Ho (right) with a tray of nasi lemak sushi while Malay cuisine chef Arif Haqimmi presents appetisers from the club’s buffet dinner. — Photos: CS NATHAN/The Star
THIS Ramadan, those in Negri Sembilan can find a buka puasa spread of flavour-packed traditional and fusion dishes at a country club in Bandar Sri Sendayan.
There has been a revamp of d’Tempat Country Club’s food and beverage (F&B) outlets since they were taken over by an F&B outfit helmed by award-winning chef James Ho.
As such, the menus including the Ramadan buffet have been refreshed with a mix of classic dishes and the chef’s signature items.
Its Muhibbah Buffet Dinner, showcasing over 60 dishes daily, will be served until April 7 at the club’s poolside foyer from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.
The menu includes favourites from across Malaysia plus some Thai specialities to reflect how Malaysian food is a melting pot of cuisines.
Topping the list of festive nibbles are Ho’s visually attractive nasi lemak sushi, a sushi-sized morsel of rice cooked in coconut milk encased in a thin cucumber sliver and studded with fried peanuts, crispy anchovies and a miniature sunny- side-up egg.
The chef’s Hainanese chicken rice starter is similarly miniaturised and features a square of fragrant rice topped with a piece of chicken dotted with garlic-chilli sauce.
Among the Instagram-worthy appetisers are rojak buah, lychee seafood ball (a deepfried seafood and lychee combo), sambal tempeh sira (crunchy sambal-spiced fried tempeh and anchovies) and the refreshing fruity starter of watermelon mango.
Ho said he decided on presenting bite-sized appetisers as they were easier to eat and would allow guests to taste more items.
“The presentation is not only pretty but enables guests to try different things.
“Most of the appetisers are served in spoons and can be enjoyed in just one bite,” he said.
Besides the delightful appetisers, there is a daily rotation of four main dishes.
Roast duck with crispy skin is one of the buffet highlights.
These include standards such as chicken rendang, chicken curry, sweet-and-sour fish, ikan masak kicap (fish cooked in soy sauce), paru goreng berempah (spiced beef lung), beef curry, beef kurma, sayur goreng Java (Javanese-style stirfried veggies) and a Minang favourite, ikan keli berlada (chilli catfish).
These are served alongside various festive rice dishes like nasi minyak and nasi hujan panas.
The poolside venue has been transformed into a vibrant street food hub, with stalls serving local favourites like mi goreng mamak, apam balik, prawn fritters, satay, soups, dim sum, som tam (Thai papaya salad), grilled meats and iced desserts.
There is music performed by a live band while guests enjoy their meals.
The dim sum and som tam stalls will be manned by chefs from the club’s modern Chinese restaurant J-Classics and its Thai dining outlet J-Thai.
Besides the usual spit-roasted whole lamb at the grill station, Ho said diners can also find grilled seafood and roast duck with crispy skin in this zone.
The dedicated dessert counter also has a rotation of treats and sweet porridges such as pengat pisang and bubur kacang hijau.
The buffet dinner is priced at RM88+ per adult, RM44+ per child and RM68+ per senior citizen.
D’TEMPAT COUNTRY CLUB, PT12653, Jalan Pusat Dagangan Sendayan 1, Bandar Sri Sendayan, Seremban. Tel: 011-5325 8383.
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
