Ten Grand Roasts of Christmas at Makan Kitchen.
A CHRISTMAS buffet usually conjures up images of indulgent gourmet delights to wrap up the year in style.
This is what Makan Kitchen at Doubletree by Hilton Shah Alam i-City aims to achieve with its Season of Splendour spread which combine classics with modern and eclectic Asian offerings.
Headed by executive chef Lee Keen Suaan, the Makan Kitchen team has put together specials including Ten Grand Roasts of Christmas, Fine de Claire Oyster Bar, and Christmas-inspired beverages including mulled wine.
They even added a local touch to the buffet with savoury slow roasted berlado-rub lamb leg and Itik Madu Bakar, which is honey-roasted duck with spices.
The Christmas Eve Dinner from 6pm to 10.30pm is priced at RM188 nett for buffet, RM278 nett with free flow of red and white house wine, or RM350 nett with a bottle of house champagne.
The buffet highlights include Oven-Roasted Apple Cider-Brined Turkey and Oven-Baked Ginger Flower Salt Kingfish.
Oven-Roasted Apple Cider-Brined Turkey.
The turkey is brined with apple juice, salt, sugar and aromatic warm spices like cinnamon stick and star anise.
As for the kingfish, it is marinated with ginger, garlic and onion, crusted with salt and baked. The salt crust is a mixture of egg, salt and ginger flour.
Other notable dishes include Beef Wellington, Salmon Coulibiac, Maple-Glazed Turkey Meatloaf, Garlic Lemongrass Roasted Chicken, and Roasted Prime Rib.
Then there is the succulent Ginger Flower Salmon Gravlax garnished with crispy fish skin for extra texture. According to Lee, one of the best ways to cook salmon is with ginger flower and marinating it with sugar, salt, spices and lots of herbs.
One hearty dish for the buffet is Coconut Husk Smoked Beef Brisket that incorporates the rendang marinating method. Rendang paste is used to marinate the beef, which is then painstakingly smoked to perfection for about 12 to 16 hours.
The salad counter for starters is quite an eye-opener, thanks to the boom garden on display where guests can pick their vegetables like tropicana lettuce, mizuna and Blue Scotch kale fresh from mini farm to plate.
These vegetables have no harmful chemicals as controlled environment agriculture is used to grow them.
Lee (in black) and his team present the dessert selection of the Christmas Eve Dinner buffet.
“Sponges replace soil for growing vegetables and we have an intelligent automated system to tailor temperature, humidity and light for each individual plant,” explained Lee.
Although this is a Christmas buffet, guests can still enjoy Malaysian staples like beef and chicken satay.
There is also no shortage of Chinese food as Makan Kitchen has included a delectable selection of dim sum.
Completing the line-up of Chinese offerings are salted fish fried rice, wok-fried seafood and noodles, black pepper lamb and braised bailing mushrooms with bamboo shoots.
There is Indian food too at the buffet. Tuck into fish tikka, chicken tandoori, lamb kebab, spinach peratal, paneer bhurji and crab masala, all served with must-have condiments like tomato raita, tamarind, cucumber raita, lime pickle, yogurt mint chutney and tomato chutney.
As for desserts, you can expect chocolate cherry mousse, mango cheese mousse and handmade Christmas cookies.
Smoked duck and fresh salad.
Do sample the special dessert called the Little Red Hood. It is made with red velvet sponge cake and cheese mousse.
Diners can opt for the Christmas Day Lunch from 12.30pm to 4pm. It is priced at RM168 nett for buffet only, RM288 nett with free flow of red and white house wine, and Christmas mimosas, and RM350 nett with a bottle of house champagne.
The lunch buffet highlights include Fine de Claire Oyster Bar, Slow-roasted Whole Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary, indoor barbecue station, Lamb Shoulder, Kepak Ayam Madu, Tulang Gear Box and Durian Tempura.
Wash it all down with Christmas-inspired beverages such as Holiday Sangria (alcoholic) and Candy Cane Christmas (non-alcoholic).
Early birds who book before Dec 15 with full pre-payment are entitled to a 20% discount.
Apart from that, guests who book for 15 pax and above will enjoy a 15% discount.
MAKAN KITCHEN, DoubleTree by Hilton Shah Alam i-City, Finance Avenue, i-City, Shah Alam, Selangor. Tel: 03-5650 0200. Business hours: Breakfast from 6am to 10.30am; Lunch from noon to 2.30pm; Dinner from 6.30pm to 10pm. Email: SZBSA.info@Hilton.com
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
