Best Ramadan Buffet in KL – JW Marriott – RM75++ – traditional Malay cuisine

Last year it was fantastic. This year, The JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur is proud to bring back its long-standing tradition of serving 138 of nenek’s traditional recipes and more for its buka puasa buffet this holy month of Ramadhan.

Dine by the pool and enjoy the wonderful sight of gerai –rustic wooded stalls serving specialities such as Satay Kampong and Ikan Panggang, as well as heartier dishes at the Gerai Nasi Dagang, Nasi Kandar and Nasi Ayam or book yourself a table in the air-conditioned comforts of the conference hall. Either way, the food is scrumptious, the spread is wide and the service is warm.

I love the variety and quality of food I get for RM75++. Whole roasted lamb, more than 30 types of curries alone, 6- 7 soups each day, the assorted hot and cold appetisers and the amazing myriad of desserts, it’s simply one of the best in town.

The area is easy to navigate, with well spaced out stalls and a whole brigade of friendly chefs manning the stalls, ever-ready to assist you in getting your food at some live stations.

As you may know I’m a carnivore and as I did my photography rounds I had my eyes (and stomach) set on the roasted lamb, satay, lamb, beef, chicken curries, and roti jala. As soon as everyone buka puasa, slices of lamb with mint sauce and rolls of fluffy roti jala drenched in thick dhall was the first thing I piled upon my plate!

The satays were meaty, well marinated and not too oily while the grilled fishes was thick, fresh and lovely with the housemade sauces. You know what’s to love about the curries here?
They are all rich and bursting with the wonderful fragrance and flavour of spices and coconut milk; such flavours only attainable with correct amount of both, and obviously the chefs here at JW Marriott has the best recipes in town. The curries (gravy alone) aside, the meat, fish, seafood (main ingredients of the curries) are all cooked to perfection in its gravy – all having had absorbed the flavours of the spices sufficiently and the meats are tender to bite while the fishes remains flaky and fresh.

Gulai daging with nangka (jackfruit), Kupang masak sambal kacang, Rendang danging, Tongkeng (bishop nose) goreng tepung, Daging masak merah, Tempe goreng chili, Keli kuah lemak, Rendang kerang (this is one of the specialties here!), Daging salai masak lemak dengan bachang, Paru goreng berlada, Pucuk manis dengan labu… and the exhaustive selection goes on!
Would you believe it if I say every dish was good? Well, it is. I took 4 hours to sample almost everything (all in dainty bites of course) and other than the dismal chicken rice, I didn’t find any other dish majorly disappointing to warrant any complaints.

The keli. One of my personal favourite fish for its snowy flesh and sweet taste.

The fried bishop nose (which is chicken butt for those who are in the dark) has a nice crunchy bite with bits of meat and is pretty fun to munch on as I chatted with my dining companions throughout dinner. 🙂

I’m not surprised to see the crowd that night. And the happy satisfied faces of the diners. I was obviously sporting the same contented expression on my face.

That’s not all. Inside, the hots dishes and hot/cold appetisers beckons. My photographer of the evening Gary did a good job capturing all the dishes without a single grumble. I’m the obsessive sort who wants a picture of every dish in a buffet and he sportingly obliged, not eating a single morsel until he had everything captured in vivid detail for me. I hope you’re enjoying his pictures so far? 😀

Is it possible that there are 138 dishes? Yes, I assure you there is.

From traditional Malay to Indian to Chinese, there was something for everyone and every palate that evening (and for every evening since 10th of July til the end of Ramadan), exactly how a buffet should be!

Even the humble keropok station offers 4 types of crunchy crackers.

Quantity is important for a buffet, but I believe quality is similarly as crucial. Here at JW Marriott, they satisfy both criteria.

Moving on, I discovered that there are 6 types of soups alone. 6!
Choose from Sup Daging, Sup Kambing, Sup Ayam, Mushroom Soup and 2 more of which my memory fails me at this point of time.

And here’s another ubiquitous dish for ramadan – the bubur lambuk. Popular but can be a disappointment if it is bland, which most stalls at Pasar Ramadan and some buffets I have tried seem to dish out. I’m happy to say that I got my bubur lambuk fix satisfied this year here at the JW Marriott! 🙂

For sweet buburs, we were spoiled for choice, struggling to select from Bubur Nangka, Bubur Pisang, Bubur Kacang Merah, Bubur Chacha, Chinese Lean Chi Kang, Chendol, Bubur Kacang Hijau, Pulut Hitam..oh, 8 of these every night!
We ended up with almost 6 on our table and everyone enjoyed every one of them. Sweet as they should be, the buburs were also nice and creamy with the rich aroma of coconut milk.

I had to wash everything down with my favourite ais-kacang, topped with ice-cream! 🙂

We were seriously stuffed, but if you have space, don’t neglect the local kuih-muih and western puddings, cakes and cookies.

I would confidently encourage anyone seeking a value for money, comfortable and excellent spread Ramadan buffet to book their seats/tables here immediately. All things considered, this is one of the VERY FEW outstanding buka puasa buffet in KL! 🙂

In keeping with the spirit of “silatul rahim” or building sincere ties at Ramadhan and giving thanks for what we have, the JW Marriott Ramadhan buffet is priced at a reasonable MYR75++ at the Poolside and MYR65++ at the 4th floor Starhill Conference Centre; children ages 7 to 12 dining at either venue may enjoy the buffet at half price.

The Ramadhan buffet will be served from 7.00pm – 10.30pm daily. This buffet will run from Wednesday, 10th July till the eve of Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. For reservations, please call +603-2719 8666 or email [email protected].

Last but not least, check out my List of Ramadan Buffets in KL/PJ. It’s a list I have compiled for easy reference and search and I hope it will assist you in your hunt for your personal/company/family buka puasa gathering! 🙂