Fusion flair for lunch crowd

Suhalmi plating grilled percik chicken with roasted butternut squash at the Just Lunch semi-buffet.

IF YOU are looking for a satisfying, hearty lunch minus the long wait, head over to the new semi lunch buffet at Flock in W Kuala Lumpur.

The hotel’s food and beverage assistant director Nuno Abreu said the semi lunch buffet was targeted at the corporate crowd.

“People are usually in a rush at lunchtime particularly on weekdays, so that’s why we designed this semi-buffet,” he said.

The semi-buffet’s main focus is on soup, starters and dessert. Main dishes and drinks are charged separately.

The beginning of the buffet line sees an array of freshly baked bread like rye, ciabatta, baguette and focaccia served with house-made butter of different flavours being offered each day.

For our tasting session, we had mustard butter infused with bonito flakes, black and white sesame seeds and a pinch of Maldon sea salt.

Suhalmi plating grilled percik chicken with roasted butternut squash at the Just Lunch semi-buffet.

Open-faced sandwiches were toasted, topped with salmon capers, roasted tomato and grilled wild forest mushrooms.

There were also hearty sandwiches made of smoked turkey ham and cheddar.

At the salad bar, diners can enjoy the novelty of snipping off fresh leaves from the seven types of hydroponic vegetables still growing in their plastic pots.

Main dish of barramundi asam butter with a local ulam raja salad and torched ginger.

For those hankering for something more hearty, there is smoked salmon with pomegranate and coriander seeds. The latter left a tangy spiciness on the palate.

Prepared live over hot charcoal grills were an array of vegetable robatayaki. With over 20 choices, such as edamame, barley, sorghum and quinoa, guests can customise poke bowls according to their personal taste.

At the dessert counter, the star of the show was the cheesecake brownie.

Pastry chef Kevin Yong said the cheesecake was made with Philadelphia cream cheese. It laid atop a brownie baked with Callebaut chocolate.

Toasted starters with variations of salmon capers, roasted tomato and grilled wild forest mushrooms.

Diners who want a fuller meal can opt for the main course for an additional RM48nett with a choice of beef, chicken, duck or barramundi all prepared with a fusion flair.

Inspired by the Thai yellow curry, the grilled duck breast had a spiced marinade, served with sweet pickled mango on the side.

The beef short ribs noodles was inspired by mee rebus, a well-known Malaysian dish. The angus beef was braised under a slow fire for a minimum of four hours. In place of yellow noodles, spaghetti was used.

The percik chicken was grilled alongside a serving of butternut squash. The boneless chicken thigh is complemented with carrots and quinoa.

The 150g barramundi fillet was deep fried in potato starch and coated with asam (tamarind) butter. The fish was accompanied by a fresh herb salad consisting of traditional greens, local ulam raja salad, red onion and torched ginger.

Robatayaki appetizer of eryngii mushroom, broccoli and eggplant served on skewers.

The semi-buffet was conceptualised by the hotel’s executive sous chef Suhalmi Md Tasir, who drew inspiration from his 23 years of experience in the food and beverage industry.

Priced at RM108nett, the Just Lunch semi-buffet is available every Monday to Saturday from noon to 3pm. Fresh fruit juice is available at RM20nett per glass. Lemonade is RM12nett.

FLOCK, Level 8, W Kuala Lumpur, No. 121, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. (Tel/ WhatsApp: [phone]. Email: [e-mail]). Business hours: 6.30am-10.30pm, daily.

This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.