Back in October last year, we visited this beautiful resort in Ipoh - The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat to attend a special event called "Some Like it Green by Madame Lawrence Aboucaya" where we were exposed to delicious, vegetarian organic cuisine. We were also invited to stay the night in one of their gorgeous villas which I shall blog about soon.
Since we arrived around noon, we went straight to The Pomelo Restaurant for lunch. Diners get the choice of sitting in the main dining area or one of the gazebos out front. We picked a spot in the main dining area but with a view of the herb garden and the limestone caves. Have to say it was a beautiful view.
Main dining area
Gazebos
Facing the limestone caves and herb garden
The restaurant's name is inspired by the pom! elo frui t, that Tambun, Ipoh (where the resort is located) is famous for.The Pomelo serves spa cuisine, hence food here is lighter and healthier i.e. low fat, low salt and low cholesterol Their cooking philosophy here is S.L.O.W. (Seasonal, Low-Fat, Organic and Whole) method of cooking. A range of organic fruits and vegetables (from local markets and retreat's own vegetable/fruits garden) as well as premium fresh seafood and poultry is used. No artificial flavouring or seasoning is used in cooking or preparation of the food. Even kitchen utensils are green and environmentally friendly.
For what it is, I found the food to be pretty tasty and certainly felt healthy.
Bread basket
During my 2D1N stay, I tried several of their mocktails and they are very enjoyable. During lunch, I had the Pomelo Mojito, the Banjaran signature mocktail made from pomelo, lemongrass, fresh lime juice and fresh mint.
Pomelo Mojito Mocktail (RM23)
If there is ever scallops on the menu, I will nothesitatein ordering it. The Grilled Scallop Skewers (RM36) came with three large, juicy scallops. The scallops must been grilled with very little oil (or none at all) as it tasted really healthy and almost steamed. Still, I enjoyed it. It came with a side of pumpkin salad wrapped in rice paper and red pepper aioli.
Yummy scallops and the pumpkin offered a nice crunchy texture to this dish
Hubby had the roasted pumpkin soup (RM24) with Japanese tofu and cilantro oil. Very creamy, rich and hearty.
For mains, I had the oven baked organic duck breast (RM45) served with okra ratatouille, nai pak, caramelised mango and ginger sauce. The duck was nicely cooked, still juicy and the mango and ginger sauce complemented it well. However, I didn't really care much for the okra ratatouille (too much onions) and the asparagus topped was slightly undercooked for my liking.
Nicely prepared duck
Hubby had the Grilled Beef Tenderloin (RM65) which he! request ed to be cooked medium rare (when asked about his preferred doneness). However, it was quite frustrating for us, as different wait staff came over to ask us three times what doneness we wanted (not sure why) and eventually the beef came out cooked well done anyway. I'm not sure if it's part of their S.LO.W. cooking philosophy to cook the beef well done or not, as during dinner we also experienced the same thing.
Luckily, the beef tenderloin was still tender and quite enjoyable and Hubby finished it all. It was served with asparagus, zucchini, scrambled bean curd and whole grain mustard sauce.
Since we were already quite full, we skipped dessert and returned to our beautiful villa. Stay tuned for the hotel review as well as a review of our other meals in The Pomelo restaurant. Have a good weekend all!
Hotsprings
Opening times: Breakfast (7.00am-11.00am), Lunch (12.00pm-2.00pm), Dinner (6.00pm-10.00pm).
Location: The Pomelo Restaurant, The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, 1 Persiaran Lagun Sunway 3, 31150 Ipoh, Perak.
Tel: 05-210 7777
Website: http://www.thebanjaran.com
GPS Coordinates: 4.63082, 101.15617
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