Saujana Hotel serves up a storm with the return of their legendary fast-breaking buffet
With the month of Eid just around the corner, everyone is preparing to celebrate one of the most exciting times of the year in the Malaysia calendar with a cornucopia of feasts aplenty. For this year, Saujana Hotel’s unbroken tradition of hosting one of the best breaking fast spreads is back and better than ever. To date, it’s the 29th if you’re keeping count and is themed around a familiar yet festive ambiance centered around a host of traditional flavours and exciting new ones too.
Located but a stone’s throw away from the bustling Kuala Lumpur city centre, the Saujana Hotel is a rarity, maintaining a resort-style ambiance with vaulting rooms, swaying palms and greenery as far as the eye can see. It’s still close enough to the city centre that a short Uber ride will get you there in twenty minutes, making it quite a strategic location for staycations, holiday-goers and those looking for a getaway from the urban hustle and bustle.
When we dropped by for their fast-breaking feast preview at dusk, the usual delicately scented air from the jasmine trees on the property was overridden by the scent of something else far more interesting. A short jaunt down a stairway to their in-house casual dining restaurant, Charcoal revealed the source of the mouth watering aroma.
Stretching all the way to the pool outside the restaurant were a series of food stations, each hosting a different type of cuisine with the centrepiece, a whole rack of New Zealand farmed lamb gently roasting in the night air, taking pride of place. The chef on hand manning the station expertly carved up a perfectly done slab heaped on a proffered plate. Jars full of mint sauce and a rich mushroom-laden brown sauce, made fresh daily sat nearby – both were delectable and complemented the lamb well which was roasted to perfection. Morsels of the meat yielded in the mouth with a juicy bite that was indicative of the experience and skill needed to ensure that the coals were heated just right and the lamb roasted just so.
Tender morsels of lamb that yielded marvellous flavours with every bite
That was just the beginning of the feast though as the preview of Saujana’s upcoming breaking fast spread was but a taste of what was to come. A glance up from the mesmerising sight of the roast lamb revealed food stations stretching all the way to the nearby pool under the starlit sky serving all manner of cuisine ranging from Japanese to traditional Malay delights.
Fresh, succulent salads and ulam-ulam were heaped high
“We are taking a step beyond the usual with a refreshing outdoor ambience and bazaar concept,” said Executive Sous Chef Hussain bin Bavutty the guiding hand behind the cornucopia of evening delights on offer as he guided invited guests on a bespoke tour of the dining delights available at the feast. With over thirty years of experience with close to 28 years of it at the Saujana Hotel, Chef Hussein has seen it all.
Saujana Hotel’s Executive Sous Chef Hussain bin Bavutty showcasing the lovingly made ‘Gearbox Soup’ made of a rich, complex melding of flavours, herbs and beef bones.
He urges on towards a huge simmering clay pot and lifts the earthenware lid. A rich, meaty aroma wafted forth. He took a ladle out and dished out one of their house specialties – the ‘Gearbox soup’ an euphemism in the local tongue for a rich, almost consomme-like broth made of beef bones simmered for hours at a time. We took a taste – a rich , hearty beefy flavour dominated the palate with tender chunks of beef throughout it with a clear, clean finish. This was comfort food at its best.
The Gearbox Soup in a clear porcelain bowl. The bones are sawed open so that the marrow within melds with the stock for a meaty, complex flavour that’s quite an experience to savour.
The chef moved on, gesturing like a proud parent as he shared the offerings available. “Here is the curry laksa,” said Chef Hussain as he introduced one of his aide de camps,”made by Aunty Belle – she has been with us for years and is our inhouse Nyonya chef,” as he ladles a healthy helping of the rich, thick soup seasoned with generous lashings of coconut milk on a bed of noodles and shrimp. The flavour is spicy, strong and rich, a far call from the watered down offerings festooning eateries elsewhere. This was the good stuff.
Fresh naan and tandoori chicken is made to order on request during the feast
Chef Hussain gestured outside at the pool where a charcoal fire was blazing merrily. “We also make our own satay , tandoori chicken and naan flatbread fresh every day for the feast,” he said. We took the taste test and found it to be true with puffy yet firm flatbread that went so wonderfully well with a helping of rendang and the tandoori chicken being roasted nearby. Other traditional Malay dishes served in pans stretched as far as the eye could see including stir fried squid in black bean sauce, Chicken Bukhara rice, dry beef rendang, and more.
Desserts as far as the eye can see.
The desserts were of note, including exotic treats from childhood like putu piring, flour-like pancakes served with heaped helpings of a sweet-malty tasting powder made from palm sugar.
Putu piring are dainty rice flour pancakes that are steamed before being slathered with malty-sweet shards of palm sugar crystals – this is one of the most elusive desserts to find in any hotel and Saujana is so far the only one seen making it to order for guests
Traditionalists will appreciate the Durian puree with glutinous rice dessert along with a host of other Western-style pastries. It was certainly a feast for the senses.
The rich creamy durian puree is harvested from Musang King durians and served with glutinous rice – an unusual but delicious combination that acts as a delightfully sweet ending to a meal
The Saujana Hotels “Feast beneath the Stars” buffet is available from 6 June to 5 July, from 6.30PM to 10.30PM at a price of RM148 nett per adult and RM69 nett for children from age 6-12 years for poolside seating. For seating within the air conditioned comfort of the Charcoal restaurant, prices are at RM150 nett per adult and RM75 per child. If you make a booking before 31 May 2016, you can snag a 20% discount and Lifestyle by Saujana (LBS) members also get 20% off the buffet while groups of ten diners also get a 10% discount. Guests who use Maybank, CIMB, Citibank, HSBC and UOB cards can also expect special deals and discounts. Corporate groups can also snag special packages from RM135 per person with a minimum booking of 40 persons as well as a 10% discount if you make bookings before 31 May. For reservations, please call: +603 7843 1234 or e-mail [email protected]
Not sure how to get there? Here’s a map to help: