Denim Red! At the Hyatt Centric KL's 1st Anniversary

Now home to a lifestyle hotel, the former KFC building in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, is yet again ready to be the tapestry for stunning events. Hyatt Centric City Centre Kuala Lumpur Celebrates Its First Anniversary with “Centric Turns 1 – Book, Scratch & Win” and a line-up of Festive Offerings. With the PETRONAS Twin Towers turned into giant representations of Christmas trees, it will be difficult to find a better backdrop for a month-long celebration. 

We had the privilege to be invited to their pre-launch tasting, which happened on the 25th November. The theme "Denim Red" at first sounded like a code word, but turned out to be the request to wear jeans of sorts with red clothing. Or accessories. Matched the Twin Towers lighting later that night. And the wine that was served.

As if one reason to celebrate is not enough: Hyatt Centric City Centre Kuala Lumpur rings in its first anniversary this December with a double celebration. For extra excitement, the launch of its exciting “Centric Turns 1 – Book, Scratch & Win” campaign highlights the culinary delights for this festive season. In a series of festive dining experiences at IL Forno, the hotel’s signature Italian restaurant, the food is supported by a month-long Festive Happy Hour at @21 Rooftop Bar. City-dwellers and holiday makers are invited to sample limited-edition holiday cocktails served against sweeping views of the city skyline in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Curious travellers and savvy locals can look forward to festive cheer, elevated flavours, and rewarding surprises!

In celebration of an incredible year in Kuala Lumpur, Hyatt Centric City Centre Kuala Lumpur invites guests to participate in its first-ever “Book, Scratch & Win” campaign. Until 18 December 2025, guests who book and check in between 1 December and 18 December 2025 will enjoy the opportunity to scratch and win exclusive rewards upon check-in.

“Celebrating our first year is incredibly meaningful — and this campaign is our way of thanking our guests for supporting our journey in Kuala Lumpur,” says Sebastian Krack, General Manager, Hyatt Centric City Centre Kuala Lumpur. “Every stay comes with a chance to win, making the festive season even more exciting and rewarding.”

In conjunction with the 1-year anniversary celebration, the hotel’s signature Italian restaurant, IL Forno, presents a culinary festive line-up inspired by the warmth of la tavola italiana. Guests can look forward to specially curated Christmas Eve Dinner, Christmas Day Lunch, New Year’s Eve Dinner, and New Year’s Day Lunch menus crafted by Executive Chef Carbone Vincenzo and Chef de Cuisine Christian.

The menus feature handcrafted pastas, rustic roasts, festive Italian dishes, and signature desserts — blending Italian tradition with Kuala Lumpur’s vibrant flavours.

“Food brings people together, especially during the holidays,” said Executive Chef Carbone Vincenzo.

“Our festive menus are crafted to feel comforting, joyful, and perfect for sharing,” added Chef de Cuisine Christian.

Guests dining at IL Forno during the festive season will also enjoy exclusive perks and the option to extend their celebrations at @21 Rooftop Bar, featuring skyline views, creative cocktails, and countdown excitement.

I don't always drink Grappa, but when I do, I see to it that an Italian chef is joining me. 

Worthy Deals:

Special menus are available on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Early bookings are encouraged as World of Hyatt members enjoy 10% off, and guests who book by 22 December can take advantage of an Early Bird 15% discount on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day feast. The team around Chef Enzo stands ready to take your orders.

Asia Harley Days 2025

It has been a long time since Crossy made me sign up to become a member of the Sydney Motorcycle club. It was in 1999 that we rode together. To the Robertson Pie Shop it was. Since then, I have moved around the region. Without any powered two-wheeler though. On the invitation of Harley Davidson Asia, I was able to join their festival in Khoa Yai, Thailand, 21^st and 22^nd November 2025.

Khao Yai, which is located a good 2.5 hours north-east of Bangkok by Harley. The National Park covers more than 2,000 square kilometers of forest and grassland in central Thailand. More than 50 km of hiking and biking trails wind through the long-standing nature preserve, and its many waterfalls include 150m-tall Haew Narok and 20m-tall Haew Suwat, immortalized in the Danny Boyle film 'The Beach.' The park also shelters diverse wildlife such as bears, gibbons, elephants and hornbills.

The festival is the fourth instalment of the annual event. Roving, it was hosted in Midwinter, Khao Yai this year. Bikers from 20 countries joined the festival with many taking the opportunity to tour Thailand for a few days before parking at the event to celebrate a shared interest. Patches from all over the world could be seen. Proud groups of biker clubs were invited onto the stage to receive numerous awards. Somehow, it seemed that Malaysian clubs won a lot of awards.

The motto ”United we Ride” was brought to live in the many activities that the organisers put together. Reflecting this motto, sponsors also contributed to good causes: Helmet Heros is a organisation that raises funds to sponsor helmets for children. Poorer families may already struggle with the cost of school uniforms and may not have the funds for even the cheapest helmets while a powered two-wheeler may be the only way for the parents to get their kids to school and back home. 

I was riding my famous "Ghoster" custom bike to the event. Did not win anything in the awards show. Maybe people didn't see the same beauty in it as I do. 

Improved Chances

Should you wish to propose, maybe the mall opposite this Marriott in Beijing is THE place to do so?

Said shopping mall rather interesting: lots of local products to be had for VERY little money. Great shopping experience despite the usual Chicken talk to Duck situation with neither of the shop keepers nor me speaking a shared language. 

Would have grabbed more, but luggage limited. Toys, shoes and hot pot restaurants the highlights in this place. 

Bargain Hunting in Beijing

 

Although I found some real bargains in this mall, it was a bizarre experience. Massive that construct, and nobody in there. Convenience stores offered a nice range of snacks, weirdly wonderful drinks and beers. Plenty of shoe shops in the Leduogang Outlet Shopping Mall as well, which satisfied my craving. And again, one realises how cheap things can be outside of Malaysia. 

Maybe it was the time of the year or day, but I couldn't help feel bad for the people running businesses in here as there was hardly any traffic. 

Meanwhile, the award for most helpful people goes to McDonalds in this centre. Duck and Chicken kind of language situation afforded some creative thinking. Since one cannot change back coins to other currency, I wanted to spend the pocket-full of metal. Plonked it onto the counter with a note that I would want to spend this on Google Translate. 

And finally! A smart use of the self-order kiosk: the manager simply scrolled to the item that I was able to buy with my coinery. She printed the ticket, prepped the food and send me snacking, feeling much lighter. 

Backstreets of Shinagawa

On our recent trip to Japan, we stayed a few nights in Shinagawa. Opposite the hotel, beyond the train station is a maze of tiny streets which house a lot of awesome, tiny restaurants. We randomly picked one, ended up having a mountain of meat. Thanks to some very helpful locals, who in broken English, helped us to sign up for happy hour, we had free flow of drinks too. 

View from the hotel is also stunning, with the Tokyo Tower visible in the back. Walking distance kinda. The location is rather compelling with a lot of shopping around the hotel and great food. Plus the connectivity is very good. 

The 82 Ale House in Shinagawa has some educational bits put up in their restrooms. . . Fun fact: I was sat in that very same pub in 2013, when Isuzu organised a media trip and I came up from Osaka on the Shinkansen, having done some work on a project for Nagano Science....

Panda Says Hi!

While Japan may have Sushi on their conveyor belts, Beijing's airport welcomes you with a Panda. Beijing airport is big. Lots of walking, lining-up, trains etc to navigate. The process of getting through it takes a while longer than in most airports I am going through. Seeing Panda here puts a smile on ya face. Nice touch and let's you forget the stress of rushing along for a while.