MERENTASI TRADISI@PENTAS CITARASA MARRIOTT PUTRAJAYA

Local, global and fusion fare will take centerstage throughout the Ramadan month at Zest Lifestyle Restaurant’s Merentasi Tradisi di Pentas Citarasa, from 2 – 30 March.

Welcoming and festive vibes abound as you step into the spacious, warmly lit interior. crafting memorable meals while embracing the spirit of the holy month. Executive Chef Zulkifli Asyul wants to ensure guests enjoy the best possible iftar meals hence his team will pull out the stops in serving up an expansive feast come buka puasa time.

BoomGrow, an innovative AgriTech startup dedicated to sustainable food production, has also partnered with Putrajaya Marriott Hotel; bringing a health-conscious twist to the dining experience. Give BoomGrow’s healthy shot — an energizing blend of electrolytes, Vitamin C, and protein, enhanced with sustainably sourced wheatgrass a go. The specially crafted shot is designed to support hydration, ideal for Iftar.

 

A tantalising array of Malay and Thai Kerabu (think Som Tam, Pomelo Salad) beckon invitingly alongside Continental salads and appetisers such as Smoked Salmon, Chicken and Duck, Cold Roast Beef, Beef Pastrami, and Poached Salmon.

More exotic offerings spanning Middle Eastern Mezze and Breads, Japanese Kushiyaki and Tempura, Thai Steamed Fish with Coconut Cream and Fried Fish Cake, to Italian Pizza and Pasta options add international allure to the line-up.

 

Definite crowd-pullers featuring deliciously rich, well-spiced dishes in large woks billed as Nostalgia 7 Kawah should be worth savouring. You’d find chunks of chicken, duck, beef ribs, and oxtail painstakingly cooked until tender and flavourful; superb with rice and vegetables.

 

Equally compelling will be familiar dishes of Ikan Bakar, Seafood with Spicy Sauce, Ayam Panggang, Kambing Masak Hitam, Pucuk Ubi Masak Lemak Ikan Masin, Siput Sedut Lemak Cili Api, Kambing Semur Kicap, Ayam Masak Merah, Mee Rebus with Mutton Shin Bones, Ayam Penyet, Fish Asam Pedas and Nasi Biryani.

 

True to Malaysia’s multi-racial spirit, a multitude of Indian curries, and snacks as well as Chinese wok specialities: Fried Dim Sum and Radish Cake have been included.

The sweet parade is unrivalled too: take your pick from freshly opened durians (look out for the stall by the open patio area) to stalls dispensing freshly made Apam Balik and Ais Kacang should leave sweet-toothed guests on a sublime sugary high.

 

If fruits and cakes are your preference, make a beeline for the jaw-dropping dessert section laden with sweet Bubur Kacang, Serawa Durian, Date Flan, Red Velvet Cake, Fruity Puddings, French Pastries and Fresh Tropical Fruits among lots of other luscious creations. A sweet ending is inevitable.

 

Early bird booking between now and 28 February will enjoy a special rate of RM168 nett per adult and RM84 nett per child. The normal price will be RM218 nett per adult and RM109 nett per child respectively.

For reservations at Putrajaya Marriott Hotel, call tel: 03-8949 8888 x 1888 or WhatsApp: +6011 5685 5608 or email
dining.putrajaya@marriotthotels.com

 

 

TIME TO RASA LOKAL AT EQ KUALA LUMPUR

 

To mark the Merdeka and Malaysia Day celebration, EQ’s Rasa Lokal promotion will take centrestage until 30 September at Nipah restaurant. Traditional flavours of Peninsular Malaysia’s east coast, and the East Malaysia states of Sabah and Sarawak will share the culinary stage at the Rasa Lokal lunch and dinner buffet.

Take your pick from 18 Chef’s Specials in addition to an expansive plethora of local salads, appetisers, grilled seafood and meat, rice and noodle dishes, assorted curries, drinks and dessert. The kaleidoscope of tempting specialities will leave diners spoiled for choice but selective food choices will ensure you’d derive maximum enjoyment out of the dining experience.

Right off the bat, we zoomed in on healthy, flavourful local salads such as Kerabu Betik, Kerabu Pegaga, Banana Flower Salad and Rojak Buah. We love the profusion of salty, tangy, spicy, savoury and mildly sweet accents from the various herb-laden salads.

Nipah is famous for its Satay and the delectable, well-marinated Beef and Chicken Satay with chunky peanut sauce were on-point. At the chef’s urging, we also sampled Sambal Kelapa Satay Perut, chewy-tender cow’s stomach with coconut sambal. It gave our jaw a good workout; try this if you’re partial to innards. 

The crowd-pleasing Ayam Golek was superbly tender; the juicy spice-rubbed roast chicken dialled up with a bright, bracing sauce blending turmeric and a myriad of spices. Equally notable were the nicely marinated Sotong Bakar Berempah (grilled spiced squid) and Pari Bakar (grilled stingray).

Slipper lobsters added a bougie spin to the speciality of Kari Laksa Udang Galah. IMHO, the rich and aromatic rempah gravy should be hotter as lukewarm broth for noodles just put a dampener on the dish’s appeal.

From the Indian section, Ketam 65 – fried spiced flower crabs – stood out for its satisfying spice profile. We highly recommend the salubrious Ekor Asam Pedas (sour-spicy oxtail) complemented by fluffy Biryani. Another worthy contender was Kari Kambing, mutton in fiery-red, tomato-infused curry gravy.

The Chinese-style Steamed Red Tilapia with soy sauce, garlic flakes, coriander and fragrant garlic oil was served table-side. It came too overdone for our liking, possibly due to its small size. There was no doubting the fish’s freshness though.

One of my favourites has to be Roti John which was prepped a la minute. The sandwich with omelette and minced beef or chicken had lashings of tomato and chilli sauce, and mayo in it. However, I only ate a small portion of it hence the pillow-soft sandwich was acceptable.

To finish, I sampled some local Kuih (a hit and miss affair) and Nipah’s classic Bread and Butter Pudding (sedap). You’d be spoiled for choice with Ais Kacang, freshly sliced fruits, dainty cakes (think Kek Batik and Lapis Sarawak), puddings, jellies and fruit pickles among others.

The Rasa Lokal buffet lunch is priced at RM148+ per adult, and RM74+ per child (6–12 years old). Buffet dinner is RM168+ per adult, and RM84+ per child from 6– 12 years.

Reservations for Rasa Lokal at Nipah can be made via email: dineateqkl@kul.equatorial.com or WhatsApp +60 12 278 9239.

A Legacy of EQ-cellence

Celebrating its fifth decade in the hospitality industry, EQ has retained its #1 City Hotel in Malaysia spot at Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific three years in a row since 2022. It is ranked #5 Travel + Leisure Readers' 15 Favourite City Hotels in Asia and #35 Travel + Leisure Readers' 100 Favourite Hotels in the World for 2023. EQ is also TripAdvisor’s #1 ranked hotel in Kuala Lumpur since 2019.