Genting Highlands (Malaysia) - Top of the Clouds

Being Singaporeans, it's a BIG embarrassment if you don't even know the existence of this place in Malaysia.

Used-to-be-the-only legalised gambling zone in Southeast Asia, Singaporean Chinese love to throng this place on weekends and public holidays!

Two reasons:

1) It's the nearest place (then) to place bets on gambling tables without breaking any law.

2) A weather that hovers on average 18-22 degrees celcius.

Never ever will i consider gambling as a pull factor for going to Genting.

Besides having buildings that should be condemned to the 1970s, the casino service seriously needs an entire revamp!

I ever had an unhappy experience with a grouchy-faced croupier that spoiled my day early in the morning!

And the Hong Kong (H.K) couple i knew from Cameron Highlands told me the service was so bad in Genting, they don't understand why it is so popular with Singaporeans.

Macau, being the Las Vegas of Asia, has so many casinos with elaborate, extravagant designs and excellent customer service, it is of no major surprise that Genting is not comparable in their eyes.

That horrible service is not limited to just the casinos.

Operators' service for some of the theme park rides (Viking etc) can be equally appalling! Fortunately, we finally have Universal Studios in Singapore.

But......

Same owner hor.

=_=|||

 Another downside of Genting concerns the basic needs of human; food. It's not downright digusting but with the price paid, i will have a much more delicious and worth-it meal in Singapore. I do have my favorites in Genting; the Kentucky Fried Chicken and the Tea Leaves Eggs!!

This entry was drafted middle of last year and my impression of their food has changed positively (click here and here) since then! 

With the exception of the factors stated above, i still enjoy going "up" to Genting for the simple feeling of being overseas and the constant sucking of fresh, cold air at 1,800 meters.

Another activity i love to do in the highlands is to catch a movie or two or maybe three, depending on many blockbusters i haven't watch. Not only is the ticket cheaper than Singapore, it offers warm, crunchy caramel popcorn that only cost roughly RM3.50.

Other attractions worth noting are the the Chin Swee Caves temple (which i blogged long time ago) and Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, showcasing collections of oddities by this guy called Ripley. Informative and interactive, my folks enjoyed this place when I brought them there.

For thrill seekers, you can try the Haunted Adventure and the Sky Venture.

Another thing i like is the cable car ride! At RM 10 per pax for two-ways, you will be rewarded with a bird's eyes view of the hills and valleys.

If you are unlucky, there's always the possibility of touching the slow moving clouds and wondering hysterically if a plane will zoom by, causing the cables to snap.

Morbid, i know.

But life is unpredictable.

Wild Honey - A Truly International Breakfast @ Mandarin Gallery (Orchard)

Having breakfast at 8pm can be rather disturbing since mummy taught me from young that breakfast should be taken at 8am, not 8pm!!!

That said, Cavin never reject a free meal, especially in times like this. My deepest appreciation for Mr Pek (and Dr Oh for his treat at the Heaven's Loft, which i will reserve for a later posting).

In addition to various types of bread and limited selection of pastries, the specialty here is the range of national breakfasts; English, Canadian, Mexican, Japanese, Tunisian, Swiss, Belgian etc etc etc.

The English

Typical of an English morning meal, there were sausage, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, toast, mashed eggs, potatoes and beans.

This was a pretty rich offering and i found it to be generally better than the others (which unfortunately were limited to the one in Hans). The only exception was the hard, overcooked bacon!

The Tunisian  

A combined stew of chopped up onions, dices of tomatoes, segments of sausages and eggs served in a hot pan with two slices of thick toast and a mini cup of..... eh.... chopped up vegetables. 

This mixture was perfect!

The gravy reminded me of a way better version of the spaghetti sauce and the plain toasted bread completed this dish. By itself, the stew will be too savoury for the taste buds. 

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Location
#03-02, Mandarin Gallery, Orchard Road

Price

On the high side with the English being S$22.00 and the Tunisian at S18.00. Plain water was served with no additional charge.

Additional Information

Though the portions might look little, they do serve the purpose of filling up.............. and fattening us!!!

I am supposed to be on a non carbo diet after 6pm!!!

Helmed by two ang mohs, the ambience of the cafe focused on the homely theme, resulting in a more relaxed dining environment for patrons.

By the way, no reservation! 
So, be prepared to queue!

Merlions in Singapore - The Iconic Family

The Merlion has generated much interest on its authenticity. Though imaginary, it is no doubt one of the most recognisable trademarks for Singapore.

It was said that there is a family of merlions living right here in Singapore!

The Father

This magnificent structure is 37 meters tall.

Like Cyclops, it has the optic blast.

Unlike him, he can activate it as and when he likes it

Location: Sentosa

The Mother

At 8.6 meters tall, this is the original statue,

The problem is, she is always vomiting.

Location: The Merlion Park

The Baby

This is the toddler of the family at 2 meters tall.

Like the mother, it is ill.

Location: The Merlion Park

The Illegitimate Child

Located at the top of Mount Faber, this 3 meter high structure (gender unknown after intensive check) is supposedly the result of a one night stand. 

It should be the love child of the father merlion since it is back to back with the father merlion; just like the mother merlion with the baby merlion.

Birth mother: unknown.

There's a fifth merlion in Singapore.

Guess where it is.

Mayim Chinese Cuisine (天乐里精品食馆) @ Northpoint

My close friends know how much i adore mayim! From its first outlet in West Mall to the second outlet in Northpoint, i have always been a strong supporter!!

Truth is, my mom loves mayim and hinting works very well for her.
*shrugs*

Pictorial Entry!!

Pickled cabbage! 
Compared to Kimchi, this was a tad sweeter (which i prefer)

Roast Duck with Peanuts!
Love this for the additional plum sauce!

Spanish Fried Rice!
Surprisingly, this very plain looking fried rice was in fact very very good!

Fried Chicken in Sweet Sauce!

An everytime order. Meat was soft, tender with a very addictive sweet sauce.

Prawn Chee Cheong Fun!

Besides having bigger prawns, the sauce made all the difference to this dish.

Pan-fried Dumplings!

Filled with chunks of meat, these were pretty good but the taste was a bit overbearing after two servings.

Chee Cheong Fun with Spring Rolls!

A fabulous creation that had the additional 'crunch'!

Red Bean Paste Pancake with Banana!
Look at that overflowing red bean paste! Eat it while it's hot. The taste will alter once it's cold!

This group of stuff no nice; pan fried bun, golden fried pastry with chicken and pork and deep fried prawn dumpling (respectively).  

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Location

Yishun (Northpoint): #02-01

Bukit Batok (West Mall): #02-04

Additional Information

Queues are the norm during peak dining hours and it will be better to make a reservation first (northpoint: 6758-3168, westmall: 6794-1590).

The pricing is really economical depending on what you order. Rule of thumb; order only one item of each dish!! Don't be greedy!!

Should I (Kopi Luwak)?

The above is a very simple question for my post today.

My dilemma arose because the thing i am going to talk about is pretty disgusting and not many people would dare to touch it; what more eat it.. 

However, I heard rumours that a teppanyaki style is extremely popular in Japan...

*disgust*

This 'thing' is coffee.

A late bloomer for coffee drinking, my habit started when i was working for Starhub; facing the computer screen 8 hours a day was not possible with a mug of spirit-lifting coffee!

From then on, i tried various type of coffee ranging from the black to the white, starbucks coffee to kopitiam coffee, yunnan coffee to vietnam coffee. But there's one particular type of coffee i still don't have the chance to try out.

It's the Kopi Luwak, also known as the Civet Coffee.

According to Wikipedia, this is "coffee made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by usually the Asian Palm Civet, then passed through its digestive tract."

Basically, we are eating the undigested beans found in the shit of this mammal!!

Judging from my recent financial difficulties, i will welcome anyone who is willing to sponsor a cuppa civet coffee! If i remember correctly, Trung Nguyen Coffee in Liang Court might just have it.

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Yes, i know this will mean that i have eaten shit.

Literally!

Duck Rice and Porridge (鸭饭, 鸭粥) @ Lim Seng Lee Duck Rice Eating House (林成利鴨飯餐室)

Remember the pack of duck rice i had at Kent Ridge Park?

Judging from the bloody full stomach at that point of mind, i am not sure if my taste buds were conked out. They could react like the aftermath of an alcohol intoxication where everybody looks everything tastes delicious!

Today, i am back at the shop itself, with Hannah, who decided to skip her exercise session to join me!!

Her brittle bones were apparently hurting her. Wahahahaha.

Anyway, efficiency was the call for Lim Seng Kee and our order of duck rice for two was delivered within 5 minutes! That's fast food standard!!

The duck was carved thinly without any traces of bones and spread over slices of fresh, crunchy cucumber! Covered with a layer of sauce, the meat actually tasted quite normal.

What makes a big difference that has people commenting that this is one of the best braised duck rice in Singapore, is their unique sauce.

It was slightly sweet, with an obvious herbal taste that left a very nice aftertaste that made you crave for more. 

This was the kind of sauce that you can eat bowls and bowls of plain rice with!!

An additional order of sambal kangkong was served. Untypical of most sambal kangkong, the one here did not have that lip burning chilli sensation, which was good (for me).

Both Ms Lim (a super chilli person) and I loved this!

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Need i say more?

I will be back!!

Location

38 South Buona Vista Road.

Quite near to Haw Par Villa.

Closed on Sunday hor!!

Price

Duck Rice (for two) and Lime Juice (for two too!) - S$13.00

Sambal Kangkong - S$3.00

Scramble on iPhone - Words with Friends

Realistically, i did have a scrabble board long time ago.

Practically, i never understand how to play it.

Forming words are easy.

Counting the points and remembering the rules were kind of difficult!!

That's when technology steps in!

Gone were the days when we have to waste our precious time waiting for the other player(s) to complete their words and at the end of the game, painfully adding up the points with a crappy calculator!

Words with Friends is an online scrabble game for iPhone users with wifi accessibility and/or datapack.

Create a userid, create a game, add your friend(s) and you are ready to go!! 

Since the biggest advantage is on portability (i use it whenever i need to bomb), a game is limited to only two players!

Don't have many friends who have iPhone or basically detest this kind of games?

You can always add a random opponent from iPhone users all over the world!! 

Or you can always challenge me! 

My username is cavinteo!

Don't be shy okay?

*toothy grin*