Genting 3D2N (Day 2 - part II) - Imperial Rama Restaurant

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Our 2nd day at Genting was fun jammed with shopping at KL followed by farms hopping on our way back to Genting Resort, read about it HERE.  Dinner was fine dinning at Imperial Rama Restaurant, one of the most awarded restaurants in the Kuala Lumpur International Gourmet Festival.

Walked into the grand entrance, anticipating a scrumptious feast....

Oriental interior is elegant and lavish which caters up to 168 guests.

We were leaded into a private room and I was puzzled by the table setting..... western forks and knives??? Maybe they prepared them for guests who's not too agile with chopsticks?  Not sure but didn't ask.

Dinner was very memorable with Chef Eric Lee (李铭淳).

Very humble Chef Eric Lee shared with us his experience as a chef for 22 years, at the same time introducing the following dishes:

First dish, Shark Bone Soup RM80.50

Besides shark bone, the broth is boiled with old chicken, lean pork and dried scallops.  Simmer for 6 to 8hrs to achieve the thick milky consistency.

A tonic as well as a delicacy, this special broth contains expensive ingredients such as fish gelatin (鱼胶) and sea cucumber, both low in cholesterol but high in protein with collagen.  Chinese goji berry is also added for color as well as boosting it's nutrition.

According to Chef Eric Lee, Shark Bone Soup benefits elders as it helps to strengthen our limbs and it's also "beauty soup" for complexion.  Sounded perfect for me, slurped up every single drop of it.

Mushroom Salad RM35

This delightful healthy salad without sacrificing good taste.  Shaggy mane mushrooms (鸡腿菇) is the main ingredient used.  It's rich in fibre which helps to cleanse our digestive system as well as lowering cholesterol.  Shaggy mane was sauteed with black pepper, juiciness was retained, simply mouth watering.

"Besides being tasty, dishes we prepared should benefits a person health as well.." - Chef Eric Lee

Thai Fish Crachers RM23.50 (S), RM46.50 (M)

Looked very much like bird nest (before it's cooked).  Otah fish paste is very thinly pressed and it's so crispy, all you need is a gentle bite and the crispy cracks would sounded the whole table lolxx...  Beneath were some juicy pineapple cubes and tomatoes.

These delicate fish crackers are served with peanut rojak sauce.

It's so joyful to eat this, gosh, gimme beer to go with this!

Chinese Spinach with assorted egg RM35

It's one of my favourite way of preparing veg in a soupy way.  Seasoning was subtle and as you can see from the above, it's literally oil-free.

Golden Sweet Corn Rice with Scallops RM37.50

I believe many of you had the same experience as me - First spoonful of fried rice, yummy, very very nice.  But after a few more spoonfuls, the overwhelming of flavours just killed the appetite.  Chef Eric Lee's secret for delectable fried rice - no sesame oil, no pepper.  Scallops has no doubt given a royal upgrade to else an ordinary fried rice, each spoonful was tasty till the very last scope.

King Prawn RM115.50 (S), RM231 (M)

(subject to availability)

The western food presentation was a surprise.  Now I know what's the fork and knife for!

If not with the presence of  the Chef and Resort World Genting's public relations ladies, I would had used my hands to lick the whole plate clean!  Never know king prawns can taste so good, the texture was so close to lobster!  I always thought that meat of big prawns are pretty tasteless and "bite resistant", as in the meat is less tender.

The body of fried king prawn was coated with salt egg batter while the prawn's head was baked with cheese and minced parsley, it's so RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS!

Steamed Marble Goby Fish (Soon Hock)with Crispy Ginger (seasonal price about RM31 per 100g)

The toppings caught my attention first.........  Slices of garlic were fried to perfect gold, ginger so finely shredded that I almost mistaken it as pork floss.  The toppings had garnished the dish and at the same time taste fabulous even on their own.  I was very impressed by Chef Eric Lee's meticulous way of presenting a common dish. 

If you had been following my blog, you know Soon Hock fish is my soft spot.  But this was the BIGGEST Soon Hock I ever eaten, only a portion of the huge fish was served as we wouldn't be able to finish it in a whole.  Soon Hock I had eaten in Singapore were soft in texture.  This, over here was excitingly "bouncy" and tender at the same time!  The natural sweetness of fish filled my entire mouth and senses, omf (oh my fish).....

I glazed upon this beloved dish of mine and smiled at our Chef.   I could have fall in love with him, with this Soon Hock being the "match-maker".  But we are both married lolxx.....

Sweet Sour Pork

Our familiar crowd pleaser this dish was!  Specially prepared for King Luis who shook his head to all the above unfamiliar dishes.  His mother ate his share of the above delicacies, so you can imagine how blissfully full I was.

Durian Tempura RM11

Durian dessert came with refreshing Soursop juice.  Asked Chef why use soursop, he replied cos' Soursop's nickname is Ang Mo Durian, lolxx.....

Thin crispy crust cut opened with heavenly D24 durian smooth creamy lava flowing out, this is enough to make any durian lover go crazy.  Le hubby love durian, he's gonna hate me if he sees this post.

But there's only one "complain" to this dessert - Why is it called Durian Tempura when the batter is not tempura?  From my humble knowledge, tempura is more "hole-ly" and the crispy batter used to enclose the durian cream is obviously more "solid".

Haahaahaaa..... my question caught the Chef!  He explained when this dessert was created, he couldn't find a suitable name for it, thought of "Durian Goreng" but it sounds like a street food lolxx....  Japan cuisine was a big trend in Malaysia at that time.  The term "Tempura" was easily understood as "fried", eg. Tempura Prawns = Fried Prawns.  Thus "Durian Tempura", for easy understanding.

So, although Durian Tempura is not a tempura, this remarkable dessert had won

5th Golden Chef Awards - Excellent Gold in July 2005.

Since then, it became Imperial Rama's signature dish where it's a MUST ORDER at every table.

This award winning dessert is tacky to prepare.  Only the best D24 durian are selected cos' it only takes one inferior piece to ruin the entire pot of durian cream.  Maintaining the freshness of the durian fillings is extremely challenging too.

King Luis's Ram Raisin Ice-Cream (not in menu)

King Luis did not eat Durian Tempura  (darn, I think give him dragon's meat he also don't know how to appreciate sia). Chef was so kind to prepare this Ram Raisin Ice Cream, just for him.   I was multi-tasking, talking, eating, taking photos, jotting down notes and when I turned to Luis, nothing's left in the ice cream bowl -____-|||

Me:  You never save some for mummy?!!

Luis:  Huh?  You never say you want....

Me: -____-  Nice or not baby?

Luis:  *nodding his head with a cheeky smile*

Chatting with Chef Eric Lee was relaxing as we conversate in cantonese ^^  Food tasting was more meaningful with Chef around, really appreciate his presence.

"对烹饪要有真诚的态度，任何地方都能成为美食梦想的城堡。" - Chef Eric Lee

Coming to the end of this food review, did you realise that I did not high-light any "highly recommended" dish?  Reason being I LOVE ALL the dishes that I had tasted!  All were extremely pleasing to my picky taste buds.

Imperial Rama, why you no open one in Singapore T_____T

Perhaps one day, I hope.  Meanwhile there's only one Imperial Rama Restaurant at Genting Highlands.

Imperial Rama Restaurant

2^nd Floor Maxims Genting
Lunch: 12.00 noon – 2.30 pm

Dinner: 6.00 pm – 9.30 pm

Contact & ReservationsGeneral Line    : +603 6101 1118 ext: 7855/ 7856
Dress Code: Formal or smart casual

Vegetarian dishes and take-aways are available.

www.rwgenting.com/en/fb/oriental/irama/index.htm