FESTIVE HOLIDAY FEASTS AT EQ

Herald the most wonderful time of the year with extravagant feasts at EQ Kuala Lumpur. It’s never too early to start planning so here’s an overview of what the EQ culinary team has up their sleeves for the year-end celebrations. 

TAKEAWAY TREATS & GIFTS

Level up your Christmas and New Year gifting with a range of exquisite treats: cookies (RM13 upwards), cake bites (RM28 upwards), whole cakes (RM88 upwards) and chocolates (RM88 upwards). Tastefully curated festive hampers (RM188 – RM788) are also available.

Holiday roasts to grace your own dining table can be pre-ordered. This year’s headliner is Bone-in Wagyu Beef ‘hammer’ (RM188/kg) with winter vegs, gravy and chimichurri.

Traditionalists may prefer Roast Turkey (RM128/kg) with chestnut stuffing, roasted potatoes, cranberry sauce, giblet gravy and mixed vegs. Other delish options: Roasted Christmas Goose, Duck a la Orange, Baked Lamb Leg, Home-smoked Salmon and Lobster Mayonnaise. 

ETOILE EXPERIENCE

Gather the fam for a lavish Thanksgiving semi buffet lunch (1130am-230pm) on 1 Dec. Priced at RM88+ per adult, the appetiser and dessert selection with free flow of chilled juices and soft drinks should keep everyone happy and satisfied.

Alternatively, go for the Sharing Platters for 2-3 persons (RM98+) or Barbecue Platters (RM38+ per 100g). Prefer dining at home? Just pre-order some delectable takeaways: from roast turkeys and beef Wellington to salmon mayonnaise and roast leg of lamb.

NOSH UP AT NIPAH

Pamper yourself and loved ones with lavish buffet lunch and dinner throughout Dec. Festive culinary highlights include Wagyu beef hammer, roasted lamb leg, lobster thermidor and abundant sweet treats.

Priced at RM158+ per adult, the Festive Buffet Lunch is available daily. There’s also BBQ Weekend Buffet Dinner at RM178+ per person every Thursday-Sunday, from 630pm to 1030pm except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

BEST OF BOTTEGA

Revel in a splendidly Festive Dolce Vita Afternoon Tea (Mon-Sat, 12noon-230pm or 3pm-5pm) at RM99+ per person or RM198+ for two. Nibble on Christmas themed dainty temptations, accompanied by Ronnefeldt tea or speciality coffee.

SUMPTUOUS SABAYON

Refined four-course Euro-Continental Festive Dinner (RM588+ per person) or an 8-course degustation (RM888+ per person) beckons from the mod-elegant outpost. Reminisce over the year’s happenings amidst luxe servings of Angus beef tartare with toast, Scottish salmon with sour cream, capers and dill, raclette with potatoes and cornichons.

Also, die-hard fans of Chalet will be thrilled to know a four-course Festive Sunday Lunch (RM288+ per person) awaits every Sunday throughout December. 

Palate-pleasing signature Duck Breast à l’Orange, Filet de Suamon Norvégien, and Crêpes Suzette take centrestage. Dial up your feast with a Lobster Thermidor upgrade, prepared a la minute upon order. Further fizz can be added with unlimited sparkling wine, white or red wine, gin, juices, soft drinks and mocktails from the trolley at RM288+ per person.

For more information, contact EQ via WhatsApp 012 583 5319 or dineateqkl@kul.equatorial.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.

DESTINASI RASA AT LE MERIDIEN PUTRAJAYA

 

Dine like a king for the day during buka puasa (breaking of fast) at Le Meridien Putrajaya with its exuberant Santapan Raja Sehari theme. Drawing inspiration from the vibrant Malay wedding occasion, the hotel team has gone to town decking up the venue with glorious floral arrangements, fairy lights and an exceptional buffet line-up.

Taking centrestage are dishes drawn from signature menus of Malay wedding kenduri (feast). Think heart servings of Nasi Minyak accompanied by robustly flavoured dishes such as Ayam Masak Merah, Daging Dendeng, and Udang Masak Ros to name but a few.

In true Muhibbah spirit, the chefs also found inspiration from Chinese wedding menus, to proffer delicious Portuguese-style Ikan Bakar, Sweet and Sour Fish, Fried Beef with Ginger and Spring Onion, and Tiger Prawns with Marmite Sauce.

Cherished Indian wedding fare to delight and enhance the festive atmosphere will include Lamb Kebab Wraps, Indian Chilli Chicken, Sup Kambing Mamak, Biryani Rice, and Chicken Tandoori.

Crowd-pulling bazaar Ramadan favourites: Murtabak, Satay Chicken and Tripe, Satar and Otak-otak, Gulai Kawah, Lok-lok, Fried Chicken Wings, and Fruit Rojak also beckon invitingly.

International flavours can be sampled from the prolific Salad Bar with Continental salads, assorted kerabu and a chilled Seafood Bar laden with flower crabs, prawns, oysters, mussels and slipper lobsters.

Those who prefer something Japanese, make a beeline for the Sushi and Sashimi selection. Popular staples of Tempura and Chicken Teriyaki are also included. Remember to enjoy your fill of Ketupat and Lemang with Serunding and Kuah Kacang for a taste of early Hari Raya vibes.

Then traverse the wonderful world of dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth. Nectar-sweet Dates, colourful Malay Kuih, Crème Caramel, Sago Gula Melaka, Tapai Ubi and Bubur Kacang Hijau await.

Modern variants of Blueberry Almond Tart, Mango Pudding, Red Velvet Cake, Pandan Cream Puffs and Banana Cake coupled with an Ice Cream, Cendol and Ais Kacang counter, and Chocolate Fountain with fruit and marshmallow skewers will leave you spoiled for choice.

Check out the Destinasi Rasa – Santapan Raja Sehari buffet spread from 12 March to 9 April for breaking of fast.

Early Bird Offer: Reserve before 12 March to enjoy special rate of RM158 nett per adult and RM79 per child (5-12 years old). Normal price is RM188 nett per adult and RM94 nett per child.

To celebrate Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, savour Riang Ria Raya buffet from 10 April to 10 May at RM168 nett per adult and Rm84 nett per child.

For reservations, please call Le Meridien Putrajaya, tel: 03 8689 6888/6862 or WhatsApp: +6012 4073101 or email dining.lmputrajaya@lemeridien.com