For this year’s Ramadan, Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur will be offering its guests not one, but two buffet experiences. Guest chefs from Istanbul and Chennai are presenting delicacies from their parts of the world.
Grand Ballroom buffet
The Grand Spice Bazaar took place in the Grand Ballroom and offers a lavish mix of Turkish, Middle Eastern and Malaysian dishes. This culinary experience will be accompanied by a local bazaar in the ballroom entrance area, with vendors like Duck and Jovian amongst others. There will also be a photo corner, live performances and a daily lucky draw, so definitely something for everyone to enjoy.
There was traditional Turkish coffee and a very entertaining Turkish ice cream vendor, who was a major hit with the ladies during the preview evening. Just to add to the Turkish flavour! He used a king rod to scoop the ice cream and playfully tricks the customer by pulling the ice cream away from them as they try to grab it.
JP Teres buffet
The second buffet took place at JP Teres and this was a traditional Ramadan Feast. We were very fortunate to taste some of the offerings of this buffet and I can assure you it is a diverse and delectable feast.
Upon entering we were greeted by a very impressive display of assorted baklava. We continued on and arrived at the first station offering Rebus Rebus Makanan Laut – sustainable seafood on ice. The assortment of seafood was fresh and delicious and replenished throughout the evening.
Next stop was the ever popular roast lamb section. My husband had to try this and was very impressed – it was juicy and flavourful and perfectly cooked. Beside the lamb was a beautiful selection of colourful Indian specialities. Aptly named ‘Colour of the Rangoli’, it had offerings like Goan Fish Curry, Paneer Jalfreze, Lamb Roganjosh and of course my favourite – the Dal Makhani. I had to try the Paneer Jalfreze and the Dal. The Dal Makhani was a bit over cooked for me, but the Jalfreze was delightfully flavourful.
Continuing our culinary journey at this Ramadan buffet, we arrived at the next food option which was a delicious looking assortment of fish, the most prominent being theTom Yam Barramundi and Seabass Portuguese Style. I tried both and yet again, they were excellent and very fresh.
My favourite: curry laksa
On the corner of this station was a chef offering chicken rice, JP Teres signature chicken and roasted duck. My husband who loves a good duck made a pit stop here, whilst I moved down the line to the curry laksa station. I looooove curry laksa and this one was probably one of the best I have ever had – sweet, spicy, sour and rich. I was not subtle and asked the very sweet lady to bulk it up with fish balls, tofu puffs, noodles, mung bean sprouts and every herb she had… It was very filling, probably had a million calories, but was totally worth it.
Even more food?!
While at this point, I started happily considering dessert, my husband pointed out that there was a huge outdoor area with more food offerings. On approach of the area, I was hit by a mix of delicious aromas, but also the smoke coming from the grill area. If you decide to visit the Grand Hyatt Ramadan buffet, you probably want to ask for a table further away from the grill station since it can possibly be a little uncomfortable there at times.
The first food station we visited was the Abang Shah Murtabak Temban, which offered very tasty folded savoury pancakes. They were yummy and definitely a highlight for us.
Continuing onward I passed a station serving Pencicah Pembuka Sellera – appetisers. There was a lovely selection of salads, amongst them the Kerabu Aneka Laut with squid, prawn, and glass noodles, the Kerabu Ayam Pucuk Paul (grilled chicken breast) and the refreshing Kerabu Limau Bali being the highlight. At the other end of the outdoor area was the slightly smoky grill station offering grilled seafood.
Next up we arrived at the main dishes. It was a difficult choice between Daging Masak Hitam Manis (braised Australian beef rump), Sambal Udang (sustainable spicy tiger prawn), Itik Kerutub Daun Wangi (braised duck) and Ayam Tomato Berlada (free range chicken).
Let’s go for desserts
Completing this array of dishes was the station serving traditional desserts like Bubur Ketan Hitam (glutinous rice porridge with coconut milk and palm sugar), fritters, fruit and the perennial favourite: Ais Kacang.
Returning indoors, I couldn’t resist the look of the desserts over there. Aside from the incredible selection of baclava, there were also other desserts such as cakes, tarts, profiteroles, puddings, and sago gula Melaka. And a very tempting ‘Create your own sundae’ station with all the toppings to make it as over the top as you wish. We however opted for the delicious ice cream and coffee from the Turkish gentlemen at the entrance. The ice cream was creamy and tasty and the coffee strong and aromatic – a perfect way to end a lavish feast.
Overall, it was an incredible Ramadan dining experience. The diverse selection of food was mind-boggling and the addition of the guest chefs from Chennai and Istanbul definitely added an extra touch to the event and to the dishes.
I have to mention the service which was friendly and warm. It is impressive to see that the Grand Hyatt is so committed to serving sustainable and high-quality ingredients, which is definitely reflected in the taste of their dishes.
Useful info
The Grand Spice Bazaar Buffet at the Grand Ballroom is available from 1 – 18 April, from 6.30 – 10pm and is priced at RM208 nett per adult. You can book online here on the hotel’s website.
The Ramadhan Feast at JP Teres is available from 23 March – 21 April from 6.30 – 10.30pm and is priced at RM198 nett per adult. You can book online here on the hotel’s website.
We were invited by Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. As always, our opinions are honest and our own.
