Not Only a Casino but also a Mountain of Food

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“City of Entertainment”, “Las Vegas of Malaysia”, “Genting Highlands”. Call it whatever you want but Resorts World Genting, that place with the only legal Casino in Malaysia, is now also a Mountain of Food. Launched recently on the 15th of January 2011, Resorts World Genting aims to make Genting Highlands not only a “Fun City Above the Clouds” but a food paradise with over a 100 restaurants serving over 200 dishes on any day and time at the resort.

witch and Saucer with Celebrity Chef Datuk Chef Wan

“Like the gigantic version of the Ice Kacang, this Mountain of Food is swathed in a blanket of nature’s rare green forest. Instead of kidney beans, corns and peanuts, it is embedded with delightfully edible gems and trinkets of palatable food outlets. The magnitude and extensiveness of food gets beyond one’s imagination!” – Mr Kevin Sim, Executive Vice President of Genting Malaysia.

When I was much younger, Genting used to be the place where adults did things that children were not allowed to be part of, and food choices used to be limited and expensive. (We used to make sandwiches to be eaten up there! Really.) Fast forward years later, Genting has now become a food paradise with a melting pot of cuisines all centered at one peak. Instead of packing my food up there, now I would be more than willing to make a trip up there to savour the food!

Lion Dance for the Launching of Mountain of Food

The colourful and lively launching ceremony was graced by none other than our international Celebrity Chef Datuk Chef Wan, whose name is no stranger to anyone of us.

“It’s a discovery, the entire journey up to Genting Highlands. It’s a trail of food by itself dotted with little food treasure spots all the way to the peak” – Datuk Chef Wan.

Mock Penang Bridge at the entrance of Coffee Terrace

Kicking start the Mountain of Food, Genting is offering Penang Hawker Food Festival from now till 23rd of January 2011. Various famous Chefs who have made themselves popular in Penang have been specially brought over to Genting Highlands exclusively for this promotion.

Datuk Chef Wan getting ready for his speech

It was my first time in Coffee Terrace and the whole place looked like it had been transformed into a Penang food street! There were various stalls from char kuey teow, prawn mee, chee cheong fun, roti canai and satay, just to name a few. The various road signs around Coffee Terrace also bore Penang road names, giving me a feeling of nostalgia (since I used to stay in Penang for a good 5 years).

Gurney Drive

The Mountain of Food ice sculpture

Datuk Chef Wan giving his keynote

After the opening keynote by Datuk Chef Wan, it was the officiating ceremony, joined by Mr Kevin Sim and Mr Edward Holloway. They were supposed to knock the ice off the sculpture to reveal the Mountain of Food plague within. Interesting!

Officiating the Mountain of Food

And it’s official!

Without further ado, we took a good look around the buffet spread and capture pictures of the food that screamed “Delicious!”.

Pulut panggang – Rice wrapped in banana leaf with filling made from grounded dried prawns and grated coconut

Delicate cakes

Mee Rebus stall

Desserts galore!

The presence of a life-size trishaw in the buffet area somewhat brought back memories of my time in Penang. This cute method of transportation is still practiced especially in the Georgetown area, and is a must-ride to discover the side of Penang that you would not have discovered otherwise.

Penang trishaw / Beca

Preparing a giant ice kacang

Datuk Chef Wan giving his thumb of approval

During a brief press conference, Datuk Chef Wan emphasized on the fact that people in KL spend too much time in shopping malls. Instead of going shopping, why not take a trip up to the highlands for a mini getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city, as well as for the cool and fresh air?

Datuk Chef Wan speaking at the press conference

He later joined all of us and savoured the variety of food offered.

Pappadam - Indian appetizer famous in Nasi Kandar places in Penang

Salad spread

Indian-style fried chicken

With so much Penang food in sight, I can’t help but to present to you, the Top 10 Penang Food that you must try (in no particular order) !

#1: Lor Bak

No food trip to Penang would ever be complete without having a taste of Lor Bak, which is a spring roll made from thin soybean sheets, wrapped around marinated minced pork and then deep fried. Savoury and fragrant, this delicacy is best eaten when dipped into the starchy sauce with chilli.

Lor Bak stall

Lor Bak with chilli and thickened corn starch sauce

#2: Satay

Of course, another famous delicacy would be the satay, skewers of marinated and grilled meat. Watching the skewers being grilled while capturing photos was really a challenge since the strong aroma was simply too enticing!

Satay – Skewers of marinated meat

Best eaten with peanut sauce

#3: Roti Canai

One particular stall that caught many people’s attention that day was the Roti Canai stall. The man behind this stall was amazingly skillful in tossing and twisting the piece of flat bread around that everyone was caught in awe. I even captured a video for your viewing pleasure.

The Making of Roti Canai (The Flying Bread)

Preparing roti canai

Tossing it up and about

The final product – roti canai

There were lots of other Penang specialties that were made available. Good food is meant to be shared, and indeed, that was what I did, along with Saucer and Bok.

witch and Saucer

Bok and witch

#4: Oh Chien

Oh Chien, also known as Fried Oyster Omelette is yet another famous street food in Penang, since seafood is in abundance there.

Oh Chien – Fried Oyster Omelette

#5: Pasembur & Rojak

Pasembur - A dish of Indian salad with shredded cucumber, potatoes, turnip, bean sprouts, prawn fritters, spicy fried crab and other seafood served with a sweet and nutty spicy sauce. This was among the best that we had! The seafood was fresh and sizable, and the sauce was delightfully appetizing.

Pasembur

Rojak - A dish of mixed fruits and vegetables topped with a sweet and thick sauce topped with finely chopped peanut.

Rojak – Mixture of fruits

#6: Hokkien Mee/ Hokkien Prawn Noodles

Hokkien Mee/ Hokkien Prawn Noodles – A dish of egg and rice noodles in fragrant shrimp stock, which is usually served with slices of fresh prawns. Do not be deterred by the bright red colour of the stock for it is just the colour emitted from the shrimps, and it is nothing close to fiery hot or spicy.

Hokkien mee/Prawn noodles

#7: Char Kuey Teow

Char Kuey Teow – Stir fried flat noodles over very high heat with soy sauce, belacan, cockles, prawns, eggs and bean sprouts. This is extremely popular in Penang, so much so that it is synonymous to Penang food. One hasn’t been to Penang if one has not tried this dish.

Frying Kuey Teow over high heat

Char Kuey Teow

#8: Chee Cheong Fun

Chee Cheong Fun or Rice Noodle Roll comes in a variety of versions. Even within Malaysia, the chee cheong fun found in Kuala Lumpur is not the same as the one found in Penang. What differentiates Penang chee cheong fun from the rest is the usage of the shrimp paste, dark in colour, gooey and pungent. Some might say that it is an acquired taste, but really, you’ll find yourself loving it after the first bite.

Penang Chee Cheong Fun

#9: Muar Chee

Muar Chee is a Penang local dessert made from steamed glutinous rice balls, topped with finely chopped peanuts,  sugar and sesame seeds. Usually sold in Penang hawker stalls, these balls are meant to be eaten right after served to maintain the crunchiness of the peanut and the softness of the rice balls.

Muar Chee

#10: Ice Kacang

Ice Kacang, or Ais Kacang in Malay, is another popular dessert made from shaved ice served with sweet syrup and various condiments within. The usual suspects are corn, grass jelly, cendol, kidney beans and agar-agar, later topped with either fresh fruits or a scoop of ice-cream. Found widely on Penang streets, you would see this stall crowded with people usually in the afternoons, with people seeking solace in the bowl of glorious ice.

Ice Kacang with a scoop of ice-cream

There you have it, the Top 10 Penang food that one must try based on the witch’s opinion. There are certainly more Penang food around, in fact too many to be fit into one post. But you get my drift! Penang is such a colourful place gifted with amazing food that I am more than happy to be able to savour it right at the peak of Genting Highlands!

Coffee Terrace at Maxims Genting Hotel Lobby

Hurry, this promotion ends on the 23rd of January 2011!

Buffet Lunch – Price: RM53.00++ (Adult); RM26.50++ (Child)
Buffet Dinner – Price: RM61.00++ (Adult); RM30.50++ (Child)

Coffee Terrace
Maxims Genting Hotel Lobby
Genting Highlands
Buffet Hours: Lunch: 12.00 noon – 2.30pm & Dinner: 5.00pm – 9.30pm