I’ve never heard of an apple duck before – the waitress taking the order assured us it was a very popular dish and thus, we swapped one of the meat orders (black pepper beef) with this menu item. We were at Nice House Restaurant – me and Arthur originally wanted to go to Cafe Ind for some fusion Indonesian and Indian food, but it was closed.
Thus, we headed over to a place which serves a gigantic roti canai that I wanted to try but that was closed too.
We ended up eating at Nice House Restaurant. I’ve been here a couple of times before and it seems that their typical Chinese cuisine has changed into something which I’ll call quasi-fusion. It’s still Chinese food but it uses much more non-traditional ingredients to cook.
Arthur recommended the prawn with black pepper and honey. He said it was much better than Ruby Restaurant‘s famed butterscotch prawns and I have to wholeheartedly agree. The combination of black pepper sauce with honey creates a sweet and savory gravy that had us scooping up all the gravy till the plate was almost clean. 🙂
The black pepper lamb was really good too – the meat was tender and juicy, and it goes very well with rice. A superb dish which wasn’t as sweet as the prawns (coz it didn’t use honey).
We also ordered midin cooked with sambal – it’s a wild jungle fern that’s very popular in Sibu but hard to find anywhere else. It’s our vegetable quota.
I felt that the apple duck was the most interesting dish during dinner. We ordered half a duck since a lot of people don’t eat duck due to the gamey taste but both of us do and we have been rather deprived of this particular fowl. I quite liked it although I think Arthur didn’t enjoy it as much. He hasn’t tried it before so we ordered it and the two of us finished everything – right down to the lettuce and green apple slices.
I think a lot of people thought we were having a major argument coz when the time came to pay the bill, both of us stood up and insisted on settling it. It must have looked quite interesting since I was blocking his way to the cashier. Heh.
Thanks for dinner Arthur and see you next time I come back to Sibu! 🙂
17th of June is Father’s Day for most of the world with some notable exceptions, namely Australia and New Zealand. I guess that’s why my sister was a bit puzzled when I told her that we’re heading out during her usual Skype session with my parents.
I asked my dad where he wanted to go, giving him a couple of suggestions like Tom’s Too. Arthur, being the resident food expert also contributed to the list. My dad wanted to go to an al fresco dining area where people doesn’t smoke and he hasn’t been to Payung Cafe yet so I brought him and my mom there.
Payung Cafe is one of the little known eateries in Sibu – the owners are friendly and the ambiance is great, with little touches like freshly cut flowers on the table and off-the-menu specials written on a chalkboard every single day.
It doesn’t have a large menu but they have an admirable aim of having cuisine from all over the world, with a focus on Asian countries.
Myanmar Sayur (RM 8) Sayur means vegetable and this dish is a kind of salad that contains an assortment of raw and cooked vegetables mixed together rojak style. The sprinkling of sesame seeds and the raw vegetables provides a nice texture that goes very well with the gravy.
Jelly Pisang (RM 7) Jelly Pisang is a dessert that used to be very popular in Sibu back in the days. It went the way of dinosaurs when I was born and to the best of my knowledge this is only one of two places that still serves it in Sibu. The other one is at a hotel (see link). Payung Cafe’s interpretation comes with loads of jelly and thinly sliced bananas.
I asked my dad if this seemed authentic enough and he mentioned that back in the days it wasn’t really served like this but…
Heh.
Lamb Masala (RM 17)
It doesn’t look like much but this one was the first dish to go – the lamb is flavorful and tender with none of the gamey taste usually associated with this particular animal. It was a hit with both my mom and dad. The portion is a bit small and I only had one piece but other than that it’s highly recommended.
Otak-otak Fish with Rice (RM 13)
This is the most popular dish in Payung Cafe, bar none. It’s one of their signature menu items and it’s hand made otak-otak! One of the proprietors actually does this each evening and it’s fresh and very different from the usual mass produced otak-otak. People with a sensitive palate beware! This is not for the faint-hearted for it’s quite spicy.
Turkish Milkshake (RM 8)
It came highly recommended from the proprietor and I have to agree – it’s quite good. It’s one of the specials on the chalkboard so this is a limited time menu item. What is a Turkish milkshake? Well, it’s based on the drink called Salep in Turkey. It has ground dried tubers of the orchid flower (!) with spices topped with cream and chocolate flakes. The owners travel around to add new stuff to the menu.
Indian Red Beef (RM 17)
This is a rather spicy affair which was the special of the day. It was quite spicy and I ended up eating most of it. I didn’t like it as much as the lamb masala.
Pineapple Ginger Soda (RM 5)
I wanted the Durian Milkshake I had last time I was here but they ran out of durians (it’s not the season anyway). I asked for a recommendation and got this one – it’s apparently one of the most popular drinks and the combination of pineapple and ginger works surprisingly well. I like the sediments at the bottom, which contains a bit of both ingredients. Lovely.
Belimbing Prawn with Spaghetti (RM 16)
I also had this dish last time and was quite enthralled by it. Belimbing is starfruit (or carambola) in English and it’s a fusion dish that works very well. The type of starfruit they use is known locally as belimbing asam and it’s a very sour variant of the fruit used in cooking. It’s served with prawns and I wanted everyone to try this. It’s a very different dish that works very well. 😀
The total bill came out to RM 99 which is very reasonable for a dinner for three that had us struggling to finish the dishes.
However, the best Father’s Day present that I gave my dad (and mom) happened to be a totally random act while I was talking to them the night I came back in the living room. I was showing how swipe typing works on my Android phone and my dad casually asked what app I was using. I didn’t know he’s unfamiliar with Whatsapp since my parents are pretty IT savvy, navigating the maze of social media pretty well.
Anyway, I found out that my sister is on it (coz she was on Skype with my parents at the time) and I gifted the app to my dad’s cell using my iTunes account. I added myself and my sister to the contacts list and showed my parents how to use it. They didn’t know there’s an option for free texting (although they use Viber) with quick photo, video and audio file sharing.
The look on my mom’s face when my sister snapped a photo of my newborn nephew and instantly sent it over followed by the smiles on my parents faces was worth the USD 0.99 I used to gift the app a gazillion times over. 🙂
This is one of the most sinfully delicious finds that I’ve had the pleasure of eating recently. I was at the Langkawi pasar malam and chanced upon this deep fried burger stall.
Let me reiterate the awesomeness of that sentence just in case it didn’t quite sink in.
It’s an entire burger that’s been dipped in batter before being deep fried in glorious churning oil until it’s golden brown.
It’s just RM 1.50 but the patties seem to have been sliced in half.
This burger will clog your arteries faster than you can eat it. 🙂
I have written about some of the experiences I’ve had in Maxims Genting. Here’s the rest of it – the second and final post on the luxurious gastronomical and other adventures I had during my 2D/1N stay there. 🙂
Totally chilling in the Maxims Royal Suite.
There’s everything you could wish for in a suite – and probably some that you didn’t even know you want. 😉
I’m loving the jacuzzi!
The Maxims Royal Suite has guest rooms equipped with computers at the working table in addition to a huge dining table that seats 14 people! 🙂
It also has a balcony that’s even larger than my studio apartment at home. The “balcony” (patio) is actually located…
…right beneath the old Genting Hotel sign. How cool is that? 🙂
The newly refurbished Maxims looks nothing like the one I used to stay in as a kid. This is the floor area you’ll see in the Maxims Premier Room, Maxims Suite, and Signature Suite.
The suites are amazing and equipped with the latest in technology, like that huge 42-inch plasma TV there. This is standard in Maxims Suite and Signature Suite but the photo above shows the décor in the latter. There are two options to choose from – Modern or Arabian.
The other rooms at Maxims starts from RM 550++ for Maxims Premier – it’s their most basic room but it’s surprisingly luxurious. Here’s a video tour where you can see the amenities and services provided.
There’s even a bottle of Moet et Chandon champagne in the mini bar. How many hotels do you see stocking that? 🙂
Maxims is the place to stay in if you want the best experience in Genting. There’s accommodation for every budget – all the suites comes with a private butler (!!!) and starts from RM 1,320++ for Maxims Suite to RM 4,125++ for the Signature Suite. You can find the full list of features in each room/suite at rwgenting.com.
Anyway, after the grand tour of the Maxims Genting we headed to The Olive for a Continental fine dining experience.
The Olive is another award winning restaurant in Maxims Genting and there are private rooms where you can eat in relative…er, privacy.
Squid Ink Bread
The bread basket served up when you’re seated is filled with a selection of different varieties of bread. One in particular stood up – the squid ink bread.
It’s the irregularly shaped black bread that’s made with squid ink. It’s delicious when dipped in the vinaigrette of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.
Portobello Carpaccio
This is The Olive’s signature dish for starters and it’s a wonderful plating of Tartufo nero (black truffle), shaved pecorino (cheese made from sheep), grissini (breadsticks), aged balsamic, and truffle oil soft herb salad. The black truffle is the highlight of this dish and the flavor goes very well with the mushrooms. I had quite a few helpings of this. It’s delicious and it comes highly recommended from me.
Bruschetta Pizzetta
This mini pizza is made with semi-dried Roma tomato, sauteed mushrooms, Bocconcini cheese, basil pesto, olive oil and aged balsamic. It’s delectable but a bit heavy so small eaters would want to share this with someone.
Lamb Rack
This 3 pin lamb rack comes served with a white bean cassoulet, braised artichoke, carrot puree and rosemary juice. You’ll love this if you like mutton, I was half tempted to order this for my mains before deciding on beef.
Chilean Sea Bass
This is the signature dish of The Olive. The fresh Chilean Sea Bass is served with mushroom ragout, buttered asparagus, ponzu sauce and wasabi, providing a bit of fusion there. You can’t go wrong with this one.
Wagyu Sirloin Steak
I went with the chef’s recommendation of a Wagyu sirloin steak with a Grade 8 on the marbling scale. The beef was so fresh that I immediately regretted having it done medium rare. It’s a great cut of Wagyu beef and it should be treated with the respect it deserves.
I’ll recommend you go for extra-rare (also known as a blue steak) – the quality and freshness of the meat really shines through. I had a taste of the extra-rare Wagyu tenderloin and it practically melts in your mouth. The chef mentions that it takes just as long to properly cook a blue steak compared to one that’s medium or well done – it has to be allowed to “rest” before being served.
The Olive has different cuts of steak and marbling grades but if Wagyu is not your thing, they also serve Black Angus beef, which has been grass fed for at least 150 days in the Australian countryside. There are a lot of sauces you can choose to go with your steak, from Creamy Garlic to Truffled Morel.
Crème Brulee
This wonderful dessert comes in a trio – starting from left, there’s the petite apple (which actually is a very tiny apple), clove ice cream, and crème brulee with rhubarb and blackcurrant compote.
A petite apple with a slice of regular apple. Gotta love the presentation.
I loved the creamy crème brulee with an almond biscotti on the side and I couldn’t stop eating the clove ice cream too.
Hot Chocolate Ravioli
Good things comes in threes and this dessert is no different.
There’s the black cherry gelee topped with orange blossom pashmak (a type of Persian candy floss).
Pistachio ice cream which has the consistency of pudding, a wonderful texture from the ingredients and a delightful taste that tantalizes the taste buds…
…and as the star of the show – the chocolate ravioli. It’s rich and sweet and the oozing hot chocolate from the ravioli would have you clamoring for more.
The Durian
This is the signature dish for the desserts menu of The Olive. It’s easy to see why. The aptly named dessert has The King of Fruits served as ice cream in a caramelized meringue with fresh strawberries.
Durian is a fruit you either love or hate. I’m a huge fan of durian and this beautifully made dessert (spiked to look like a durian) had me at first bite!
Chef Daniel Sheen took time off to chat with us and the question on how he created the chocolate ravioli popped out. This is actually the second version he’s come up with. He was in the kitchen attempting to fuse pasta and chocolate – essentially creating pasta made out of chocolate and out come the chocolate ravioli.
It’s always interesting to hear the chef talk about how his creations came about. 🙂
The Olive is also featured in Must Eat – it’s in Mandarin but a really interesting watch even if you don’t understand the language. The video tour and awesome food shown transcends linguistic processes. 😀
We adjourned to The Olive Lounge after the heavy dinner. There’s a live band playing in the background and the drinks menu features quite an extensive single malt Scotch whisky and wine list.
The sommelier recommended two bottles of wine…
…while Eiling chose the third bottle, being a bit of a wine expert herself.
I smoked one of her cigars while the entire group talked over wine and cigars. The Olive Lounge is a great place to relax and chat with soft music playing in the background. It was the perfect ending to one of the best dinners I’ve had in a while. Pure decadence. 🙂
Breakfast at Coffee Terrace the next day never tasted so good. 😉
Coffee Terrace has six different cuisines ranging from Chinese to Western and we all had a huge breakfast before heading back to KL.
Thanks for the experience Chloe, Irene, Dee Lin, and everyone at rwgenting.com! I totally enjoyed my stay at Maxims Genting and all that fine dining. 🙂
I’ve been to Genting quite a few times and when I was told we’re going to be staying at Maxims for an overnight experience I immediately set my alarm clock to 5 am so I could arrive early the next day for the trip up. Heh.
The luxury treatment started when we met up at Wisma Genting in KL. There was a Toyota Alphard complete with a driver waiting for us. The vehicle was equipped with water, candy, and everything you’ll need for the 45 minute drive up.
…so this is what being a high roller feels like. 🙂
We were whisked away to lunch at Imperial Rama the moment we arrived in Genting. We had a private room with a dining table, couch, and karaoke system. Imperial Rama is a fine dining restaurant specializing in authentic Thai-Chinese cuisine.
Imperial Rama is one of the most awarded restaurants – it’s one of the prestigious winners of the 2011 Malaysian International Gourmet Festival (MIGF). They also use organic food where they can – they own vegetable farms and source their chickens from Ipoh. I hear the free range chickens sells for RM 30 per drumstick…and that’s in stalls in Ipoh!
Lily Bulb with Emperor Sprout Orange Salad
This is the appetizer and I like the usage of lily bulbs in this dish. It’s an unusual twist and the tangy citrus flavors from the orange works very well with the emperor sprouts. It even had flowers inside it, and I ate some of them. Delicious!
Shaggy Mushroom with Truffle Oil Salad
The second appetizer to come out of the kitchen, I was mesmerized by the intensity of flavors absorbed by the mushroom. It’s practically bursting with truffle oil. Very nicely done.
Thai Fish Crackers
The third appetizer was an interesting interplay of textures with fresh fish crackers and a peanut based dipping sauce.
Stewed Chicken Essence Soup
I’m not a huge fan of soup but this had me scraping the bottom of the bowl. The chicken is made into a mousse like consistency. It’s one of their signature dishes and I highly recommend it just so you can taste the chicken mousse.
Steamed Marble Goby Fish with Crispy Ginger and Garlic
I’m sold. The steamed fish is my favorite dish in Chinese buffets and I love the freshness of the marble goby fish.
The topping of crispy ginger and garlic adds a different texture to the dish and it’s good to see that they keep the traditional spring onions on top – it goes very well with the soy sauce base.
Australian Abalone Braised in Curry Sauce
This is one of the Thai-Chinese dishes that Imperial Rama is so famous for. The curry is rich and full-bodied and almost overwhelms the palate…
…until you eat it with the bread stick and side dish. This is one of their flagship dishes as well and I can see why – it’s challenging and different.
Twin Flavored King Prawns
This is king prawns done two ways – one of them is deep fried with a salted egg batter that tastes awesome but the one that steals the limelight is the cheese king prawn. It’s dipped in a melting cheese batter that enhances the natural sweetness of the prawn and seals all the crustaceans juices inside. Totally recommended.
Pork Ribs topped with Black Current Sauce
Now this is something that I can really appreciate. Pork ribs with a twist on the sauce. The black current sauce adds a wholesome sweetness to the pork ribs and the lightly fried rice served on a crab goes well with the pork ribs.
I was very full at this point but I couldn’t help finishing all the rice. It’s really good – not too heavy, with judicious use of premium ingredients.
Durian Tempura with Lemongrass Jelly
Now this is a dish that you’ll either love or hate – it all depends on whether you like durian. I love durian and the durian tempura is a relatively new creation using D24 durian. The batter coating the durian cracks open and piping hot durian oozes out. I could eat it all day long!
I ate Lee Ming’s portion as well. It’s just that good. Check out this video, the host agrees! 🙂
The lemongrass jelly is sipped from a straw and the consistency and palate cleansing properties makes it an ideal finish after the decadent durian experience. Do not miss this if you love durian! Best. Dessert. Ever.
Anyway, after that huge lunch, we went down to Goh Tong Jaya to walk off all those calories. We used the Genting Skyway cable car.
Chloe got us into the RWGenting WorldCard line. You can skip the queue if you have a Silver WorldCard and above.
I have a lot of fond memories of the cable car ride from when I was a little kid and my parents brought me up to Genting.
I felt like a little kid again, being on that cable car. 🙂
There was a red vehicle waiting for us – it’s the Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm transport! The shuttle bus departs every 20 minutes and you can catch it at the Genting Skyway exit.
Genting has a Strawberry Farm in Goh Tong Jaya.
There are rows and rows of strawberries covering the wide expanse.
You can go in with a basket for a small fee to pick your own strawberries.
It tastes really good too.
I had a couple and they are practically bursting with juices when you bite into it.
This is Lee Ming at the area where they were planting flowers. Yes, it’s the very same flowers that was in our salad at Imperial Rama for lunch. Now that’s low food miles for you – they grow it themselves!
There’s also a place where you can sit down and browse the strawberry related merchandize or eat and drink strawberry flavored food (strawberry coffee anyone?) right before the exit.
Mmm…strawberries…
We basically spent the better part of the hour at Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm before heading back up the cable car to check into Maxims Genting. I couldn’t wait!
Maxims Genting is the newly revamped Genting Hotel. It’s the first hotel ever built and houses the main casino. Maxims commands a rate of at least RM 550++ for a Maxims Premier Room. There’s even a dedicated floor for high rollers which is by invitation only. It is the most exclusive hotel in Genting.
This is where all the celebrities stay when they perform in Resorts World Genting. More about that and the wonderful award winning fine dining restaurant The Olive in the next post! 🙂
I remember having really good fish head in 2005. I was working in Kuching at that time and one of our partners brought us to the famous Chan Sau Lin fish head during a business trip here. As luck would have it, we went to the very same place yesterday.
It’s now moved from Jalan Chan Sau Lin No 3 (thus the Cantonese moniker) to Jalan Chan Sau Lin No 5. The place is huge, with a semi-outdoor (meaning it’s ventilated but covered) court and an air-conditioned area.
This is what’s left of the famous hot and sweltering fish head at Tai Sam Lou with the famous tree – a faded photo. The tree stump is apparently still there.
I don’t go around to these parts pretty often and a lot of people say that the fish head has deteriorated. They do serve a pretty mediocre plate of pak cham kai (steamed chicken).
We ordered two fish heads – one is the curry version which I didn’t like at all. The curry gravy overpowered the fish. I like my fish to be as close to natural as possible.
The other one we had was the fermented soy sauce fish head. This is delicious! The way it’s cooked left the fish head relatively unmolested and there’s bird’s eye chili on top to add that additional zap to the palate. Succulent and tender, it left me digging into the head for stray pieces of fish.
Here’s a cheesy shot of me. The new place is at Jalan Lima off Jalan Chan Sau Lin in Sungai Besi. Don’t ask me for the GPS coordinates coz I broke my phone in Phuket but you can call 017-224 2133 for Hoi. I gleaned all that from the card I took from the place.
Lunch cost us RM 99 for four people, including a dish of bean sprouts I didn’t bother to take. 😉
I returned to Tom’s Too for lunch a couple of days ago with a friend. She hasn’t been there before and I wanted her to try the food here. It’s just my second time eating here too and I was eager to check out more of their offerings.
Tom’s Too has a range of Italian sodas and I asked Charles (one of the best waiters there – speaks good English and friendly) to show me what they were made of. It’s apparently just syrup from a wide range of flavors mixed with soda water.
I had the Butterscotch Italian Soda (RM 8.90) which came in a clear, sparkling liquid. It *did* indeed taste like butterscotch, and reminds me of the old flavored soda fountains of old. I’m kidding, I wasn’t even born when those were around. 😉
My friend has Tom’s Freeze (RM 9.90) – a house specialty concoction that features lychees as its main ingredient. She said it was good. I don’t know, I don’t like lychees. You know those old Chinese banquet dinners that serves lychees with peaches in ice as dessert? I only ate the peaches.
We both shared the recommendations for mains – she has the Chicken Cordon Bleu (RM 27.50) which was quite good. The chicken was done well and has a slice of ham inside and lots of oozing cheese.
They used breast meat – Chicken Cordon Bleu is supposed to use boneless breast meat – not exactly my favorite cut from our favorite poultry but I rather enjoyed it. I’m pretty sure I ate more than my fair share.
The other main we had was the Lamb Shank (RM 32.50). I’ve beard people telling me that it wasn’t so great – complains ranged from it being too tough to not having mashed potatoes to go with it but I found it delicious. The meat is tender on the inside and my only regret it…
…not ordering a side of mashed sweet potatoes. Arthur did that – it’s not on the menu but apparently you can ask for it from the chef. I shall endeavor to do that next time. The gravy is slightly sweet so I’m sure it’ll go very well with mashed sweet potatoes.
Dessert was a slice of Oreo cheesecake (RM 11.90) from their counter deli. It’s pretty good for Sibu standards, but I wouldn’t write home about it, I’ve had better.
A great meal nevertheless and we ended up talking (or I ended up talking) so much that it was nearly 3 pm when we were done. The meal cost about RM 100 and my friend insisted on picking up the bill. Thanks for lunch! 🙂
I had a glorious lunch of braised pork, four emperor vegetables, and buttered prawns with the famous suituapui a.k.a. Arthur a couple of days ago. He suggested either Ming Mei Shi – a Chinese restaurant I haven’t been to, or Payung Cafe and I went with the former. It’s relatively new and one of Arthur’s favorite places to eat so I wanted to check it out.
Ming Mei Shi is owned by the chef of the now defunct Blue Splendor (a famous restaurant in Sibu). Word is, the rent at Wisma Sanyan was raised to levels he found unacceptable, so he opened a new restaurant at a different location.
Four emperor vegetables
This is a dish made with four different types of vegetables – brinjal (eggplant), lady’s finger (okra), baby corn and long beans. It tasted really good and I ate most of it, much to my surprise, since I’m not usually a huge fan of vegetables. It’s the mixture of sticky starchiness in the eggplant and okra combined with the sweetness of the baby corn and the crunchiness of the long beans that did it for me.
Homemade silk tofu
Okay, I don’t actually know what this homemade recommendation is called. It was the special of their day and I wouldn’t call it tofu at all. I hate tofu and this is awesome stuff. It has tofu in it but also surimi (crab meat) and a plethora of other flavorful ingredients all mixed together before being quickly deep fried, creating a very fine and silky tofu medley piece that goes well with the mayonnaise served on the side.
We didn’t really know what it was so we only ordered one piece each. I wish I had ordered more as it was excellent!
Creamy butter prawns
Our version of butter prawns is not deep fried with butter but cooked in a sweet and creamy butter sauce. Ruby Restaurant does this really well but I love Ming Mei Shi’s version too. Arthur preferred Ruby’s but I was rather taken with the sweet butter prawns the cook dished out. Perfection!
Braised pork belly with man tou
This is the signature dish of the place and it’s a huge chunk of artery clogging pork belly. The waitress cut the string binding the porcine goodness and used a pair of scissors to dissect it into manageable pieces. You’re supposed to eat it with the warm man tou (plain steamed buns) as a sandwich of sorts.
It is tender and flavorful, with a thick starchy sauce that goes very well with your rice. I enjoyed this dish tremendously.
I polished off everything – there wasn’t a morsel left when I was done with lunch – a testament to Ming Mei Shi’s delicious culinary offerings. The bill came up to about RM 50 for all that, which is very reasonable for the dishes we ordered.
Just look at this fine specimen of perfectly cooked pork belly! I highly recommend every single dish that we had that day. 😀
Ming Mei Shi is located behind Rejang Medical Center in Sibu.
I’m not a huge fan of fries. I used to love them but somewhere along the line I stopped craving for it. However I had fries with a burger at Tom’s Too and it was surprisingly delicious! They salted the fries so much that it was saturated with sodium. *clicks on Like
Tom’s Too is the sister outlet of the renowned Tom’s in Jalan Padungan.
I asked the waiter for a recommendation and he enthusiastically prescribed the Chicken Burger (RM 12.90). I thought they were well known for their beef ones and I said so but he was so adamant about the awesomeness of the chicken burger that I went with it.
It’s made with an entire chicken thigh and is deep fried with perfection. The chicken has a very smoky, burnt BBQ flavor which is actually quite good. If you like your food salty and packed full of sodium you’re going to love this.
I also headed down to Maple Leaf Fusion Cafe last night to catch up with Francine. I’ve known her since 1998 and I had drinks with her at Tom’s Too, er…too. I didn’t know where Maple Leaf was at that time and she told me it’s…just around the corner.
They’re apparently famous for their Giant Volcano Lava drinks, which is a huge 1 liter (or close enough) thick concoction. I had the Chocolate Lava (RM 11.90) which the waitress recommended.
It just so happens that yesterday night was the introduction of their new line of Alcohol Milkshakes. They had Kahlua, Irish Cream and Midori. I went with the Midori Milk Shake (RM 26). We both assumed that its been on the menu for ages but the waitress told us it just debuted yesterday.
I didn’t think much of it though – it’s overpriced and there’s not enough alcohol in it – you can taste it, but you certainly can’t feel it. It’s paying cocktail prices for a milkshake. Granted, it was a very good milkshake, but as an alcohol milkshake, it needs a bit of price tweaking.
The highlight of the night was the Fried Durian Cake (RM 12.90). Divine! It’s made with a crispy jala-like pastry that’s deep fried with a rich durian flesh filling.
It’s a good thing Francine doesn’t like durian so I ate it all. There are six pieces and each bite was like a taste of heaven – it’s fluffy and light, with a creamy durian center that oozes out. It’s…perfection. 😀
Kopi Luwak or Luwak Coffee is the infamously extravagant coffee that comes out of a civet. Well, you know what I mean.
Civet cats like this one eats the coffee beans, supposedly these felines have a taste so refined that they’ll only go for the good ones. They’ll crap it out and people dig the coffee beans (which isn’t digested by the civet cat) from the dung and roast it.
It’s surprisingly aromatic and very smooth coffee. I liked it, although we paid quite a bit for that small cup. How much?
That’s about RM 20. We went to this place quite far from the touristy areas too, we saw it go for IDR 150,000 (RM 50) in airports. Yes, that’s the price for just one cup.
Very expensive coffee, one sip will set you back a couple of dollars. 🙂
