Food Lingo - Two Sisters' Food Diary

Date: 4th July 2010
Venue: Hou Mei Noodle House, Genting Highlands
Country: Malaysia
Cuisine: Chinese

Time for a quick lunch at Hou Mei Noodle House, a contemporary Asian cuisine eatery, before heading home!

Ipoh Hor Fun - Dry (RM14.50 / US$4.50)
Mum ordered Ipoh Hor Fun - Flat rice noodles in dark soya sauce, served with chicken and vegetables, topped with fried shallots which was one of the chef recommendation on the menu. Mum like this Ipoh Hor Fun so much that she already said that she wants to have this again during our next visit.
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Fish Maw Noodles (RM19.00 / US$5.90)
Shin ordered fish maw noodles - Fat yellow noodles in fish maw soup, served with chicken, prawns, pacific clams, lettuce and of course, fish maw. The soup was a bit bland and Shin requested for cut red chilli to spice up the soup. However, they gave chicken rice chilli instead. Duh...
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Ribena Float (RM5.50/ US$1.70)
A glass of cold ribena (carbonated blackcurrant drink) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to be shared among 2 of us.

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Total Cost of Meal (2 Adults) =RM44.85 / US$13.95 (with service charge & taxes)
Rating = 3.25/5
Flip: Ipoh Hor Fun - Dry

Date: 4th July 2010
Venue: Marrybrown Genting Highlands
Country: Malaysia
Cuisine: Fast Food

Marrybrown is Malaysia's very own version of KFC. Besides having fried chicken as its key selling point, the fast food chain has a menu that also includes burgers, seafood and rice products. We have never had any meals at Marrybrown prior to this, even though it has an extension chain of joints in West Malaysia. But upon seeing a healthy crowd in this particular one, we decided to give it a try.


Morning Shine Set (RM9.90 / US$3.10)
Mum ordered the Morning Shine Set which was Nasi lemak (rice cooked with coconut milk), served with a piece of fried chicken, 1 egg sunnyside-up, peanuts and anchovies, slices of cucumber and spicy sambal chilli. The only grouse on this set was that the fried chicken was lukewarm when served which we felt that it would be great if it was served piping hot.
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Mi Kari with Ayam Goreng Set (RM12.90 / US$4.00)
Shin ordered curry noodles - Fat, yellow noodles in spicy curry gravy, topped with hard boiled egg, fishcakes, boiled long beans and fried chicken chop. The skin of the fried chicken chop remained crispy even though it was soaked in the curry gravy. However, mum felt that the gravy was slightly on the saltish side if you were to drink the gravy on its own.
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Address: First World Plaza, Genting Highland Resort
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Total Cost of Meal (2 Adults) = RM 23.00 / US$ 7.10
Rating = 3.5/5
Thumbs Up: Free refill of tea or coffee that comes with the breakfast set

Date: 3rd July 2010
Venue: Genting Highlands
Country: Malaysia
Cuisine: Asian

Initially mum wanted to have assam fish head at the cafe in Resort Hotel, but to our dismay, we were told that they were only serving buffet dinner that evening. So we walked all the way back to First World Plaza to look for an alternative. Seeing it on the menu of Hainan Kitchen and the dinner crowd in the restaurant, we decided to have our dinner there. However, we totally regretted our decision not even halfway through our dinner.

Pig Trotters in Black Vinegar (RM17.00 / US$5.30)
We ordered this dish after seeing the banner outside the restaurant 'promoting' this dish.Yet boy, the gravy has totally no taste of vinegar at all. It was basically braised pig trotters braised in diluted soy sauce and Shin even had to request for chilli to enhance the flavour of this dish.

Side Note: This is a common Chinese confinement food, made by braising pig trotters and ginger in undiluted black vinegar. This dish is said to be rich in calcium (from pig bones dissolved in vinegar) and able to dispel the 'wind'.The pig trotters will taste slightly hot (depending on the amount of ginger added) and sourish, hence no need for additional condiments. The gravy can be drank on its own or goes well with white rice.
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Assam Fish (RM16.90 / US$5.30)
This dish was the main reason why we decided to have dinner at Hainan Restaurant. Unlike the usual version we had, this version was simply 2 steamed fish drizzled with some assam gravy and morsel of vegetable. Nothing much to comment about this dish except that maybe it was a simply bad decision to order assam fish from a restaurant that specialised in hainanese cuisine.

Side note: Assam fish is a Peranakan style dish made by cooking fish in a spicy tamarind based sauce with generous servings of vegetables, like eggplant, long beans, lady's fingers, pineapple, tomato etc.
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Each of the above set came together with a serving of white rice.

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Address: Level 2, First World Plaza
Opening hours: 24 hours
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Total Cost of Meal (2 Adults) =RM 52.80 / US$16.50 (incl service charge and taxes)
Rating = 2/5
Flip : None
Flop : Both dishes

Date: 3rd July 2010
Venue: Genting Highlands
Country: Malaysia
Cuisine: Asian

After a good night rest, our batteries were fully recharged but our stomachs were empty. Not knowing what to have for breakfast as we were spoilt for choice, we wandered aimlessly around. Finally, we decided to go for the breakfast set served at the Hong Kong café, which we have spotted the earlier day.

Luncheon Meat Sandwich Breakfast Set (RM13.00 / US$4.10)
Mum ordered Set A that was the luncheon meat sandwich set. Although this was a simple sandwich that used luncheon meat and vegetables as the main filling but it definitely brought back some childhood memories when we could not afford to eat ham which was considered as a luxury back then.
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French Toast Breakfast Set (RM13.00 / US$4.10)
Shin ordered Set B that was the french toast set. Although the french toast looks rather plain, but once you sliced open the toast, you would be like for a surprise. Peanut butter was spread in between 2 slices of bread before the bread was dipped into beaten egg and deep-fried. Drizzled with honey that came together with the French toast, it definitely made an arteries-choking breakfast.
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Each of the set came together with 2 half-boiled eggs and 1 cup of milk coffee or tea. A regular in local breakfast menu, half-boiled eggs are best taken warm with a little dark soy sauce and pepper. Some locals even like to dip their toasts in them. We don't really fancy ourselves doing that though.

We were so bloated after this hearty brunch that we saved our lunch money for a jackpot game in the casino.

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Total Cost of Meal (2 Adults) =RM29.90 / US$9.35 (incl service charge & tax)
Rating = 4/5

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