Laptop Chairs @ Changi Airport

In many airports around the world trying to find a working internet connection is a massive task on its own let alone finding a free connection that actually works.

Changi Airport is undoubtedly one of the top airports in the world and due to its efficiency many travellers arrive check in fairly late and bypass many of its great facilities. As a frequent traveller I fall into this category and from time to time I take notice of the new facilities for travellers.

Free Wifi is available throughout Changi and it actually works well. In addition to this there are several internet points with PC and laptop docking desks available in the quieter corners of the departure lounge. Now if this isn't enough some of the gate lounges also have laptop chairs which contain a power point a a retractable LAN cable.

On one of my recent trips I arrived early at the gate and thought I'd try out the laptop chair and I’m pleased to say that its works well.

Not to be outdone KLIA has finally fixed its free Wifi and it seems to work consistently albeit slowly.

Jom Makan @ Westfield, Shepherds Bush, London

People often ask me if I miss the food in the UK and the question usually provokes some deep thought. Whilst I enjoy some of the food especially of the home cooked variety I’m so used to food with full flavours and spices that after a few days back in the UK I feel that something is missing.

After a couple of days back in the UK last March we finally got around to visiting the Westfield mall at Shepherds Bush and I have to confess I wasn’t disappointed. In and around KL we seem to be spoilt with the ever increasing number of mega malls which start to remember integrated cities and usually contain an entrainment centre along with amenities such as valet parking and concierge.

Now finally London has a decent mall it can be proud of and many aspects of Westfield made it feel like I was back home in Singapore or KL especially the huge number or Asian tourists who visit.

As lunch time approached we started looking at what we could eat and my eyes lit up when I found Jom Makan which is a Malaysian restaurant. After a quick scan of the menu I was happy that some of my favourite dishes listed.

Jom Makan  has a sister branch at Pall Mall and I understand that its owned by a malaysian business man however I didn't any remotely Malaysian staff at the restaurant.

The restaurant was very quiet however the interior was pleasant with artistic pictures of Malaysia on the walls and table mats.

I ordered a kari kambing lamb curry) and a roti canai and my wife went for the nasi lamak to be washed down by a teh tarik (hot milky tea

Kari Kambing

Nasi Lemak

So how was the food?

Whilst I enjoyed my lunch I have to confess that the food was far from perfect. The lamb was very tender and lean however the sauce tasted like it had come from a packet and seemed to be missing some real flavour.

The roti canai was disappointing and I believe that a frozen quick cook product was used which is very poor.

The teh tarik was also a let down and tasted that that made from a packet as opposed to real 1m high teh tarik.

My wife said the nasi lemak was good and that that the quality was generally better than most places in KL.

Whilst I’m critical I have to say that overall it was ok and would probably return but with different expectations and perhaps some things such as the roti I wouldn't order again.

The service was ok although not particularly friendly or engaging which was a shame.

I may return next time I’m in London if I need a food fix but the problem is I’m used to the real kampung food and this doesn’t live up to that and I'm sure that there is better malaysian food in London.

Food/Beverage 6.5
Ambiance 6
Value 6
Service 6.5

Jom Makan (Westfield) Restaurant.
Southern Terrace,
Westfield Shopping Centre,
London W12 7GA
Tel: 020 8735 5870

Dinner at NZ Curry House @ Wangsa Maju

One of the great things about the 24hr mamak restaurants is the fact that you could go there for breakfast , lunch and dinner if needed.

For us its not unusual at weekends to call by our local for breakfast and then grab a snack in the evening. My favourite is the large NZ restaurant in Wangsa Maju near Carrefour which I've previously blogged about.

Last Sunday I called in quickly before leaving for the airport and had one of my favourite meals at NZ which is nasi goreng daging merah + telur mata. Translated into english its friend beef rice in a dark red gravy topped with a fried egg.

Of course no mamak meal is complete with a frothy teh tarek.





The food was served promptly and was tasty and the taste is something magic when you break open the egg and it covers the friend rice.

Whilst prices are creeping up in Malaysia these places are still one of the most affordable options to eat out with the food costing RM8 and teh tarik costing a ringgit or so more.

Touch n Go Reload Machines

I’ve been meaning to write this for a while and when I saw the issue had been mentioned in the timeout KL’s blog I thought I’d better get this finished.

Like many people in KL I have a Touch n Go card and often despair at how crap the card and associated systems are.

Some of my key frustrations are as follows:

• No discount on public transport unlike many other countries
• When using it to pay for other services such as car parking the vendors often add a fee on top so things actually cost more using TnG
• Unless you top up at a toll or the LRT you incur a service charge
• The top up system often seems to be offline
• Top up is only available at LRT stations between certain hours
• A top up fee is charged when auto reload is used

Rapid KL recently introduced some rather poorly design top up machines at many stations and I thought for a moment that a step forward was being taken. After a very protracted installation I find that the machines are always broken or just displaying Tiada servis’ (no service).


In the rare event that I do find a machine working there is never a queue to use it because most people have given up looking to see if they work and secondly the machines confuse the hell out of most poeple.

If Rapid KL really wants to improve it should fire the people who decided buy these crap machines and hire some people from a place which knows how to run a public transport and smart card system. The Man In Seat 12A has a good suggestion which is to look 330km southeast to a small island called Singapore!

Now finally I think the Timeout KL blog entry really sums up this issue well.