Food Explorer & Home Chef
Songkran Festival, one of the most vibrant traditions of Thailand, was celebrated at the forecourt of 1Utama shopping centre in Bandar Utama, PJ from April 10-20. Organised by the Royal Thai Embassy in Malaysia and EQ Solutions, it was a chance for both Malaysians and …
The highly anticipated Kuala Lumpur Cocktail Week (KLCW) is set to return for its second edition from April 22 – 27, bringing together cocktail enthusiasts, industry professionals and some of the world’s best bars for a week-long celebration of mixology. Scheduled to take place across …
Heineken Refresh Your Music is back to elevate the music experience beyond refreshing playlists. This year, it’s breaking social bubbles and redefining how music brings people together.
Heineken is shaking up the scene with REFRESHING SESSIONS—a bold new pop-up music series crafted to ignite unexpected connections, uniting music lovers. It’s about stepping outside the ordinary, discovering fresh sounds, and creating unforgettable moments with strangers turned friends—inspired by Heineken.
To bring this experience to life, Heineken has partnered Timeleft app, a platform designed to connect strangers and spark real conversations. Through the app, consumers can participate in the REFRESHING SESSIONS—meeting new people and expanding their social circles. This collaboration aligns with Heineken’s dedication to fostering connections at the pop-up events.
Heineken’s invite-only REFRESHING SESSIONS aims to transform everyday spaces—lifestyle gyms, grocery stores, and bookstores—into unexpected music hotspots. These surprise pop-ups will offer refreshing new ways to inspire people to make new connections and expand their social circles.
These sessions will set the stage for Heineken Refresh Your Music 2025 in June —a high-energy celebration featuring genre-blending artists, culminating in an unforgettable performance by an international DJ superstar. With fresh beats, bold collaborations, and boundary-pushing sounds, Heineken is redefining how music is experienced.
The movement kicked off with a media launch at Good Juju Barbell Club, where Heineken transformed the gym into a high-energy music space fusing with unique DJ beats. Guests stepped outside their musical comfort zones, and experienced an unforgettable night with bold beats, good vibes and the refreshing taste of Heineken.
The first REFRESHING SESSION’s highlighted a high-octane DJ collab between Blink and DJ Ashley Lau—two powerhouses on the decks, spinning face-to-face to craft one epic, genre-blending soundscape. Their chemistry set the tone for other REFRESHING SESSIONS to come: bold DJ pairings, fresh musical fusions and a journey that redefines music discovery—brought together by Heineken.
Don’t miss the next REFRESHING SESSION landing at QRA, where Heineken will transform the supermarket into a dynamic entertainment venue. The energetic vibe will then cross over to the aisles of Eslite Bookstore with more fresh beats and unexpected encounters.
Find out how to be part of these exciting REFRESHING SESSION on Heineken’s Instagram and Facebook.
Exclusive Rewards:
Attendees will receive exclusive passes to Heineken Refresh Your Music 2025 and by purchasing Heineken, they also stand to win a limited-edition Heineken vinyl player.
Shaun Lim, Marketing Manager of Heineken Malaysia, said, “We’re incredibly excited to bring back Heineken’s Refresh Your Music for the third year running, continuing to inspire fans to explore new sounds and break out of their musical routines. From the start, ‘Refresh Your Music, Refresh Your Nights’ has been more than just a tagline—it’s a movement. It’s about pushing boundaries, creating unexpected moments, and bringing people together through the power of music.
“This year, we’re taking it even further. It’s no longer just about refreshing playlists—it’s about transforming how music is experienced and turning strangers into friends. REFRESHING SESSIONS are designed to spark unexpected connections, bringing together music fans who would never have crossed paths otherwise. It’s about breaking routines, embracing fresh sounds, and creating meaningful unforgettable moments.”
A slow ascent to the 43rd floor, and you’ll find CHARR Dining, a cozy wood-fire BBQ restaurant that delivers a culinary experience where fire, flavour and artistry converge. Rooted in the age-old tradition of charring, CHARR masterfully blends the boldness of primitive wood-fire cooking with …
Dubu dubu means tofu in Korean so naturally that’s the main focus this restaurant named as such. It’s in every dish in the menu and while it was a lot of tofu to eat in one seating, it was all good and nourishing. Owned by …
Finally visited San Lou Pasta Bar one weekend and happy to report that it was a most enjoyable meal. Translated, it means 3rd floor, located in a residential condo in Kelana Jaya, PJ. The tiny but cozy resto has all of 7 tables and probably seats at most 20 pax at one time if it’s a full house.
Owner and Chef Stephen who has worked in Basilico and Manhattan Bar in Singapore for the past 10 years, decided to return to his home base to try his hand at business here in 2023. Essentially pasta that’s been given a Chinese flair and Stephen has made the dishes all come together surprisingly well.
We started off with eggplant parmigiana which was a lot like arancini, except this was eggplant, no rice. Who’d knew Chinese-style Lamb stew, given a few tweaks, would go so well with rigatoni? Arrived brimming hot in a small claypot, decent portions of soft, tender lamb in flavourful chunks interspersed with rigatoni made this quite a delish affair.
His version of chili crab was nothing like the Singaporean crustacean dish as it had more of sambal overtones. Entirely his own concoction, the gravy/sauce was more like a rich mildly spicy sambal with strong shrimp (belacan?) coating each strand of fresh tagliatelle which he makes himself. The crispy soft shell crab added texture to the al dente pasta. It’s so rare to get pasta in Malaysia with the right doneness so this was sheer joy.
My fav had to be the Tuscan pork jowl, a lovely mess that oozed layers of flavour, and meat so dreamily soft and tender. The tomato-based gravy on Bucatini tossed with pulled pork jowl and grated 24-month Grana Padana was good every single mouthful.
Dessert was tiramisu that came with a shot of vodka that you can opt to remove or top up, and there’s a small selection of craft beers and wines.
Prices average around RM30 give or take, and reservations are recommended as it’s a small place and easily full. Only open for dinner for now. Sauces are all made from scratch and some of the pastas too. I believe my Italian friends would approve of Stephen’s take on their beloved pasta!
Add: No. 3-3, Menara Infiniti, Jalan SS 6/3a, Petaling Jaya. hp: 011-1092 0938
A food bazaar like no other, Four Seasons KL invites you to a culinary celebration at Curate. This year’s theme is Glamour Kampung, and you can expect one of the most extensive buffet spreads in the city, offering a wide range of traditional fare alongside …
During CNY, the trick is not to eat Chinese food. The wait and serving time begs patience and food quality is often not as good. We opted for Vietnamese at Song Ngu resto in New Ocean World Fine Food City, PJ. The large resto was …
After feasting non-stop on Chinese dishes for CNY, we always hunt for food from other cultures after a few days. In Malaysia, we are blessed to have so many choices. CNY 3rd day this year, we ended up at Indonesian resto Wartek in Ara Damansara for lunch (they have another branch in Subang SS15).
We ordered an assortment of dishes: Nasi Uduk Bebek Goreng (RM16.90) with deep fried duck and 2 different types of sambal. Duck had crispy skin and tasty meat, though some parts were a bit dry. Satay was well marinated and flavourful with lontong doused in peanut sauce. The flavours were more Malay style than Indonesian though still very yummy. There’s a choice of either chicken or beef, we had chicken.
We also had Nasi Padang dishes such as Terong Balado (brinjal) , Sambal Udang which had shrimp, petai and quail eggs, and Sayur Paku Pakis (ferns cooked in gravy) to go with Nasi Uduk (basic rice set without any dishes). Cooked slightly different compared to Malay style, but still very similar. The fried chicken coated with green sambal looked fiery but was not at all. In fact, all the dishes were only mildly spicy, so even No. 2 was OK with them. The Soto Betawi set came with pickles that packed a punch, but otherwise the main dish had mild gravy with tempeh and potato.
Cendol was surprisingly good as the ice was very fine. Prices are very reasonable (RM20 or less per pax) and food really good, especially if you are a chilli fiend, and love strong flavours and spices. Think of this as dining in a warung – Indonesian style coffeeshop – but in a nicer, clean, air-conditioned environment and a proper menu board instead of just choosing the dishes chap fan (Chinese mixed rice) fashion at the counter.
Add: Ara Permata, 3, Jalan PJU 1A/42A, Pusat Dagangan NZX, Petaling Jaya. hp: 017-993 3123
The much anticipated Citarasa Nipah, the annual EQ Ramadan tradition, is back and the media had a chance for a sneak preview of food options from the days of rustic simplicity, and combine them with dishes that have evolved into Ramadan must-haves. The dinner buffet …