Good morning Genting!
It was 19°C that morning, 7.55am to be exact.
I put on my hoodie, my mum her denim jacket, and we sallied forth to Coffee Lounge at Maxims Genting Hotel for breakfast.
We passed by this restaurant the previous day, and I have been anticipating all night for this meal!
I’m soooo not a morning person, and I hate waking up early. Back at home in Singapore, I would skip breakfast and laze in bed all morning.
BUT I simply cannot resist good food. AND it certainly was worth the sleep deprivation. Wake me up any day for this. I will spring out of bed.
The buffet spread is wide-ranging: from Local Favourites to Nonya to Chinese to Western to Japanese to Indian –there’s something for everyone.
It’s always my inner curiosity taking over; I wanted to try every single item!
I think I need at least 3 trips down to be able to try everything – although my appetite is huge, it seems like the size of my stomach doesn’t correspond to the size of my appetite – but I think I fare better than most people.
For a regular stomach, you probably need 6 trips.
Check out their chefs’ profiles on Coffee Lounge’s website; their résumés are impressive!
The expansive and spacious dining area accommodates up to 600 diners –the largest dining outlet at the resort.
Surprise, surprise. We spotted a clown outside Coffee Terrace. We couldn’t resist taking pictures with him! He is such a comical, wacky fellow. He exchanged air kisses with Joyce’s mummy!!!!!!
Don’t you steal my lollipop!!!!
Our host, Casey, was delighted to bump into him!
We took a stroll around the resort with our satiated tummies, waiting for our food to settle down and digest before heading to the theme park.
There are carnival games, indoors! I’m quite bad at these. It would be a huge feat if I managed to win one of these cute cuddly stuffed toys.
Mum was in Genting two weeks prior to this visit for a business trip. She visited a site – the verdant area in the picture – that is envisioned for development. Condominiums are pictured to sprout in the next few years. She went all bright-eyed when she discovered a perfect unobstructed view of the site from our hotel.
Mum said, ‘People are always talking about global warming but we don’t feel it in Genting at all. How nice if we can own an apartment up here, and always enjoying the nice cool weather.’
I have a task after this: to send her pictures for her reference.
Why is she still thinking about work during our vacation? LOL.
The workaholic in her was then subdued when it was time to head to the THEME PARK!!!
YAY! Wrist-banded upon entry. The entry pass entitles us to exit and re-enter both the indoor and outdoor theme parks throughout the entire day!
The weather is like having air-conditioning outdoors.
Standing amidst clouds!
Mum remarked, ‘we don’t need to run away from the heat in our tropical climate, to other countries that are in winter. Rather than taking long flights, Genting is just a few hours drive from Singapore.’
Eating freshly steamed sweet potatoes in the cold weather is extremely comforting, and nostalgic for some.
YAY candies for me. I bought the purple Mickey-shaped grape-flavoured lollipop. This wasn’t the only candy I bought.
Mummies’ eyes gleamed when they chanced upon the Roasted Chestnut stall. They bought some to share. Freshly roasted, charred and aromatic.
Daughters’ eyes gleamed when they saw the map of the theme park –we couldn’t wait to try the rides!
I love this ride. I have a phobia of heights, but this wasn’t too petrifying for me. If you’ve watched the video I took, you’ve probably heard me (and others) screaming. It was fun!
We headed for a slow leisure ride on a ‘caterpillar’ monorail.
It was hilarious when the girls attempted to give their mums the heebie-jeebies by tricking them into thinking we’re on our way to plummet down a roller-coaster track.
The 20-minute ride took us on a tour around the theme park, and into the mall where the indoor theme park is.
(Picture of the indoor roller coaster from a shopper’s view)
Joyce and I tried this indoor roller coaster ride too!!
We enjoyed the bird’s eye view of the mall from the monorail, peaking into the shops and food stalls, observing what they’re doing behind the counters. Hee hee.
Nobody is too old to have fun!
Mum and I hopped on the flying elephant ride, similar to this spaceship/aeroplane ride.
Each craft accommodates two –just nice for mum and me! Equipped with a controller button, we can control the vertical motion of the craft. We’re not too good at it though; the flying elephant turned out to be bumping up and down uncontrollably! It was fun nonetheless.
What an experience! Our second attempt would probably fare better, but due to time constraints, we didn’t go for a second round.
On the first day in Genting, I bought a Cookie Crumble Frappaccino from Starbucks, and by good fortune I was a random winner of a free drink. All I had to do was to answer some simple questions (more of a survey) and I’m all ready to claim my free drink!
Oh I don’t really dare to head outdoors when it’s so misty. Brrrrrr.
It is just cloud, but it sure is cold for me (cooling for most).
Mum made me stand out in the cold for a picture. Meanie. Ran back indoors after this picture :D
A couple more clowns spotted, entertaining the crowd with balloon twisting.
Mr Clown struck out at me with his air-filled ‘sword’ when I was trying to take a picture. Gave me a shock!
He came a step closer and lightly tugged at my camera strap.
To be frank, I was so afraid my camera would magically disappear in his possession.
Nope it didn’t happen, but there’s no harm done being cautious. He twisted a balloon sculpture onto my camera strap –which I spent some time untwisting it with much wary, so afraid that it would burst.
I then re-twisted it onto my mum’s arm. :P
It is dinnertime!
Dinner was at Happy Valley Seafood Restaurant.
The restaurant serves up Chinese-style dishes in a cosy environment –kinda old-school-vibe, kinda nostalgic.
They are known for their signature seafood dishes; the display aquaria lets you can admire live marine fishes that will soon be on your dinner table.
Four Combinations
For starters, we had the Four Combinations comprising octopus, snail, chicken salad and deep-fried seafood roll.
I dived straight into the deep-fried yumminess. After that was being wiped out, I went for the chicken salad. I’m not a fan of the snails but it was one of the highly favoured items at the table!
Vege Shark Fin Crabmeat Soup
Plain Poach Prawn
Plain Poach Prawn arrived as unadulterated as it can be –that way we can taste the clean and fresh-tasting goodness of the ocean.
Mummies can help to peel the shells for the girls; sometimes it’s the other way round. The prawns were wiped out real quickly!
Steam Groupa
Fried Rice
Most of the girls are not huge fans of carbohydrates, neither is my mum. Not a problem. I helped to eat most of it! Yummmmm…
Combinations of Roasted and Steamed Duck
The highlight for me is this poultry dish, ironically.
Duck done two ways: roasted and steamed. I can’t decide which one I prefer.
Either way, both boast tender meat that didn’t require gruelling chewing.
Sliced Sea Cucumber and Clam
Oh I love the sliced sea cucumber.
The clams were highly sought after!
This plate was emptied the quickest.
Pancake
I love this dessert, and so does Joyce! Crispy-thin pancake comes with a creamy red-bean filling. I would like another serving please!
Sea Coconut
The Sea Coconut makes an appropriate dessert to end our seafood feast. It is cold, light, and sufficiently but not too sweet.
Joyce’s and Grace’s mummies were contemplating making this at home! It is a great dessert to enjoy while watching television.
After dinner, it was Sam Hui’s concert.
The Hong Kong veteran cantopop singer stole the hearts of almost 6,000 audiences that night, when he zestfully rocked the stage and sang his heart out, full of emotions, with a mix of pop-rock and slow songs.
His impromptu duet with guests heightened the atmosphere, with groupies vying to get on stage.
He ended the night after several encores.
Although we girls are not MEGA-huge fans of him (my Cantonese dictionary consists of only two phrases), we enjoyed the company of our mums and atmosphere of the concert.
Cameras are not allowed in the concert premises, thus the lack of pictures. On a positive note, we girls had the privilege of having a picture taken together with Sam Hui!
Here are the pictures from the official photographers at the concert:
Sam Hui, us, and a few media friends from Malaysia.
Video of Day 2 and 3: https://melicacy.com/?p=3874
Check out the video of Day 1 here: https://melicacy.com/?p=3871
Check out my review of Genting Palace Restaurant here: https://melicacy.com/?p=3856
And Ming Ren Restaurant here: https://melicacy.com/?p=3864
Thanks Resorts World Genting for sponsoring this trip, and Omy.sg for the partnership with RWG.