Dine with the Desaru Coast Ramadan Passport

When I heard about the Desaru Coast Ramadan Culinary Passport that will let you travel on a five-star culinary journey to dine at three spectacular Ramadan buffets at this premium beach destination in Johor, I had to find out more.

The Desaru Coast Ramadan Culinary Passport

As my battery of questions were being answered, I soon learnt that for one price, this Ramadan Culinary Passport will entitle me to dine at my choice of three out of four participating restaurants in Desaru Coast.

This means that with the Passport, diners can choose to dine at any three of the four choices of five-star Ramadan buffets served at Tumeric at Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, Seasonal Tastes at The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, Sessions at Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast and Els Ballroom at The Els Club Desaru Coast, Ocean Course.

From previous Ramadan buffet experiences at these restaurants, I thought this Ramadan Culinary Passport with a one-price-for-three-buffets dining deal, is good value for money.

A warm welcome back to
Desaru Coast, Johor

In fact, I recently had the privilege to enjoy the preview of the Ramadan buffet in the theme, Selera Malaysia presented at Tumeric, a Malay-Thai kitchen in Anantara Desaru Coast, and came away longing for more.

So when I received the invitation to join Roslina Arbak, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Desaru Development Holdings One Sdn Bhd, for a breaking-of-fast meal at Tumeric (again!) I did not hesitate to accept.

Desaru is a familiar destination as our family made many memories from our staycations here, long before the international brands came to Johor.

And when Desaru Coast was developed, I was part of the excitement at many events held here as well as its official opening by His Majesty the Sultan of Johor.

 

The drive on the Senai-Desaru Expressway was smooth and the weather cooperated well throughout the day as our group arrived safely and settled into our accommodation at The Westin Desaru Coast. It was certainly good to be back at Desaru Coast again.

Our group with Roslina Arbak [Left] and her
team at Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas

I was pleased that the Desaru Coast team had also planned an itinerary for us to have a tour of the resorts and attractions in the region’s first premier beach destination.

While I was looking forward to renewing my acquaintance with friends at Desaru Coast and to see the changes in these destinations, I was particularly keen on seeing the progress in the development of the Desaru Coast Ferry Terminal.

It was uncanny because on the very morning of my trip to Desaru Coast, I received a query from a reader based in Singapore, who was doing some research on the Johor Steamship company that used to operate steamships that plied across the Johor Straits.

Place card on the table at Tumeric

She wished to find out exactly where the jetty was situated on the Singapore coast and thought I should know because she had probably also read about how my grandmother used to travel between Johor Baru and Singapore by ferry to visit her uncles in Tanjung Pagar.

While the ferries from a bygone era transferred passengers across the Straits only from jetty to jetty, I thought that the purpose-built Desaru Coast Ferry Terminal was like a 21^st century replica of ferries that mirror direct connectivity between the two nations.

With my mind whirling with questions about this spanking new Ferry Terminal, I waited for the right opportunity to quiz Roslina about it – maybe later, after dinner.

At Anantara Desaru Coast that evening, the itinerary started with a pre-dinner tour of the resort before meeting with Roslina and her team for the breaking-of-fast dinner at Tumeric.

With Roslina at Tumeric for dinner

Helmed by Executive Sous Chef Unaver Unabia with the support of a culinary team made up of Chef Mohd Zulkifli, Chef Faidz and Thai Chef Ammara, I saw the full spread of the Selera Malaysia Ramadan buffet, set up in and around the restaurant.

In addition to traditional Malaysian breaking-of-fast staples like satay, assam pedas and rendang, there were tasty Thai specialties like Som Tom or young papaya salad and Phad Thai or Thai-style stir-fried rice noodles.

I remembered the distinct taste of their Mango Sago pudding which I so enjoyed from my previous dining experience here and eagerly anticipated the opportunity to taste it again.

But when I enquired about it with the restaurant staff, I could not hide my disappointment when I was told that it was not on the menu that evening.

A serving of Mango Sago pudding at Tumeric

I know that many restaurants will serve a variety of menus on rotation and the menu that evening happened to be one without the Mango Sago pudding.

Quietly resigned to the (sad!) fact that there was no Mango Sago pudding, I went on to savour the many dishes in the good company of Roslina and her team.

As we lingered over the meal, we heard exciting details of how Desaru Coast turned out to be the preferred destination for locals who longed for a nearby beach get-away with attractions that rivaled international beach destinations like Mauritius.

With Chef Unaver and his Mango Sago puddings

In the post pandemic era when people needed to enjoy wide open spaces, the sandy beaches of Desaru Coast, hotels, resorts and family-friendly attractions like the Adventure Waterpark Desaru Coast, have been hosting small group gatherings and retreats.

Desaru Coast is a unique leisure destination like no other because the coastline offers yachting and beach fun with international standard accommodation complete with spa pampering, nearby natural attractions like a Fruit Farm, Ostrich Farm and Crocodile Farm, as well as scenic cycling routes and even a mangrove forest to explore.

At Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast with our
host, Chantal [Left]

In addition to learning about the benefits of dining with the Desaru Coast Ramadan Culinary Passport, we learnt more about how Desaru Coast was gaining popularity as a destination for small groups, not just for golf and cycling but also for spa and wellness retreats.

With my attention focused on Roslina, who was sharing this exciting info with us, I was not distracted by serving staff who were moving unobtrusively around the table to clear away used plates…

Then I turned and suddenly saw – to my utter surprise – a plate topped with familiar small jars that were filled with chilled – Mango Sago pudding!

At The Els Club Desaru Coast with our
host, Farahin [Left]

Some angel must have whispered into the ears of the Chef about my desire for this dessert… and he did some magic to whip up this sweet treat... for which I was deeply grateful.

When Roslina and the others tasted the pudding, they agreed with me that it was extraordinary and would also highly recommend it.

Later (after I had eaten it!) Chef Unaver came to our table. He blushed deeply and smiled ear-to-ear when I thanked him for going the extra mile, just for me. Thank you, Chef!

With dinner comfortably behind us, over coffee Roslina then shared an interesting update about the Ferry Terminal.

Construction still in progress at the
Desaru Coast Ferry Terminal

With the building construction 95% completed and scheduled for completion by end June, full ferry operations may not start immediately due to the border closure with neighbouring countries.

In the meantime, the terminal will be used for island-hopping activities.

The terminal houses a Customs, Immigration and Quarantine centre, VIP Lounge, duty-free shops, slipway to launch private boats and fuel bunkering facilities.

When the Ferry Terminal is fully operational, visitors from Singapore can be free from the causeway crawl because ferry travel time between Singapore and Desaru Coast is anticipated to be reduced to about 90 minutes only.

Roslina, sharing the benefits of dining with
the Desaru Coast Ramadan Culinary Passport

Meanwhile the wet weather next morning did not deter us from visiting Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast and The Els Club Desaru Coast, Ocean Course, with a stopover for a look at the Ferry Terminal.

[As construction was still in progress, there was no access into the terminal so we only had an overview of the site from a vantage point outside its premises.]

It was good to see that construction on the Ferry Terminal in Phase One of this national infrastructure project for the greater good of Desaru will soon be completed because its ferry operations will certainly improve connectivity with Desaru Coast.

Get your Desaru Coast Ramadan Culinary Passport at only RM299 each and make your dining reservations at the restaurant of your choice at least three (3) days in advance from now till May 12, 2021.

For restaurant reservations and enquiries, contact the Desaru Coast Destination Concierge daily from 8.30am to 7pm on Tel: +607 277 2058 and by WhatsApp on Tel: +6019 791 2217 or email to: concierge@desarucoast.com

For more info, visit webpage: www.desarucoast.com