Tuesday, 15 September 2015

Ruby's Resort


Date of Visit? Friday, 14th to Sunday, 16th of August, 2015


Where is it? On a beautiful beach in Cherating - Lot 350, Jalan Kemaman, Kg. Chendor, Cherating, 26080, Pahang, Malaysia.


Style? "A Home Away From Home" - relaxed, casual, chilled. Great home cooked food, wonderful location.


Dog Friendly? I think that Ruby's can be described as more pet friendly than people friendly! Ruby is an animal lover through and through - she welcomes all us animals with open arms and her regular customers are warm, friendly and helpful.


Poppie's Review 

Driving up to Ruby's Resort's front gate
We arrived in sunny Cherating on Friday evening. It was under four hours drive from KL - luckily my humans had the good sense to leave around 2pm so we didn't get stuck in traffic. I had my nose squished to the window trying to see all of the new environment - and looking for any little creatures I could chase. We turned down a dusty tack leading towards the Club Med, then took a left at a faded signboard and suddenly we could see the sparkling South China Sea ahead. We pulled into Ruby's Resort. The beach is literally a stones throw from the front gate. Ruby's is a five acre property with Ruby's own private residence, a cafe nearest to the beach and a row of accommodation and gardens leading back from the cafe. The best part, for energetic dogs like me... a huge felid for us dogs to run around and chase frogs in!


The Beach
The Garden outside our cabin

I was so excited! Not only because there was so much space to run in and a beach to play on, but also because I had a new friend to explore with! I call her Aunty Diva or Big Mama, but she is really my biological mother. She needed a good home so when my humans heard this they adopted her and welcomed her into the family. I like to chase her - she is not so happy about that, but I always get my way :-). 

Check in was easy, say hi to Ruby ad get the key! - Humans, please note! You must bring your own bedsheets and blankets! My humans were very silly and forgot to bring a blanket (how embarrassing), Aunty Ruby was very kind and gave them one for a small charge, but if you go, please follow the rules. 

Our Cabin, Jati (just the green part)

We stayed in a little green cabin called "Jati" it was very comfortable and the air-


conditioning worked very well :-D. It is made up of a bedroom, a bathroom and a little kitchenette with a fridge and toaster oven. The best part is that outside each cabin or room there is a little shower especially for us furkids :-D so we can get nice and clean after we go to the beach or roll around in the garden. 
View from outside the cabin- Cabins are all in a row and connected except for Jambu Chalet, which is stand alone at the end of the row of cabins.
Having a shower in my doggy bath! 



Chicken wings and Tiger Beer at the cafe with an ocean view!


The food is very nice here, my humans enjoyed it thoroughly. The menu is not very expansive, and is pork free, but Aunty Ruby herself goes to the market every day to get fresh ingredients  and there are cold cans of Tiger Beer at the ready- the fried fish, mutton, chicken wings and the nasi dagang for breakfast are all highlights. The best way to order is in the morning, if you can catch Ruby before she goes to the market and ask her to recommend something. 



Sitting at the cafe

Nasi dagang for breakfast - breakfast is included in room rates



Now the beach. The beach is so cool - but a little bit scary for me! This was the first time
Walking to the beach with Dad

 at the beach for both Big Mama and I and we were a little bit scared by the waves. Our humans bought us life jackets, which is a good idea for first time swimmers. The water was the perfect temperature for swimming and so clear. My favourite part was running along the sand though! So fun! Mummy and Daddy eventually carried us in and made us swim when the water was calm... lets just say I'm glad I made it out alive. Bulldogs are made for land!


Playing in the water with Mum

To me, the best part of our whole experience was that everyone was so friendly. I made so many new human and dog friends :-). There are cats, dogs, ducks and chickens at
Baywatch Pose Ladies - we are the Charlie's Angels of Cherating :-)
Ruby's and I enjoyed meeting them all. Aunty Ruby herself is an angel to us animals. She herself told me that she would rather have cute puppies like me stay than humans any day - I can understand that :-D. After you talk to her for a while, even the humans will understand that Ruby is a woman with a heart of gold, but she she doesn't take crap from humans.  


Ruby's Resort really is like a home away from home - it is like staying at your friend's house and your friend has this amazing place on the beach! 



Flat out and enjoying the air-con after a day at the beach
Honesty is the best policy here, you can't pull the wool over Aunty Ruby's eyes, too many people have tried before - it doesn't work. Her pet peeves are humans who lie and who don't clean up after their fur kids - so if you have an aversion to picking up your dog's poo then you better not stay here - we would do it ourselves, but we don't have hands! Also, anyone who mistreats animals is not allowed and will be asked to leave - fair enough too, GRRRR! Basically, if you love your furkid and you are a responsible human then you will have a great time here - if not, you probably won't enjoy yourself. 
Meeting some new furry friends

These rules might seem a bit austere for a resort, but by having these rules in place, you will find that the people staying at Ruby's Resort are warm, friendly animal lovers who are kind and welcoming to us animals and humans too. 




The final word on Ruby's Resort? 

It is truly a place for animals and animal lovers alike and for me, hanging out with Big Mama and my humans on a beach was priceless and an experience that is hard to find. 


Go, but be prepared with your bedding for humans and your furkid's supplies, of course! 



Its a great place for a chilled weekend of relaxing - two enthusiastic paws up! 





Thank you for reading my blog! 


For more news and reviews about dog friendly restaurants, hotels and actives in KL and around Malaysia check out my Instagram @poppiethebulldog and Facebook page www.facebook.com/poppiekaur






Friday, 7 August 2015

Andes BYO

Date of Visit? Monday, 3rd of August, 2015 

Where is it? K-G-11, Jalan PJU 1/43, Aman Suria, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Style? Porky 'western' and fusion food - relaxed dinning

Dog Friendly? Pets are allowed in the front room of the restaurant which is open to the street. The staff are very pet friendly and welcoming. 





Poppie's Review


We arrived at Andes BYO for dinner on Monday night. It was quiet, as you might expect for a Monday,  and we were seated on a very comfortable table at the front of the restaurant. The staff were very friendly and gave me lots of ear scratches and attention, they even said that I could sit up on the sofa with my mummy! 

We also got a free serving of "Porky Fries" because I was there :-D

The menu is not particularly extensive but there are some interesting things to try. 

We had: 


  • Porky Fries 
  • Pigs in a Blanket
  • Pork Satay 
  • Scotched Egg
  • The Bomb Burger 
  • The Pork Burger


Porky Fies - Strips of luncheon meat, seasoned with paprika 
~This dish is complementary when you dine with a delightful dog like myself. We couldn't really taste the paprika, but they had a sprinkle of sugar on them, which sounds gross, but worked really well to enhance the flavour. This dish is is so wrong, its right - indulgent comfort foot - definitely worth a try! 


Porky Fries

Pigs in a Blanket - Pork sausages wrapped in bacon
~The quality of the sausages are not very high and it was a bit dry. 


Pigs in a Blanket

Pork Satay - Grilled homemade pork satay accompanied with Andes' satay sauce. 
~ This dish had me salivating like a St.Bernard! Perhaps the fact that we ate it so fast that we forgot to take a picture is an indication... If you like pork and you like satay you must try this! We have had pork satay elsewhere but this beats them all hands down. Well balanced and delicious. 


Scotch Egg - 6 minute poached egg wrapped in marinaded pork, deep fried and topped with crispy bacon. Served with garden greens and mashed potatoes. 
~This dish was somewhat underwhelming. It is a traditional scotch egg, I am not sure what the difference between a "6 minute poached egg" and a regular hard boiled egg is, but it seemed similar to me. The yolk was firm inside and the meat was moist, but a bit bland - we couldn't really taste the "marinade". The bacon was yummy. The mashed potatoes are something to be avoided here - they use margarine and not butter in them! Not high quality mash at all! 


Scotch Egg


The Bomb

The Bomb Burger - A thick pork patty, stuffed with cheese and toped with bacon and a fried egg. Served with coleslaw and a choice of fries or mashed potatoes. 
~This burger is deliciously explosive! It is juicy, meaty and oozing with just enough cheese. The pork patty is well seasoned and the cheese to meat ratio is well balanced. The best pork burger we have tried in KL thus far. Yum!
My only slight grip with this burger is that I believe that they must have used a small amount of margarine in the cheese mix. This gives the cheese a love consistency and stops it from congealing as it cools, which is great! But it leaves the slight taste of margarine, thats why... butter is always better. 
Again, don't have the mashed potato, the chips are much nicer! 

The cheese filling of the Bomb Burger - Moist and Tasty!

The Pork Burger - A thick pork patty, stuffed with cheese and toped with bacon. Served with coleslaw and a choice of fries or mashed potatoes. 
~This was basically the Bomb without the egg. Delicious though :-P




So, what's the final word on Andes BYO? 


It is a fun and relaxed place to eat with furry family members like me. The staff are very friendly. The food is solid, the burgers and satay are excellent and I am keen to try their savoury waffles next time! 


Moreover, this is some delicious porky food goodness that won't blow the budget. The prices are very reasonable and of course you can "BYO" your own booze and there is no corkage! 

It's worth the trip - great spot to be!


Thank you for reading my blog! 

For more news and reviews about dog friendly restaurants, hotels and activities in KL and around Malaysia check out my Instagram @poppiethebulldog and Facebook page www.facebook.com/poppiekaur

Thursday, 6 August 2015

The Red Beanbag

Date of Visit?  Saturday, 1st of August, 2015

Where is it? Block A4 1st Floor A4-1-08, Publika, Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Style? The Red Beanbag describes itself as "a modern contemporary Australian-inspired café" (from their Facebook page). Basically that translates to 'western' and fusion food. 

Dog Friendly? Pets are allowed to sit outside on the patio with their owners. No water or treats provided for pets. 


Poppie's Review - 

We arrived at the Red Beanbag around eleven o'clock. This may not have been the best idea as it was prime brunch time. There was a line, but the staff were friendly and gave us a card that said "cappuccino", they told us that it would be about a twenty minute wait and that they would call out when our table was ready. 

We had heard a lot about the Red Beanbag online. It is mentioned on a lot of websites as a great place for my humans and I to hangout together and get some great brunch. 

Unfortunately, we were rather let down by the atmosphere of the place. Firstly, pet owners should note that Publika is not itself very pet friendly, so if you are walking from the car park to the Red Beanbag it is better to come prepared with your pet carrier. Secondly, the Red Beanbag itself is a busy and buzzing place which attracts a wide range of people, maybe we were just unlucky, but there were some patrons of the restaurant who were quite rude to us and not dog friendly. This was upsetting for us because we didn't feel welcome after coming all the way to Publika because the Red Beanbag is "dog friendly". Adding to this was the proximity of the seating - as the tables were quite close together my humans felt that they needed to keep me on a very short leash. 

After twenty minutes we were seated. We had a look at the menu - it was interesting and varied. However, the Red Beanbag is pork free, which was a surprise to us as we were looking forward to some juicy bacon and sausages. Never the less, we ordered two coffees and two of the recommended dishes - 1. Benedict III 2. Signature Baked Eggs. 

The coffee was very nice - smooth, rice and well poured. 

Benedict III - Beef bacon / Turkey Ham served with kale, sautéed mushrooms, roasted garlic butter portobello mushrooms, on a bed of fluffy french toast, drizzled with hollandaise sauce and served with two poached eggs (RM26)


~ If you are a fan of eggs benedict this is certainly a dish to try. The savoury french toast gave a lovely texture and absorbed the egg yolk well, while the kale and mushrooms were delicious additions and really complemented the dish. The hollandaise sauce was rich and well balanced with just enough tang. We chose to have the beef bacon with this dish and I must say that it was the nicest beef bacon that I have had thus far, it was moist and tender, but it was still beef bacon. 



Signature Baked Eggs - 2 eggs cracked in a bowl of lamb, chicken and beef bratwurst topped with mozzarella cheese and baked to perfection. Served with sourdough toast. (RM22)


~ This dish was a huge disappointment, I am not sure why it is a recommendation. Somehow we were imagining big, juicy bratwurst, eggs with runny, rich yolks and a light sprinkling of stringy mozzarella. However, the 'bratwurst' where chopped up in a small terracotta dish - there certainly wasn't three whole bratwurst in there! The eggs were over cooked and it was smothered in cheese - in fact it was mostly cheese! Not really what you expect for twenty-two ringgit. Moreover, the sausages themselves tasted cheap and processed, not like the lovely homemade bratwurst you would find in Australia. 





Unfortunately, we didn't feel like trying anymore as we were quite conscious of the people leering at our table expectantly.  

The staff were very efficient and pleasant, but not very attentive. We had to call them over to order drinks and then food and then for the bill (but to be fair it was very busy and the food was served very quickly). 

So, what is the verdict on the Red Beanbag? 

The coffee is good and chef can certainly cook. The menu is interesting and diverse. Don't get the baked eggs - I don't think they have a very good sausage supplier! Benedict III is certainly a winner and the Atlantic would be another one to try.

Don't expect puppy love from the staff or other customers. I was missing all the love and belly rubs I normally get when I go out! This is a restaurant which is more dog tolerant than dog friendly. In the end, for us, it wasn't really worth the half-an-hour drive there, but if you are in the neighbourhood and you like the look of the menu then give it a try. 








Thank you for reading my blog! 

For more news and reviews about dog friendly restaurants, hotels and activities in KL and around Malaysia check out my Instagram @poppiethebulldog and Facebook page www.facebook.com/poppiekaur