiere on Wednesday, 9 November 2011 at 10pm on pay TV network ASTRO, Channel 703.

The exciting 8x60min series will broadcast across nine territories to a total of 45 million viewers throughout Asia. Fans can tune in to watch as celebrity chef hopefuls, who have traveled far and wide from around the region to attend auditions in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong, come together to compete for a chance to be AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef!

As the grueling rounds force the self-proclaimed kitchen superstars to prove their skills to gain a chance to move on step closer to the coveted title, esteemed AFC Celebrity judges watch closely from the sidelines.

AFC’s own Chef Bruce Lim and Chef Anna Olson, as well as Mr. Michael Saxon, Director, Hospitality & Lifestyle of the E&O Group, have taken on the role as celebrity guest judges for the auditions. A host of international and distinguished celebrity chefs also make surprise guest appearances as judges in selected episodes throughout the series.

Chef Bruce Lim, who stars on his own AFC Original Productions, Tablescapes and The Boss, said he’s lucky to be given the role as a celebrity judge on E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef, “I still remember when I was working under the tutelage of Chef Gordon Ramsay. Having him as a mentor was not only a once in a lifetime experience, it also helped to shape me into the chef that I am today. Now, the tables have turned and I have become the teacher! It is hard to believe that I am literally molding the next generation of television celebrity chefs!”

Out of the hundreds that auditioned, only a total of 35 finalists, who are revealed in the premiere episode, are chosen to travel to the luxurious Eastern & Oriental (E&O) properties in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, where the entire series was shot. E&O’s numerous hospitality and lifestyle properties such as the Eastern & Oriental Hotel and Lone Pine Hotel in Penang, the Martinique seafront villa and Straits Quay Retail Marina at E&O’s master planned township of Seri Tanjung Pinang, Penang, the St. Mary Residences in Kuala Lumpur, and last but not least, the popular Delicious restaurants in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, are all prominently featured through the programme.

Throughout the series, the contestants are put through a series of creative and tasking challenges that test their abilities in the kitchen and on the stage! Those who can’t take the heat are eliminated each week. At the end of the series, the chosen winner will be signed on to an exclusive one-year contract as an AFC Celebrity Chef who will appear on the channel. In addition, they will also be awarded the opportunity of a year-long employment contract with the E&O Group, taking on the mantle of Creative Chef, E&O Hospitality & Lifestyle Division, E&O Group.

The E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef series will also be complemented by a microsite dedicated to the production at http://www.asianfoodchannel.com/nextafcchef. The site will provide up-to-date information about contestants, behind the scenes pictures and weekly updates about the programme.

After the intensifying teaser preview, I had a lengthy chat with Hian Goh and Michael Saxon on the details of the TV series. In total, the production team took almost 80 days to complete the series in various locations in Malaysia. Hian personally told me that this is their biggest project up to date. Hence, Michael lost 5 kg throughout the whole filming process. We were also shown a deleted scene where Chef Bruce Lim had an argument with Michael Saxon which shocked the press and the media.It was drama, suspense and spicier than our usual “nasi lemak”!

Watching the short preview teaser will easily compare the TV series to Amazing Race Asia where contestants come from different countries throughout Asia. It will be country vs country contestants and it will be interesting and exciting to watch who will represent Malaysia and who will win the inaugural AFC’s Next Celebrity Search. Did I mention that the guest celebrity chef includes Chef Wan and Chef Emmanuel Stroobant!!!

Watch E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Search as it will premiere on Wednesday, 9 November 2011 at 10pm on pay TV network ASTRO, Channel 703.

I just came back from MITM 2011 Travel Fair at Mid Valley Exhibition Center (MVEC). The travel fair will be ending this Sunday.

This is my first time visiting a MITM Travel Fair. For the entrance, there will be a RM 3 (US$1) charge per person, children are free. You will receive a MITM 2011 Travel Fair recycle bag and brochures and info about the fair.

Entering the fair, immediately I spotted the Taiwan booth. It has been more than 12 years since I visited Taiwan and a few of my friends planned to visit Taiwan next year. Visiting Taiwan nowadays is not just about savouring their street food but also visiting their farms and hot springs.

Walking around the three halls in Mid Valley Exhibition Center (MVEC) reminds me of MATTA Fair. Most of the tour operators are there.

I visited my friends at Tourism Authority of Thailand booth. We all know about the flood situation in Bangkok but there are also other tourist spots are not affected by it. In fact, I just came back from my family trip to Krabi. We had sunny days for my four days trip there. Other than Bangkok, you still can travel to Hua Hin, Phuket, Krabi, Hatyai and many more. Please do not assume the whole Thailand is flooded, it is wrong. I’m planning for my next Bangkok trip probably next year. My parents will be traveling to Bangkok end of the year for shopping. Visit Tourism Authority of Thailand booth at Booth A001-A002.

There is also a Malaysia Airlines booth. They are very supportive of the MITM Travel Fair with special promos for this weekend only.

Same goes to Air Asia who makes their presence felt there. In fact, we just traveled to Krabi with Air Asia. No flight delays and no problems.

For those who have watched Wonders of India TV Commercials, you can go to India from as low as RM 1999. Interesting enough, they offer Buddhist Pilgrimage tour. Their booth is at Hall One Booth 1054-1055.

Golden Destinations are celebrating their 20th Anniversary and they are giving their customers cool prizes as well as lucky draws.

Recently, I was glued to Animax for the anime version of “Winter Sonata”. To catch all their real locations of Winter Sonata, check out Korea National Tourism Board booth at Hall Two Booth 2001-2002.

If you want to have the Touching Moments with Macau, Macau Tourism Board booth is at Hall Two Booth 2003-2004. I went to Macau for the first time this year and I loved it.

Having MITM Travel Fair now means you can plan for your end of the year / Chinese New Year trips. With shorter time frame, it is easier to plan your holidays.

It is good to see an upcoming travel fair like MITM. Hopefully, they can be an annual event. With more travel fairs, tour prices will be more competitive and it benefits consumers and travelers like us.

If you intend to go for a holiday end of the year or early next year, you can check out amazing travel deals at2011 Travel Fair at Mid Valley Exhibition Center (MVEC). Travel fair ends this Sunday. Good luck!

Did you miss 2011 MATTA FAIR in August? Want more travel deals? Well, there is one travel fair in the near corner. It is the MITM 2011 Travel Fair held at Mid Valley Exhibition Center (MVEC) on 28^th to 30^th October 2011.

The 10^th edition travel fair is organised by the Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) will be featuring over 60 exhibitors with 300 exhibition booths occupying all three exhibition halls at MVEC.

There will also be RM200,000 worth of lucky draw prizes for visitors and buyers during the exhibition.

For the first time this year, MCTA Perak and Negri Sembilan chapters will be holding their fairs on the same dates in Ipoh and Seremban respectively.

The fairs will be held at the Glamour Square in Bercham, Ipoh and Terminal 2, Seremban.

It is expected more than 60,000 visitors will turn up for the travel fair.

For those who wanted to visit India for holiday, visit Wonders of India booth at Hall One Booth 1054-1055.

And of course, for information on Thailand, visit Tourism Authority of Thailand booth at Booth A001-A002.

For those who wanted to visit Sarawak, visit Sarawak Tourism booth at Booth A013-A016.

Macau Tourism Board booth is at Hall Two Booth 2003-2004.

Korea National Tourism Board booth is at Hall Two Booth 2001-2002.

Will be going there to visit some of my friends there, see you all there! Have fun travel shopping!

Yesterday, I was invited to the Best of Malaysia Awards 2011 Ceremony. This showpiece event, organised by Expatriate Lifestyle, Malaysia’s number one expatriate magazine, took place this evening at View, GTower in central Kuala Lumpur. Around 250 of the top names from the Travel and Hospitality industry in Malaysia, including General Managers from the top Hotels, Resorts & Spas, joined the celebration, eager to find out whether their properties were among the successful few.

After 10 weeks of voting in 16 categories, thousands of expatriates have spoken and the results were unveiled tonight at the Official Ceremony for the Best of Malaysia Awards 2011.

Best City Hotel was won by Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, with Excellence Awards for Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur and One World Hotel. The Excellence Awards are given for outlets who have achieved a significant proportion of the vote and only narrowly missed out on winning the category.

Other notable winners include Hilton Kuala Lumpur as Best Business Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur for Best Weekend Break, Four Seasons Resort Langkawi for Best Romantic Stay, Golden Sands Resort by Shangri-La, Penang for Best Family Stay, and Tiger Rock in Pangkor as the Best Boutique Stay.

It was the first time Tiger Rock had won a Best of Malaysia Award and they followed it up with further success in the Best Eco-Resort category. The popularity of this quaint, elegant property demonstrates how Malaysian-based expatriates are discovering more of the country and how impressively the tourism sector is developing in this country.

George Town, Penang won the Best Authentic Malaysian Experience Award, while Pavilion KL was voted Best Attraction, proving expatriates love their shopping.

There were more winners from outside of Kuala Lumpur than ever before in this year’s Best of Malaysia Awards, with nine of the sixteen winners coming from beyond KL, further proof that expatriates are more familiar than ever with life beyond the capital.

There were also a record number of awards given away, with 58 Excellence Awards across the sixteen categories. This reflects an extremely competitive voting process where the lead changed hands many times. In fact, in two of the categories the eventual winner achieved fewer than five votes more than the property in second place.

The Best of Malaysia Awards (#BOM2011 on Twitter) are the awards where the people’s vote on all things travel and leisure are counted, where the vox populi decides the Best of Malaysia! The awards take an overview of the Malaysian hospitality industry from hotels, beach resorts, attractions, spas and more, providing a 100 per cent public-driven award system, the only one of its kind in the country.

Winners were chosen from shortlists in 16 categories over a 10-week voting period until September 1, 2011 on www.expatriatelifestyle.com

At the glittering award ceremony at View, GTower the MC’s of the evening, Amanda Ting and Matt Bellotti, presented each of the delighted representatives with their certificates and iconic trophies for the winners.

Guests at the event at one of KL’s newest, coolest venues held on the balcony overlooking Kuala Lumpur City Centre, were entertained by Dulcet Rhytms , DJ Faith and enjoyed refreshments courtesy of GTower. There was also a lucky draw with luxury prizes from Bric’s (www.travelwithbrics.com).

Matt Bellotti, who is also Editorial Director for Expatriate Lifestyle was very excited about the awards, he said, “These awards are now in their sixth year and are the only award of their kind. The Best Of Malaysia is a celebration of tourism and hospitality experiences in Malaysia, which surely rank among the very best in the world. These awards were voted for by expatriates who never cease to impress me with their knowledge and opinions of the best places to see, stay, eat and enjoy. The field of winning properties this year is stronger than ever.”

Bellotti continued, “I have watched these awards grow over the past six years, during which time the landscape of the tourism industry in Malaysia has developed remarkably. New hotels, resorts, spas and attractions are opening all the time, making the country more enticing to overseas visitors and it is hugely satisfying to be able to acknowledge the hard work of the individuals and properties responsible for presenting the best of Malaysia to the world. These awards are not just about giving away a few trophies, but celebrating excellence across the industry and promoting the excellence in hospitality that makes Malaysia one of the preferred holiday destinations in the world.”

Best Of Malaysia Awards 2011 Results and Winners List

BEST CITY HOTEL

Winner

MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL KUALA LUMPUR

Excellence Awards

SHANGRI-LA KUALA LUMPUR

SHERATON IMPERIAL KUALA LUMPUR

ONE WORLD HOTEL, KUALA LUMPUR

BEST BUSINESS HOTEL

Winner

HILTON KUALA LUMPUR

Excellence Awards

LE MERIDIEN KUALA LUMPUR

FRASER PLACE KUALA LUMPUR

PULLMAN KUCHING

TRADERS HOTEL KUALA LUMPUR

BEST WEEKEND BREAK

Winner

THE RITZ-CARLTON, KUALA LUMPUR

Excellence Awards

THISTLE PORT DICKSON

PARKROYAL PENANG

MARRIOTT PUTRAJAYA

CASA DEL RIO MELAKA

THE SMOKEHOUSE HOTEL & RESTAURANT CAMERON HIGHLANDS

BEST ROMANTIC STAY

Winner

FOUR SEASONS REOSRT LANGKAWI

Excellence Awards

CAMERON HIGHLANDS RESORT

JAPAMALA RESORT

TANJUNG SANCTUARY

PANGKOR ISLAND TIGER ROCK

BEST FAMILY STAY

Winner

GOLDEN SANDS RESORT BY SHANGRI-LA, PENANG

Excellence Awards

CLUB MED CHERATING

HARD ROCK HOTEL, PENANG

WESTIN LANGKAWI

PANGKOR ISLAND BEACH RESORT

BEST BOUTIQUE HOTEL

Winner

PANGKOR ISLAND TIGER ROCK

Excellence Awards

BON TON RESORT, LANGKAWI

CHEONG FATT TZE MANSION, PENANG

CLOVE HALL, PENANG

LONE PINE HOTEL, PENANG

BEST BEACH RESORT

Winner

SHANGRI-LA RASA SAYANG, PENANG

Excellence Awards

FOUR SEASONS RESORT LANGKAWI

PANGKOR LAUT RESORT

TANJUNG JARA RESORT

THE ANDAMAN, LANGKAWI

WESTIN LANGKAWI

BEST SPA RESORT

Winner

PANGKOR LAUT RESORT

Excellence Awards

TANJONG JARA RESORT

TANJONG ARU RESORT & SPA, SABAH

THE BANJARAN, PERAK

BEST ECO-RESORT

Winner

PANGKOR ISLAND TIGER ROCK

Excellence Awards

BON TON RESORT, LANGKAWI

THE DATAI, LANGKAWI

MUTIARA TAMAN NEGARA

BEST ATTRACTION

Winner

PAVILION KL

Excellence Awards

KL BIRD PARK

AQUARIA KLCC

SUNWAY LAGOON THEME PARK

BEST AUTHENTIC MALAYSIAN EXPERIENCE

Winner

GEORGE TOWN, PENANG

Excellence Awards

JONKER STREET, MELAKA

SARAWAK CULTURAL VILLAGE

BEST CITY SPA

Winner

SPA VILLAGE, RITZ-CARLTON KUALA LUMPUR

Excellence Awards

HAMMAM, BANGSAR VILLAGE II

MANDARA SPA, SUNWAY RESORT HOTEL & SPA

SIAM BODYWORKS

ENERGY DAY SPA

BEST RESORT FOR REST & RECREATION

Winner

SHANGRI-LA TANJUNG ARU RESORT & SPA, KOTA KINABALU

Excellence Awards

CLUB MED CHERATING

GOLDEN SANDS RESORT BY SHANGRI-LA, PENANG

SUTERA HARBOUR RESORT

PANGKOR ISLAND TIGER ROCK

BEST HOTEL RESTAURANT

Winner

PREGO, THE WESTIN KUALA LUMPUR

Excellence Awards

LAFITE, SHAGRI-LA KUALA LUMPUR

MAKAN KITCHEN, DOUBLETREE BY HILTON, KUALA LUMPUR

VILLA DANIELI, SHERATON IMPERIAL KUALA LUMPUR

BEST HOTEL BAR

Winner

SKYBAR, TRADERS HOTEL KUALA LUMPUR

Excellence Awards

QBA, THE WESTIN KUALA LUMPUR

BATUBAR, LONE PINE HOTEL, PENANG

ARTHUR’S BAR & GRILL, SHANGRI-LA KUALA LUMPUR

BEST SERVICE AWARD

Winner

SHANGRI-LA RASA SAYANG, PENANG

Excellence Awards

JW MARRIOTT, KUALA LUMPUR

MANDARIN ORIENTAL KUALA LUMPUR

PANGKOR LAUT RESORT

THE WESTIN KUALA LUMPUR

BEST BEACH RESORT

Winner

SHANGRI-LA RASA SAYANG, PENANG

BEST SPA RESORT

Winner

PANGKOR LAUT RESORT

About Expatriate Lifestyle

Launched in 2003, Expatriate Lifestyle is the number 1 quality lifestyle publication for expatriates living in Malaysia. Expatriate Lifestyle is read by over 100,000 affluent, active, well travelled expatriates and Malaysians and their visiting family and friends. Available at over 1,000 outlets across Malaysia, it features travel writers that write for guidebooks and travel supplements for internationally renowned newspapers and magazines such as The Sunday Times, The Independent, The Melbourne Age, GQ and Conde Nast Traveller.