Restoran Fong Lum @ Brinchang Town, Cameron Highlands

When you are at Brinchang town, you will notice that most of the shops here are occupied by restaurant. Too many choices pose a problem too, because it would mean that we need to choose, hoping that the place is right for us to have our meal.

No prior experience nor any recommendation, but we chose Restoran Fong Lum as our place to have our late lunch.

Restoran Fong Lum, Brinchang

It was a quarter after three by the time we were seated. There were just a few table occupied, hence our food should be serve faster to heal our hungry stomach.

Layout of the restaurant

Chinese tea

Don't be deceived by the weather of Cameron Highlands as the sunlight there can be very unforgiving. After soaking under the immense heat of the sunlight especially at Sungei Palas, it's good to chill with some beers.

Chilling with beer

We were persuaded by the attendant to take the steamboat but we ended up ordering fried noodles and some ala carte dishes as we thought that steamboat in the noon time is a little awkward.

Fried Rice (RM 20 for large)
I have no idea on which style it was fried but all I can say is that it tasted bland and wok hei was missing! It lacks the accompaniment ingredients such as meat, prawn and anchovies as well.

Braised Yee Mee (RM 20 for large)
Whilst the taste fare better than the fried rice, it however tasted too pepperish. Should be labeled as pepper yee mee instead.

Fried Hokkien Style (RM 20 for large)
This would be the most decent fried noodles amongst the mentioned one. Texture of the noodle were just nice, neither too soggy or hard and the presence of wok hei can be tasted. Could taste better should it consist more pork lard.

Hot Plate Bean Curd (RM 22 for large)
Served on a sizzling plate, it was prepared by using Japanese tofu and other condiments such as meat, prawn and vegetables. The taste could kill me because it was freaking salty! Man, it was torturous to my taste bud.

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables (RM 18 for large)
Labeled as Four Heavenly Vegetables, it consisted of 4 different type of vegetables being stir fried together with sambal belacan. Vegetables used here were eggplant, lady fingers, Cameron asparagus and French beans. They prepared this decently and needless to say more. this was my favourite dish amongst the dishes for the lunch.

The total bill for the lunch came to RM 111 inclusive of the tea but not the beer. I thought it was on the expensive side considering the type of food that we had for lunch. Maybe I could have felt better should the food tasted better, but I am not so going to revisit this place unless all the restaurants in Brinchang close down.

Atmosphere: 6/10
Food: 4.5/10
Price: 4/10
Verdict: More misses than hits and the price do no justice to the very average food that we had.

Restoran Fong Lum
Brinchang Town Shoplots
Cameron Highlands
Pahang
Malaysia
Business hours: Opens for lunch to dinner

Dragon-i Restaurant La Mian @ Sunway Pyramid

One of the premium Chinese restaurant that I liked to patronize is Dragon-i Restaurant. The name of the restaurant itself already sounded premium, even more premium when it is called in Chinese, Long Tik Chuen Yan, which literally means authentic Chinese.

Dragon-I Restaurant which serves authentic Shanghainese cuisines can be located in almost every major complexes in Klang Valley. They even have branches in Penang as well, at Queensbay Mall and The Gurney Plaza respectively. Since my house is in Sunway, I'd always tend to patronize this branch more often than other branches. Recently, I was there for a revisit of their food.

Dragon-i Restaurant

With the premium name, it is no surprise to see that they really set the place perfectly to a resemblance of authentic Chinese settings.

Welcoming oriental Chinese ambiance

Steamed Peanuts (RM 2)
Soft, mushy and flavourful, it can be pretty addictive.

Steamed Meat Dumpling (RM 9 per set of 4)
Known as "Siu Long Pao" in Chinese, each of the dumpling consisted of pork meat infused with their flavourful soup within. First bite will result in the soup bursting out in your mouth and instantly accompanied by the sweetness of it. A signature dish of theirs, I'd always enjoy eating them because they were freshly prepared and were served steaming hot. However, on my previous visit, the dumpling served was rather cold, thanks to the peak hours during the weekends.

Dragon-i are also well-known for their homemade noodles. Called the la mian, it literally means "pulled noodles", because the noodles are prepared by constant pulling and stretching from the fresh dough until they were shaped into noodles form.

As the la mian were only prepared upon each order, it resulted to a very smooth and springy texture. And, the length of each of the noodle were almost endless, so it is good to request for a cut on the la mian.

La Mian with Braised Pork Rib (RM 15)
The soup tasted very porky with a rich flavour coming from the braised pork rib. As for the pork rib, it was very tender and their meat were well infused with their aromatic braised seasoning.

Fried La Mian with Black Pepper Chicken (RM 15)
Tasted decent with slight hint of wok hei but I'd prefer it to be heavier flavoured with black pepper.

And as for the desserts,

Glutinous Rice Ball in Mango Juice with Extra Mango (RM 10)
The mango juice came in the form of shaved ice, offering a very smooth and cooling experience of enjoying the dessert. However, I was really disappointed with their glutinous rice ball that was as hard as a fried squid.

So I complained about the glutinous rice ball to an attendant and he promised me to replace me with a new one. Shortly, he came back with the same old bowl telling me that the glutinous rice ball were pre-prepared that were supposed to in such state because it was included together when the dessert was chilled in the fridge. I told him on my previous experience at other branch, it was not supposed to be like this. Then he told me that he has changed those glutinous rice ball for me.

As I thought everything was fine, the glutinous rice ball appeared to still be in a sorry state. I really wondered do they really has changed them or merely just taking the bowl in and out. So I called the attendant again, and proved to him the glutinous ball were still as hard by poking them with the spoon but yet it is impenetrable. So he went away again with my bowl of dessert and to the kitchen reception counter, conveying my problem to them.

Then suddenly, I heard the lady cashier shouting at the attendant. Since I was seated quite near to the counter, she shouted " What's the fuss? Just ask him (referring to me) to eat the glutinous ball. Tell him the glutinous ball is like that, eat it or leave it." I seriously felt pissed after hearing that. What? You are telling me that the glutinous ball should be as hard as the squid? Are you kidding me? What's with that kinda attitude when all I demand was just a decent glutinous ball. If you tell me the glutinous ball should be as hard as the squid, then please include them in your description of the menu. Else, I just don't buy that!

So I complained her attitude to a female captain and she apologized on her behalf. Then came another lady attendant which apologized on her behalf also. I was told that rude lady was having her bad day, but my reply to them was "You guys are in the customer service industry. No matter how, when, or what, you guys should always serve with a smile and pride". At the end, I was given a complimentary of another dessert.

Mango Sorbet with Pamelo Pulps (RM 12)
Still another mango dessert, but this one is slightly more expensive. The mango sorbet were smooth and well infused with the mango juice. Pamelo pulps provided some extra tanginess to the dessert, making it a better kick!

I am still satisfied with their food minus the slightly colder dumpling. However, I told myself not to visit this Sunway branch anymore for the unprofessionalism shown in resolving customers issue. It's a shame to the rude cashier lady for humiliating herself and tarnishing the good images of Dragon-i Restaurant, particularly for the Sunway Pyramid branch.

I BANNED SUNWAY PYRAMID BRANCH Dragon-i Restaurant!!

Steamed Meat Dumpling: 6.5/10 (non-halal)

La Mian with Braised Pork Rib: 7/10 (non-halal)
Fried La Mian with Black Pepper Chicken: 6/10
Glutinious Rice Ball in Mango Juice: 4/10
Mango Sorbet with Pamelo Pulps: 6.5/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Price: 4/10
Verdict: Their authentic Chinese food is pretty good but it came with a more expensive price tag. Do visit other branches, but not the Sunway Pyramid branch!

Dragon - i Restaurant (SP) Sdn Bhd
G1.43, Ground Floor
Sunway Pyramid
3, Jalan PJS 11/15
Bandar Sunway,46150
Petaling Jaya, Selagor
Malaysia
Tel: 03 - 7492 3688
Fax: 03 - 7492 3988
http://www.dragon-i.com.my/

Melaka A'Famosa Resort @ Alor Gajah, Melaka [20th Mar 2010]

I'm sure many would have heard about A Famosa Resort, an integrated resorts that provide accommodation, leisure and entertainment for those that seek a breakaway from the routines of life.

Back during the March MATTA fair, me and Chee were attracted to the promotional booth by A Famosa Resorts. The promotion was that the villas were going at RM 180 nett per villa. Since we have yet to experience the resorts since it's inception, we bought a night of staying over at the villa without having any confirmed attendee. Melaka isn't too far away, so we thought there should not be any problem finding some holiday troopers.

Main entrance of A Famosa Resorts

However, during the very last week before the trip, we were still unable to find party troopers to accommodate the trip. Whilst there were some in the pending list, however many pulled out at the last minute resulting to a final number of 5 person which included my both parents.

Upon reaching the main gate of the resorts, we were halted by the security guard to collect the security pass.

To collect a pass when enter, return when out

Security pass

After collected the pass, we thought our villa would be just a stone throw away. So wrong we were, that we actually need to drive to the other end of the resorts where our villa was located. The road signage was not helpful either, we went to the wrong site twice before finally reaching the villa check in site, after some 30 minutes of driving.

Our villa check in site

We were told that the villa would be available only at 4pm. The clock was showing only 2.30pm. It left us thinking on what to do next. To travel to Melaka town would take at least 45 minutes of drive, not a very feasible choice. So in the end, we choose to explore what do the resorts got to offer.

Initially, we thought of taking the bus provided by the resort. However, we were told that a person will be charged RM 1 for each ride. Their each ride is not on a daily passport basis but merely from location to location. Making things worse, those buses interval are not fixed and on the best estimation of time. That seriously puts us off, no choice, but to drive then!

Our first stop, were the sporting site of the resorts. It offer paintball, archery range, go-kart, and horse riding. Though it was on a Saturday noon, the site were rather like a deserted zombie area. There were only us and those facilities complex were seen vacant as well.

The sporting site of A Famosa Resorts

There is nothing that really wow us at the site. Fortunately, there is a little horse farm which provide us some sights of different species of horse.

Different species of horse

Guess who the baby horse fancied more?

And yes, they do have a semi working tank lied at the sporting site. Perhaps, to create more awareness of the sporting site?

Semi-working tank

Next stop, we went to a site by a river which lied the fishing and paddle boat activities site.

Resorts Fishing & Paddleboat site

The charges

Again, there were no one else at the site during our time of visit apart from the five of us. Seriously, the surrounding was so quiet that you could actually hear the noises of the breeze and the flowing river clearly.

Panoramic view of the river/pond

Fancied paddling some boat?

Lovey Dovey

My parents

With my both parents

The time was showing 3.30pm and we decided to pay a visit to the resorts self-proclaimed renowned A Famosa Water World and Animal Safari World.

Main entrance to the A Famosa water and safari world

I seriously do not understand why is there a need to charge parking fee of RM 3 per entry of each car knowing the fact that there were already entrance charges to both of the worlds. Not wanting to pay that unnecessary parking fee, we opted to park our car by the roadside, before the entrance to the world. We then walked towards the deeper part of the world.

Wild-wild west theme

Elephant by the road

Layout of the A Famosa Resorts

Charges for the entrance fee

The foyer, sitting area

Entrance to the Water World park

A Famosa Animal World Safari

We wanted to check out the hoo-haa of their renowned Water World Park. I was thinking maybe the water world deserves some credit and I don't mind including them in my blog to promote their famous ride. So we proceeded to the counter to seek permission of entering the Water World Park with the aim of sharing our sighting experience with our friends and close ones. Our wish was simple, were to have look around on what do the water park has to offer.

We were then being attended by this Audit manager called Mr Jayacandran. He attended us, telling that we need to purchase the ticket in order to seek entrance. While I understand the need to buy a ticket if we were to use their facilities, but hey, all we want is just to survey what it has to offer. After much discussion, he asked me to wait by the counter while he seek his supervisor for permission. 20 minutes passed by, no news from him nor even his shadow. My patience was running out, so I asked the counter desk officer to give him a ring. And only then, I was being informed that the Audit manager could not grant us the access to the Water World park. Whilst I don't blame him for not being able to grant us the access, the part where he let us, the potential customer waited like dumbo seriously challenged our dignity and intelligence. Was it so hard to just walk out and inform us that the granting the access is not possible? If I don't seek the desk officer to give him a ring, I can assure that he would just expect us to go off and forget about it. Mr Jayachandran, you only make a shame of yourself and the possibility of incurring potential losses to your company due to your unprofessional code of conducts. Audit manager, what a joke! Worst ever customer service experienced ever, a disgrace to the managerial team of A Famosa Resort!

Crappy customer service at the A Famosa Water World Park. Two thumbs down!

After that, we headed back to our villa which were already ready to be checked in. Another plain dumb system here. There was only one lane provided for the entry and exit to the villa compound. As a result, car need to wait for each other should their is a coincidentally of two cars coming from different direction.

Plain dumb lane system

Checking in hours at the villas

Our private villa

The street

Resemblance of gated community town house

Time to have a look at the private villa. Comes with 3 bedrooms , 2 bathrooms, a large area of living room and a pretty sizable dining area. The kitchen were huge too, but a let down, because no cooking were allowed, another crappy regulation here. It was fully air-conditioned and the television were equipped with Astro facilities, offering some basic channels, ESPN and Astro Wah Lai Toi.

The area and facilities in the villa

Master bedroom with an attached bathroom

What appeal to us most while at the promotional booth was the private pool being offered by the villa. It was located at the backyard of the private villa. However, the pool did not appeared to be in a very inviting state, neither of us went for a dip.

Private pool at the backyard

Machine acting as a filter?

Fast forward it was the night time. By the time I reached villa, it was already 2.30am. Everyone were already sleeping except my mum and Chee. And. it was great to have a little catch up session with this college buddy of mine. Shuet Yan who opted to stay a night at our villa.

Thanks buddy for bringing me around! Great to see you again=)

The next morning, we checked out at 12am before headed to Seremban for lunch.

We needed to wait for some moment as those facilitator need to check the state of our villa to ensure everything is in the good state..

Coffee house at the check out site

Some different private villa

5ive is the number

Out of all the facilities offered, we are most satisfied with the accommodation, the private villa. The wide span of the private villa was huge and could easily accommodate more than 10 people. However, the private villa is located rather secluded deep in the resorts and it took us at least 45 minutes of drive to Malacca town. This make this resort not a very feasible choice for those who plan to venture more in the town. Other than having a relaxing breakaway at the resort, I could not think of other selling point of the resort.

And our verdict? Won't be back here anytime soon unless they came up something really amazing or offer some free villas to us, which we might think twice first too. For sure, the integrated resorts did not lived up to it's billings. More complaints than compliments indeed.

A Famosa Resort Hotel Malaysia
Jalan Kemus, Simpang Empat
Alor Gajah, 78000
Melaka
Malaysia
Tel: 03 0 2781 8888 (Reservation), 03 - 2781 8833 (Contract Department)
Fax: 03- 2781 8822
Email: enquiries@afamosa.com