Imperial Rama & Strawberry Park @ Genting Highlands

 

If you're looking for a twist of Chinese cuisine indulgence, then head over to Imperial Rama Restaurant located at Highlands Hotel, Genting. This is a fine dining restaurant specialising in Thai-Chinese cuisine. Quite a unique food genre, don't you think so?

The interior of Imperial Rama is elegant, contemporary and luxurious. There were fine ornaments, beautiful wall paintings and intricately carved Chinese and Thai partitions for more privacy during dining. The place is spacious and it offers a very comfortable dining ambiance.

 

 

"Shaggy" Mushroom with Truffle Oil Salad

 Interesting to see salad being introduced to the menu of this restaurant. Very delicious and the truffle oil is subtle.

 

Lily Bulbs with Emperor Sprout Orange Salad

There's something enchanting about this salad. No, it's not the pretty flowers that adorned the dish, it's the ingredients. Who would have thought that the Emperor Sprout can create such an appetising salad? I love the crunchy sprouts and that little orange zest that gives the salad a lift in taste. It's citrusy and refreshing. A good start to what followed.

Thai Fish Crackers

The Thai Fish Crackers is not like the prawn crackers that you see in your rojak platter. This Thai Fish crackers are imported and they are so fluffy and crispy. The sauce is like a rojak based sauce with some spiciness and sesame seeds with roughly grounded peanuts. I wished I had some beer to go with these addictive crackers.

Twin Flavour King Prawns

There's two different ways being used to prepared this dish. One side of the king prawn has been fried and coated with Salted Egg Yolk and the other side was baked in Cheese. The dilemma I faced is which to eat first? I ate the cheese first as I think that the salted egg yolk will have a heavier taste and thus should be taken last. I really enjoyed the salted egg yolk prawn as it is crispy on the outside and full of flavour while taken together with the succulent tiger prawn flesh.

Stewed Chicken Essence Soup

Perhaps one of the best dish that I had that afternoon was this humble bowl of chicken soup. Yes, it's just a bowl of chicken soup but the work that goes into making this is no less than ordinary. The chicken meat is blended into fine paste and then steamed and cooked together with the chicken essence. All the goodness in a bowl. The piece of mashed chicken meat is a pleasure to the palate too. One more bowl please?!!

Australian Abalone braised in Curry Sauce

When I saw the Abalone covered with curry sauce, I asked myself - "Are you kidding me?" Curry with Abalone? Really? To my surprise, it turned out pretty well. The curry is not too spicy but more like a tomato based puree with some spices. The taste blends very well with the abalone and on the sides, you'll get the pickled cucumbers and carrots. Very creative indeed.

Steamed Marble Goby Fish with Crispy Ginger and Garlic

This is one of the dish that is a favourite among the Chinese diners. The Marble Goby Fish is known for its smooth flesh and it's luxurious price. The best way to fully savour this fish is by steaming it and maintaining it's natural tastes. The chef uses crispy ginger and garlic in this dish to get rid of the fishy scent and it's indeed a very wonderful piece of fish.

Pork Ribs topped with Blackcurrant Sauce

I believe every 8-10 course Chinsese dinner will not end until you get a dose of carbo. In this case, the carbo is very minimal. The highlight was the pork ribs that was cooked with blackcurrant sauce that makes it sweet and honeyed-like. Too bad I was offered a small piece because it's really delicious. I love that tenderness of the meat coupled with the sweet sauce. On the side, there's a bit of rice cooked with crabmeat and topped with dry scallop flakes.

Durian Tempura with Lemongrass Jelly

If you don't take Durians for whatever reasons, you'll have to take this dessert. There were a few of us who doesn't consume durians for its not-so-pleasant-smell reasons but ended up giving this dessert a try. It's really delicious and the smell wasn't too pungent as well. I think this is worth trying and the lemongrass jelly will help you to digest better after all the food.

Must Eat @ Imperial Rama

That's why it isn't a surprise to see  Imperial Rama bagging so many awards at the MIGF 2011. Some of these awards include Most Outstanding Cuisine, Most Outstanding Appetiser and Most Outstanding Dessert!

Imperial Rama's culinary masterpiece combines the delicate finesse of Chinese creations with the flamboyant, appetising flavours of Thai cuisine to create that distinctive dining experience. Their secret to such dazzling cuisine is its balance of two cultures that inspire the dishes. The chef himself is a very friendly guy whom is not afraid to share his experiences with us. It was indeed a very fun afternoon at the restaurant.

Imperial Rama

Level 2, Highlands Hotel

Website

Lunch (Daily)
12.00 noon - 2.30pm

Dinner (Daily)
6.00pm - 9.30pm

We had so much to eat during lunch that we really need some exercise!

  

 We took the Genting Skyway and headed down to Goh Tong Jaya to visit the Strawberry Park!

  

It's our first time visiting the Strawberry Park at Genting as we all didn't know that this place existed. Well, I'm glad that now I do. All you need to do is to wait for the shuttle of this Strawberry Park at the entrance of the Genting Skyway and it'll take you to the park directly.

Huai Bin had a good time snacking on the strawberries at the farm. I think he easily gobbled 4 or 5 of them?!! At the same time, you can also buy some fresh produce there such as mushrooms, vegetables and fruit jams.

  

 If you like flowers, there's flowers to pose with such as roses and morning glory.

They make beautiful background don't they?

At last, one picture to show how happy we were!