'MASAKAN MELAKA' INSPIRATIONS AT MELTING POT CAFE

SELAMAT BERPUASA TO ALL MUSLIM READERS EVERYWHERE

The spice of life commands centrestage for buka puasa at Melting Pot Cafe, Concorde Hotel KL this year. After a whole day of refraining from food and drinks, robust Malay dishes and piquant Nyonya inspired specialities prepared by chefs Rogayah Sharif and Mohd Ridzuan are just the stimulants for buka puasa.

Melaka is famous for its asam pedas so it’s one of the ‘must have’ choices from the Inspirasi Masakan Melaka spread. The red snapper version stands up to the taste test but for a change, I’d recommend the lamb chops and oxtail asam pedas. Loaded with soft but not mushy ladyfingers in the tangy spicy gravy, the delicately gamey meat benefitted greatly from the milieu of bright and aromatic spices used to cook it.

 

From the salad section, my top pick is crab salad with green mango which has the briny tartness of shredded green mango tempered by chunks of crab meat redolent with hints of the sea. Other notable choices include shrimp &rice noodle salad and roast beef & spinach salad.

 

The appetiser and starter selection transcends local boundaries - a colourful, palatable and visually pleasing array guaranteed to delight even finicky diners. Unusual gems we savoured from the smorgasbord include seared tuna salad, summer roll, smoked duck breast with mango & asparagus and calamari salad with salsa verde.

Main crowd favourite remains sup gearbox (bone marrow soup) which comes with a straw in the huge bony joint for you to suck up the hearty broth. It goes perfectly well with the Melakan specialities: Portuguese-style spiced rice with sliced roast beef, ikan siakap cili garam and Nyonya chicken rendang (love the discernible citrusy hints of kaffir lime leaf in the mildly creamy gravy).

A sugar rush awaits over at the dessert counter where the multitude of treats is enough to rival the Mad Hatter's party in lavishness. This is the opportune time to reacquaint yourself with hard to find kuihs so beloved by the Baba Nyonyas.

Besides the wide variety of kuihs, I'd say go for the indulgent bubur jagung and serawa durian & pulut before turning to the mini servings of fruits tartlets, strawberry cream & jelly, tapai pulut or ubi, banana chocolate cake and vanilla madeleines.

The Inspirasi Masakan Melaka buffet dinner is served at RM138 nett per person from 18 June until July 16. Enjoy 15% off the regular price from 18-21 June and July 12-16.

For reservations, please call Melting Pot Cafe, tel: 03-2144 2200 extn 2337 or 2717 2233 (direct line).