森苑 E Farm Restoran

On the way back from Kuantan, Sis and Bro In Law suggested we stop by at the foothill of Genting for dinner. The English name of the place is quite funny - E Farm. The location is not somewhere you might come across easily. But the food was good.

The environment is cooling and relaxing.

The restaurant offers good river fish. For those that are not familiar with Chinese food, river fishes can be very expensive due to its rarity. So please do not order if you are not sure and did not ask the price properly. 

Anyway, the dish that made a mark in my head is this free-range chicken in pig stomach soup. The soup is strongly peppered. But the chicken skin is the most crunchy I have ever tasted. The only other time I tasted such crunchy chicken skin is in Betong, Thailand.

The river fish we ordered is called "Sun Yue". I have no idea what species or its name in other language. But the meat is smooth and firm. And most importantly, because it is not farmed fish, there is no smell of river soil (if you know what I mean). The best way to eat a fresh free-range fish is steam.

The next interesting dish is the frozen sweet sour pork. A good frozen sweet sour pork must be crunchy cold on the outside and juicy hot inside. They have made it quite well. 

Then we have seafood tofu for the kids.

The steamed calamari is suitable for people who are on "Clean Diet". Too clean for me :P

The price of the whole dinner is not cheap, but given the quality of food, we'd say it is quite fair. We would go back again if we do pass Karak Highway again.

MAP: Google Map to E Farm

森苑E Farm Restoran, Kampung Bukit Tinggi, Pahang, Malaysia

Spring Water Bak Kut Teh @ Sungai Lembing

Haha.. By virtue of the whole town's water supply is from spring water, everything and anything you eat also it is called SPRING WATER XXX.

We went to Sungai Lembing Mining Restaurant for bak kut teh lunch as recommended by the resort owner. When we settled down in the restaurant, we understand why he recommended that restaurant. The restaurant is decorated with posters of the resort as well. Hmm.. you scratch my back, I scratch your back.

Anyway, the bak kut teh was ok. The pot include a big bone (as long as the pot's width) with meat attached. The meat was tender. I won't say the soup was particularly fragrant. Overall the bak kut teh was just average. No complaints.

They also have vinegar pork trotter. I think it was not too sour. A nice to have.

 They also sell roasted pork and char siew. The roasted pork is crispy and more flavourful than Ah Ding's (Refer Post on Ah Ding). The char siew was tender and sweet. 

 Other than the spread below, we had wanted to try their pau (steamed bun), but at 2pm, they are all sold out. Maybe other times then. 

MAP: Google Map to Spring Water BKT

Sungai Lembing's Ah Ding Charcoal Roasted Pork (林明阿定柴香烧肉)

We came with some expectation. It was mentioned everywhere and the crowd was impressive. This picture was taken before the stall is even selling. This is just the pre-sale queue.

They start selling around 5.30pm, but the crowd/queue starts earlier around 5ish. So if you are kiasu, better be there early.

 The selling point of this place is:

1. The pork is roasted using charcoal instead of gas, which gives it a specific fragrant and juiciness.
2. The pork is roasted whole, which retains its juice and flavour better than those roasted in parts.

The oven

The production for the day

They only sell on Fridays and Saturdays, so if you are interested, plan your visits accordingly. 

 Other than roast pork, they also offer Char Siew and Siew Cheong.

Another thing to note. It is better to park outside. If you park right in front of the house/stall, be ready to get stuck in the heavy traffic.

Was it good? Ok only la...

For better experience, eat there and then when it is still crispy (because taste wise, it was a bit flat for me)

MAP: Google Map to Ah Ding

Restoran Foon Lock @ Kampung Bukit Tinggi

I love to stop by Kampung Bukit Tinggi whenever I travel to either Genting or Berjaya's Bukit Tinggi. I would eat and shop some unique foodstuff there. So far, we kept going back to Restoran Foon Lock as we miss some of the food there. 

One of its specialty is the Sang Har Don Fun (freshwater prawn glass noodles). 

The prawns are extra large (to the extent that you'll find meat in the prawns' claws). It is slightly spicy so kids may not be suitable. 

Claypot ginger wine chicken 

Double-boiled freshwater turtle soup (Don't ask about the taste, I didn't take it)

Deep fried tofu. Not memorable.

Kids and visitors' favourite. Stir-fried Crispy Pork Belly. It is thinly cut. Crispy and tastes salty-sweet.

Another specialty of Foon Lock: Claypot Freshwater Fish. To tell the truth, I don't really get this dish. The only plus I see this is that the claypot keep the fish warm. Other than that, it is much the same like a steam fish.

Traffic and parking is a problem there. People goes there during weekends for food and shopping vegetables (especially ginger). But going there once a while on holiday, it is still bearable.

MAP: Google map to Foon Lock

Quickie : Restoran Foon Lock

I read so much about this place. I decided one weekend that I mustx10 go no matter what, and that of course is at the expense of Ben's energy in entertaining my wish by driving me around searching for this place. We came down from Genting and took the wrong turn. We drove all the way into Janda Baik village. If you don't know how is that, it took us 2 hours drive. When I had almost given up hope of finding this place, it turned out right at the end of our journey before turning back into highway. So it wasn't at Janda Baik, but at the entrance to Janda Baik. What a joke!

Location : 84, Kampung Bukit Tinggi, Bentong, Pahang

Rating : Good

Review

The first dish I requested was ginger wine frog in mee suah (thread noodles). The owner told me they are out of frog and mee suah. So we had to make do with chicken and rice vermicelli. It turned out a very strong ginger dish. But for a cold weather, the ginger and hot soup sure feels good.

Then I ordered some kind of fried talapia that I read about so much. The guy looked at me, as if I was from Mars. He said no such thing (I suspect he is a newbie :P). But he suggested another noodle dish called Fa Lam Sang Meen (mixed fat and lean pork with fresh noodles). I thought what the heck, we'll just have to make do. But this turned out good. The meat is crispy and fragrant of wine, soy sauce and fats. The noodles kind off soak in the fragrance too.
And we had another meat dish. Venison fried with ginger and spring onion. I don't know what's gotten into me. Maybe I expected the venison to be freshly caught from the Pahang hills surrounding the area. Whatever it is, the dish was ok.
So there you have it! An adventure or misadventure? A good find or over statement? I am afraid it might be distorted by my mixed feelings that day. It was with high hopes (search) that gradually faded (lost), then shot up again (found) only to be slapped down (out of stock/no such thing) and again compensated with other good food. One thing for sure - an experience..

Quickie: Durian desserts @ Yik Kee Restaurant

Now... you don't really have to love durian. I am one of those that are indifferent to durian. Still, I enjoyed the desserts very much. In fact, I think I have overdosed on this indulgence during my stay in Genting.

Cantonese-English Translation
Yik - benefit
Kee - record or story

Location: Gohtong Jaya, Pahang
Rating: Very good

Review
For durian lover, the "bomb" will be their favourite. The skin is fragrant and slightly crispy with a soft hint of spice. Despite the fragrant skin, the inner filling carried the pungent aroma of durian. It is not too sweet or soft. You can savor substance in them.

The next famous dessert is the durian tart. It looks like the egg tart with crusty skin. The filling has less substance and more creamy. The tart is less pungent compared to da bomb. Fair.. Again it is not too sweet.For those of you that find Genting becoming less and less cool, the durian ice-cream may help to soothe the heat. This has least durian aroma and of course even much more creamier.The best part is that the owner is wise enough to use local durian that offers more fragrance and fuller taste. As much as I don't fancy durian, I find the desserts interesting. Definitely something to try if you are in Gohtong Jaya.

The Buns Strabe @ Awana Genting

We reached Gohtong Jaya late in the evening. It was raining, so we know that the skyway will be closed. It was too early for dinner and too late for lunch, so we decided to have something less heavy. The receptionist suggested Buns Strabe.

German-English Translation
Buns - buns
Strabe - street

Location: Awana Genting Resort, Gohtong Jaya, Pahang
Rating: Below average

Review
The setting was actually quite pleasing to the eye. It is just a small joint at the corner of Awana Resort's main entrance.
The only thing German are the beer and bratwurst sausage. Since we are not in the mood for a beer, so we decided to have the teh tarik (milk+tea) to go with the sausage. The tea was good. Fragrant and not too sweet. It glides smoothly throughout. Just nice!
Unfortunately, that's the only thing good we had.
We ordered orange cheese cake. The cake looked like it has spent quite some time in the fridge. The taste is just average. Not creamy or fragrant enough. Just average.

When the sausage came, it was obvious that it is not Bratwurst. Simply a hot dog. Worst, the staff do not even know the difference and insist that it is Bratwurst Sausage. Bad management!
Moreover, the food simply taste and feel like bar food. Sigh...

I truly believe that Awana needs to improve. I can't even rate the resort as 4 star. The entire experience is just bad. Too bad..