The First of the Ramadhan Month Buffets, at Serena Brasserie, Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur

Every year, as the fasting month, ie Ramadhan, approaches, there is a flurry of activity, whereby hotels and restaurants are preparing new offerings for the traditional break fast, or iftar, or buka puasa.

This year, after a few years hiatus, my first invite was to the Serena Brasserie at Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur.  What really caught my attention was the "Lobster Laksa", which piqued my interest.  Before we go further, I should clarify that  one should not expect a boston lobster or the huge australian ones, rather, this is the Slipper Lobster.

The best thing about these buffets meant for Ramadhan is it really brings out the best of traditional Malay cuisine, which is highly understated and underrated, which is a pity, because it is such a rich heritage, and such complex flavours derived by a cornucopia of spices and herbs, and is so labour intensive that it is no surprise that it is a dying art among the young generation.

Thai Style Kibas, cooked and pit roasted served with a fragrant briyani.  Okay, for the review, the Kibas Lamb hadn't arrived yet.  To the uninformed, Kibas is probably the Wagyu equivalent of lamb, and hails from the middle east, and was apparently the Prophet's favourite lamb.

The lobster laksa from the noodle station comes with a choice of noodle, and actually there are numerous other choice of soups as well, but for the lobster, it's the curry mee broth that goes with it.  I thought this dish was rather good, the curry broth was rich and satisfying.  The lobster gives that added touch of class, but really does little for the overall taste of the laksa.

Chef preparing the lobster laksa

A selection of lemang and ketupat that goes very well with the different types of serunding (a dry pulled meat rendang)

A choice of serundings, as not everyone takes beef.

My favourite at all Malay food buffets, Ulam Ulaman (raw vegetables, and herbs), especially with petai (smelly bean), ulam raja (a pungent herb that tastes almost medicinal), paired with a choice of "dressing", from sambal belacan (chilli paste with prawn paste) to cincalok (fermented shrimp) to budu. (the Kelantanese equivalent of fish sauce).

The Malay "salads", like gado gado style.  Lots of Tempe for those that love it.

Satay Station, the quintessential must have dish at every buffet.

Kerabu, and some "lung" which I simply love.  (Paru)

A selection of salted fish. Ordinarily, some salted fish, salted egg, curry and rice would be a glorious meal, but heck, at a buffet with Lobster Laksa, I guess I would be a fool to fill myself on that.

The table highlighting all the goodies....Too much choice, I didn't get to eat the roti jala which I usually lurve.

Like any hotel buffet, the normal fare like seafood and oysters are also available..

The dessert selection is pretty impressive too.

Bubur pulut hitam (dark glutinous rice dessert), a traditional favourite...

This however was the star of the night, if you ask me.  The serawa nangka.  Like a pengat, made from specially sourced Honey Jackfruit (nangka madu) from Pahang, stewed for hours until the jackfruit is tender (okay, I would be happier if my jackfruit was a bit more al dente), but overall this dessert is a must have.

From 17 May to 14 June, the Selera Aneka Rasa Buffet is priced at
Mon- Fri  Adult RM178 nett/ Child (6-12) RM59 nett
Sat- Sun Adult RM148 nett/ Child RM45 nett

Interestingly enough, the weekend rates are cheaper. 
Do enquire with the hotel for discounts, there is an Early Bird Promotion until 7th May 2018 with 25% off, and numerous other credit card discounts. 

For reservations, call
SERENA BRASSERIE
603-2783 6228
Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur

Simply MMMMMM at Simply Mel's

It's exciting enough when friends open cafes and restaurants, but when close friends, who are food bloggers as well, open restaurants, WOW, that sets the bar wayyyy up high.... I can't imagine the stress they have to go through, knowing that all these food bloggers will be descending on you en masse. And not only is the friend a normal friend, (no offence to the rest), she's a CELEBRITY. Phwah.

Drum rolll......presenting SIMPLY MEL'S, at the SPHERE, Bangsar South. Easy parking, great ambience, excellent food, charming hostesses, you see, the set up is run by the Victor family. Aly's mum Mel, (Melba...like Dame Nellie) is the chef behind the fabulous cuisine. In order to preserve her Eurasian heritage and family traditions, she embarked on this mission to celebrate family recipes that have been passed down over 4 generations. In case you're wondering what genre of food we're talking about here, it's Portuguese Eurasian, similar to Peranakan, in some ways. And for those of you closer to schooling age, do you know what year this is? Well, yeah, 2011. What happened 500 years ago? That year that was seared into our minds like a branding iron? 1511?


These Portuguese flers were loading their ships, preparing to sail the vast seas, circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope (Tanjung Harapan).....


Presenting Mrs Vasco De Gama and Mrs Alfonso De Alberqueuque...no la, joking only.


All the way from Aboo Dhabi Doo....


For starters, yummy crab cakes,


And Crispy Chicken Wings. It's screaming out for a beer. If you held it close enough to your ear, you'd hear them flapping, TIGERRRR, TIGGGERRR...





Kangkung Belacan. Now, this place is Anti Carbo's Nightmare, because all this food goes SOOOO well with rice.



Lemongrass Chicken. (and it's not just a whiff).


Assam Prawns. Actually my grandmother used to make something like this. A caramelized assamy sauce, imparting a hint of tang to the prawn.





Chuan Chuan Fish. Black pomfret in black bean sauce. I love this dish!


Devil Curry, I think which has since been renamed Logan's Curry. See Video Below.


Who knew condiments can be so pretty. I think the famous Nigel Skelchy is trying to get this named after himself, since all the other dishes have been bestowed names of Aly's good friends.


Black pulut dessert....


Gorgeous Glutinous Rice Colored by the Clitoria...slathered with homemade Kaya.


And my all time favourite, Sago Gula Melaka.

The gorgeous mural that adorn the place were apparently painted by fellow blogger's fiancee, Haze Long. Such talent that girl. Wonder how she fits all that brain into her slim head.




Unfortunately her madge, AWHIFFOFLEMONGRASS couldnt stay for the group pic, so we just had to photoshop her in.

PART 2 - The Food Review Session.



Now, I am jumping queue in my blogging backlog, because Simply Mel's has RAMADHAN buka puasa specials, and we're already halfway through RAMADHAN, so I thought I better do this quick. There are three sets, RM38++ for Serai Chicken, Kembung Rebus, Kangkong Belacan and Rice, and Sago Dessert,
RM48++ for Beef Curry Malayu, Kembung Rebus, Kacang Bendi Udang Kering & Rice, and Pulut Hitam, and
RM58++ for Pineapple Curry With Prawn, Kembung Rebus, Kacang Botol Sambal, & Pulut Hitam & Fruits for Dessert.




A hot date, to buka with? Glutinous rice, and ondeh ondeh. Sugar rush after a long day of fasting.

Actually, we were split into two groups for the sampling, one group had the buka puasa sets, while we had the alacarte.


Some ulams with sambal belacan.


Crab Stuffing. Such a labour of love. Peeling crab and serving them to someone is definitely a labour of love. Crab shells stuffed with fresh crabmeat, diced turnip, carrots, prawns and onions! Soooo good.


Chicken Seybah. Normally made with oink, but this chicken substitute is also very delicious. Traditionally served for festive occasions, because it goes well with plonk.






Mel's Malacca Laksa. Lovely thick curry gravy. I would have preferred yellow mee than meehoon though. Don't know if there's such an option.



Buah Keluak Curry. Ah, my favourite. The nuttiness of the Keluak Nut, a tough nut to crack, with the curry, simply divine. Jason, the supernutcracker, managed to crack the keluak with his bare hands. He the man.


Lemak Assam Prawn. Rice with this dish is a must.

Apparently this dish has been named Meena's Ketiak. Oops, Keluak. Grrr...





Sambal Kacang Botol.


Sambal Terung. A must for brinjal lovers.


OHHHHHHHHHHH, TONGUEEEEE!!!! Ox Tongue Semur. Mel simmers the tongue for hours until it is tender. I want this dish named after me. I love tongue. I must have tongue.


Eggs are always welcome.


Deconstructed Keluak.


The uncooked Keluak upclose. What does it look like?


Mel's Traditional Butter Cake and Chocolate Cake below. Very homemade, very comforting.













That there is a gorgeous antique pic of Mel as a baby, and below, ahem, Mel with you know who.




Somehow, I have this feeling that I am going to see a LOT more of Aunty Mel, AT Simply Mel's. Might as well start a buku tiga lima.

Address:
Unit 1-1A, 1st Floor, The Sphere,
No. 1, Avenue 1, Bangsar South,
No. 8 Jalan Kerinchi 59200 Kuala Lumpur

E: inquiries@simplymels.com
W: www.simplymels.com
T: +6 03 224 14525
GPS: 3.11142,101.66748