Meals @ Swiss-Garden Beach Resort Damai Laut, Lumut

Our recent 3 days/2 nights treasure hunt took us from KL to Swiss-Garden Beach Resort Damai Laut in Lumut, Perak.  We ended up taking a lot of our meals at the hotel as four meals (2 breakfasts + 2 dinners) were already provided for in our entry fees to the treasure hunt.

But the very first meal we took here wasn't included as part of our meal itinerary.  By the time we got here (after 3pm) to submit our treasure hunt questionnaire, we were too tired and too famished to drive out anywhere to look for a place to eat (plus the nearest place in Sitiawan town was half an hour away).  

We actually wanted to eat at Thai Taste Cuisine Restaurant but that was closed for lunch (12pm - 3pm & 6.30pm - 11pm) by the time we got there.  So, we settled for a late lunch at the hotel's coffee house, The Garden Terrace, which is open daily from 7am to 11pm (with a la carte menu all day long).

Since it was rather late in the day for lunch already and dinner was just 3 hours away, the three of us just ordered two dishes to share.  The first of which was the Kampung Fried Rice @ RM26.

It came with 3 fresh and good-sized prawns that were tasty and a nicely flavoured fried chicken wing.

The fried rice, topped with a well executed fried egg with a runny yolk, was fragrant and decent in taste.

Our other dish was the Che Mat Fried Yellow Noodles also @ RM26 that was very much like a version of Mamak Mee Goreng.  The noodle dish was laden with sufficient amounts of prawns, squid and hard-boiled egg.

I was pleasantly surprised with the rather large portion size and the delicious and well fried noodles.  I'd consider both dishes as decent for a hotel meal (unless hunger played a big part...kekeke) at usual 'hotel' prices that are slightly above the norm.

Our first night's dinner was a buffet dinner at the Damai Ballroom.  It was a simple buffet with no more than 10 dishes (I think) on the buffet line.  There was a dish each of chicken, prawn, mutton, fish and vegetables (to be eaten with rice) and a pasta dish (if I remember correctly).  Also available was tom yum soup and a salad and dessert bar.

Sweet and sour fish fillet

Desserts....basically local kuih and fresh fruits

We weren't expecting much from the meals anyway to begin with since the organisers were aiming to raise funds from the event.  As long as we can fill our tummies, it's perfectly fine :)

Breakfast for both mornings was at the hotel's coffee house, The Garden Terrace.  The breakfast was certainly much better than the buffet dinner we had the previous night, both in terms of taste and variety. Here are some of what my friends and I had over the two mornings.....they were mostly sharing plates.

Breakfast platter with omelette, ham, sausage, baked beans, pancakes and toast.  The egg station offers 3 types of eggs (but my friend's half-boiled eggs were way overcooked, so I stayed clear of it).  I liked their omelette cooked with button mushrooms and onions.

I like how the toast is made 'old school' style here...over a charcoal fire....haven't seen one in a hotel setting before! ;)  But there was also a moron who put some (already cooked) sausages to grill...and I saw bits of it sticking to the grill when they were lifted >_< (some people just have a blatant disregard for others....ish!).

Nasi lemak platter with eggs, chicken rendang, sambal (salty!), fried ikan bilis and peanuts.

Croissants & Pastries (red bean paste)

Plain Porridge (with fried shallots, spring onions and soy)

Roti Canai with dhal (which they forgot to salt?)

Another breakfast platter with sausage, waffles with honey, fried potato wedges (nice and crisp!), baked beans and sauteed mushrooms with mini corn and onions.

Another nasi lemak platter with mutton curry and sambal...and some fried kway teow.

I enjoyed the omelette the most, so I had it again the next morning! ;)

Overall, I think the buffet breakfast has quite a good selection (there were more choices than we could stomach) making it a value and good option for breakfast (so make sure you include it in your room package).

To round up our meals at the hotel, we had the Prize Presentation Dinner @ Damai Ballroom on the second night.  When I got to the ballroom, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it would be a sit-down dinner of 8 courses.

Dim the lights....and the first course is served!  Since we had to share a table with other treasure hunters (whom we didn't know though we chatted during the course of the dinner), I wasn't going to infringe on their dinner by clicking away.

So, what you see below were my individual plates of food (accompanied by the menu)....not very attractive, I'm afraid! :(

My favourites were the Deep-Fried Sweet & Sour Red Snapper and Seafood Fried Rice :)

Well, the above were the savoury parts.....and now for some unsavoury bits....hehe...though it's no laughing matter!  Throughout all our meals here, we had to contend with lots (and I mean lots) of uninvited guests.....flies!! >.<  Some say it's due to the chicken farms nearby but I don't really know the true cause. Even with candles on the tables and bug zappers, it didn't deter the flies one bit...they still came in droves! O_o Luckily we didn't have any untoward tummy incidents.  

My Personal Opinion

I was quite surprised to find the food at an acceptable taste level and found myself enjoying the a la carte dishes and buffet breakfast (some items) at The Garden Terrace plus the sit-down 8-course dinner.

What I didn't enjoy were the flies hovering over my food and the constant need to shoo away the flies.  I don't think it's because we came during "fly season" coz I've seen these "fly" comments on Agoda.com (I googled upon my return) in different months of the year (some as far back as 2012 but more frequently in the past 2 years). Funny that other blogs that reviewed this place failed to mention this "problem"!

So come only if you're a "fly lover", have an "iron stomach" or you feel the need to constantly exercise your hands.  Which is a shame really....coz the food isn't half bad!

Luckily this was in the name of charity.....otherwise I'd be really pissed!! >_<

The Garden Terrace & Damai Ballroom

@ Swiss-Garden Beach Resort

Jalan Damai Laut

Off Jalan Teluk Senangin

32200 Lumut

Perak

Tel: 05-684 3333