Venchi Chocolate and Gelato @ Genting Highlands Premium Outlets [Malaysia]

Even though I personally feel that a mug of hot chocolate is the best beverage to have on a chilly day, I am actually not crazy over chocolates, and don't quite understand why people can spend so much on them! 

Given the above, it was Alex, and not I, who decided to check out Venchi Chocolate and Gelato at Genting Highlands Premium Outlets. For me, the interior design for this chocolatier appeared too high class for me and I am likely to avoid unless it was tagged as a must-patronize.

For your reference! There are actually branches of Venchi Chocolate and Gelato in Singapore but again, I am not huge on chocolates and wouldn't actively notice. 

Nevertheless, Alex was drawn by the gelato at Venchi after seeing a few customers coming out of the store, each holding on to a waffle cone topped with delicious scoops of gelato. He was focused on having gelato and the problem was: which flavour to choose from the 16 available options. 

The bigger the cone, the more flavours of gelato you can choose from. Since there were two persons to share the fats, of course Alex would choose the large cone, which cost an eye-dropping RM 45.00, and an additional RM3.00 for chocolate spread and RM5.00 for peanut nibs! 

I didn't know as I thought the spread and peanut nibs were complimentary.

Not complaining here since I am not paying a single cent. 

Aside from gelato, you can of course get some chocolates. And if you are unsure what to have, you can freely pick from the many containers, comprising of individually wrapped chocolates that cost RM 78 per 100 grams... I don't know about you, but that's pricey right?! 

Here's our expensive gelatos on cone! Flavours were chocoviar 75% (with 75% extra dark chocolate with nut nibs), piedmont hazelnut, bronte pistachio and milk chocolate with the former three labeled as iconic. 

Note: the gelatos melt very quickly and serving scoop was quite small! The flavours didn't disappoint with a thicker consistency and denser texture compared to ice cream; personally I actually prefer the non-iconic milk chocolate (guess I am a cheapo when it comes to chocs). 

The gelatos didn't even go right down the depth of the cones but you do get a surprising sprinkling of peanut nibs at the base. By this time, both Alex and I were already stuffed, not to mention we had filling sweet potatoes just half an hour ago! 

Despite my stance on not wasting food, there's no way I can stuff the cone down my throat. So, I had to make the decision to discard the above. p.s. Alex doesn't care. Tsk tsk. Asshole. 

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Address

Suite 620, KM13, Genting Highlands Premium Outlets, 

69000 Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Pricing

Large Gelato - RM 45.00

Chocolate Spread - RM 3.00

Peanut Nibs - RM 5.00

China Food from 蜀道湘食府 @ Ria Apartment in Genting Highlands [Malaysia]

Those going up Genting Highlands in Malaysia would have noticed the two apartment blocks and like me, assumed that they were for those employed in the many business establishments located at the highlands. 

What many didn't realize was that there were restaurants located at the ground floor of those apartments and today, I am going to check out 蜀道湘食府! 

For someone who complains that Singapore has too many eateries selling China food, I turned out to be craving for China food when I was at Genting Highlands! From the menu, it seemed to focus on three main Chinese cuisines; the Xiang (Hunan), Chuan (Sichuan) and Yue (Cantonese).

Menu as above; sad thing was that I was only with Alex. Known to be a small eater with a bird stomach, I knew I couldn't try as much as I would have loved to, and had to be conservative when it comes to ordering.

Grilled Beef and Mutton - come with a minimum of three sticks (can mix), the beef was tender and juicy with the aroma of sesame seeds, the unmistakable cumin flavor with a touch of spiciness! Mutton was as good, added with signature gamineness that didn't overwhelm the palate with thin layers of yummy fats! 

Salt and Pepper Oyster Mushrooms - batter was not crispy enough with a hollowness that failed to impress. The manager actually realized and offered to refry to improve the texture, which we kindly declined. Lost us on the dish but won us with his service. 

Pan-fried Pork - nowadays, I will attempt to order guo ba rou when I see it on the menu. Covered in a sticky sauce that wasn't insanely sweet like some eateries, the problem here would still be the batter although they had a light crisp that sadly, softened quickly. Taste wise, actually slightly above average. 

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One thing for sure, I will back for the grilled skewers next time! 

For the other two dishes, maybe I should try others.

Address

2 Lot No.G/LG4.00 Ground Floor, 

Ria Apartment, Genting Highlands, 

Pahang, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Pricing

Grilled Beef - RM 3.00 each

Grilled Mutton - RM 3.00 each 

Salt and Pepper Oyster Mushrooms - RM 25.00

Pan-fried Pork - RM 48.00

Bird's Nest Soup from Tuck Sang Thong (德生堂) @ First World Hotel on Genting Highlands [Malaysia]

Walking past the above shop a few times a day finally piqued my curiosity and we decided to give our legs (clocking more than 30,000 steps) a rest and get a bowl of bird's nest soup to nourish the body!

Specialising in "traditional Chinese herbs, dried seafood and tonic stews", Tuck Sang Thong was founded in 1941. Aside from bird's nest, you can also spend your money on dried sea cucumbers, dried scallops, dried abalone and even deer tail retailing at RM 864! How do you even eat that?

Double Boiled Cave Bird's Nest with Ginkgo & White Fungus - with fifteen types of bird's nest soup ranging from RM 39.80 to RM 298.00, I went for this slightly version one that cost RM 59.80 (less than S$20.00).

My serving of warm bird's soup nest, which turned out to be a deconstructed version of a sweet broth of ginkgo nuts and fungus, accompanied with a bottle of double boiled cave bird's nest.

Which I had to take the extra effort to open the cap and pour in the precious contents. So much for expecting a soup that was combined and brewed slowly in a large container. Well, only S$20, so I should stop complaining.

In life, the older Chinese generation would ask the young ones to "先苦后甜"; meaning bitter first, sweet later, as in enduring hardship for a better future. In food, I practice the same philosophy. Attacking the least desirable white fungus first! 

And finally savouring the soup, the red dates and the ginkgo nuts later! Bird's nest? Well, that thing is literally tasteless and I can only pray my body has been strengthened by the "magical" powers of the swallows' dried saliva. p.s. soup was like cheng tng, and not insanely sweet. 

Didn't take me long to slurp up everything! 

After cleaning up my bird's nest, I realized something from the glass counter as I exited the shop. Darn, that's my ready to drink "Double Boiled Cave Bird's Nest with Ginkgo & White Fungus"! And I noticed there were bottled of concentrated cave bird's nest that cost just RM 55.00 a bottle! 

In addition to chrysanthemum and ginseng tea, the men can also consider the tongkat ali drinks that came in yellow, black and red! For those who are unacquainted with tongkat ali, it's well known throughout Malaysia for its aphrodisiac effect.

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Address

Ground Floor, First World Hotel,

Genting Highlands, Malaysia

(near escalator leading to casino level)

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Double Boiled Cave Bird's Nest with Ginkgo & White Fungus - RM 59.80

Durians at Kafe Mountain Top Garden on Genting Highlands in Malaysia

It's the durian season in Malaysia and as a huge fan of the king of fruits; we couldn't resist not ordering a fruit when we were at Genting Highlands a few days ago and chanced upon baskets and piles of durians for sale at Kafe Mountain Top Garden!

Our mao shan wang (cat mountain king) durian at RM45 (about S$14.50) a kilogram, with the above fruit costing us RM70. And the price came with two small bottles of drinking water! 

Taste didn't disappoint; a texture that wasn't too wet and blessed with an inner creaminess that hovered between bitterness and sweetness. The kind approved by my mom for sure and it's a pity she wasn't with us.

Only thing was that the seeds were pretty big even though still satisfying. Eating the durian with gloves which turned out to be so restrictive, and not finger-licking good!

Total 12 seeds! It might not seem like much given that these were shared between Alex and I. However, this amount didn't stop me from burping throughout the movie we watched later on; colony! Imagine the stench floating in the air whenever I couldn't suppress my burp.

Anyway, this is the season to indulge in durians given the bumper crop and service at Kafe Mountain Top Garden was good! We were even given a free serving of chendol, which we had to decline as we had already maxed out our calories that day.

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Address

Lot No. G/G6.00, Opposite Genting Grand Hotel,

In front of RW Hotel, Genting Highlands,

Pahang, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Loong Kee Chinese Restaurant @ Gohtong Jaya in Genting Highlands [Malaysia]

Windmill Upon Hills is located at the mid-hill of Genting Highlands but for frequent travellers, the mid-hill they remember was a stretch of eateries nearer to the Genting SkyWay cable car station.

Out of the many eateries, the most famous had to be Loong Kee restaurant. Commanding a review score of 4.2 on Google Maps from over 2,400 reviewers; I had been wanting to check it out and finally got to doing so in my last visit to Genting Highlands. 

Taking three shops, you can bet that there were plenty of tables and chairs, although I had to admit that arriving at 5.00 pm would give us much higher hope of securing seatings. I did realize, however, that even Genting Highlands weren't as crowded this time. 

After a few deliberations, here's what we had; three of which were their signature dishes! Would have loved to order more but there's only so much tummy space, and I actually didn't research beforehand on what else would be a die die must eat! 

Lala Clams in Superior Broth - given the cool highlands climate, I would think a pot of hot soup will always be soothing and stomach warming for most! 

Come to think about it; I bet Dai Tao Lala Pot will make extremely good business at the highlands, especially with their charcoal pot. The above, as seen, was powered using a gas canister; not exactly a preferred fuel for food connoisseurs.

Tasty broth with an intense alcohol and complemented by chilli and ginger; every mouthful was shiok and especially tempting with the big lalas. Granted, the broth from Dai Tao Lala Pot was even more appetising but I am not complaining given that it is Genting Highlands.

Aside from lalas, there were even tiny crabs in the soup! 

A bit sad though as they could have grown much better. 

Loong Kee Signature Pork Belly - have you had those caramelized baby squids before? This would be the pork version and still as addictive with its crisp texture and caramelized taste! I would say this is unique! 

Stir-fried Eggplant - my friends loved them but not me; the texture was like soggy potato wedges and I don't even like potato wedges! Taste was more like hae bee (dried shrimps) and my verdict would have been better if the texture was crispier. 

Homemade Tofu with Cai Po - at RM 20.00, I would have thought this should be vegetarian with just preserved radish (cai po). Turned out the topping also included a generous amount of minced pork! 

The homemade tofu was smooth and overall, pretty good.

Eat it with white rice for a better dining experience! 

Wat Tan Hor - literally horfun that was a lot wetter than the ones we see in Singapore. A cantonese version, this had the essence of wok hei yet lacked the flavor to impress us. One word: bland. 

Hokkien Mee - as a frequent visitor to Malaysia, I am aware of the hokkien mee available in Malaysia and there were in fact two types; the black one (typical in most states except Penang) and the soupy one (common in Penang and more like our prawn mee soup in Singapore). 

Frankly, I had better Malaysian black style hokkien mee. The one at Loong Kee was acceptable with a nice saucy, slurpy texture that wasn't as sweet. Compared to Wat Tan Hor, the hokkien mee was better.

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Before and after! Some hits and misses but for the prices we paid for, for six dishes plus a pot of tea and that it's a popular restaurant; I would think it's value for money! 

Address

35, Jalan Jati 1, Gohtong Jaya, 

Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Pricing

Lala Clams in Superior Broth (S) - RM 30.00

Loong Kee Signature Pork Belly (S) - 32.00

Stir-fried Eggplant (S) - RM 18.00

Homemade Tofu with Cai Po (S) - RM 20.00

Wat Tan Hor (S) - RM 15.80

Hokkien Mee (S) - RM 15.80

(Subject to Service Tax)