Vistana Kuala Lumpur,
9, Jalan Lumut,
off Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-40428000
Fax: 03-40411400
Email: kitchen_vkl@ytlhotels.com.my
or visit www.ytlhotels.com.
VISTANA Kuala Lumpur prides itself in serving one of the lowest-priced Ramadan buffets in the city with a spread of 120 dishes.
A mix of cuisine is available with about 20 choices for starters. For those who want to start the meal village style, there is a wide variety of ulam accompanied by six different types of spicy condiments. My favourite was the anchovies and mango sambal.
The buffet also has garden salad, potato salad and coleslaw for those who prefer to start with the Western appetisers.
Chef Hamdan Harun said one of the standard items that guests look out for was the Roast Lamb and briyani.
From the variety of briyani available, the one served during my visit was a special recipe by chef Hamdan. However, the special briyani did not tickle my fancy. It was rather dry and I found the spices to be overwhelming. Dishes like the Mutton Kurma, Chicken Kapitan and Potato Varuval, helped accentuate the taste of the briyani
The roast lamb was juicy and tender and complemented well with mint sauce.
Chef Irizun Ahmad said the bubur lambuk was also a favourite.
“We alternate between fish and chicken for the bubur lambuk,” he said
Acquired taste: Ikan Sembilang Masak Tempoyak.
The bubur lambuk with chicken had generous amounts of chicken meat in it and was fragrant as well. Perfect on a cold rainy weather.
Besides these, there were also the staple Malay favourites like rojak, murtabak and satay to be savoured.
Although there were a variety of dishes for sampling, the highlight of the buffet to me was the simple village dishes like the Ayam Masak Merah, Rendang Ayam and the Ikan Sembilang Masak Tempoyak cooked with catfish.
Chef Irizun said that all their dishes were cooked with milk instead of coconut milk, keeping in mind the health concerns of many.
Chef Chew Hock Seng, who manages the kitchen in terms of cost and operations said they were also very concerned about food wastage.
“Having a variety of dishes is also more sustainable because it reduces wastage and promotes freshness.
“For example, because we have many chicken dishes, we do not need to cook a lot of chicken per dish because guests will only choose what they like. If a particular dish is a favourite among many and has finished, our team can immediately cook a second batch in less than 10 minutes,” he said.
The hotel can accommodate up to 700 guests at a time.
The promotion is on until the eve of Hari Raya. Dinner will be served from 6.30pm onwards.
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
