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.

BUKA PUASA WITH 'CITARASA MALAYSIA' AT DORSETT GRAND SUBANG

Satisfy your durian cravings when you buka puasa at Terazza Brasserie during Ramadan. Freshly harvested by Agro Best Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the Musang King durians are delivered daily from Raub, Pahang to the Dorsett Grand Subang for guests to savour as part of this year’s iftar experience.

Priced at RM130 nett per whole Musang King durian, the rich and sweet King of Fruits will surely dial up the breaking of fast ritual up another level.

The culinary team will also take patrons on a “CitaRasa Malaysia” journey; highlighting local dishes reminiscent of Tok Mak’s cooking from our nation’s 14 states.

Crowd-pleasers to look out for include delectable Middle Eastern style Whole Roast Lamb with Biryani Rice, piping hot Shawarma, Soup “Gearbox” (beef bone marrow broth), Chicken and Beef Satay, Chicken Murtabak and Roti John. These specialities are prepared a la minute for optimum deliciousness.

Starters and appetisers, both Continental and local, abound: from Poached Seafood on ice and fresh Salad Bar to Assorted Kerabu with a myriad of sambal, sauces and condiments.

An array of curries, rice offerings, savoury hot dishes and cook-to-order pasta is enough to leave you spoiled for choice. Discerning picks we recommend: Gulai Kawah (beef curry), Udang Masak Lemak Cili Api (prawns in turmeric curry), Nasi Tomato, Lamb Tandoori, Spice-marinated Fried Chicken, Pajeri Nenas (pineapple curry) and Assorted Fried Fritters among others.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with an equally expansive range of dessert: Assorted Malay Kuih, multi-coloured Jellies, Pengat Pisang, Ais Kacang, Ice Cream, Fruit Pickles and decadent Cakes in addition to hot and cold drinks to wash everything down.

Available daily from 23rd March until 20th April, the CitaRasa Malaysia (6.30pm to 10.30pm) buffet is priced at RM168nett (Adult), RM138nett (Senior Citizen 60 years old and above) and RM90 nett (Child 6-12 years old).

Early Bird savings priced at RM130 nett (Adult only) is available now until 20th March 2023. Advance booking prior to dining is compulsory.

For reservations, call Terazza Brasserie, tel: 03-50316060 or email: bookfnb.subang@dorsetthotels.com.