Ambient setting for hearty meal

Ahmad Al Hafiz is happy to present a series of Middle Eastern delights that fits the restaurant

GIVING ample food choices is what chefs have on their minds when creating menus for the Ramadan month.

Grand Bluewave Hotel Shah Alam senior chef de cuisine Ahmad Al Hafiz Redzuan said his team carefully curated the menu so that it would appeal to Malaysians at large.

With over 100 dishes for diners to break fast with, the Royale Songket restaurant will be turned into a Middle Eastern courtyard for Ramadan.

Ahmad Al Hafiz is especially happy to present a series of Middle Eastern dishes that fits the ambience of the restaurant, which is rather warm and inviting for the season.

The nasi Arab or Maqluba Rice is recommended and it is a dish not to be missed.

The rice, cooked with lamb broth infused with lots of spices is rich in flavour.

The nasi Arab or Maqluba Rice is cooked with the lamb broth that is infused with lots of spices.

Baba Ghanoush, a dish of mashed eggplants and sesame seed dressing is another Middle Eastern favourite on the menu as well as Beef Ball Kofta with Tomato Sauce and the all-time favourite chicken shawarma.

To cater to the local taste buds, there are Malaysian favourites of the Malay, Chinese and Indian people.

“We want everyone regardless of race to enjoy the Ramadan buffet in true Malaysian style.

“Our plus point, in this country, is that we have so many different cuisines we all love,” he added.

The restaurant will also have street food dishes at the action stalls with local favourites such as nasi kandar, sotong kangkung and vadai.

Diners can choose between the usual lemang or lemang pulut hitam (right) with a variety of condiments to break fast with.

“Malaysians enjoy eating hawker food because there are so many choices to savour in an open space,” he said.

I enjoyed the spicy fish curry at the Nasi Kandar corner for its hint of sourness that was perfectly balanced with the spices.

The beautifully cut tenggiri fillets were firm and fresh, and went well with the nasi kandar dishes such as fried fish roe and ayam goreng berempah.

Pair this with main course items like the Ayam Masak Kicap with Chili Tumbuk, Daging Salai Masak Lemak with Mangga and Ikan Bawal Percik and you have a complete meal.

Those who enjoy Chinese food can look forward to Szechuan Lala and Hong Kong Pak Choi with Oyster Sauce.

Desserts galore at Grand Bluewave Hotel Shah Alam's Royale Songket restaurant.

The fasting month often sees lemang being promoted quite a bit and here diners can choose between the usual white one or lemang pulut hitam.

Both are soft and creamy, with a melt in your mouth texture and goes well with the serunding ayam or daging.

They also had freshly grilled satay with thick peanut sauce served with its condiments.

Deep-fried roots like yam and sweet potato as well as banana fritters are available for those who enjoy teatime snacks.

For desserts, there are plenty to choose from including Marble Cheesecake, Chocolate Moist Cake and Malay kuih such as kuih ketayap, kuih keria, serawa pisang and sago gula melaka.

The Ramadan promotion runs from May 17 to June 14 and is priced at RM125nett (adults) and RM65nett (senior citizens aged 60 and above and children aged four to 11-years-old).

ROYALE SONGKET RESTAURANT, Grand BlueWave Restaurant, Persiaran Perbandaran, Section 14 Shah Alam. (Tel: [phone]). Business hours: 6am to 1am, daily.

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