So there we were…
…at this sparkling new restaurant in Bintulu…
…for my niece’s grand wedding banquet…
We made it a point to go earlier so we would find a parking space near the main entrance so we would not have to walk very far – remember I had my two aunties with me and I am no spring chicken myself either. Good excuse, eh? Hehehehehe!!!!
They have an escalator but it was out of order. Luckily, there was also a lift that we could make use of to get to the upper floor. For one thing, the restaurant has a very peculiar design – to get to the washroom you will have to go out one door and then go all the way down the staircase to get there. I, for one, would rather take the lift again and use the ones in the restaurant lobby.
Everything was ready…
…neatly in place…
…waiting for all the guests…
…and the bride and the groom to arrive…
…before the event could start…
As soon as the happy couple made their grand entrance, they were ushered onto the stage for the cutting of the wedding cake…
…and then it was time for dinner to be served.
It seems like it’s the latest fad as far as the lighting of such venues goes whereby the colours of the lights would change alternating between red, yellow, green and blue and that, I find, is a nightmare for people like me without the sophisticated equipment and totally dependent on a cheap and simple digicam.
That was why I had a problem with the snapshots of the dishes served that night…
…as no amount of editing and adjusting could get them to look nicer in any way…
The food, I would say, was, at best, all right…
…not great and at times, even cold despite the fire down below…but I guess we could just put it down to the lack of experience, this being a new restaurant and they had yet to learn how to cope with such a large crowd. Service was good though, just that for a place this impressive, I would expect the food to be a lot better.
Anyway, that was secondary as on special auspicious occasions such as this, what would be the most important was the getting together with loved ones – family and friends…
*Facebook photo taken by one of my cousins*
…and the sharing of the joy of the bride and the groom and their immediate families. Congratulations once again, Diana and Kwang Siang, wishing the both of you love and happiness in abundance forevermore…
…and to my cousin and her hubby too on the wedding of their youngest daughter, thank you so much for the invitation. Cheers and God bless, all!
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Your cousin will gladly reply: thanks for your ang pao! hahahahaha
Oh? Obviously you did not read my post on this matter:
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/give/
Personally, I would willingly give a token amount, what I feel like giving as it is customary not to go empty-handed even when you go and visit someone, a practice steeped in tradition that should be preserved – in Hokkien, they call it lay soh, good manners or etiquette.
However, I do not believe in following standard rates that you people seem to follow at your side – a certain amount, cheaper, if it is at “just a Chinese restaurant” and a lot more if it is at a classy hotel (even though the food sucks and is a lot nicer at the former). This is indeed like holding your “guests” to ransom. Tsk! Tsk!
Wow! Everything is so red and festive and auspicious! 🙂
It looks like a nice place to have a traditional wedding dinner.
Well, at least the service was good even though the food wasn’t up to your expectations. I think a lot of places don’t have the experience or struggle to cope with large wedding, my sister’s in RH Hotel had a mishap – they forgot to slice the cake and serve it to the guests!
It’s the company that counts and you look mighty fine in that shirt! 😀
Congrats to your niece and her husband on their wedding!
Thanks. Ah, you flatterer! That old thing. Goodness, I can’t remember if I wore the same to your sister’s wedding. 😛 That place was pretty new then too but I’ve been there twice, quite recently. The food has improved a lot but the earlier occasion, the service was the pits. Thank goodness it was all right the second time. This new place in Bintulu is probably the only one in town that can accommodate such a large crowd, other than the ballroom at Parkcity Everly perhaps.
Aaahhh, finally the wedding post! Dinner World sounds so cute, hehe. The first four-season dish looks like ice cream, haha.. At first I was thinking what was that raspberry chocolate swirl thingy.. Agree with you, food is secondary.. It’s the family gathering that counts.. And the joyous occassion..Congrats to Diana & Kwang Siang..By the way you look like a Dato’ sitting in the middle with that smile..
Oh dear!!! That is a nicer way of telling me I am so so so old, of course. Didn’t think that’s a nice name, could have picked something a lot classier and more impressive.
Eh, not old looking la.. Dato’ (and Datin) la.. Not datuk.. Hehe.. Means looks like a rich man, VVIP, sitting at that position..
Unfortunately, not rich…not VIP, just a simple old man. 😦
Congrats to the bride and groom! 😀
For a moment, I thought you gonna drag for another post, seeing all those empty ballroom deco.
Nowadays hardly can get decent tasting food at wedding dinners, no matter how expensive each table costs. Only during the food testing session the food will be nice. The restaurant knows there’s nothing much you can do even if they serve lousy food because it is already too late.
Bad attitude – people will let you con them once only, they will never come back…and the news would go round, others would think twice about hosting dinners at your place. You’ll be playing a losing game. Here, it’s more about the venue – people will settle for less to go to places that can hold enough tables for all their guests. Otherwise, they would rather opt for the smaller venues with the very much nicer (and perhaps cheaper too) food.
Last post already in the Bintulu series – tomorrow’s will be on the drive home.
Wow what a grand space!
Indeed. Huge venue, perfect for really big functions.
Congrats to the bride and groom!! I like the crystal glass tower and also the dropping down decorations of the light in the middle of the table, they all looks like so gorgeous!!
Yes, I thought everything was just right, not like some that were really overdone, so much so that you would feel lost, all engrossed in all that decor here, there and everywhere. Mustn’t steal the limelight from the main attraction -the bride and the groom.
Nice restaurant. What a name too. Dinner World!
Best wishes to the newlyweds.
Thanks. Not all that fond of its name…nor the location of its toilet. 😦
Congratulations to the newly-wed couple. This time, the photos didn’t do any justice. The ballroom looks big & spacious. 2nd last pic, guess those are your uncles, aunties or cousins.
Thanks. Ya, I only like the photograph of the bridal saloon. Ummmm…no uncles, only aunties…cousins & hubby/wife…
Too bad they had gaudy lighting. Can’t understand why. Only 4 dishes? Or there were more but the photo didn’t come out right due to the lights? Agree that food is secondary but still for the price paid, would expect something a lot more decent. The last wedding I attended at a grand hotel in KL was also disappointing in terms of the food.
Seems that this is the in-thing and people like that? Yes, the lights spoilt it all – imagine taking snapshots of people and the lights turn blue – they would all look so ghostly, terrible really!!!
Hotels over at your side – been too a few, all ok, edible…not great, not at all. We can have better at the hotels here but still, it would be nicer at the regular restaurants except that they cannot cater for so many tables, not big enough (which is, in fact, one reason for the better quality of the food).
the place looks a bit like Empire Hotel ‘s function room here
Oh? Never stayed there.
Congratulations to the newly weds… 🙂
If me, i also prefer to go earlier…
Oh? Sink-a-pork people not like KL kah? Card says 7, they show up at 9. Traffic jam, they say – so ill-mannered. Knowing that there will be a jam (if that is true), they can always go early what. Making people wait for TWO hours for the dinner to start. Very bad habit. If I were the host, I would just start the dinner at 7 on the dot – those coming late can have the leftovers. Who cares? After all, they don’t care at all that others are waiting for them. We did that at grand school dinners in one of my former schools – did that a few times, everybody made sure they were punctual after that.
Wow… The place looks so grand and colourful too ! Congrats to the new couple !
Thank you. Grand, no doubt but not so keen on the colourful lights. 😦
Early birds you are! You can take more pictures this way… the whole hall is beautifully decorated.. yes, except for the food, the disco colours didn’t help much, did they… Anyway, your cousins must be very happy that you drove all the way from Sibu taking your two aunties for the wedding function…
It was a weekday or the whole clan would have been there. Everybody’s working or has his or her commitments, couldn’t get away.
Congratulations to the bride and groom.! Everyone looks so nice, and I love the regal look of the scene!
Thanks. I guess this is the typical wedding dinner/banquet scene that you would see over here, very different from there.
Wow..lovely and posh wedding there. Congrats to the bride and bridegroom.
Thanks. Psssstttt….when’s yours? 😉
Congratulations to the newly weds! The place looks huge, like can put up hundreds of tables, hehe!
Thanks. There were 88 only that night, can easily fit more. Lots of space.
Congrats to the newly wed couple! Btu is indeed a small town, yr cousin used to work for MAS, rite?
Thanks Yes, small world indeed. Most Bintulu folks would know her – used to buy air tickets at the office. 😀
congratulations to the happy couple, and here’s wishing them many decades of happiness 🙂 btw, i think my friends have stopped marrying … i haven’t attended a wedding dinner in several years already, heheh 😀
Thank you. Ya, it’s the trend these days, it seems – stay young, free and single. Marriage is an option, not a necessity.