Genting Palace (雲華宮) @ Genting Highlands, Malaysia

Mr Kon heavily recommends this restaurant, a must have for his very frequent trips to Genting Highlands.

With an imperialistic (expensive sounding) name and traditional Chinese decor, i was worried initially for the limited Malaysian ringgits i brought.

My worries were unfounded.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Crispy with a unique fragrance that made this dish comparatively better than the usually pork meat version. The crunchy chicken skin was especially delightful though the risk of an elevated cholesterol level was inevitable.

Prawn Fritters with Mayo

A common staple for dim sum, i usually find this very hard to impress upon me. 

So long the prawns are fresh, the exterior "casing" is not lumpy and the mayonnaise is creamy sweet, there's really nothing to complain about. 

Hor Fun

Remember this? Lacking the burnt wok hei taste, this dish was surprisingly delicious with its thick flavourful gravy, soft chicken meat and fresh fish.

Not exactly my cup of typical Hor Fun but it will be something i will order again next time i am there.

Fried Senangin Fish

Admittedly, i am not a fish fan (eaten or ornamental), the most i can do here is to say that the fish meat was compactful and it was easy to eat with minimal bones.

It must have been fabulous, judging from the way it was cleaned out.  

Poor fishy.

Senangin Fish in Soup

Two words: worth it!!

The price of this dish was based on the weight of the senangin fish. Hence, for the soup version, you paid exactly the same price for the fried version (provided same weight of course) but you get soup, bee hoon and beancurd!

Disregarding the damn worth it price, the soup was oily but oddly light in taste.

In the cool weather of Genting Highlands, soup will always take a special place in warming this kind heart of mine.

Spinach in Soup

Don't ask me. It's okay to me but apparently for the couple, this was disgusting! It's just vegetables!!!

Almond Pudding

With skim milk as its cover, the almond pudding was gooey and the combination was just not right. My mom's almond jelly with longan will beat it effortlessly!

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Price

Sweet and Sour Chicken - RM23.00

Prawn Fritters with Mayo - RM45.00

Hor Fun - RM23.00

Fried Senangin Fish (800grams) - RM56.00

Senangin Fish in Soup (750 grams) - RM52.50

Spinach in Stock - RM20.00

Almond Pudding - RM6.00 each

Spread over two meals and shared amongst 4 persons, there was a service charge of 10% and government tax at 5%.

Location

At Genting Hotel, level 2 (i think so), right outside one of the many entrances to Casino de Genting. 

Simplicity in Simple Food

A respite from the many "rich" food i was having, it's good to know that at times, simple dishes can actually be very delicious as well.

*didn't really have a choice since i was ill*

Sunny Side Up

Pickled Lettuce from AAA Brand

So yummy!!!
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Now i am craving for chicken rice...

Sighz...

Seafood Platter @ Fish N Co

If you want me to think of one dish that will make me crave for it every few months, it has to be the seafood platter for two from Fish N Co, a local outfit that started in 1998 (not a very popular year in the memories of most Singaporeans).

Enough for even three persons, it has so much seafood to tease your tastebuds!

The freshness of the mussels, the crunchiness of the calamari (fried or grilled), the tenderness of the fish and the sweetness of the grilled prawns!

Coupled that with a big serving of french fries (the thick thick, fat fat kind) and savory butter rice with raisins, you can imagine how heavenly this dish can be.

The reason for posting this is because i am sick today. And the first thing that comes to my mind, in the midst of a reduced appetitie and a tongue that has not much taste, is the Seafood Platter.

I am hungry.

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For more information on Fish N Co and the location of its branches, please visit http://www.fish-co.com/.

He-Long Park (贺龙公园) @ Zhangjiajie (张家界), Hunan

My mom introducing the park

He-Long Park must be the dull-est place in the whole of Zhangjiajie!!

All the way (40 minutes) just to see a  bronze statue of a man that was totally ALIEN to me!!

Okay, not really all the way... since the park was actually en route to the cable car station; a necessary mode to bring us down to the foot of the mountain!

Speaking of He-Long, he was a damn famous man. 

My parents in front of the statue.

Might as well take a picture although we knew nuts about him.

Borned as a member of the Tujia minority, he was made Vice Premier after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Big Shot leh....

More of him can be read from HERE.

Despite the boredom, it was with blessing that the weather was really cooling and the scenery was really beautiful with a touch of mystery surrounding the various peaks!

The most interesting thing for this park?

Kids borned in the early 1980s or late 1970s should remember the "Journey to the West" drama serial from China. Remember the scene where the White Bone Spirit was battling with Sun Wukong?

Looks familiar?

The Best Char Kway Teow (生成炒粿条) @ Block 132, Bukit Merah

Since that fateful day a few years back, my only choice for Char Kway Teow has to come from this little known stall in Bukit Merah.

Black, not too watery, slightly sweet with the terribly delicious oil bursting pork lard!

Damn sinful but worth every bad thing you have committed!!!

*forgive me lord*

Dozens, if not hundreds, of my friends have heard my unreserved praise for this stall. Some of you are hooked (i remember Ms Lai who ordered second servings) and others are, unfortunately, not too impressed.

Let me explain why.

When you make your order from the auntie or uncle, always remember to do what i always do:

1) No cockles!!

This disgusting shit eating thing destroys any other good food that goes into your mouth!!

2) Extra black!!

The whole basis of Char Kway Teow is primarily dependent on this black black sauce.

3) Additional pork lard!!

There's nothing much to explain. Pork lard enhances the taste of any food!! Okay, exaggerate (they taste horribly in soup).

It's fried onion that holds that indisputable position!!

Unless your preference is with that sourish Penang-style Char Kway Teow , this should be the best in Singapore, JB and some say Batam!

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Location

GHK 132 Food House, Block 132, Jalan Bukit Merah

Additional Information

At least S$2.50 per plate, the portion is not very big and you may have to fill your stomach with either an additional plate of Char Kway Teow or any other dishes from other stalls.

Don't bother with the Hokkien Mee from the same stall; not exactly worth the price.

Rest In Peace

The heart tingled with excitement when i read this "The New Paper on Sunday" article this morning.

Announcement

My Dear Friends!

Who would like to join me in a search for the tombs of the Who's Who before independent Singapore?

This supposedly horrifying interesting search shall take place in............................

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THE DAY TIME LAH!!

I am scared of ghosts lor!!

Snacking (Brother Rojak, Tan's Tutu Cakes, Yue Yi Tai Shan Popiah) @ Block 449, Clementi Town

Main Objective

To try the famous rojak by the two brothers.

Today, i am going to give my own opinion of this apparently very famous rojak in Clementi; see the many accolades pasted!!

Everytime i was there, a queue was guaranteed. Today is no different from the other days although the queue cleared up pretty fast.

My review?

Maybe i bought the wrong type of rojak. Comprised of only you tiao and tau pok (plus a century egg), it was not mixed the typical way. Instead, they were just drenched with the prawn paste and sprinkled with peanuts.

That's too easy!!

Without hard work, nothing tastes fabulous!!

*Cavin's Philosophy*

influenced by Kon

Okay, maybe not. I find the sauce a little bit too salty and lacked the usually sweet-salty taste. The you tiao and tau pok were also too not crunchy enough (our fault because we ate it quite some time later).

Nonetheless, we shall come again for the normal rojak, mixed the usual way (with the delicious century egg). Hopefully by then, i will be convinced of its popularity.

Secondary Objectives

The two stalls nearby had queues too; Tu Tu Coconut Cakes and Popiah! Since we were not having any big item meals, might as well right?

Firstly, on the tu tu cakes.

The cool and wet weather recently must have driven the sales pretty high!

Generously filled with either grated coconuts or grounded peanuts, the freshly made tutu cakes were such stomach warmers!!

They were so marvelous we almost ordered a few more! Unfortunately, by the time we decided, there were a queue of around 6-8 people.

Time is precious.

Lastly, on the popiah.

My first vegetarian popiah with no meat, the first ingredient reaching your taste buds should be garlic. Without that, the popiah will be tasteless (definitely not a good thing). 

For non-chilli takers, kindly note that the chilli in their popiah was f*cking spicy!!!

The stall has a tiger for a boss (fierce)!! Don't get on her nerves okay? Smile even when she scolds you. If she continues, block your ears.

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Location

Block 449, #01-211, Clementi Avenue 3

Baofeng Lake (宝峰湖) @ Zhangjiajie (张家界), Hunan, China

Hi-yo!

Located in the middle of the jagged rock formation hundred of feet above, the lake was unsurprisingly boring.

But it all made up with an interesting boat ride by the enthusiatic boat commentor who shared the minority tujia customs and also narrated the diferent rock formations using our imagination (again).

A Toad with an Open Mouth.

The Laughing Buddha.

A Sleeping Tortoise.

A Lady with the Traditional Tujia Headdress.

Within this peaceful arena, the silence was at times broken by the pitchy yet melodic singing of the tujia lady on a traditional, oriental boat.

Most of the 'other' times, the silence was broken by the crowd we were with, who were really loud and rowdy (okay, maybe seven out of the forty tourists but with the decibels of a hundred persons)!!

The only picture that showed most of them.

From it, can aga aga gauge their attitude right??

They were so noisy, they drowned the voice of the poor tujia commentor. And they jostled for pictures, disregarding basic safety.

At that point, i would really love to give them a hand; by pushing them into the water. Being nice Mr Cavin Teo (and they had a group with tall, big sized guys), i threw out that thought!

I was praying that God will help.

Yes, the commentor was indeed using a loud hailer.

She lost to the seven bitches.