Dining at Majestic Hotel – Contango (buffet lunch) & Colonial Cafe for Hainanese Chicken Chop (dinner)

Let’s get to the point.
Why lunch at Contango? Why pay RM78++/pax?

Well, buffets are popular for a good reason.

First and foremost, it is all about variety for 70% of the population. Then there are the minority of us who are discerning enough to value to quality over quantity.
Then again, all the better if it’s both quality + quantity thrown in one buffet right?

Here’s where Contango comes in.
I’ve not stepped in for dinner (was told the diversity gets even better) but I lunch-ed for 2 consecutive days here and genuinely enjoyed the food.

A main dish at a restaurant would set you back about RM25 – RM35 (chicken or pasta) or RM40 – RM50 if it is lamb or beef.
A drink would cost RM10 or so. Add a dessert for RM15 – RM20.
Hence a typical meal out would average to about RM80++/pax.

Hence a buffet (especially for a good quality one) at RM78++ is a decent price.

You will find below images of what you can expect at Contango based on my 2 days lunch experience.
Most dishes are on rotation so although I dined here 2 days in a row, I enjoyed different selections at the Indian, Malay, Chinese, Thai and Western hot food sections.

Contango features an open kitchen interactive dining concept.
The whole buffet as a whole are split into the general genre of Japanese, local cuisine like Malay, Chinese and Indian, then international such as Thai and Western with a pizza oven and Churassco Grill.

Below: Churassco Grill – it’s either lamb or beef (rotates daily). It lamb on one day and beef on the other.

The Indian section is VERY commendable.
The curries are rich, the meats/seafood/vegetables in the curries are well permeated with the flavours of the gravies and the Indian flatbreads/pratha are made upon request.

Italian favourites of freshly made pizzas and pasta ala-minute are available as well.

For starters, bowls of freshly tossed salads and appetizers lined the Salad Bar.
I took a spoonful of each and found them well-seasoned and really fresh. My favourite is the artichoke salad, something uncommon on a buffet spread as it is an expensive ingredient.
A rice medley of pickled vegetables and dips with crackers was at the side.

I noticed too that the cold cuts and smoked fishes are of premium quality.
Other than the standard smoked salmon, there was smoked tenggiri and one day and another fish on the next, and though I couldn’t recall exactly what it was, I remembered that it was a local fish as well.
The smoked tenggiri wasn’t overly salted and I loved the flaky, firm flesh.
It occurred to me that the kitchen might be smoking their own seafood then.

Can’t live without crusty loaves of bread dipped in tummy-warming soups? The kitchen team at Contango got you covered.

My favourite (and I think for 90% of the population too) section is the cuisine from the Land of The Rising Sun.

Here we have the sashimi, freshly fried tempura, makis, sushi rolls, soba, grilled seafood and vegetables.
Naturally I piled my plate with sashimi and sushi!
Since it is a popular section, I noticed that the team replenished the food (especially the sashimi and tempura) constantly, keeping diners happy with the on-going flow of food.

The salads and appetisers at the Malay cuisine section deserve praise. Some Thai salads as featured as well here, all tossed generously with prawns, squids, fish or more.
All in all, you can be assured that the team at Contango didn’t skimp on the ingredients that matters.

Western offerings covers the lamb/beef fillets in sauce, meatballs, seabass in cream, steamed mussels and more.
If you ever see the meatballs, do help yourself to 5 – 10 balls at least. It is that GOOD.

Have you noticed the presentation of the spread yet?
I certainly approve of smaller servings ( food is fresh as they are refilled frequently) and the pretty plating and platters.

Kuey teow, beehoon or mee for you? Spicy soup or clear consomme?
The humble noodle station offers a few types of noodle dishes each day.

I didn’t take photo of every dish on the buffet spread but here’s more of what I’ve got:

Free-flow beverages include juices, cordial and teas but do keep in mind that Contango boast of an impressive wine list so if lunch allows, do unwind with a glass or two of fine vino.

The desserts here deserve a lengthy post on its own for the pastries and cakes are fabulous.
I’ll leave you with a picture of the ice-cream range for now, since it is very much the main highlight of the dessert section, particularly so for the cempedak ice-cream.

Below: On rotational basis as well, the fried cempedak makes an  appearance.
Best with a dollop (or 5) of ice cream. I chose to have ice-cold cempedak ice-cream on smoking hot cempedak fritters, why not eh? 🙂

Food aside, the ambiance and comfortable seating arrangement in Contango makes for a memorable dining experience. Tall ceiling to floor glass allows plenty of sunlight at the side near to the front of the hotel so lovers of the sun could choose to seat near the windows.
There are “compartmentalize” areas that are suitable for small groups as well. The chairs and tables are well-spaced apart and plush.

Price per pax for lunch buffet: RM78++.
Time: 12.30pm to 2:30pm daily.

Contango
The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur
5, Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin,
50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
+603 2785 8000
[email protected]

Kudos to the kitchen team of Contango! Hope to see all of you again soon!

PS: Post to be continued with my dinner at Colonial Cafe.