Meeting Up With Syaz - My 1,000th Visitor!

Remember the Ritz Passion's "1,000th Visitor Contest"? Allow me to juggle your memory ;-) Last month, on the 25th May 2010 to be exact, to show my appreciation to all my blog visitors, I had organized Ritz Passion's "1,000th Visitor Contest" - http://ritz-passion.blogspot.com/2010/05/ritz-passions-1000th-visitor-contest.html .

  

Thinking it might take a while before I can announce a winner, as I was pretty sure not many is even aware the existence of my blog :-P I told myself it might be another 2 or 3 weeks before I'll receive an email from the winner...Boy! Was I dead wrong!! Just within a few hours of posting it in my blog ( I posted the contest at 1:54pm ), at exactly 3:38pm I've already found my "1,000th Visitor"! What a nice surprise this was for me...Hugs to all those who had supported me!! :-x
 

When I received Ms. Syaz email that day, I was overjoyed & immediately call to congratulate her...She was really excited about winning a free set of my cuppies :-P Through our telephone call, we went ahead trying to set up a date for us to meet up...Unfortunately, our meetings was postponed several times due to both our busy schedules...

Great news though...We finally managed to meet up last Monday, 21st June 2010 at my place...What a great evening it was for me! Syaz, who hails from Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, is a sweet and bubbly lady. A Graphic Designer by occupation, she even has her own blog...Check it out at  http://syazyne.blogspot.com/.

I was so ecstatic about presenting Syaz with her winning prize, which is a set of cupcakes from my special Indulgence & Royal Series, two of my new creation from "Cupcakes Series by Ritz Passion".

Syaz was all excited upon receiving her prize that I can't help feeling happy seeing her reactions...This is what motivate me, seeing those around me all excited and happy with my gift of love...What a wonderful feeling it is...

To Syaz, my congratulations to you for being Ritz Passion's 1,000th Visitor! Hope you'll continue supporting me and do spread the love :-x

From My Indulgence Series - Peanut Butter & Peanut Butter Frosting

( Swirl )

From My Royal Series - Peanut Butter & Jam With Nutella Frosting

( Middle )

Syaz With Her Winning Prize

To the rest, remember, a surprise is still waiting for the 2,000th Visitors ;-)...Check it out at http://ritz-passion.blogspot.com/2010/05/surprise-is-waiting-for-ritz-passions.html. Once again, thank you for all your loving & support! Hugs!!!

"Cupcake Series By Ritz Passion" Sneak Preview

As I was browsing through the web looking at all those yummy cupcakes from our local and international bakers, an idea suddenly struck me...What if I create a "Cupcake Series for Ritz Passion"? That way I can give my customers more selection in flavors and price range...

Being tired of the normal cupcake flavors like those of vanilla, chocolate and such, I decided to create more tasteful cupcakes...Mind you, this idea of mine is still at the 'sketch board' stage and  I'm still flipping through my priced recipe diaries and working extra time to make it a reality soonest possible ;-)

I however, can't contain my excitement and would love to share some 'sneak preview' of my "Cupcake Series By Ritz Passion"...Basically "Cupcake Series By Ritz Passion" will be divided into three ( 3 ) series - Passionate, Indulgence and Royal Series...

Passionate Series - as the name implies, this range of cupcakes have delighted many of my loyal customers. From the classic Vanilla, Orange Poppy Seed to the irresistibly Chocolate Moist,  all the most loved flavors are here.

Orange Poppy Seed With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Indulgence Series - a series of cupcakes with irresistible mouth watering flavors that is worth indulging your palate on....Flavors include Carrot & Walnut, Banana, Peanut Butter and much much more.

Peanut Butter Cupcake With Peanut Butter Frosting

Royal Series - an exquisite top of the line selection fit for connoisseur of cupcakes and serious cupcake lovers. No doubt this series is most definitely a grown-up treat which provides luxurious desserts in individual-size portions. From Baked Ricotta Cheesecakes to Peanut Butter &  Jam with Nutella to the famous Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Peanut Butter With Strawberry Jam Filling & Nutella Frosting

Hope you've enjoyed the 'sneak preview' & I really can't wait to whip up more of all those goody cupcakes ;-) Keep logging in to my blog to know more about the "Cupcake Series By Ritz Passion"...Till then, have a glorious day!!

How Do I Thank You, Ira?

Don't you just love it when you gain a bit more knowledge?...I do :-)

Well, to those following my blog, I guess you must have noticed my new & improved setting here ;-) I would say it looks much more tech savvy than it used to be ehh? Not a bad blog for someone who's so 'dumb dumb' with all those IT thingy, rite?....

I totally admit that I get easily 'lost' when presented with all those widget and applications meant  for blogger...Never know how and when to use it...Or even where to get it!! Hey! Just look at my previous setting :-P When I first set this blog up, I just stick to the basic settings and simply did my best...

Thus, it came as a big relief when my dearest friend, Ira, who is also an active blogger, came to my rescue. Thanks to her, I've learned so much more and now I truly understand the choices that I have as a blogger :-P She even thought me about my rights and  all those laws a blogger needs to know and understand...How do I ever thank her for passing on all her knowledge to me? For spending countless hours at Austin Chase Cafe in Wangsa Walk, tutoring & helping me on all those widgets and stuffs?

No words can ever describe my appreciation to her...To me, there's no greater gift than the gift of knowledge...and of course the give of love. Hence why I decided to  bake these cupcakes for her and to dedicate this post just for her...

Baked With Lots Of Love

My dear Ira, thank you so much for all that you have thought me...Thanks to you, now I'm more 'daring' and confident to try all those IT stuffs, namely all those widgets and applications :-P Let's just hope I won't make a boo-boo and accidentally delete what I shouldn't have...Ha..ha...ha...

Thank you dear! Hugs & kisses :-x

FIFA Spain Team Cuppies

As I'm typing this, newly-wed Ms. Tanti, just pick up her cake cuppies order from me....The poor girl! Struggling her way to my place as she's not too familiar with my area...Nevertheless, we finally meet up :-)

A few days back, Tanti texted me & ordered a cake cuppies for her darling hubby 'Uch' ( it's his nickname...so cute!! ). The cake cuppies is to celebrate Uch's birthday & being the FIFA World Cup month, Tanti requested for a Spain Team color & deco theme...I guess 'Uch' must be a strong supporter for team Spain :-P

I was a bit 'panicky' when Tanti told me about her request....Being a loyal Germany Team fan all these years, I really don't know much about the Spain Team!!! Wasn't even sure of the team's jersey color!!! Ask me about Germany Team, especially my favorite player Ballack ( droolllllllllll!! so unfortunate that he's injured for this FIFA... ) and I might know all the details ;-)

As soon as Tanti confirmed her order, I practically ran high & low doing my research on the team...Thank god for the internet ( human's greatest invention!! ), I managed to find out more about the Spain Team...Phew! Guided with those little knowledge I scraped thru, here's the outcome of the cake cuppies :-P

Spain Team ( FIFA ) Theme

Chocolate Flavored Cuppies With Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

My utmost thanks to dear Tanti for persevering in finding my house despite not being familiar with Ampang-Cheras area...It was really nice seeing you and congratulations on your good news ;-) I'm so happy for you!! Hugssssssss!! Thanks so much for your purchase & I do hope you'll enjoy it...

To 'Uch', I wish you "Happy 26th Birthday" and may you have a blast on this special day of yours :-)

Cuppies Attack!!

It must be a great month to have cupcakes as I am suddenly being attack by cupcake orders!!! I simply love it when others share the same urges as I do...Can never resist having those delish cupcakes *droolingggggggggggggg*...

Anyway, before I head to my kitchen to bake another 2 batches of cupcake orders, I told myself that I better update my blog. After all, I did make a promise to update my blog as often as I could...Wouldn't want any back-logged post cramming my 'draft box' ( as if I don't have enough of those...ha..ha...)!!!

Here's a cuppies order by another one of my loyal customer, Ms. ZRZ. She simply luvvvvvvvvvvv my orange poppy seed with lemon cream cheese frosting. This is her standard order each time she made her purchases with me ;-) She requested for something simple as she's bringing it for a gathering at her tuition class. I opt for a sweet & simple flower design which I think suit ZRZ ;-)

Since I'm baking some for ZRZ, I took the chance to bake some 'hello-there' cuppies for my ex-colleague & new friends at my former office. Hope the cuppies will brighten up their day!

Anyway, I guess the cuppies did their part in brightening up my ex-colleague & new friends, as a few days after, I received a few orders from them!! They were totally head over heels with my cuppies and I'm just so grateful that they like my baking...Hugs!!!

Orange Poppy Seed With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Large Size Cuppies Set Ordered By ZRZ, SHAR, Ree, CT & Linda

Small Size Cuppies Set Ordered By Ree & Putri

All Packed & Ready For Collection

Funny Fact - Ree, CT, SHAR & Putri Consumed The 

Cuppies As Soon As They Collected It :-P

To ZRZ, SHAR, Ree, CT, Putri and Linda ( whom I've never met...hope to see you soon! ), thanks so much for your orders. I just pray that you have enjoyed every bite of the cuppies...Hugssssssssssss!!!

Animal Shaped Cookies

Oh dear! This order was actually delivered a week ago & yet I fail to update it in my blog...Was busy with a sudden attack of cupcakes order :-) Will tell you about it in my next post...Soon I hope!!! Ha...ha...

Back to my updates, the last time Ms. ME ordered my cookies, she was so happy over it and recently she ordered another batch of it for her birthday. This time around, she specifically requested for a butterfly or any animal shaped cookies, with lemon and chocolate flavors.

As per my normal practice, I did a 'trial & error' for ME cookies first before deciding on the final product...Yes, people might think what a waste of time that is but this 'trial & error' run of mine is to make sure my customer gets  the best taste out of my baking...Remember, I won't sell what I won't eat ;-)

I finally decided that I'll go with an 'out line' kind of icing deco for the cookies instead of the 'fill in' icing deco as I found out that the latter is a bit too sweet...Wayyyyyyyyyy too sweet and I didn't enjoy it as the sweetness overpowered the taste of the cookies. I just hope ME agreed with my choices ;-)

Chocolate Flavored Butterfly Cookies

Personalized Cookies

My 'Crazy' Duck Lemon Flavored Cookies

"Fill In" Icing Deco That's Too Sweet For My Palate

Individual Packaging

All Packed Up & Ready To Be Delivered To ME

Oh! By the way, after receiving her cookies, ME did sent a text to me saying what gorgeous cookies it was...Even told me that she passed it around to her office mates but her office mates didn't want to eat it as they love it so much! Some even hang it as decoration!!  What a moral booster that was for me...Hugs!!! Thanks so much ME for the encouragement you've given me...Thanks too for your repeat orders & I do hope you've enjoyed every piece of the cookies ;-)

Lastly, all my prayers and love for you on this special day of yours...HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR!!!

Guilty Pleasures

Warning : This post ends up being quite a long one...To those willing to read on, please proceed and do enjoy my ramblings...but to those who's in a hurry, I suggest you go straight to my summary which is at the end of this post :-)

Love it...love it! Yup, what else if not for my love towards glorious, glorious food....Sigh! My ultimate 'cryptonite'!!

It had been a hectic week for me last week, what with all the baking, last minute orders and meetings to attend. Not complaining though, it was hectic but lotssssssssssssssss of fun ;-) After ploughing through those busy days, I suddenly have this urge to treat myself to a day of foodies when I woke up this morning! I can never say no to food urges...Really, those urges are so hard to get rid of...Ha..ha...Excuses...excuses...( and yet I wonder why it's so difficult for me to lose weight!!! )

Anyway, those who follows my blog will notice that it has been quite some time since I last did reviews on all those eatery spots I've visited. My apologies but time is just against me!! My lappy is loaded with photos but just couldn't find the time to post & blog about it...S.O.R.R.Y....

As I had some chores to attend to in KL, I started the morning with a good set of breakfast at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf located in Capital Square ( http://www.coffeebean.com.my/store-klangvalley.html )...This girl needs her coffee to wake up after all!!! I have to admit that I'm an ardent fan of TCBTL ( The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf ) and I've been to most of the branches...but I've never been to this branch. After just a few minutes of being there, I totally fell in-love with this particular branch. The staff was super friendly and attentive. A really good way to start my Saturday morning! Even the environment was so cosy & relaxing. Though I can't say the same thing about the branch in Ampang Point ( Sigh!! Had several bad experiences there )...As my favorite kind of breakfast is American breakfast so naturally I opted for 'Breakfast O' Day' with it's free refill of coffee. It's a plate of scrambled eggs, toasts with choices of butter & jam, chicken sausages and a small portion of salad by the side. Marvelous indeed!!!  Not too bad for a RM15.25 worth of breakfast. Err, no pix though as I totally forgot to snap it...Too eager to 'attack' my food I guess :-P

My overall review on Capital Square's Coffee Bean - EXCELLENT!!! Before I left, I did ask the waiter to convey my 'congratulations' to the Branch Manager for the great service rendered by his/her staff there...Hope she'll pass it on...

For lunch, I headed towards The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur ( http://www.pavilion-kl.com/content/index.php ) as I've been wanting to try the food at Rainforest Sports Bar, located on the 4th floor ( http://www.rotolgroup.com/ ). At first I was reluctant to proceed with my choice as I don't see any diners there...but thinking it's the World Cup Football month, I assumed everyone's at home being glued to their tv sets :-P

The atmosphere inside the restaurant is cozy enough, with tv screens all over and a pool table as well...A sporty kind of  place indeed. The menu was kind of fusion and I took some time to make up my mind...Anyway, I ended up ordering several dishes!!! Potato Cheese Balls for appetizer and two main dishes - Sizzling Beef Fajitas & Grilled Marinated Beef Sandwich With Ciabata Bread.

Serving of the food took quite some time & for those looking for a fast service, I wouldn't really recommend this place...but if you're looking for a place to laze around on a weekend or just a place to chill with no worries of time, then this is the place to go to...Luckily I was in a 'lazy' mood and don't mind the waiting...

The appetizer was served after nearly 20 minutes...Presentation of the Potato Cheese Balls ( RM15.00 ) looks tempting and as for the taste, I really don't dare to comment as I'm a sucker for potatoes!!! Serve me potatoes with sand and I still might say it's good!! Ha..ha...But jokes aside, I would say it's yummy...A sort of mashed potato with cheese pieces shaped into a ball, deep fried and served with it's special sauce. A light yet tasty appetizer.

Potato Cheese Balls

My first main dish was served around 15 minutes after the appetizer...For a dish named 'Sizzling Fajitas' ( RM32.90 ), the dish didn't sizzle when served! I was expecting it to be served just as when you order those sizzling beef steaks :-( Luckily it was hot enough for me and I did enjoy the dish nevertheless. The portion was quite big and I would say good enough to be shared by two persons. I especially love the beef that comes with the Fajitas!! Loaded with my favorite - capsicum, the beef is tender and the gravy is thick and juicy. The condiments was quite a portion too, with lots of grated cheese, sour cream and those excellent jalapenos!! I would really recommend this dish!!! Superb!

Sizzling Beef Fajitas

Unfortunately for me, there was a mix up when my second main dish was served. Instead of my beef order, they did my sandwich with chicken instead. It took them nearly another 20 minutes to get my Grilled Marinated Beef Sandwich With Ciabata Bread ( RM15.90 ) order ready and by that time I've lost my momentum already...Don't you just hate it when that happen?!! I requested for them to pack my sandwiches to go instead....Just don't see the point in forcing myself to eat it. Might as well I take it home & enjoy it in the comfort of my home, at my own pace...

My 'To-Go' Grilled Marinated Beef Sandwich With Ciabata Bread

All in all, I would say the food is good and I might just revisit the place, that is when I have all the time in the world ;-) I'll give thumbs up to the food but something needs to be done with the service, especially the food preparation time.

Wow! When I ramble, I really ramble huh?....To summarize my reviews:-

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

G-18, CapSquare Centre

No.7, Persiaran CapSquare

Capital Square 50100

Kuala Lumpur.

Contact No. : 03-2691 7689

Atmosphere : 8/10

Service : 8/10

Food : 8/10

Rainforest Sports Bar

Lot C4.07, Level 3 & 4

Pavilion KL, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur.

Contact No. : 03-2163 0163

Atmosphere : 8/10

Service : 6/10

Food : 8/10

Till my next review, happy eating & do share with me of any good food establishment you know of ;-) Have a good Sunday everybody!!