ALAMANDA ROOM,
Level 2,
The Dorsett Kuala Lumpur,
172, Jalan Imbi,
Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2716 1000
Business hours: Buffet runs from 7pm to 10.30pm, nightly.
WITH more than 100 dishes on a seven-day rotating menu, Dorsett Kuala Lumpur’s Ramadan buffet has something for everyone this fasting month.
Chef Badrol Hisham Mohd Ali’s team has whipped up some memorable signatures for guests to savour while breaking fast at the hotel’s newly renovated Alamanda Room on the second floor.
Start off with appetisers such as the luxurious pasembor, which has tiger prawns, chicken sausage, vegetable, boiled eggs all dipped in batter and fried, and for the adventurous, there’s beef-lung topped off with satin-smooth peanut sauce.
Another dish one could try is the Burung Puyuh Special Goreng Berkunyit, which as per the name, is a tableau of quails rubbed down with turmeric seasoning and flavours, then deep-fried.
Some Ramadan staples, such as whole roasted lamb from Australia and the different types of kerabu, are available every day.
The Sotong Kerabu, for instance, is basically a ceviche of raw squid marinated for a long time in lime juice, then flavoured with sweet mango to contrast the sourness, some chillies, shallots and finally, fried anchovies for bite.
Other dishes to look out for include the Balitong Masak Lemak Cili Padi, where you have siput sedut (sea snails) in a rich gravy that complements the spiciness of thecili padi without overwhelming your taste buds.
There are also some of the more exotic delights from the Middle East, where Arabian starters such as couscous, baba ghanoush (made from cooked eggplant mixed with other ingredients and seasonings) and hummus make an appearance.
The food at the “Dorsett Chicken Rice Stall” and mee rebus live-action stations are also worth sampling, as the former serves both poached “white cut” and roast chicken meat, along with roast duck, while the stock-flavoured rice is steamed to perfection.
Desserts are not to be missed, with some interesting sweets to settle your meal such as chocolate-dipped vanilla ice-cream, served with tapai (a sweetish-sour glutinous rice fermentation).
The latter adds some unconventional flavour to the otherwise conventional ice cream combination.
If you like pisang goreng (banana fritters), dipping them in salted caramel adds new colour to an otherwise traditional dessert, while children will love the Nutella swiss-roll, a thin roll of sponge surrounding a thick mass of your favourite hazelnut chocolate spread.
Priced at RM88 nett for adults; children from four to 12 and senior citizens aged 55 and above get to enjoy a 50% discount.
In between, the Dorsett Kuala Lumpur will also organise lucky draws.
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.