Gastroliterary 28: Coffee Terrace

A great welcome of the new year of 2006.
On the New Year's day of 2006, there was a delightful opportunity of visiting Coffee Terrace situated at Genting Hotel. It is a newly renovated buffet restauratant, stocking an array of international cuisine and local favourites; and an interesting modern decor for an exceptional dining experience.

Prices is RM58 for an adult and RM 29 for children and senior citizens. I did not realise that Malaysia does care for their senior citizens, perhaps a little more than the ageing Singapore. However, customers are required to pay first before entering their restaurant, an exotic phenomenon.

Food: 7.5
The food array was exceptional. It has a whole range of international cuisine including local delights. The variety of food was so great that unless you are a sumo-eater, trying out every single item is an impossible task. Credits however, have to be given to their Hainan chicken rice. The sauces along with the condiments complimented with the rice and chicken very well. It can simply surpass most chicken rice of Singapore. On a second note, it seems that Singapore prides Hainan chicken rice as its local dish and so does Malaysia, so who can rightfully claim the ownership?














Anyway, there was Western, Chinese, Japanese and Indian culinary cuisine, including pastry, fruits and ice-cream. There was great satay, a truly Malaysian food and sashimi was fresher than the average buffet table. Quality of food, in generic terms were average but quantity should scored a high point.
Service: 6.5
The service provided was quite ambiguous. We were welcomed in warmly, with New Year well wishes but upon ordering of some alcohol, the staff were quite clueless about certain request made. And customers are made to pay immediately. Some of the staff were polite and plates were cleared promptly but it would be great to improve in some areas like serving coffee or tea with more eagerness. However, it provided an ugly contrast with the general service outside of this restaurant; poor, most of the time. Staff talked amount themselves and there were, in some cases, absolutely no smiles on the faces, only agony.

Ambience: 8
The inner decoration was great. With a touch of the zen concept, modernity, and interesting art works, it was a wonderful place to chill out, even though it was the hectic buffet restaurant.















Overall: 7.5
A very agreeable place for a wonderful buffet that does not cost a lot. Definitely a place where value counts a great deal. Just take note of the recently introduced of charging a 10% service charge and 5% tax in most restaurants, which make travelling to Malaysia a less economical place to visit.