I was certainly looking forward to dine at Latest Recipe, Le Meridien KL again after the gastronomic escapade that I had with in the past years during Ramadan. Buffets at Latest Recipe (both lunch & dinner) are famous and for a good reason.
It has all the crowd pleasing selections; seafood on ice and the beloved Japanese corner where a snaking queue is infinite. The salads never fails to please. The Belgium waffle is one of the best in town.
And the desserts. Plus 2 chocolate fondues. Add a long line of local kuih and pretty cakes and diners are spoiled for choice!
The wonderful Japanese corner.
Fresh seafood – prawns, cod fish and the meats – thick beef and chicken cuts ready to go sizzling on the teppanyaki pan.
Chef in full concentration.
Patience is a virtue here. After much anticipation watching him cooking, a teppan dish with any quantity (yes, it’s a buffet after all) and your choice of fresh meat and seafood is ready. I requested for prawns and COD FISH of course 🙂
The salads counter are largely ignored at any buffet. But at Latest Recipe their salads are not just Caesar, Thousand Island and Ranch. Every year and whenever I dine at Latest Recipe, I look out for these test tubes. 🙂
Nicely portioned, made fresh, hygienic and convenient, not to mention rather cute too!
Look at this, how could you not eat your veggies? 🙂
From what they had showcased during the media preview, their offerings are still as bountiful as ever and for RM128++, do gorge on the Japanese section and the seafood on ice to stretch your money. The rest are pretty much standard Ramadan fare.
That said I wish they would shake things up a little. Everything looks and tasted almost the same since 2011!
Hmm, I guess don’t fix what’s not broken?
Anyhow, during my usual rounds of photography, I spotted the chef scooping up some curry in one section of the buffet and he looked as if he meant business.
I suppose he did mean business. Just take a look at these assorted curries. You can find this at the Indian Food section.
Other hot dishes are the traditional Malaysian favourites of (more) curries.
With all these curries, I couldn’t resist having some rice. As I sampled a few spoonfuls, I found myself wishing that the rice was more aromatic and fragrant. But I’ll give credit where it’s due. The curries and other accompanying dishes made up for what’s lacking in the rice.
So it’s best to pair the briyani rice with the assorted curries or some side dishes rather than simply devouring it on it’s own.
And then there was the roasted lamb. A must have in any Ramadan buffet, especially if you’re paying three digits per pax.
Still, I won’t say its the best I have had. It does need a bit more flavour (longer marination perhaps?). I love it when a lamb is tasty enough on its own and the addition of sauce is merely by choice, not by need.
Let’s not forget the Chinese in us. Apart from the Teppanyaki station, you can also spot steaming fresh dimsum and all sorts of traditional Chinese dishes in this section of the buffet.
Here are the selection of Chinese delicacies though it wasn’t exceptional. Nothing to praise, but nothing to complain about either. A safe bet if you want something mild and settling on the stomach during the buffet.
Shall we be noodling?
Or should we take a trip to Italy?
Moving on to the appetisers section, we have the all-time local favourite tea-time snacks like stuffed tofu or spicy springrolls. Ulams and sambals aplenty too should you want a healthier and greener option for your meal.
Soup of the day and porridge are also sighted among the spread but I usually will give it a miss. Why would you want to waste space in your tummy with soup when you can have something else that’s worth more the calories? 🙂
Negate (yeah right) whatever cholesterol you had consumed with refreshhing tropical fruits that’s rich with antioxidants.
Latest Recipe, Le Meridien offers quite a treat for those with a pendant for the sweet stuffs so do make sure you save some space for their desserts. My favourite “drink” during such ramadan buffets are always the ais kacang or chendol.
Their local traditional desserts like ‘tong sui’ (traditional sweet desserts in the form of soup) will earn approvals from even the fussiest grandmothers. The ‘tong sui’ are creamily rich but not sweetly overwhelming.
But I did highlight the waffles earlier and here’s why.
The waffles at Latest Recipe are freshly made upon order. Its crispy edges and fluffy body makes it one of the better waffles in town. Though not perfect, it does satisfy the basic craving for a good waffle that doesn’t taste like a piece of heavy dough. You can top them up with jam or ice cream but what I did was to pour some “bubur durian” over mine.
Oh bliss! 😀
Apart from that, Â modern pastries and traditional Malay cakes as well as the chocolate fondues should please just about any diner. Previously it was milk chocolate and white chocolate (this post) but today I was surprised by strawberry flavoured and chocolate fondues!
Local night market favourites like apoms, lepats and even putu piring can be spotted here too so here’s your chance to sample the traditional desserts without having to walk a mile in the crowd.
Ice cream here can be fancy as well. Like a kid I was opening and closing this high “cabinet” of sweets; chocolate rolls, assorted nuts, candies, jelly beans, etc.
All of these can be added to your ice-cream or just stuff yourself silly with them if you wish. This is your sugar high moment! 🙂
Latest Recipe in Le Meridien KL may not have a specific or extravagant theme for their Ramadan offering, but they do offer variety and comfort of dining. The spread is pretty much the same as previous years, so this place is a safe bet if you do not like surprises.
Price: RM128++ per person, from Monday to Friday, and RM118++ per person on Saturday and Sunday.
Late diners (arriving after 9pm) receive a discounted price of RM88++ Monday to Thursday.
mmm, the thick cuts of salmon caught my attention from the start, but am also eyeing the balitong! 😀
they sure didnt sting on the fresh seafood. Even the seafood on ice was replenished timely. The choices here should please most diners, though I had buffets for a lesser price (also within KL & for buka puasa) with more variety.
You’re right. My company Iftar buffet was held here a few times and the spread remains as it is since as long as I can remember!