I thought, wow! That's great! It's been some time since I went for karaoke sessions with my friends and this was a good time as any to exercise my vocal chords again. I quickly called to book a session for 8.30pm last Tuesday after work.
Now the night karaoke session comes with a buffet dinner, so it's just perfect for some good relaxing fun after work. Actually, I prefer not to eat during karaoke, but this time, I wanted it to be more like a relaxing time rather than seriously singing my heart out. Furthermore, I've not been singing for some time and my voice would just sound terrible, if it was not already.
Anyway, I and two other friends reached Red Box which was located at the fourth floor opposite GSC Signature, right on the dot. We were greeted warmly at the counter, which was good because the last time I encountered really rude staff at another outlet at The Curve.
When I enquired how long we could sing, the female staff told us normally we were allowed to sing for 3 hours, but if there were not many people coming in after midnight, we could continue singing till 3 am! We were like, wow! Is that a good deal or what?
In case you think the 3 of us could not sing that long, let me assure you that I've once sang for 8 hours straight. Not that I am a very good singer, mind you. What the heck, if I were good, I would have already participated in Malaysian Idol or some other singing contests! What would I be doing singing in a karaoke room, right? Karaoke is meant for people like me who can't sing well, but who just like to sing for my own enjoyment.
Anyway, we were led to our room. It was rather small but I guess there were only three of us so that's OK. One reason why I was so eager to visit this outlet besides the discount offer, was because it was a spanking new outlet and that means everything would be clean and in good working condition.
However, I did not like the TV screen. It was too small for my liking. Why couldn't they fix a bigger screen? Look, the frame is so much bigger than the TV screen. What a waste of space!
And I have another complaint. I did not like the sound system! The bass sounded flat all the time. Seriously, I think my laptop speaker is better than this!
I have been to other karaoke outlets like Neway Karaoke and Songbird KTV, but I still find Red Box has the best sound system of them all. So it was a bit of a surprise to me that this outlet at The Gardens did not quite live up to my expectation.
Well, what to do? Just make the best of it! I have never really tried buffet dinner at Red Box before. This would be my first time. I have had buffet dinner at Neway before, and I would say they had quite good food and lots of varieties too.
So how did the Red Box buffet fare? These were what I ate.
Fish, lamb and some vegetables.
Prawns and mussels
Crabs and corn
My favourite - salad with some sushi and a prawn in a glass.
A plate of goreng pisang
No buffet is complete without ice cream, so here it is!
Actually, I almost did not get to eat the ice cream, as we were so busy eating and partly singing we forgot the time! The buffet's last call was at 10pm, and it was 5 minutes before 10pm that I realised we have not tried the desserts yet! So I rushed out of our room and got the ice creams! My two friends did not even bother!
I did not find the food all that nice and there were not many varieties available. Red Box buffet certainly could not measure up to the buffet I had in Neway. So I guess if you like to eat good food, head to Neway but if you are more for singing than eating, go to Red Box.
One thing I like about Red Box is that they have the latest songs. I searched for Jay Chou's Dao Xiang and Leona Lewis' Better In Time and found them! I doubt I would find such new songs in Neway or Songbird.
Some of you may know that I don't speak Mandarin, so you must be wondering how come I could sing Chinese songs. Well, that's easy. I have learnt hanyu pinyin before, that's why! Look, I have a collection of Chinese song lyrics in hanyu pinyin - all nicely placed in a file.
The lyrics from one of Tank's song.
Another hanyu pinyin lyrics from Ivana's song
Here's Jay Chou's duet with Lara from his November's Chopin album.
While everyone look at the screen and sing, I have to look at my file on my lap to sing! It's a bit cumbersome really, but that's the only way I could sing in Mandarin!
Carrying the file containing the hanyu pinyin lyrics, nobody would have thought I was going for karaoke! People would think that I am a direct selling agent or something, about to meet up with my prospects.
Now if you go to Red Box and see a person holding this file, you can be quite certain it's me!
So did we sing until 3am? We could but we didn't. Both my friends need to go to work early the next day. Only I alone did not need to wake up early, so I guess majority won. But we still ended up singing until 2am! Well, it's pretty addictive especially when there were so many songs we wanted to sing after having not singing for some time. I did not know how my friends were going to wake up the next day, so the best of luck to them. Haha!
The total bill came up to RM34 per person after the 30% discount.
When we left, I took a picture of the front entrance. Notice it was rather quiet as most people had left.
Well, at least it's still open. The GSC Signature opposite had already closed its doors!
By the way, anyone knows the differences between Red Box, Green Box, Red Box Ria and Red Box Plus?
waliao...
nice food!
and..
nice han yu pin yin folder. hahah
first time seeing pisang goreng in karaoke buffet. i too, have no idea why got so many types of boxes branch
seems like a nice place.. with lots of food choices :D
Aiseh!! I found another siao karaoke kaki~ LOL! You can go as siao as me eh? :P
I prefer GreenBox because it's cheaper compared to RedBox.
wow..I see you had a blast at Red Box! And all that food ;)
Wow, you are prepared Foong! You're probably the only person in that joint with his own folder full of song lyrics. LOL It would be nice if we have that kind of place where I am. I only sing inside my house. I hope the neighbors cannot hear me. I haven't had anyone let me know yet. LOL
ah-bong, thanks! The food is not that nice actually. The folder is a must if I want to sing Mandarin songs! : )
xin, me too, first time eat goreng pisang in karaoke outlet. Actually it was not on the table. The chef or cook just made one plate of pisang goreng and when I passed by, he asked whether I want to eat, so I just took it! : )
carrot, it's a nice place but the food is really nothing much to shout about. You can find more varieties at Neway buffets.
day-dreamer, you are a karaoke kaki too? Maybe we should go together next time! : )
Why is Green Box cheaper? What does Red Box have that Green Box doesn't?
my bug life, yes I did have a great time! Can actually sing until 3am if given the chance. So many more songs not yet sing! : )
babette, yeah I think I'm the only one carrying a file around. LOL! If you are a good singer, I'm sure your neighbours won't mind, but if you are "pitchy" (like how Randy Jackson of American Idol described it), then you better sing in a sound proof room. Haha!
wow can sing till 3! :) oh and you actually learn pinyin too - way to go! :)
wah, syoklah, sing for 8 hours some more.
With that folder and meeting with business prospects in a karaoke session. I want you to be my agent! Hahaha!!!
I got a discount voucher too, but only 20%.
Total bill RM34 inclusive of buffet? How could they make money (-_-")
Eyew! Where got nice...singing in a box! I would only sing in a lounge...on stage PLUS a captive audience! Hahahahahahaha!!!
P.S. They say got one in Bangsar?
How come the lamb looks like bones only. :P
I don't think I can sing for 8-hrs straight.
What a coincidence. I actually passed this place today :D
Wah, how to sing after eating all the food lorrr! LOL
quachee, yeah am I crazy or what? But it's nice to have some real fun!
I have to learn pinyin otherwise I can't go karaoke to sing all those nice Chinese songs my friends like to sing! : )
lina, 20% discount voucher not bad lah : )
khengsiong, they can make money in many ways, one of them is when customers order beers or wine. Anyway, this is only for the promotional period, after that, it's back to normal price. I'm sure they make money, otherwise what's the point? : )
suituapui, I'm not as a good a singer as you. Malu if I sing on stage in front of audiences! : )
There's no Red Box in Bangsar. I think the one in Bangsar is Songbird KTV which is quite lousy.
angie tan, you are right. It's more bones than flesh. The food there actually not nice. The last time I sang for 8 hours, I had to drink honey lemon tea to prevent sore throat : )
nick phillips, oh you did? What were you doing there?
pete, that's actually a problem. That's why I prefer not to eat when I go karaoke. Sometimes, don't know whether to eat or to sing. Anyway, it's not a very good idea to sing right after eating - have to clear my throat several times! : )
Oh how I miss those late night karaoke sessions! I normally spend the first half an hour burying my face in the food before I grab the mike though. Haha.
Looks like you had a BLAST!!! ;-)
Haha... I used to memorize the chinese songs by heart. You really can sing man! I can't even sing to save my life and that's why I don't really fancy going to karaoke to make a fool of myself. It was worth it after the discount and food looked great too.
wow, wish to go there!! Ya, the TV is too small!!!
missmall, I think it's a good idea to eat first, then only sing! From my experience, it's really hard to alternate between eating and singing, so might as well eat until you are satisfied, then enjoy the singing! : )
monica, yes I did have a blast. If next day is a holiday, I would definitely sing til 3am! : )
eiling, I'm really poor at memorising Chinese lyrics, and there are so many songs to sing, how to memorise all? That's why need to have a file with me. Haha!
victor kiu, see? You also think the TV screen is too small. It used to be bigger in the older Red Box outlets, don't know why they changed it to smaller screen.
heya that's why admire you :) i too have to learn mandarin now.. hardly learn any pinyin songs haha
Very enjoyable post, Foong. Thanks. Okay, the next time I see a gentleman with that file, I will go up to him. That's a lot of effort, the filing. Kudos!
I read about Red Box, Green Box, etc., on their website.
In Singapore, we have K-Box. The buffet also not nice. Could they be under the same operator?
i guess i'm not alone here. my chinese is quite rotten too. i'm in the midst of learning pinyi from my kids. :)
omg! only rm34????
its really worth it!
omg! i can't believe that you pay for these foods and songs only for rm34.
i wanna eat them all!!!
p/s: yes i just reach home and haven't eaten dinner!
quachee, you have to learn mandarin too? I thought you knew how to speak mandarin!
You know Mandarin has the 4 tones right? Well, singing mandarin lyrics in hanyu pinyin is much easier than speaking since I don't have to worry about which 4 tones to use : )
If talking, I have to think twice otherwise I use the wrong tone which would give a whole different meaning sometimes with embarassing results! : )
happysurfer, I used to just sing English songs, but then I realise a lot of my karaoke kaki friends prefer Mandarin songs, so I have to learn otherwise how to join them?
Besides, a lot of the English videos are lousy, not the original MTV videos unlike the Chinese videos which use the original MTV videos.
But nowadays, I've influenced my friends to sing not only English songs, but also Malay songs! : )
eastcoastlife, I think we also have K Box here. I believe K Box and Red Box are different companies. But I have never been to K Box before. So the buffet at K Box just as lousy? Do you have Neway in Singapore? I believe they have the best buffet.
life ramblings, haha! Is your children learning in Chinese school? I guess as a mother, you have no choice but to learn pinyin from your children, otherwise how are you going to help them in their studies? You know lah, Chinese school highly competitive environment : )
faisal admar, yes it's worth it! Somemore, can sing till 3am, that's an extra 3 hours free. But the food is not that nice actually! However, if you haven't eaten dinner, any lousy food will also taste reasonably nice. LOL
wow. i have only been to karaoke once in my whole life. :D
Wow, I don't want to sing but I want to eat!!!
PC, thanks for leaving a comment.. I've replied to your comment... well, kinda :D !!
renaye, well you should go more often if you like to sing! Btw, I could not leave comments on your blog. Do I have to sign up as member or something?
neo, haha! Then it's the wrong place to go. If want to eat only, go to any buffet without the karaoke : )
center parted, thanks. Will visit your blog to read your reply : )
Wow, you really look like a professional karaoke singer, with that hangyupinyin file you bring along, haha! BTW, I totally agree with you that karaoke is meant for those who cannot sing really well, and that including me!
jam, professional karaoke singer? Haha, thanks! I think I'm the only one carrying a file there! : )
hihi... just wonder...
do drinks included in the buffet dinner?
shinobikit, yes drinks are included. Each person get 2 drinks.
wow.. i was doing some research on greenbox and redbox n bumped into your site. do you still have that pinyin book?? is it photostatable or something? i'd really love to get a copy of thatT_T