What better way is there to spend your lazy Sunday afternoon than to indulge yourself with fabulous food? As a reward yourself for the prior working week and in readiness of the week that looms ahead? I think Sunday brunches are fabulous for specifically that purpose! đ
I have written about Renoma Cafe Gallery’s brunch and today, here are my thoughts of the Sunday Roast in Ritz Carlton; the only Sunday Roast in the country that I know of that are of such extravagance. I visited 2 years ago and had loved it then.
Recently, there was a change in menu as well as a new chef in helm. A re-visit is in order obviously, and after my afternoon tea here recently, I stepped back in on a fine Sunday morning for a taste of the Sunday Roast.
A Sunday Roast is all about the traditional British treats; the yorkshire pudding, the roast lamb and beef, the seafood and the desserts. Now this is where this buffet shone from the others; an absolutely different treat from the usual of Japanese, hot wok, Chinese, Indian, Italian and dim sum corners.
If you’re looking for a buffet with a difference, then this is it.
Set in a Victorian-like interior and with jazz music playing in the background, Ritz-Carlton’s Lounge exudes British aristocracy. Call me a snob, but I loved it! Polite smiles, low murmurs of conversation, perfect manners when taking the food from the spread and the slow, relaxed ambiance. Lovely.
A real traditional British Sunday Roast usually consists of roasted meat with accompaniments such as seasonal vegetables and Yorkshire puddings, but in Ritz-Carlton, you certainly can look forward to more than just some roasted meat and simple side dishes. Not quite traditional for British standard, but I’m not complaining. Not when there’s plenty of treats for me to sample on! đ
Freshly baked bread and rolls were neatly laid in a picnic basket, with assorted imported cheese to go with them.
I love cheese, and when faced with options like this, I just had to have a tiny cut of EVERYTHING, just so I could staple all of them. The Coulommiers, Pont L’eveque and Roquefort cheese are some of the uncommon ones (and I love uncommon varieties!) while the Camembert de Normandie is a much superior camembert than most camembert in the world, an example of one of France’s most iconic cheese.
For the Sunday Roast in Ritz Carlton, the RM140++ price tag (minus champagne) Â is worth it if you’re a gourmet who appreciates such luxuries and fine food.
From the antipasti corner, reddish beef carpaccio, pinkish seared tuna and buttery foie gras topped my list of favourite items.
The Chef named this Foie Gras terrine Au Natural as it was made in-house with imported duck liver. Ah, thatexplains the fresh, livery flavour. It was quite a delightful surprise to have fresh pate instead of the canned variety served in a buffet. Needless to say, I savoured many sinful chunks of this over a crusty slice of bread. Rich, creamy and buttery, the foie gras was a favourite of everyone as well. In fact the platter had to be replenished many times over the course of the brunch.
Dainty individual servings of antipasti includes gazpacho, seared scallops with celeriac mousse line & vintage balsamic and crab salad Mediterranean style with avocado and salsa.
I love scallops and that was the very first item I took from the spread. The scallop was sweet and perfectly done with opaque insides, exactly how I like them. I was lured into taking seconds after the first helping, but found the subsequent ones rather salty. And thus my scallop-devouring episode ended prematurely, which may be a good thing for the rest of the diners as I was close to polishing every serving clean.
Other antipasti were the buffalo mozzarella, feta cheese, olive tapenade, sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, eggplants, artichokes and zucchini.
Does the British only eats Caesar salads?
Well, I don’t know. The salad bar here seems primarily for the Caesar. Help yourself and make your own Caesar tossed in the parmesan cheese wheel with your choice of dressings and top it with bacon. Â The lettuce was fresh and crispy, just like how the croutons should be as well. Unfortunately it was mildly stale. Fresh and crunchy croutons please chef!
I’m not a soup person but nonetheless I took an obligatory sip of each for the sake of the review. I asked Chef Yoaan why was the Asian Lobster Bisque named as such and he explained that the inclusion of lemongrass and ginger in the bisque is supposed to impart asian flavours. The traditional French Onion Soup on the hand, were a tad bland. Chef Yoaan advised me to add garlic flakes and spring onions as that would help to accentuate the flavours. Also, he said he would check on the onion soup.
Another unexpected guest in the Sunday Roast Buffet is the Japanese.
As in sushi I mean.
So it’s not British, but sushi and sashimi are a favourite of many, moi included. A bonus was that the platters of sashimi and sushi served here are excellent. Superbly fresh sashimi and fatly packed makis warrants no complaints at all.
Salmon gravalax was available a year back when I had the Sunday Roast and its available now too.
But this fella was a newcomer. A whole poached salmon which was both a visual and gastronomic feast.
Mr Salmon was slow poached to retain its moisture and flavour. And frankly, its superb. I took numerous helpings and I’m the sort that prefers my salmon raw. It’s delicious on its own but there’s a side of tartar sauce if you do need it.
RM140++ for all you can eat seafood such as the below is not a bad deal I’ll say. The oysters were specially imported from Britanny, France. With over 2800 km of coastline, seafood in Brittany are found in abundance. Oysters are widely farmed and lucky us were served these delicious oysters right here in Ritz Carlton KL.
Other crustaceans for this gastronomic affair includes Boston lobsters (and yes, eat all you can!), mussels and sweet briny prawns.
I slurped a few of the oysters myself (how could I not?) and it did not disappoint.
Saving the main star for last, here’s the roast, a huge slab of Angus Prime Rib.
It was well done and turned out pretty dry that day.
The roasted lamb leg on the other hand was beautiful. Tender, juicy and tasty marination made this the star of the buffet instead.
I have not had Yorkshire pudding much (other than one time at Sid’s Pub) so I can’t tell if this is authentically how yorkshire pudding are meant to be. Google results showed pretty much the same visual as below. It’s best eaten with the gravy from the roast I reckon, seeing how dry it is.
Another accompanying house special is the salmon and hard boiled eggs in flaky puff pastry, also best paired with the accompanying sauce as it’s a bit bland on its own.
The dessert spread was a kaleidoscope of chocolaty sensation and guilty pleasure. It’s a heaven for even the  fussiest chocoholic, I’m sure. Assorted chocolates and cakes pops were scattered around everywhere and there’s even a chocolate fondue where you can dip skewers of fresh fruits and marshmallows (or maybe a finger or two). Only the finest Valhorna chocolate are used.
Ah, I thoroughly approve! đ
Most of the chocolaty treats are exquisite. They are not overly sweet and well-balanced with berries and fruits. I hope such desserts can be incorporated into the afternoon high tea here. The desserts I had during my high tea pales in comparison to these!
For alcoholics, the Sunday Roast Buffet comes with free-flow of Laurent Perrier Champagne. Expect to top up from RM140++ to RM350++ if so.
The Champagne was not quite the sweet and smooth variant, but the bubbly drink was still decently enjoyable.
Overall, the Sunday Roast Buffet in Ritz-Carlton is a lavish experience. Like I said, this is THE Sunday buffet if you’re looking for an entirely different experience.
The buffet is available for your dining experience every Sunday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. You may opt for non-inclusive of free-flow champagne if you’re prefer your Sunday lunch to be non-alcoholic.
RM 140++ per person, excluding champagne
RM 68++ per child under 12 years old
The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur
168 Jalan Imbi,
55100 Pudu, Kuala Lumpur,
Kuala Lumpur
Phone:03-2142 8000
Website: The Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur
And you have to post this on a Sunday! I wish I’m there now chewing on a lobster!
I like my beef medium so I’ll have no problem with dryer meat but I’m sure there were sauces to take the edge off the dryness right?
Beautiful place! And I know what you mean – the ambiance & the furnishing, plus the food. Makes you think of England! My hubby would be pleased to be transported back to “England” even for a few hours! we haven’t been here for a while, time to be back!
My, the pastries loves absolutely delish!