Dinetopia @ Grand Ion Delemen Hotel, Genting Highlands

Promising a "360-degree cinematic dining experience," Grand Ion Delemen Hotel's Dinetopia takes customers behind closed doors for a kaleidoscopic swirl to pair with a memorable meal - it's one of Genting Highlands' most captivating F&B offerings, a vivid voyage to excite the senses beyond taste.

Dinetopia makes for a very special outing, a utopian union of art, gastronomy and technology at Grand Ion Delemen.

Dinetopia exclusively serves a four-course meal, four times a day (once for lunch and three times for dinner), seating 64 persons per session. Stroll past the waterfall and be escorted into a room dimly lit by light projections, introducing you to a video menu that ebbs and flows to jump-start this impressively immersive eating escapade.

Soon after we were seated for our visit, the music kicked off, the projections brightened, with ethnic Indian-inspired motifs in the animations spread throughout our tables and walls, plus a brief live performance of an Indian dance while our starters were being served. The cultural perspective complements the culinary, since Dinetopia strives to reinterpret Malaysian and Asian favourites through a contemporary lens.

Our first course comprised Asian-style ceviche of fresh baby abalone on glass vermicelli noodles, sharpened with torch ginger flower on a bed of sashimi-style shiso leaf, balancing briny and herbaceous notes, with crushed nuts cutting through for crunch. Wash this down with some Thai green tea with zesty lime peel for a cool-and-hot contrast of dynamics.

Next up, our Pakistani chicken yakhni soup is served with experimental inventiveness, with capsules of coriander and chilli oil atop blue sea salt for Persian-inflected pleasure. Yakhni is slow-cooked soup, so the broth is bold, robust and complex enough even on its own without the pretty seasonings.

Before the main course, the scenery changed, spiriting us away to a Malay village house, dressed up at night with festive ornaments, a beautiful backdrop for kebaya-clad ladies in their traditional dance.

Of the two main course possibilities, we selected the seared Atlantic salmon, grilled to gorgeous succulence, its flesh tender to the touch of the fork, yielding within a smoky, crisp skin. The fish is partnered with exquisite renditions of Malay staples, such as local glutinous black rice, vegetables in mildly sweet sambal, and a dollop of spicy-smooth coconut cream, like a fine-dining upgrade of ikan masak kuah. But if salmon is not your speed, you might prefer pan-seared Black Angus rib eye steak.

The final change of pace occurs with a burst of 'gushing' water, as we're plunged 'underwater,' swimming with the fishes as Chinese-style cheongsam-donning dancers showcase their skills - dessert is ready to be served!

The sweet conclusion is the mango panna cotta, silky but made textured with berries, chewy sago pearls and a crisp tuille vying for your taste buds' attention, crafted lovingly for dessert admirers.

Here's more information:

Dinetopia
Level 9, Tower 7, Grand Ion Delemen Hotel, Genting Highlands, 69000 Pahang.
Price: RM399 nett per person
Sessions: 12.30pm, 5.45pm, 7.15pm, 8.45pm
Reserve a seat via the hotel's website or call 03-6433-2200 (Ext 8290 / 8123)

Promotion – 2nd pax 50% off till 15 Dec 2019
Key in [2ND50] when reserving to enjoy the promo and [Air Asia BIG ID] to collect 888 points.

Wine pairings for each course are available at an additional RM175 per pax.

Cocktails, mocktails, beverages, petit fours and sliced cakes of the day are also offered.

Many thanks to Grand Ion Delemen Hotel for having us.
Selected photos in this post are courtesy of Grand Ion Delemen Hotel.

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Fairy Tales @ Grand Ion Delemen Hotel, Genting Highlands

Once upon a time, on a highland not far away, lovers of princely, charming teatime temptations live happily ever after with roses on the wall, greenery beneath their feet, and a clear ceiling with a view of the pristine skies. 

Fairy Tales do come true after all at Grand Ion Delemen Hotel's fantasy-land rooftop cafe, perfect for Tinkerbells and Titanias who soar to the slopes of Genting Highlands.

Perched on the seventh floor of Grand Ion Delemen Hotel, Fairy Tales is uniquely positioned as a whimsical venue with a picnic-like setting, with a touch of extra elegance on the tables. If you're spending the afternoon on Genting Highlands - or considering a cheerful weekend retreat - this cafe could be a cool choice for hanging out with your favourite people.

The Afternoon Tea sets are the ideal introduction to Fairy Tales - each set costs RM114 nett, suitable for two persons to share. There are three varieties for these sets: The first is the Sweet set, with a medley of macarons, berry pavlova, cupcakes, triple chocolate cakes, velvet cheese tarts and scones - irresistible for Queens of Hearts who crave some tarts.

Alternatively, you can select the Savoury set, comprising egg sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, smoked salmon quiche, mushroom bruschetta, and sausage puffs - perhaps for patrons in pursuit of a late, light lunch.

Prefer both sweet and savoury? Pastry pleasure, finely crafted, can be found in the Sweet & Savoury set, with velvet cheese tarts sharing the trays with smoked chicken quiche, with open egg sandwiches and tomato bruschetta emerging together with macarons and scones. The scones prove particularly lovely, with a fresh, crumbly chew and subtle sweetness.

Each set is accompanied by Pickwick, the Netherlands' largest tea brand. We opted for the soothing chamomile infusion, from a list that includes the aromatic allure of Black English tea, Earl Grey tea, and a mix of green tea with lemon.

You can even linger on for an evening of enchantment, since Fairy Tales also serves five-course, six-course and seven-course dinners, perfect to celebrate special occasions such as birthday parties, wedding anniversaries, product launches and corporate events.

We continued to stay on at Grand Ion Delemen Hotel's one-bedroom suite, enjoying a beautiful vista of Genting Highlands.

Grand Ion Delemen Hotel guests also have complimentary access to a heated swimming pool, as well as a shuttle bus service to and from SkyAvenue shopping mall, 9am till midnight.

Fairy Tales
Level 7, Grand Ion Delemen Hotel, Genting Highlands, 69000 Pahang. Daily, 1pm-11pm.
View full menu and reserve a seat: www.iondelemenhotels.com/eat-drink

Selected photos in this post are courtesy of Grand Ion Delemen Hotel. Many thanks to Grand Ion Delemen Hotel for having us here.

MIGF: Imperial Rama & Onsemiro

Let's look East for this MIGF installment, checking out Chinese cuisine at Genting Highlands' Imperial Rama and Korean at The Intermark KL's Onsemiro.

First up, Imperial Rama, where the four-course MIGF menu kicks off with a duo of lobster preparations, one chilled with ebiko and the other warmed up with asparagus and mushrooms. Both mighty fine, especially for crustacean enthusiasts.

Double-boiled guinea fowl soup, thick with traditional herbs to keep things flavorful.

Fish and fowl meet: baked sturgeon with duck roll. Playfully surprising, the sweet-glazed fish tastes like char siew, while the crispy roll is evocative of curry puffs.

Wrapping up with more Chinese decadence: cold bird's nest with pear and avocado puree. Sure, it's not the most adventurous of desserts, but it's really refreshing.

The MIGF menu here costs RM238++ for food. Quite a sum for a modest-looking four courses, but components like lobster and bird's nest are inescapably expensive.

An extra RM100++ provides three glasses of wine (prosecco, chablis and moscato). Thanks to Genting's Resorts World for inviting us for this complimentary tasting.

Tea and after-meal grappa is also included in the menu ...

... as well as a cool traveling kit of metal chopsticks and cutlery.

Keen on somewhere closer to the city center? Onsemiro is one option, bringing Korean recipes for the first time into the Malaysian International Gourmet Festival.

Starters here comprise crisp, cold bites, like a Korean-style seafood salad in mustard vinegar, as well as a veggie spring roll stuffed with crab meat and soy bean paste ...

... plus sweet-spicy seasoned abalone with rice noodles and a hot bowl of porridge brimming with chicken, chestnuts, dates, gingko and ginseng.

Onsemiro's bibimbap is satisfactory, vibrantly flavored with beef and egg, both raw, to be mixed with mushrooms, veggies and red pepper paste.

We love the pollack-and-tofu soup, as delicious as broths get. All the essential side dishes are offered too, including lotus roots, mung bean starch jelly and white kimchi.

Beef chuck flap tail and short ribs, juicily grilled at the table over Oakwood charcoal and served with a dipping sauce that features no less than 50 secret ingredients.

Service at Onsemiro is gracious and exceptionally accommodating; we only ordered and paid for one MIGF set to share between two of us, but the manager insisted on pouring us two servings of wine to pair with our meal instead of one. Much appreciated.

Love the desserts: persimmon sorbet, made with 100 percent naturally ripened fruit that supplies a honeyed pulpiness, as well as sweet rice cakes and cinnamon fruit punch.

Onsemiro's full MIGF menu costs RM198++ without wine, RM298++ with.

Imperial Rama,

Highlands Hotel, Genting Highlands.

Tel: 03-6105-9663

Onsemiro,

Second Floor, The Intermark Mall, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2161-2461