** For more Ramadhan reviews click HERE –> Ramadhan Buffets – Where’s your favourite?
NOTE: Guest post by Kevin Tan since I was unavailable at that time.
When I got invited to do the review for Soi23, it was a bit of a last minute engagement. But since I have never been to Soi23, it should be a good experience going there and trying out the food. From the invite, there was some expectations of having local favourites as well as some Thai offerings since it is a Ramadhan buffet.
LAMB – becky’s favourite. She was quite upset that she missed this one! Hahah...
The predictable range of appetisers at a buffet was present, but since Soi 23 is a Thai restaurant, I was more intent on sampling the Thai “kerabus” and Thai inspired dishes.
My favourite was the Kerabu sotong; which got my vote for the fresh and springy squids.
Another was the Kerabu Perut Lembu Thai; so tender and fragrant with mild spiciness and basil. It was something out of the ordinary as well, cow’s stomach made into a salad. Good thing I eat anything; and the same can be said for Becky. 🙂
On the other hand, the Mango Kerabu could do with more acidity, tempting me to squeeze fresh lime over my bowl while the Seafood & Prawn Kerabu manages with nice acidity but was a notch below expectation with bland albeit fresh prawns.
The Acar Rampai was the spiciest ever I had in my entire life! The other kerabu were pretty standard if nothing else.
Rushing to douse my stomach which was on fire, I jumped to desserts.
The creamy coconut milk and ice did a good job to sooth my innards, starting from the Sago Gula Melaka to the customary Thai Tub Tim Grob.
At this stage I was introduced to Medkanun, imitation jackfruit seeds made from mung bean paste, sugar and salt.
I find it an acquired taste. The next dessert I tried wasn’t as unfamiliar, but take my word for it, eat it when it’s COLD! At room temperature it was borderline bad (not bad in taste but rather due to the fermentation there was a smell)! Like I said, an acquired taste.
Frankly, it was about 30% Thai cuisine (with almost 25% coming from the appetiser and desserts section) and the rest traditional local cuisine.
The Thai exceptions were the Thai Pandan Fried Chicken (it was lip-smacking goodness!) and the Thai Green Curry, which was unfortunately pretty mild.
Here’s the rest of the spread, which I opined to be quite a good value for the price paid, considering that most ramadhan buffets are going around the same price.
Popiah basah: Honestly bland but thanks to the sauce which was slightly on sweet side with subtle aromas & hint of spice which made it palatable. Originating from Penang (both Becky & I), we are big popiah fans and had been in search for fabulous popiah in KL ever since we landed here.
Grilled seafood.
Hot Dishes.
Ah, I quite approved of the Rendang really, a bit above the norm but just a bit.
I paired it with the Briyani rice, which was under par, though I did caught a faint aroma of spices.
A tall glass of juice to wash away the grease. 🙂
At the end of it, going through a buffet is like a long distance run. Start slow and go through the dishes before piling up the plate with personal favourites, is what I’ve doing after attending lots of buffets.
While there’s hits and misses, the dishes does offer a wide variety in terms of protein and flavor profiles. Thanks again to Chef Suphakit; (assisted by Chef Bob0 and dear Anna for the spread that night.
VENUE: Soi23 (Level 23)
Pacific Regency Hotel Suites
KH Tower, Jalan Punchak,
Off Jalan P.Ramlee, KL.
021st July – 18 August 2012
TIME: 6.30 pm to 11.00 pm
PRICE:
RM78++ per adult, 1st and 4th week of Ramadhan
RM88++ per adult, 2nd and 3rd week of Ramadhan
For reservations, call +603 2332 7777./email [email protected].
****************************************************************************************************************************************************
Browse more if you wish:
- Dorsett Regency, Kuala Lumpur
- MayTower Hotel & Serviced Residences, KL
- The Mill, Grand Millennium Hotel, Bukit Bintang
- The Lounge, GTower Hotel, KL
- The Living Room, Westin KL
- Cinnamon Cafe, One World Hotel
- Latest Recipe, Le Meridien KL
- Paya Serai – PJ Hilton
These are for last year Ramadan’s.
I’m running the Becky’s 30 Days 30 Giveaways and for coming days it will be mostly Ramadan buffets for 2 pax. So do visit my page RebeccaSawBlog FB here and stay tuned for the announcement. 🙂
Here’s the round-up for 2012 Ramadan Buffets. I’ll include the links once I published the posts this week. I’m trying to write as fast as I can! 🙂
1. Ramadhan Buffet at Melting Pot Cafe, Concorde Hotel, KL
2. Ramadhan Buffet at Soi 23, Pacific Regency, KL
3. Ramadhan Buffet at Fuzion, Sunway Spa and Resorts
4. Ramadhan Buffet at Checkers Cafe, Dorsett Regency, KL
5. Ramadhan Buffet at Flavors, Swiss Garden Hotel, Pudu KL
6. Ramadhan Buffet at Cinnamon Coffee House, One World Hotel
7. Ramadhan Buffet at Kitchen Art Brasserie, Empire Hotel Subang
8. Ramadhan Buffet at The Mill, Grand Millenium Hotel, KL
9. Ramadhan Buffet at JW Marriot, KL
10. Ramadhan Buffet at La Maison, Silka Maytower Hotel and Residences
11. Ramadhan Buffet at Paya Serai, Hilton PJ
12. Ramadhan Buffet at Utara Coffee House, Armada Hotel, PJ
13. Ramadhan Buffet at Serena Brasseria, InterContinental Hotel, KL
14. there’s more for sure… let me eat first and I’ll update! 🙂
****************************************************************************************************************************************************
Leave me a comment if you have any enquiries on Ramadhan Buffets this year ok? 🙂
The best thing is popiah.. excellent
I love Popia too! This one is quite good, but different from the usual Chinese version that I prefer..
https://www.rebeccasaw.com/the-pak-ya-popiah-empire-the-mall-2/
Yes, penang poh piah rules, hahaha 😛
Can’t agree more! 😀
It never fails to amaze me how much earlier and earlier Ramadhan buffet start their offerings every year. It’s like how mooncakes get earlier too. Like the name of this place; immediately associated it to Thai food 🙂 Good marks for presentation here!
Yes, but not much Thai offerings, sadly. But then again, it’s for Ramadhan, so I guess that’s a trade off! 🙂
the acar rampai sounds scary if it’s too spicy! but i guess that’s just for me. so i should stick to the mild green curry, which sounds perfect! 😀
LOL!!
Still not quite getting your tongue used to spiciness yet huh Sean? 😛
Pingback: Buffet Ramadhan 2012 – CINNAMON COFFEE HOUSE, ONE WORLD HOTEL | thenomadGourmand
Pingback: Ramadhan Buffet 2012 – JW Marriot, Kuala Lumpur | thenomadGourmand
Pingback: Ramadan Buffet 2012 and 2011 – Where’s your favourite? | thenomadGourmand
Pingback: Ramadhan Buffet KL - Melting Pot, Concorde Hotel, KL | thenomadGourmand
Pingback: Ramadhan Buffet 2012 : The Mill, Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur | thenomadGourmand
Pingback: Ramadan Buffet 2012- Dorsett Regency Hotel | thenomadGourmand