I had dined in Essence in Sheraton Imperial Hotel on countless occasions for both lunch and dinners over the last 3 years and it was heartening to witness the consistency and improvement of the buffet spread all this while.
The recent revamp (you can read about HERE –> https://www.rebeccasaw.com/best-of-halal-buffet-dining-essence-sheraton-imperial-kl-the-place-to-explore-variety/) is impressive.
The spread is even wider now and the live stations are a great addition as almost half the food on the buffet spread are now cooked ala minute. The ready cooked ones are kept warm in small quantities in claypots or food warmers.
Besides quantity, the quality of food served heartily satiate the appetite. I’m a firm believer that a good buffet doesn’t only satisfy the quantity factor but the taste as well. đ
Other than the Japanese counter (which I thought could be improved) the Chinese, Western, Malay and desserts sections offers almost every variation of cooking possible to please most gourmet.
You can have your meat/seafood fried, BBQ-ed, in curries, steamed or baked.
Rice, noodles, pasta? Everything is here.
The Ramadan spread last year offered steamboat with almost 6 soups. I loved the concept and it was one of the very few Ramadan buffets that stood out among its peers.
This year, the steamboat is alike a “lok-lok” station where you boil the ingredients you want and then take it to your table.
Another noteworthy mention of the buffet here is the pleasant spacing of the stalls and artfully arranged food.
Instead of presenting the food or ingredients in bowls, platters or pots, each station is nicely decorated in theme.
For example, the Indian station has curries in stainless steel pots and display of spices while the kerabu salads was lined with banana leaves on top of traditional straw “platters”. These arranged in tiers, creating a 3 dimensional display which to me was rather pleasant to look at versus having everything on the same level if they were arranged on a table.
The local desserts are separated from the western and was placed on top of classic weighting machines.
Fresh sambals are served in mortars (part of a pestle and mortar set) and even the peanut pancakes are nicely displayed on a multi-tiered stand.
Instead of plain plates these are displayed on the baking trays. So quaint. đ
Little touches but it does add a good feeling to the overall dining experience don’t you think so?
Of course taste and quality cannot be disregarded and I’ll safely say that food does meet the mark here. I’ll highly recommend the lamb and the amazing briyani. Go for the generous lamb shank soup too.
If you love spicy and piquant, order the claypot assam fish. You can select your type of fish and each order is cooked individually.
The baby lamb is superb!
And the accompanying Mandi Rice is not to be missed. It is amazingly flavourful.
Need more rice? There’s the briyani.
I love this grilled fish. Sweet, moist and rubbed with a lovely chilli paste.
The Roti John is delicious. Not your pasar ramadan carelessly done ones for sure. Each little bun has a layer of egg, onions, bit of mayo, cucumbers and tomatoes. It is like a proper sandwich on its own.
Such attention to details. Love!
These chefs work tirelessly churning out the tastiest murtabak and roti canai the whole evening.
Both are best eaten with the thick and warm dhall.
It’s Ramadan. Ketupat and lemang are quintessential.
So is Sup Tulang. You can choose to have the big shank with tender off-the-bone meat or just the soup. Super!
A tummy warming broth was what started the night for Karen. She loves her bubur lambuk and she pronounced this good.
I headed for the Japanese section immediately.
Ah, same old same old. The chef really needs to work on the sushi rice. So dry! Likewise the fresh fishes. It could be of better quality.
There’s more to the buffet and there are the rest of the pictures I took. The desserts are as good as they look.
There is a fruit bar as well where the fruits are only cut upon order so they are not left on display. I thought it was a good idea! There were mangoes, mangosteens (now this is not often!), watermelon, honeydew, pink guava and more. Just tell the chef manning the fruit counter and she will peel, slice and cut your chosen fruits for you.
I can never resist anything with durians. đ
And here’s more random pictures I took at the buffet.
Oh, this mash and beef dish was superb.
And so was the lasagne. Unfortunately these were hidden near the Chinese and pasta section so we missed it til nearing the end of our dinner. So yes, if you’re here at Essence, please look out for these! đ
The buka puasa buffet is priced at RM118.00++ per person.
It is available for dinner only from 1 July to 24 July 2014, daily, from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.
NOTE:
Guests who confirm their reservations before 24 June, 2014, will be entitled to 40% discount off on the food bill (subject to a minimum of 4 persons and maximum of 10 persons for dine in) between 1 and 6 July 2014.
Meanwhile, SPG members can enjoy 20% discount off total food bill. If you plan to host a bigger gathering, Essence is offering a 35% discount for group bookings that are above 30 persons and with confirmed payment.
What’s more, UOB and Maybank card holders can enjoy special privileges while dining at Essence. Terms and conditions apply.
Plan your Ramadan gathering with your loved ones today at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotelâs Essence restaurant. For reservations, call 03 2717 9900 or email to [email protected] or log on to www.sheratonimperialkualalumpur.com to find out more.
Check out other Ramadan review below:
–> https://www.rebeccasaw.com/list-of-buka-puasa-buffets-in-kl-to-buka-puasa-this-2013/
the quality of food served heartily satiate the appetite – that’s so right.
my mouth came when i saw the beef and mash dish wei