SEASONS COFFEE HOUSE and GRAND BALLROOM,
Grand Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur,
72, Jalan Pahang,
Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2697 8888 ext 8819
Business hours: 6am to 1am, daily.
Halal.
WITH more than 130 dishes, from appetisers to desserts and everything in between, Grand Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur’s kitchen is certainly going all out this coming fasting month with its “Ramadan Buka Puasa Temptations”.
This time, diners do not have to squeeze into the already spacious Seasons Coffee House as the hotel’s Grand Ballroom will also be open for dining.
Headed by Malay Kitchen chef Mohd Fauzi Moktar, the menu consists of seven sets rotated daily, and as such, this article will focus on some of Fauzi’s highlights when you break fast this Ramadan.
One thing I look forward to when sampling a Ramadan menu is the bubur lambuk, which was unfortunately unavailable during my visit.
However, the establishment’s Sup Gearbox, simmering in claypots, got the appetite going with its rich flavour and tender meat boiled off the bones which flavour the mixture.
Chef Fauzi (far left) with his brigade and their offering this fasting month, ranging from spit-roasted mutton (left), to a whole range of mouthwatering desserts both Western and local.
The buka puasa menu ranges from different regions, so you have Minangkabau cuisine such as the Daging Batang Pinang Bercili Hijau Padang – which is tenderloin flavoured with green chillies.
Blended, the green chillies are marinated together with spices, then baked with the tenderloin, resulting in the meat absorbing the chillies and flavouring, but still soft and tender to the bite.
Laksa fans will be thrilled to have various versions of the dish at the live station including laksa utara, assam laksa and Johor laksa.
Other stations will also be serving whole lamb, spit-roasted Ayam Golek Berempah, chicken rice, fried crab with a selection of sauces and of course, satay – beef or chicken.
The Johor-style Kuzi Kambing is also on selection, which fortunately for some, is not too spicy and the flavour is well-balanced by the rich sauce and goes well with briyani.
Kuzi Kambing, a must-try by Chef Fauzi and his brigade at Grand Seasons this Ramadan.
Interestingly this year, Fauzi is preparing seafood briyani, with siakap as one of the main ingredients inside.
Fish is also not left out, and you should try the Ikan Merah Tempoyak, along with its counterpart of chicken cooked with nangka muda.
The Ayam Penyet Cili Merah looks fierce from the outset, but otherwise, the flavour is rather good, though still spicier than the rendang or kuzi sampled.
Despite the fierce appearance of the chilli paste, this straight-fowardly named Ayam Penyet Cili Merah is perfect to go with the seafood or normal briyani at Grand Seasons Hotel’s Ramadan break fast.
With such a selection, it is probably best to plan ahead for desserts, as the kitchen serves both Western-style ones and local sweets to help settle your meal.
The Ramadan Buka Puasa Temptations runs from June 6 to July 6, priced at RM98++ per person while children’s tickets are priced at RM50. For details, email fb@grandseasons.com
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.