SHANGRI-LA KUALA LUMPUR SHOWCASES MALAYSIAN HERITAGE CUISINE

Certified as Malaysia’s first five-star Malaysian Heritage Cuisine Hotel by Jabatan Warisan Negara (Department of National Heritage), Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur will showcase its specially curated Malaysian Heritage Cuisine Menu at The Lobby Lounge starting now until the end of 2026.

The Seribu Satu Rasa, Satu Warisan launch was officiated by YB Datuk Khairul Firdaus bin Akbar Khan, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Also present at the event were YBhg. Encik Mohamad Muda bin Bahadin, Director General of Jabatan Warisan Negara; Mr. Samuel Lee Thai Hung, Deputy Director General (Promotion II), Tourism Malaysia; and Mr. Sharin Mokhtar, Deputy Director General (Planning), Tourism Malaysia.

Six Shangri-La KL chefs went through formal training on the preparation of authentic Malaysian heritage dishes with Dato’ Chef Ismail Ahmad, Head of Heritage Cuisine at Jabatan Warisan Negara.

The Malaysian Heritage Cuisine initiative is part of Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur’s 40th Anniversary celebration and a heartfelt tribute to Malaysia’s rich, diverse, and dynamic food legacy as the Hotel gears up for Visit Malaysia 2026.

“Our aim is to enable hotel guests and foreign visitors to enjoy a genuine taste of Malaysia’s soul through Malaysian Heritage Cuisine, weaving together stories of heritage, migration, and celebration” said Daniel Kaeflein, General Manager of Shangri-La KL.

 

Available at The Lobby Lounge, the Malaysian Breakfast (7am -11am) tempts food-loving guests with Nasi Lemak Bungkus (banana leaf wrapped packets of steamed coconut milk rice with sambal, fried anchovies, sliced cucumber, hard-boiled egg and roasted peanuts), Roti Canai (flaky Indian flatbread eaten with lentil curry), Nyonya Curry Laksa (noodles in spicy curry gravy) and Kaya Toast (toasted bread slices with coconut and egg jam) with Soft Boiled Eggs. The Breakfast Culture in Malaysia has been certified as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

More typical Malaysian fare such as Nasi Dagang, Rendang Tok, Roti Jala with Chicken Curry, Laksa Utara (northern style thick rice noodles in tangy fish and tamarind broth and topped with shredded cucumber, pineapple, onion, fresh mint and torch ginger flower), Chicken Rice (poached chicken with fragrant oil flavoured rice and sliced cucumber), Nasi Goreng Kampung (fried rice) and Sup Tulang (lightly spiced beef broth) beckons in the All Day Dining menu (11am – 930pm).

Local snacks and dessert: Colek Buah-Buahan (Malaysian fruit salad tossed with spicy sweet sauce of belacan (prawn paste), sugar, chilli paste and tamarind juice; Cucur Udang (deep-fried chive and prawn fritters accompanied by sweetish chilli dip), Goreng Pisang (fried banana fritters), Cucur Nyiur (coconut fritter balls with palm sugar syrup) and Pulut Serawa Durian (glutinous rice with creamy sweet durian broth) are also included.

To complete the experience, traditional beverages such as Teh Tarik, Kopi Susu, Kopi O, Kopi C, Teh Susu, Teh O, Teh C, Cham, MILO Ais, Teh Halia, and Malaysian Syrup will be served.

 

For dining reservations and inquiries, please contact Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, tel: 03 2786 2378 or email: enquiries at dining.kl@shangri-la.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.