Food Lingo - Two Sisters' Food Diary

Date: 2nd July 2010
Venue: First World Plaza, Genting Highlands
Country: Malaysia
Cuisine: Asian

Still feeling disappointed over the dinner, we walked around the First World Plaza to look for some snacks to brighten our mood.

Single Scoop - Junior (RM6.50 / US$2.05)
Well, call me a froggie in the well, this was the first time I tasted Baskin Robbins ice cream even though I had passed by the ice cream counters numerous time. Spoilt by the choices available, we decided to go for a single scoop of the flavour of the month - Caramel Chocolate Malt. All I can say was that it definitely helped to curb my cravings for B&J ice cream.
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Steamed Corn Kernels (RM4.00 / US$1.25)
While walking around, we saw people eating steamed corn kernels which we thought it looked pretty good and decided to buy a portion to try out. Best to be eaten when hot, the simple use of seasoning such as margarine and salt brought out the sweetness of the corn kernels. Simple comfort food in the cold weather of Genting made you unable to stop digging into the cup and finished the corn kernels.

Tip: When buying steamed corn kernels at the rest-stop on our way back to Singapore, we spotted that pandan leaves were added when steaming the corn to give it an extra fragance.
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Fruit Rojak (RM6.50 / US$2.05)
Rojak is the malay word for mixed and I would think that this dish is the distant cousin of salad as the method of preparation is very similar. While waiting for our order of steamed corn kernels was being prepared, mum being a rojak lover couldn't resist the temptation to order a portion of the rojak as our late night snack. 

Different from the version we get here in Singapore which normally contains you-tiao and tao-pok, this version was made up of only fruits and vegetables fruits such as guava, green mango, cucumber, pineapple and starfruit mixed in slightly spicy shrimp paste and sesame seeds. Mum loved it so much that she cleaned out the cup that was used to serve the rojak. Watch your cholesterol level, mum!

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Date: 2nd July 2010
Venue: FWH Food Court, Genting Highlands
Country: Malaysia
Cuisine: Thai

For dinner, we decided to pop by the foodcourt situated on Level 3 of First World Plaza to have Thai food, which we had pretty good impression when we visited a few years back.


Chicken Feet Salad (RM16.00 / US$5.00)
We decided to order Chicken Feet Salad that is something different from our regular order of Papaya or Mango salad. This dish is a simple dish of deboned chicken feet tossed with onion, carrot, tomato and chilli in sour and spicy dressing. Not much complains on this dish except that the serving is too big for both of us.
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Tom Yam Seafood Soup (RM30.00 / US$9.40)
The serving of the soup shocked us when it was being served. Obviously, the portion was too big for 2 of us to finish and to think that the person taking our orders suggested us to order additional dishes.

The seafood in the soup is pathetic – 3 stale prawns (the flesh actually sticks to the shell), morsels of fish slices and squid. Luckily, the good soup base saved the day but it gets spicier as you drink which makes it difficult for us to finish even half of the serving.

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Address:level 3, First World Hotel, Genting Highlands
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Total Cost of Meal (2 Adults) = RM55 / US$17.20
Rating = 3.5/5
Thumbs Down: The dishes only comes in 1 size and 1 price which is only good if you come in a big group

Date: 2nd July 2010
Venue: Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm
Country: Malaysia
Cuisine: Asian


Wanting to do something different other than spending our time in the casinos and spare our weak hearts from the thrill rides in the theme park, we decided to visit the strawberry farm at Gohtong Jaya for some fresh air.

 Fresh Strawberry (RM15.00 / US$4.70)
What is a visit to the strawberry farm without buying some fresh strawberries? This box of pre-packed fresh strawberries is selling at RM15 for 250g. Though it might be slightly costly, but you get to taste the ultimate freshness and sweetness of the freshly pluck strawberries. The farm also offers the option of self-pick strawberry at RM8 per 100g, which will be a good experience for the young children. 
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Nasi Goreng Kampung (RM6.50 / US$2.05)
We ordered 1 portion of the fried rice to share, as we are still feeling bloated from our breakfast and free our stomach space for more food. This portion of slightly spicy fried rice with ikan bilis was just nice to feed the both of us, leaving us enough stomach space for the chicken wings.
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Strawberry Chicken Wings (RM9.80 / US$3.05)
New on the menu, we decided to give this exotic combination a try. The chicken wings are first deep-fried and then coated with strawberry glaze that give the chicken wings a shiny appearance. The overall taste of the chicken wings is surprisingly good as seasoning of the chicken wings is well done and the strawberry glaze is not too sickeningly sweet.
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Strawberry Juice (RM7.90 / US$2.50)
Mum ordered Strawberry Juice but it turns out more like Strawberry Ice Blended rather than Strawberry Juice.
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Strawberry Milk Tea (RM4.50 / US$1.40)
Shin ordered Strawberry Milk Tea and concluded that the strawberry taste is more evident when the drink is cooled so it might be a better choice to have it cold.
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Side-note: The strawberry milk tea is made from the instant strawberry milk tea powder that is sold at the farm. So if you like the taste of this drink, you can buy and make it at home. There is also strawberry milk coffee if you are a coffee lover.

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Total Cost of Meal (2 Adults) = RM 28.70 / US$9.00
Rating = 4/5
Thumbs Up: Special strawberry beverages (see order slip) and dishes not commonly found elsewhere

Date: 2nd July 2010
Venue: Genting Highlands
Country: Malaysia
Cuisine: Chinese

After a quick nap, we were off to look for some food to fill our stomach. We decided to go for a light breakfast in order to save our stomach for other good food.

Hainan Special Set (RM11.30 / US$3.50)
Mum ordered this Hainan Special Set that comprises of 2 slices of bread with kaya (coconut jam) & butter, 2 eggs and 1 cup of coffee. The plus point is that you can adjust the sweetness of your coffee or tea by adding sugar and condensed milk on your own.
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Bacon Sandwich (RM14.00 / US$4.35) and Tea (RM5.00 / US$1.55)
Shin ordered bacon sandwich from the ala carte menu and a cup of tea to complete the breakfast. The bacon sandwich turned out to be french toast with bacon bits, diced carrot and onion as the filling with french fries and salad as sides. Not a light breakfast after all.
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Total Cost of Meal (2 Adults) =RM 34.85 / US$ 10.80 (incl service charge & tax)
Rating = 3/5
Thumbs Down = Price too steep

Date: 2nd July 2010
Venue: Starbucks, Genting Highlands
Country: Malaysia
Cuisine: Western

The coach arrived at Genting early in the morning so Shin and mum decided to go to Starbucks to pass time while waiting to check-in to the hotel room at 6am. The initial intention was to get us each a cup of hot drink while waiting. However, Shin, being a sucker for cakes, cannot resist the temptation of the cakes displayed at the counter and decided to order a slice to share with mum.

Summer Stack (RM9.50 / US$2.95)
According to the lady behind the counter, this is a new and limited edition flavour for the summer season. It is light lemon cheesecake with bits of summer fruits like berries and peaches. What makes it different from the normal lemon cheesecake is that it uses sponge cake as the base as opposed to the typical biscuit base.
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Caramel Macchiato (RM14.00 / US$4.35) and Hazelnut Hot Chocolate (RM13.50 / US$4.20)
To go with the cakes and warm ourselves in the cold morning.

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Total Cost of Meal (2 Adults) = RM 38.85 / US$ 12.05 (with tax)
Rating = 3.25/5

Date: 1st July 2010
Venue: Poison Ivy Bistro, Bollywood Veggies
Country: Singapore
Cuisine: Asian

An exciting day ahead of us. Our plan was to bring the children to a vegetable farm, more specially, the reknown Bollywood Veggies. The weather was a let-down as it was pouring on our way there, but we decided to go ahead anyway as we heard about the food at Poison Ivy Bistro and were eager to check it out. In the end, we were glad we made it despite the rain.

Take your pick from the menu board.

Our spread of the day. We chose both white and brown rice to go with the dishes. They do have cards on the table that proudly pronounced that food is cooked with low salt and no MSG. "If you want your food saltier, just tell our wait-staff and we will give you the “poison”".

From left to right: Ice Lemon Tea, Hot Fig Tea, Hot Lemongrass Tea and Cold Fig Tea. (all at S$2.00 / US$1.45 each)
The Bollywood's home-brew specials. Light and refreshing.
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Chicken Stew (S$6.00 / US$4.35)
Specially ordered for the kids. Stewed chicken with carrots and potatoes. Wholesome fare with a homely taste, but can be better if served hot. Dish was served lukewarm.
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Warrior Chix Curry (S$6.00 / US$4.35)
Shin likes this one. Chicken and potato curry.
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Farm Grown Sweet Potato Leaves (S$5.00/ US$3.60)
Sweet potato leaves fried with a hint of spicy sambal chilli.The spicy taste was just enough to enhance the taste of the vegetables, without overpowering it.Only the leaves were used, and cut into strips before stir-frying.The taste of freshness is also hard to beat.
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Papaya Salad (S$5.00 / US$3.60)
A refreshing salad, with strips of green papaya, bits of tomato, peanuts, flower petals and their special dressing. The green papaya strips were slightly crisp to the bite, with a mild papaya scent. The dressing was light with no sourish aftertaste. Taste of the flower petals? Just think they were crisp to the bite, with a very slight bitterness. Something unique that you don't usually get elsewhere.
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Jackfruit Cake (S$2.50 per slice / US$1.80)
A thin slice of jackfruit cake, served warm. Dense and scattered with tiny bits of jackfruit. Must try.
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Banana Cake (S$2.50 per slice / US$1.80)
Warm tasty banana cake, with chunks of banana in them. Bigger slice than the jackfruit cake, probably due to the abundance of the fruit in the farm. Like them so much that we bought some home.
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Mango Pudding with Aloe Vera (S$2.50 / US$1.80)
Tasty mango pudding with lots of aloe vera.
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Total Cost of Meal (3 Adults & 1 Child) = S$ 41.00 / US$ 29.50
Rating = 4.5/5
Flip : Papaya Salad and Farm Grown Sweet Potato Leaves (it's a tie)
Flop : None
Thumbs Up: Free & Easy Farm Visit after Meal (at S$2.00 / US$1.45) per pax)

Happened to come across this gem of an article as Shyan was surfing the net for mum's birthday cake, looking for new ideas.

In this article, Ms Huang Lijie compiled a list of the 50 yummiest cakes in Singapore, published in the local Straits Times on the 6th April 2008, The Sunday Times.

Before you crack your brains thinking of what cake to buy next, why don't you 'consult' this article?