Loves seafood? Wants load of em? Well, here’s one place you can go for after if you’re into seafood; Unique Seafood, located in Citta Mall. They are offering a seafood buffet spread that is good enough for a full scale wedding banquet. Oriental style, though. Don’t go over expecting fancy stuff as theirs is mostly Chinese and local cuisine.

Here’s sharing with you what they have to offer this Ramadan 2015.

Muruku as appetizers

Assorted preserved fruits

Good old prawn fritters

Stuffed deep fried tofu

Fresh ulams to go with your white rice

2 soups of the day. You can opt for either the crabmeat and corn soup or the soto ayam.

Sweetcorn and crabmeat soup.

Soto Ayam. If you spotted this in the buffet, be sure to try it. It’s to die for.

Wide array of Chinese style homecook dishes. There’s a lot of em, but below is what I personally would recommend:

Chilli Crab

Absolutely wonderful to pair with fried mantao.

Salted Eggs Prawns

Butter Prawns

Kamheong Mussels

Homey dishes like seafood fried rice, fried koay teow and fried vercimille is also available for your indulgence.

Fried koay teow

Fried vercimille

Seafood fried rice

The grill section features assorted grilled seafood wrapped up in banana leaf. I did not manage to try these, but I’m sure they are worth your calories.

There is satay here too, of course. That goes without saying 😉

Homey Chicken Rice is also available here at their buffet spread.

A modest selection of dimsum and mantao.

If you are not into dimsum and mantao, no worries. Unique Seafood is also offering assorted traditional Malay kuih and sweet desserts for your buka puasa session.

Mango puddings

Ice Kacang Station. This is probably where you would want to go to if you are looking for something refreshing to quench your thirst with.

Fruit Rojak Station

I’ve always been a fruit rojak fan, so I found these very pleasing on the palate.

Priced at RM 79.90 nett for Adult and RM 49.90 nett (Children Below 12)/ Children below 3 years old eat for free. The Buffet is simply worth for diners who are seafood lovers. Buffet available from 23rd June till 12th July from 6pm till 10pm.

For booking and reservation:

Unique Seafood Subang Outlet

F37 & F38, First Floor, Citta Mall, No.1, Jalan PJU1A/48, PJU 1A, Ara Damansara, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

For more information, log on to www.unique-seafood.com.my or call +603-7733030 / 7734 3006.

Guest Photographer: AlienGoTravel

It’s been quite a long day for me. Feeling quite under the weather, I nearly dropped dead by the time the clock strikes 6pm. I intended to just stay at home for dinner but remembering that I’m supposed to head over to The Living Room at The Westin KL for their Ramadan 2015 buffet, I dragged myself out of the house reluctantly with my son and husband in tow.

Feeling rather weak, I wasn’t really in the mood to play photographer when I arrived at The Living Room, so I just handed my son his Nikon Coolpix S33 and told him to help me snap some photos, so ladies and gentleman, go easy on us this time if you feel that the photos is not like the usual quality. All the photos in this blog post is taken by my little boy with his Nikon Coolpix S 33 camera, sponsored by Nikon Malaysia. 😛

Neway, enough wasting time with preamble. Let’s talk about what The Living Room at The Westin KL have to offer for Ramadan 2015.

Shrewdly surveying the restaurant when I arrived, I have to admit that I’m quite impressed with their mouth- watering ‘Juadah Iftar’ spread. Rather promising as they are offering to indulge diners with a full Malaysian fare, showcasing and serving up traditional Malaysian dishes with over 15 live cooking stations.

Roasted Whole Lamb with Westin Briyani Rice

Roasted Beef

All time Malaysian favourite, especially during Ramadan; Ayam Percik. These are sensational. The chicken was roasted to perfection while the gravy was rather creamy and rich.

Moving further in The Living Room, there’s their Chef’s recommendations, the all time Malaysian favourite mixed rice dish, the mamak’s Nasi Kandar. Yes. You are reading that right. They are offering Nasi Kandar, traditional curries and all. One would scorn why would one wants to have Nasi Kandar in a place like this when they can get the authentic ones at the regular mamak restaurant, but I assure you that this is a must try and not to be missed. They are as good at any mamak restaurants. I had two huge helpings of their Nasi Kandar myself, and that alone speaks volumes.

Here’s what their Nasi Kandar section showcased:

Assorted ‘gulai kandar’.

Gulai Kandar Ayam

Gulai Kandar Daging

Gulai Kandar Kambing

Sambal Telur

Assorted fried ‘lauk’ as your Nasi Kandar side dishes.

Telur Ikan Goreng

Tenggiri Goreng

Ayam Goreng

Sotong Goreng

Kobis Goreng

Acar Nanas

And what’s Mamak fare without the favourite rotis? The Living Room is also indulging the diners with roti canai, roti telur and roti bom.

Roti Bom

Roti Telur

Roti Canai. Again, you might wonder why would we want to go for these when we could just get it from our neighbourhood mamak stall, but trust me, these rotis are different. Instead of the regular cheap cooking oil being used to make the rotis, these are kneaded and cooked with premium butter and fresh cooking oil instead of the recycled ones in those regular mamak restaurants, resulting in buttery and flaky pastries. The rotis paired perfectly with dhal curry, but the assorted kandar curries goes well with them too.

Apart from the Mamak fare, there’s a bit of Middle Eastern goodies here too. This live action stall offers Chicken Shawerma.

Roti John stall

Roti John

Hotdog Bun

Chicken Rice Stall offering delicious chicken rice and condiments is also available here.

A modest selection of fried dimsum

And wonderful news for the fans of Melaccan Satay celup. The Living Room is also offering Satay Celup here in their Ramadan buffet spread.

These mouthwatering skewered items goes very well with peanut sauce, but this time around I went with the sweet sauce ala Lok Lok instead.

Moving on to the ‘Daily Treat’ Room, we discovered quite a treasure in the form of fruits, desserts and even popcorn booth.

Ais Kacang stall

Assorted freshly cut fruits

Seasonal tropical fruits

Assorted cakes

The cakes will surely satisfy those who have sweet tooth.

Nyonya kuih can also be found at the dessert section.

Chocolate fountain and assorted items for dipping.

Chocolate sticks

Sweets and gummies

Ice cream section featured an interesting ice cream based dish, which is deep fried ice cream.

Deep Fried Ice Cream. Definitely not something that you would want to miss if you are a fan of sweet stuff. I’m not quite a fan of sweet stuff unless I’m all stressed up or under pressure, so I passed this to my son and he adored this to bits and to say that he polished this off within minutes is an understatement.

Overall, The Living Room is offering quite a wonderful indulgence for Ramadan and guess what? You could bring the experience back home by getting their raya cookies as gifts.

A selection of 6 deliciously wholesome homemade hari raya cookies is sold at the lobby. Check out the flavours offered:

* Chocolate Chips Cashew Nut Cookies
* Cinnamon and Black Pepper Cookies
* Hawaiian Coconut Cornflake Cookies
* Classic Almond Florentine Cookies
* Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
* Gluten-free Shortbread Cookies

‘Juadah Iftar’ is available from 18th June to 15th July 2015.

Price
RM118nett per adult from 18th June to 26th June 2015

RM148nett per adults and RM74nett per child from 27th June to 15th July 2015.

15% discount is available for group booking with a minimum of 20 diners while SPG members enjoy 20% discount on total food bill.

For further information please visit www.thewestinkualalumpur.com.

Reservation is highly recommended by calling Westin Dining on 03-27738338 or via email: [email protected]

It was a very hectic Friday and I wasn’t particularly impressed having to stuck in the traffic while I was on the way to Novotel KL City Centre for their media preview, but it was worth all the hassle. My family and I were greeted with such a sumptuous Ramadan buffet spread by The Square Restaurant, Novotel KL City Centre Kitchen Crew.

Themed ‘Bazaar Desa’, The Square restaurant offers plenty of delicacies that you can’t get elsewhere in most buffets in KL. They have plenty of dishes that won my heart, but as this is a buffet and I can’t possibly list everything in their spread, I’ll just highlight what’s worth the calories.

Oven Roasted Lamb. This one is not to be missed. It was slow roasted to perfection in the oven. Juicy and naturally flavoured.

Deep fried keropok

Assorted Acar

Taufu Sumbat

Assorted traditional curries to pair with plain or flavoured rice like Nasi Briyani. I’ll just be honest with all of you here. I wasn’t particularly in the mood for anything heavy like rice that day, as I was still quite full from my late lunch, but my husband assured me that the curries and the fresh ulams are pretty much to die for. His recommendation; the Sambal Tumis Sotong. He told me that it was addictively sensational.

Apart from the wide array of curries, you ought to keep a lookout for their live action counter where grilled seafood and satay are prepared ala minute for your gastronomic pleasure.

Grilled Stingray. These are quite a good catch. Very flavourful and still have the taste of the ocean.

Chicken and Beef Satay. Now, I don’t usually fancy satays prepared in hotels as they are not as comparable to those sold by the street as they are usually prepared over hot pan instead of with charcoal over the open fire, but these are as good as those prepared over the open fire. Their preparation method includes caramelizing butter before frying up the skewered meat, resulting to the almost authentic fragrantly ‘burnt’ taste and texture.

Three of Chef’s signature that I think is a must have at this Ramadan buffet; Mee Rebus Tulang Lembu, Soto Goreng and Kacang Pool.

Mee Rebus Tulang Lembu was sensational. Despite of not particularly being tempted for heavy dishes, I had two bowls of this. The meat was fall off the bone tender while the gravy was harmoniously sweet and at the same time, naturally savoury, complementing the bland noodles perfectly.

Soto Goreng was flavourful and delicious. Infused with a myriad of spices, the soto was rather chewy and rather fun to eat too.

Kacang Pool was derived from the Middle Eastern dish known as foul medammas, which was made from fava beans. It was served with a sunny side egg and a side of sandwich bread. All of that was great to sop up the runny egg and sauce of this dish. It was my first time eating it, I thought it reminded me very much of American chilli but with some slightly different spices perhaps. This dish is uniquely Malaysian.

Assorted traditional Malays kuih like tepung talam and kuih ketayap can be found at the dessert section.

Refreshing puddings

Local fruits to cleanse your palate.

Ice cream

Ice Cendol, one of my favourite sweet beverage here at the buffet.

Refreshing Lai Chee Kang is also not to be missed if you want something refreshing after a whole day fasting. This one will surely power you up in a jiffy.

And while you are at the buffet, don’t forget to raid the fridge for these childhood ice cream. :p When I was a little girl these could easily be obtain from the ice cream man for a mere 20 cent but these are pretty much rare these days.

“Bazaar Desa ” dinner buffet is priced at RM95 nett per adult, RM45 nett for children aged 8-12 years old. Early bird voucher is available for sale from now until 19 June 2015 at only RM80 nett per adult and RM40 nett. Accor Plus members enjoy further 10% discount.

For more information and reservations, please call (6 03) 2147 0888 extension 7668 or email [email protected]

I don’t really have sweet tooth and I don’t really fancy sweet pastries, but here’s recommending a caterer that does pastries, perfect for all occasion and events. Luxe To Bites is still a new name in the F&B industry in Malaysia but they offers all sorts of pastries for your gastronomic pleasure.

You may opt to order prior serving and get them to deliver to your doorsteps or get them to bake on the spot for you. They also have occasional road shows where you can sample their pastries, freshly baked on the spot.

Their specialty; Cronuts with assorted toppings. Now, these are no ordinary cronuts. Not the greasy variant that you usually get from your neighbourhood bakeries that leaves you feeling guilty after indulging. These cronuts are baked and not fried, mind you. Flaky on the outside and fluffy on the inside, these are irresistibly addictive on the palate.

Apart from the regular sized cronuts, Luxe To Bites also offers Mini Cronuts for your gastronomic pleasure. Mini in size but packed quite a punch, I must say. They are as good as the regular sized ones if not better and is positively addictive. While the regular sized cronuts is great for leisurely munch over a cuppa tea or coffees during Hi-Tea, these mini cronuts is great to have on the go, or to be served as canapes at formal parties.

Luxe To Bites also offers pastries with savoury fillings. Their signature item is these, assorted danish as well as their buttery croissants.

Their freshly made sandwiches are good too, and being a fan of all savoury things, I definitely enjoyed these very much.

All Luxe To Bites Pastries are made from the freshest premium ingredients and is Muslim friendly.

Interested to place your orders for these lovely pastries for your events? Looking for the perfect pastries to serve your guests for iftar or open house for the upcoming Eid? Please refer to the information below:

Luxe To Bites
Contact: Margaret Lau 016-8324837
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: fb.com/luxetobites
Instagram: luxe_to_bites

Having to live in the East Coast when I was a child, I wasn’t particularly impressed with both Kelantan and Terengganu. Being somewhat traditional Islamic states, rules and regulations in school was pretty much rigid and even the non-Muslims would have to adhere to the dress codes; which is to wear cover up clothing. Students are generally expected to be quiet and obey whatever the teachers say. I was a recalcitrant and free spirited child and was never fond of such things and I considered that time of my life one of the most miserable one I had to endure, but other than that, both states have plenty to offer in term of tourism and food.

When it comes to Malay cuisine, there is no denial that Malaysia’s East Coast serves one of the best. This June, InterContinental Kuala Lumpur teams up with a Malaysian Celebrity Chef Zamzani Abdul Wahab otherwise fondly known as Chef Zam to bring local cuisine experience to the next level, and my family and I have been privileged enough to sample what they have to offer during their media preview. I was grinning from ear to ear. Not having to travel to the East Coast but will be able to enjoy authentic East Coast cuisine? I’ll never say no to that. :p

Chef Zam has specially crafted a rotational menu to ensure excellent variety and great tastes. Again, as this is a buffet spread and I can’t possibly eat everything that they are offering, I’ll just highlight what’s good in the buffet.

The tantalising selection starts with warm and hearty soups like Malay ox tail or sup tulang, then to refreshing appetisers featuring pulut cawan gaul kelapa dan ikan masin, akok berlauk, rojak betik, kerabu taugeh and jantung pisang.

Kerabu Counter where you can scoop up kerabu of your choice go go with your rice. A few all time favourite Kerabu can easily be spotted here at the buffet spread.

Kerabu Mangga. I took a scoop of this, but it was a tad too spicy for me.

Acar Timun&Nanas was very tangy, fruity and definitely refreshing.

Kerabu Tauge. I gave this a miss as I have intolerance towards bean sprouts.

Kerabu Daging Rebus was nice, but just like the Kerabu Mangga, this is also borders on the spicy side.

Also spotted at the Kerabu and Ulam Ulaman section, is ingredients for you to assemble your very own Pecal.

An unlikely guest at the Kerabu section, the irresistible Ketupat Daun Palas. These are rather boring if they are to be taken on their own, but if you’re to pair these with a side of Rendang Tok, then it’s another story altogether and they make pretty much a sensational pair.

The traditional Bubur Lambuk is also offered here in the buffet spread.

Dishing this out from the pot and into my bowl, I discovered that the Bubur Lambuk Terengganu is not the variant that I’m familiar with. The one that I’m familiar with is usually cooked with spiced chicken or beef, but this have not only spiced chicken bits in it but also fish meat, and it is surprisingly leafy too. Quite a put off for my somewhat ‘carnivorous’ son, but I love this to bits. I approve this as a break-fasting dish as it is not only packed with essential nutrients and energy, but great for digestion too with all the extra fibre from the veggies. Somewhat a ‘banned’ item for my fussy son but I have no doubt that the Bubur Lambuk Terengganu will be the crowd’s favourite it has the flavour of home cooked food.

There is also delightful dishes such as gulai udang, kerutuk daging, singang sotong hitam, gulai telur itik, ayam percik and ketupat sotong. Cooked to perfection with freshest of ingredients, the aromatic dish will most definitely entice guests to a second helping.

Ayam Percik

Gulai Udang

Gulai Ayam

Gulai Telur Itik

Hati Ayam Masak Kicap

Sambal Tumis Kacang Bendi

Stir-fry Asparagus in premium soya sauce.

Keep your eyes peeled for the action counter that dishes out Mee Rebus Terengganu.

Being a Penangite, I was expecting a noodle dish served with thick, reddish and gooey soup made from tapioca and chilli paste, topped with crunchy prawn fritters and keropok, but clearly, I am not familiar enough with Terengganu cuisine as instead of getting what I was expecting, I get the noodle dish served with clear soup and topped with beef balls instead. It was definitely different on the palate but it was enjoyable nevertheless. The soup may be the clear kind, but it packs quite a punch. Fully flavoured and quite rich, so I’d advice you to go easy on it if you I intend to sample more things in the buffet.

The feasting journey moves on to a different beat with ‘celup-celup’ live station.

Here, fresh fish, squid, prawns, crab of your choosing is prepared for dipping in piping hot batter and served with sweet chilli sauce and condiments.

This was what’s on my plate. Chef Zam fried these for me and he promised me that I’ll like it a lot and I’ll take a second helping. Well, you know what? Chef Zam lied about just having a second helping. 🙁 I took four helpings of this after the first one and was in the terrible danger of taking my fifth plate of the seafood Celup Celup Goreng. :p Yes. It was that good! Such cholesterol fest, but I have no regrets. It was wonderful and sensational and it makes me a very happy woman. :p

No visit to a Terengganu feast would be complete with having a taste of their signature Keropok Lekor, and so I stole some of these from the Celup Celup action stall, and was pleasantly surprised that it was authentically fishy instead of floury.

Apart from the sumptuous East Coast spread, Serena Brasserie also aims to please those with international palate. A selection of International food can also be enjoyed here.

Fresh seafood on ice features baby lobster, Australian Spanner Crab, Blue Swimmer Crab, Green Lipped New Zealand Mussels, Scallops, Alaskan King Crab, Pacific Prawns, US and Fin de Clair Oyster and many more.

Sushi and Sashimi

Tuna Sashimi

Sushi Gari

Inari

Meat Carving

What I had that day was Pink Pepper Macadamia Crusted Australian Beef with a side of Yorkshire Pudding and trio roasted potato and rustic vegetable and drowned with homemade Hickory Barbeque Sauce. Sometimes, I’m amazed with my own capacity to tank on food. Despite of being full, I still managed two helpings of this. It was one of the best meat carving I’ve ever had.

Gourmet cheese and fruits

A selection of Artisan Bread

Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup

Discover the sweeter essence of the East coast in the dessert section featuring traditional medley of bengkang telur manis, serikaya telur, penganan labu, hati kesuma, terembas, puteri mandi, cik abas demam, and wajid durian.

Dessert section also offers the chocolate fountain where you can delightfully make skewers of biscuits or dried fruits chocolate dip.

Fresh local fruits to cleanse your palate.

And if you prefer to end your meal with a sweet note, do keep an eye on their homemade ice creams and sorbet.

I gave it a try and did not just stop at just two scoops. It was deliciously refreshing.

The ‘Selera Pantai Timur bersama Chef Zamzani’ is available from 8 to 17 June 2015

‘The journey of Malaysian East Coast Flavours’ will continue to be featured during Serena Brasserie’s Berbuka Puasa buffet from 18 June to 15 July 2015. Dinner buffet is priced at RM139nett per adult on the first and fourth week of the month of Ramadan, and RM152nett per adult on the second and third week of Ramadan. Spacious prayer room located at Level 5 is available for the convenience of Muslim guests with separate male and female prayer rooms.

For more dining reservations or for more information on Serena Brasserie, call +603 2782 6000 / +603 2782 6228 or email [email protected] or visit www.intercontinental-kl.com.my. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @intercontinental.kualalumpur and Twitter @ interconkl.

If there is any buffet spread that would tempt me to eat a lot after a whole day of fasting, it would definitely be TEMPTationS Restaurant, Renaissance KL. The spread is inspired to please every palate and I can shamelessly tell you that among all Ramadan Buffet that I’ve went, this is one of the restaurant that I actually stayed til their closing time so that I could sample more food. Like most buffets, they have plenty to offer but here’s highlighting what’s worth trying.

Sumptuous Roasted Whole Lamb. I did not manage to try this but it was one of their highlights in the Ramadan buffet.

Nasi Bukhari. Apart from this, there is also other flavoured rice like Nasi Minyak, Nasi Tomato offered to diners.

Nasi Minyak

Nasi Tomato

Nasi Briyani

Wide array of curries to go with your plain or flavoured rice. There is a few must try here, and that includes Daging Tulang Rawan Rendang Pedas, Daging Palembang, Udang Harimau Masak Lemak Cili Padi and also the sensational Gulai Ketam. I gave these a try and I must say that I’m delightfully impressed. They are bursting with flavours and pretty much authentic.

And yes, Bubur Lambuk is available too if you want something lighter and soothing for the tummy instead.

Assorted keropok. (Traditionally made crisps). My son and husband loves these very much, and I can pretty much say the same for myself.

Fried stuff for those who love fried food.

Assorted Kerabu is available for you go pair with your rice too.

And where there is Kerabu, there is of course, the traditional Ulam-Ulaman.

If you are a fan of ‘Western’ version of ulams, no worries, you can assemble your own salads at the Salad Counter.

One thing that you should take note when you dine here in TEMPTationS is their action counter. They are offering fabulous food prepared ala minute.

The Action Counter

Here’s assorted sea produce you can pick for grilling.

Assorted grilled seafood. These are grilled on top of banana leaves and is minimally flavoured to bring out the natural sweetness. I tried a few and found the stingray chunks is the most addictive ones in comparison to other type of fishes.

Beef and chicken satay is also available at the grill section.

The noodle station offers assorted noodles for you to try, but being a Penangite, one that won my heart is the Laksa.

Laksa Utara. Excuse the mess, I can’t help but slurped it all up before taking photo. Not the Assam Laksa variety of Laksa but the good old Kuala Kedah style of Laksa. Topped with chunks of pineapple, shredded cucumber and prawn paste, this plate of Laksa is just divine. The soup was rich, thick, creamy and flavourful and there is no fishy smell whatsoever. I took two plates of the Laksa. And that alone says a lot considering that I’m absolutely picky when it comes to Laksa.

Another action counter spotted is the Apom Balik Stall, where you can request for your own customized Apom Balik.

I did not try this but my husband loves these to bits so I guess these are not too shabby either.

Moving on to dessert, there is assorted traditional Malay kuih to indulge in.

Both traditional and modern cakes is also available for those who have sweet tooth.

Last but not least, chocolate fountain for the chocolate lovers. 🙂

Located in the East Wing – Lobby Level of the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, TEMPTationS’ Buka Puasa Buffet is available daily from 6.30pm to 10.30pm daily throughout the month of Ramadan.

The buffet is priced at RM135nett per person and half price for children from 6 to 12 years old. Early birds will also enjoy great savings as the buffet is priced at RM103nett per person from 18 to 22 June and 13 to 16 July.

For restaurant reservations please call 03 2716 9388 or email [email protected]. I would recommend you to book early to avoid disappointment.

Follow them on Instagram: renaissancekualalumpur
And LIKE them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RenaissanceKL