Mcloughlin showing off the beef ribs with Yorkshire pudding.
Venison makes appearance at KL hotel as a Christmas treat
THE season of giving and feasting is upon us again and this means it’s time to get all the special dishes out.
For this year’s Christmas dinner at Vasco’s, the all-day diner at Hilton Kuala Lumpur, the emphasis is on seafood and premium roasted meats such as venison, Australian leg of lamb, and beef ribs served with Yorkshire pudding and a rich, delicious black pepper sauce.
Executive chef Paul Mcloughlin, 51, said this will be the first Christmas where venison will be featured in the buffet.
“To maintain sustainability, the venison was sourced from a farm in Sungai Lembing, Pahang.
“The deer is not confined to enclosures, but allowed to roam free, which makes this red meat very lean,” he said.
The offering is venison marinated for 12 hours in herbs and spices like bayleaf and peppercorns, then slow roasted at 120°C for seven hours, during which it is basted with a glaze of raspberry, blueberry and cranberry to eliminate gaminess.
Cooking culminates in 30 minutes of steaming in a combi oven.
The Christmas buffet offering at Vasco’s includes steamed crab (above) and roasted venison (below).
When it comes to preparing venison, Mcloughlin prefers to allow the marinade to diffuse into the meat, as he said stabbing the meat for the sake of implanting herbs or garlic will cause what little juice there is in lean meat to escape.
The dish is paired with fig chutney, pear and pepper relish and an orange and grape gastrique to accentuate its rich flavour.
We love the fig chutney for its addictive sweet-sourish undertones.
For seafood, oysters remain an evergreen favourite.
This year, there are two varieties: the sweet and salty Irish Rock and Fine De Claire that has a subtle woodiness.
Diners may take them off the ice or have them shucked to order.
Boston lobster, each weighing almost 400g, is also on the menu.
In the fresh greens section, there are vegetables growing from hydroponic pots for diners to snip for their Caesar salad.
Giving the salad bar a touch of luxury is Sabah green lobster.
At the Chinese section, there is steamed crab, using flower crabs from Kuala Selangor.
We are told that the crustaceans were caught just two days earlier.
Flavoured with coriander and garlic oil, the meat is stuffed back into the shell without the use of egg white as juices from fresh crab act as a natural binder.
There is also fried rice with black garlic and crab meat, salmon wrapped in wild pepper leaves, and oysters baked in a pineapple and garlic salsa.
For meat lovers, look out for the rolled tenderloin with chicken pate and sambal made of strawberries from Cameron Highlands.
One section to look forward to in this year’s festive spread is the chocolate counter.
Using 72% dark cocoa from Sungai Ruan, Pahang, executive pastry chef Abu Hamidy Abu Samah, 38, has come up with a variety of bars and truffles.
Abu Hamidy, who was a member of the Malaysian team that won two silver medals at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung in Germany in 2024, uses passion fruit, raspberry, caramel and pistachio in his creations.
Christmas Eve dinner is priced at RM318nett per adult and RM148nett per child.
On Christmas day, lunch (12.30pm to 3pm) is priced at RM298nett per adult and RM138nett per child, while dinner is priced at RM288nett per adult and RM138nett per child.
Dinner service is from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.
VASCO’S, Hilton Kuala Lumpur, 3 Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral. (Tel: 03-2264 2264, e-mail: Hiltonkualalumpur_FB@hilton.com). Business hours: 6am to 10.30pm daily.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
