Lemon Gardens's Festive Dinner Buffet - Specially For the Month of Ramadhan Only

Wishing all my Muslim friends a blessed Ramadhan.  I truly admire the faithful who can pull of a fast, for me, the food part is no problem, but the liquids part would be a great challenge.  I have tried it before, successfully, back when I was in the Fourth Form,.... when I was more malleable and flexible.

Capping off my Ramadhan buffet capers, (although as mentioned, due to some new ruling you cannot ostensibly use that term, hence all the creative names like "festive dinner" or selera kampung or warisan etc etc...but a rose by any other name.....so yeah, this should be my final invited fasting month buffet review for this season, and rightfully, the "finale" was at Lemon Garden Shangrila.

Cutting to the chase, The Festive Dinner Buffet is priced at RM 198 nett per person from Sunday to Thursday and The Festive Seafood Dinner Buffet is priced at RM 228 nett per person from Friday to Saturday.

Early Bird Offer is now available for dining period from 15 to 23 May at RM 175 nett per person and is only valid from Sunday to Thursday.

For more information or reservations call (03) 2074 3900 or email restaurantreservations.slkl@shangri-la.com or visit our site at www.shangri-la-specials.com.

Set up at the terrace area, a wide array of stalls, over and above the normal lavish Lemon Garden spread inside the main area, include Shish Tawouk (Charcoal Grilled Chicken Cubes), Iranian Kubbiedeh (Charcoal Grill Minced Lamb), Iranian Tikka Mastih (Charcoal Grilled Beef), Barbecued Chicken Wings, Fresh Water Prawns Siamese style, Grilled US Oysters and more.

Freshly carved Shawarma Kebabs.....

Served in pita pockets...actually it's a bit too filling so do proceed with caution.... you might not be able to enjoy the other offerings...

Freshly deep fried Tempura assortment...

The quintessential Malaysian Char Kueh Teow, a dish that transcends race and religion...

You know a buffet is of a different class when they serve Macadamia nuts in the buffet... (Macadamias are sooo expensive)..

A cacophony of curries.... In the usual buffet section, a wide array, which squeal for rice, so if you're on a carb free or keto diet, you might as well surrender.. A special mention is deserving for the Beef Cheek Rendang, melt in the mouth and so utterly good that it was the only thing I went back for seconds.  (not that the rest of the stuff are not good, it's just that with limited stomach space, I had to limit my intake but the beef cheek warranted extra space)

Rendang Pipi Lembu (Braised Beef Cheeks with Malay Herbs and Dried Coconut Paste)’,

My favourite of this season, Lemang...Black glutionous rice and the usual type...Pair this with the beef cheek rendang and you'll have shivers down your spine.

A kaleidoscope of Kerabu... Kerabu is a "salad" so to speak, in Malay.  The usual fare of Wild Fern, Mussel Kerabu, Kerabu Taugeh Ikan Masin, ...

The fresh seafood section also never fails to impress...Here's a tip, go early, and you can get crabs almost the size of a dainty girl's palm....

They were particularly proud of their Fishhead curry.  I really wonder if using a fish head as opposed to using any other part of the fish would make a difference to the taste, but fish head curry seems to be an in thing in Malaysia, and very expensive as well, considering the dish probably originated because people didn't know what to do with the fish head

The roast section has a sacrificial lamb with drippings onto a tray of biryani,...which is oh so delish...with racks of ribs and other meats as well..

I have always almost NEVER managed to get the black chicken ginseng soup from the Chinese section...I later discovered that it's made in limited numbers so the early worm gets the bird.

And to finish the job, DESSERT...

This fresh fruit counter (at the annex) was particularly popular, as fresh mangoes were skinned on the spot and served....

Zooming into these babies that look like a pangolin's err... something... the Buah Salak... an acquired taste, but I have been eating it for years and I love it..

Lots of Buburs and Pengats... (I won't even bother with the translation, but basically a dessert stew with a coconut base, and different fillings)

The usual dessert fare is available...

I was particularly delighted with this dessert offering, baklavas... those in the know would know how ridiculouly expensive these middle eastern delights are...layers of filo filled with nuts, usually pistachios, with the aromatics of rose water...

And a wide array of Date offerings, as is the tradition during the fasting month, as dates were the Prophet's favourite break fast food.

The troop of Chefs..

To RECAP

The Festive Dinner Buffet is priced at RM 198 nett per person from Sunday to Thursday and The Festive Seafood Dinner Buffet is priced at RM 228 nett per person from Friday to Saturday.

Early Bird Offer is now available for dining period from 15 to 23 May at RM 175 nett per person and is only valid from Sunday to Thursday.

For more information or reservations call (03) 2074 3900 or
email restaurantreservations.slkl@shangri-la.com
or visit
www.shangri-la-specials.com.

Sheer Decadence, At Lafite's First Sunday of the Month BEATS AND BRUNCH, Shangri-la Kuala Lumpur

To me, one of the most decadent ways to spend a weekend is to have a champagne brunch.  A glass of bubbly in hand, at noon, screams joy in my book. Ideally, I would prefer such an activity on a Saturday, to allow a full recovery on Sunday.  Why do I need recovery?  Well, you see, when you are paying good money for a free flow champagne brunch, really, the chinaman in me kicks into overdrive to get the most value for your money, and no prizes for guessing what is the outcome.  Of course, a prewarning to all you young people out there, drink responsibly.

When I got the invite for Brunch at Lafite, actually I did not read the text properly, and assumed it was a normal brunch, but well, the "Lafite" in the sentence was already a good enough incentive, so you can imagine the sound of chorus of angels singing hallelujah when I arrived at Lafite and was greeted by THIS!

With glass in hand, I proceeded to my table, which was adorned with one of these LPs....

A cursory walk to looksie at the buffet spread revealed these goodies, but clearly, the best was yet to come.   These freshly shucked Cadoret Oysters were just the starters.

Eggs with Smoked Salmon prepared ala minute by Exectuive Chef Olivier Pistre.

Eggs with Smoked Salmon....

Gratinated Lobster Thermidor, Foie Gras With Apple, Green Pea Veloute, Gazpacho, and Cold Cherry Tomatoes with Burrata Cheese.

Luscious lobster meat that deserves a picture all by itself.  I usually like lobster done simply, without any gratination,  but this was done very well, and the meat was still juicy and firm.

Delicious Foie Gras with apple...SOOOOOO good....if you like foie gras.  Which I do.

Smoked Cohiba Grilled Wagyu Beef.  The cohiba imparts a rather exotic aroma, although you can't really taste in within the meat.  The wagyu is a must have if you like beef.  Oh, how it works is, you choose  from a menu which offers 6 choices of mains, namely the wagyu, slow cooked lamb shoulder, seared hokkaido scallops, pan seared Atlantic Cabillaud, Eggs Parfait cooked at 63C, and Grilled Octopus.  And you can order several.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder, looked good, but I didn't try it.

My lovely Seared Hokkaido Scallop, with a lovely artichoke veloute, cooked a la barigoule. I could easily have two or three of these.  Absolutely loved the broth....

Ever since I tried that 63C egg at another place, I have been longing for this paradisical method of cooking the perfect egg.  And as it's not something that can be done at home without a sous vide machine, presumably, the only place to eat this kind of dish will be, well, outside.  The asparagus ragout and veloute did kinda overpower the egg a little, but hey, I love asparagus too.

The pan seared atlantic cabillaud, which is a fancy French way of saying, COD.  It's all in the marketing.  Not my favourite dish, I thought it was a bit overcooked, and had too many things going on, that we lose sight of cod.

A most unexpected stellar performer was the grilled octopus....tender, juicy with all the flavours of the sea, so much so we ordered more for our table to share.

I was almost tempted to check if there was any suction left in those tentacles.  So basically, on our table of four people, we managed to sample all the six choices of mains.

For dessert, Chocolate Surprise,....

Vanilla Ice Cream, Hot Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate Syphon, Sable Breton Crumble.

I opted for the French Rum Baba ...which I've heard about, but to be honest, is my first time trying.

It's kinda like profiterole meets cake, a lot denser than a profiterole, but lighter than cake, with some filling.  It was a nice end to the meal, although theoretically, we had another slice of octopus for our one for the road.

Some of the Belvedere Spritz Collection Cocktails that are available with the brunch.

Still look kinda sober here, thanks to the lighting...

A summary fo what's available...juxtaposed against the lovely garden view...

The free flow white is the Terrazas Reserva Chardonnay, while the red is the Terrazas Reserve Malbec.

Not sure if he's always there, but that's the Celebrity Mixologist, Osmund, who's won many accolades.

So, WHAT IS THE DAMAGE?

Beats and Brunch at Lafite is priced at RM499 nett per person, 12noon - 3pm, every FIRST Sunday of the month only... the next one being on 3rd Sept, followed by 1st October, 5th Novemeber and 3rd December.

For the drinkers, you'd know that a bottle of Verve retail is already between RM220-RM250, and that's from the shops....Drink any bottle at a 5 star establishment will probably be around RM400...so from that angle, if you love food and bubbly, its a reasonable deal.

For reservations, call 03-2074 3900.

Lafite
Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur