The Search for the best Ramadan buka puasa offering among the top 5 star hotels in Kuala Lumpur brought us to the Istana Hotel Kuala Lumpur "Citarasa Ramadan" Buffet
It was the first ever review by BESTFBKL at Hotel Istana and what a review it was. Simply put, the Istana Hotel achieved an almost perfect score!
Priced at RM160 Nett on the Second and Third Week of Ramadan and RM140 Nett for the First and Fourth week, the huge buffet spread that has been prepared by the Istana Hotel Kuala Lumpur is truly value for money.
The buffet spread is really extensive, with more than 21 Live Cooking Stations churning out more than 100 delicious dishes. There was a real festive feel to the buka puasa fare at the Hotel Istana especially watching the chefs at work. It was very refreshing to to see that the Chef's at the Istana were very engaging at most of the stations, making recommendations and giving details on how the food was prepared.
Their claim in their promotional posters to have to have the best buffet in town is certainly not without merit. We sampled almost all the main dishes and found every single one to be really tasty. There was not a single dish that disappointed,
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| Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur |
We were thinking this was not possible!!!...and sampled even more,.... but we failed to find a single dish that was not up to the mark.
Presentation was excellent, You could tell that the ingredients was fresh and of good quality. Service was good, no plates were piling up on anyone's table as the staff diligently cleared them. On seeing some messy tables, they even offered to clean up and provide new cutlery.
As I sat sipping my perfect Nescafe tarik I realized what the strategy of the Istana Hotel was,... offer a huge and tasty buffet spread, that diners would have to come back again for a second round as It was humanly impossible to taste everything offered on one one visit! We had 4 reviewers and we could barely finish tasting all.Then we were told that that actually quite a number of guest come back for a second time.
They say too much praise is no good but you gotta give credit where it is due.
Following is a sample of all the major stations that are on offer:
As usual we started with the most popular station of all buffets The Whole Roast Lamb Station. The Roast Lamb at the Istana was simply delicious and well prepared an absolute must try dish.
The Fish Head Curry Station offered Braised Salmon Fish Head in thick gravy which was full of flavour, The Signature Istana disher here included Smoked Catfish in coconut gravy, Buttered Prawn. Chicken Kung Pao, Lamb Vindaloo and Mixed Vegetables. The Fish Head Curry of course is a must try!
The Murtabak Singapore was a murtabak with 6 layers of ingredients. The Chicken and Lamb Murtabak is a must try as the mix of flavours is extremely unique. The Giant Samosa with chicken filling was delicious.
The Indian Specialties station is a must try with chicken butter masala, tandoori and fish tikka. They also have garlic , butter naan and puri too. Not many places have puri so this is certainly a must try
At The Banana Cheese Station and Cakoi station you will find Deep Fried Chinese Crullers, A Long Yellowish Brown Deep Fried Double Strips of Flour Dough Joined Together at The Middle
At the Chinese wok fried Station, you have a choice of Crab, Squid, Bamboo Clams, Mussels and Prawns with Kam Heong,
At the Satay station you will find one of the best Grilled Chicken, Beef and Lamb Skewers with Rice Pattie, Cucumber, Onions and Peanut Sauce
The Putu Piring station offered an Indian Style Steamed Pudding with Ground Palm Sugar and Grated Coconut
At the Durian Crazy station you could get durians but not in its original form, it was mixed to provide a feast of durian dishes. For those who love durians this was a durian extravaganza. Dishes here include Glutinous Rice with Serawa Durian, Dodol durian. Durian Strudel, ABCD with Durian, Cendol Durian and Durian crepes. The Durian Crepes was fantastic.
At the Lemang station you will find some of the best tasting lemang Paired with Assorted Rendang
Chicken and Beef Floss
The Arabian Specialties station was so good. The Mandy Rice with Lamb and Chicken Chicken Shawarma, Lamb Kofta Chicken Shish Tawook Lamb Kenjeh Kebab Beef Kiyma Kebab
This was easily one of the best stations of the buffet, At the Istana Hotel Buffet you will find three types of Briyani. This station must be the best when you will find the Johore Briyani Basmati Rice with Lamb Briyani, vegetable Dhal, Acar Timun and Egg Vs the Pakistani Briyani Long Grain Basmati Rice Served with Chicken Briyani, Raita and Salad
The Char Kuey Teow Station was another crowd favourite. It was really good
The Rojak Station was another crowd favourite as Chefs prepared the dishes on demand.
The Noodle Station offered one of the best Asam Laksa's you will find.
The Soup Station is always a must visit. The Soup was full of flavour and had just the right texture
The Popiah Bakar was very good it had a nice crisp to it.
At the Sea Treasure Station there were Crabs, Tiger Prawns, Baby Squid, Mussel and Clam Cocktail.
The Drinks Station included Special Ice Blended Shakes, Coffee, Strawberries, Vanilla, Chocolate with Whipped Cream, Aneka Minuman Air Tebu, Soya, Cincau, air mata kucing, Coconut Shake, Sirap Selasih, Teh Bunga, Sirap Bandung, Kelapa, Teh Tarik, Nescafe Tarik. The Nescafe tarik was awesome.
The Desert Station was huge!!!. Desserts included Keria, Onde–Onde, Cucur Badak, Tepung Talam, Lopis, Putu Bamboo, Tako, Kaswi, Bingka Ubi, Apam Gula Hangus, Kek Lapis Pelangi, Nagasari, Kole Kacang, Bahulu, Talam Ubi, Buah Melaka, Lepat Pisang, Cara Manis, Cakar Ayam, Cara Berlauk, Kuih Kapit, Seri Muka, Bingka Jagung
Hot Desserts included Bread And Butter Pudding, Chocolate Pudding Banana and Pistachio Pudding, Apple or Blueberry Crumble Bubur Kacang, Bubur Pulut Hitam, Bubur Jagung, Pengat Pisang
Biskut timbang: Tiramisu, Chocolate Brownies, Almond Financier, Cream Brulee’, Savarin, Cream Caramel, Assorted Jelly and Mousses, Chocolate Fountain , Orange Cheese and marble cheese Cake, Chocolate Opera cake, Mango Mousse and Cup Cakes
The Fruits station offered a huge selection of Seasonal Local Fruits, Banana, Mangoes teen, Dragon Fruit, Longan, Papaya, Honeydew, Pineapple, Jack Fruit, Persimmon, Dokong, Langsat, Cempedak Red, Yellow and sun Melon,
Verdict: This is simply one of the best buka puasa offerings in the Kuala Lumpur. All the dishes were delicious in every sense of the word, not a single dish was below par. Service was good. Priced at RM160, it may be on the high side for some but it's is value for money, now how many time can you say that in one sentence!
The Buffet at Istana Hotel is an absolute treat. Its a great place to entertain your corporate guest and family. We highly recommend the Istana Hotel Kuala Lumpur "Citarasa Ramadan' Buka Puasa Buffet
For Reservation or more information please contact the Istana Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
Taman Sari Brasserie
Taman Sari, which is Malay for “Garden of Flowers”, is a delightful brasserie that serves a wide range of local and international cuisines. Diners can choose to dine buffet-style or from an extensive a la carte menu.
- Location: Lobby, East Wing
- Reservation Hotline: +603-21419988 ext. 3667
The Reviewers last night were Ms. Nana, Ms. Dorra and En Ameer Rehan:
