Iftar at Marriott part I

My brother-in-law took us out for iftar last night. We went to JW Marriott in town, just opposite Pavilion. They served local delicacies at their buffet, so since my Mum-in-law preferred local food, that was what he picked.

The place tended to get pretty jammed up in the afternoon, and hence we left early. We were lucky that the place was still quiet. We made our way to the sixth floor where the buffet was located. It was at an open-aired poolside terrace. There was an alternative venue on the fourth floor where the buffet was served in a banquet hall. We decided to go for the pool, although we had to pay extra.

We took our seat just after seven, and was given a table at the end of a make-shift platform. It was raining but we were well shielded from the elements thanks to a tent.

The spread was pretty good. We had satay, Indian food, the usual noodles, fried rice, chicken rice and those were just for starters. The spread were mainly local, although the desserts were decidedly western.

More in part II ....

Just In Time

Irfan been asking for pizza all day. As if he was doing the fasting. But both of the boys would join us for berbuka. When he arrived from his Quran class this afternoon, he reminded us again. So, we had no choice.

We called for delivery and luckily the delivery arrived in time for Berbuka. Irfan was happy ...... Next, we would be doing a quick packing after Berbuka. We would be at the apartment for the next week. It's school holiday time - Summer Break - for my boys!

Iftar at Sri Ayuttahaya

It was work last night, but tonight iftar was with family. Destination, Sri Ayutthaya in Wangsa Maju, one of the more upmarket-looking Thai restaurant around where I live.

I couldn't pretend that I like the place, but for the family, it was about the go-to place as far as Thai food restaurant if we were planning a family do. Good ambiance, clean environment, not bad food, but with a good efficient service - if the place was not packed that was.

The upper floor was kept empty for the evening.So, for fear of the place being crowded and full car park, we set off early. We were there well before 7, and we later found out that the restaurant was only half full. Instead of having a buffet spread, the restaurant offered a Ramadhan set menu for Iftar, making selection easy and food preparation straight forward. We know exactly what to expect, and the food came in early as well as they were pre-prepared.

It was my brother-in-law's treat this time and he was the one doing the ordering. We had the usual selection of tomyam soup, soft-shell crabs, vegetables and fish as part of the set. Food quality was pretty OK, but for the amount you paid, you would really expect something special in the meal. In the scheme of things, it was just about fine.

The food came thick and fastWe ordered separately for the boys. They had some fried rice. As you can see, the tomyam just looked too menacing for them.The fish was definitely the best dish of the night. And it didn't take long to finish it off .....The boys had to cool down after the sweet dessert.Time to go .....You couldn't fault the ambiance and service though, but bear in mind that the place was only half full. A couple of years back, we came here for a usual dinner and the service was rather poor. It was better tonight, but the food remained the same. I would recommend the sister outlet in Damansara if food quality was the one you were looking for.

For dessert, we had the firm favourite, water chestnut. On the whole, we quite enjoyed the dinner tonight. We ordered separately for the boys as the food were too spicy for them to stomach. 

First Ramadan

So, where did you have your first berbuka. I try to make sure that I would be on leave the first day of Ramadan. This would allow me to have the first Tarawikh knowing that I do both have to rush to work tomorrow morning. And the second major advantage was, I could get to plan where to enjoy my first berbuka. Inevitably it would be with family.

When do I start consciously plan for this? Well, staying abroad for 13 years did put things into perspective. I've been on call on first days of Ramadan before, had exams, alone to myself. I did not mind so much back then, but your mind do wonder. How nice it would be to be with family.

Nowadays, it was not really a choice anymore. I would make sure that the first day of Ramadan was free. A bit of a personal holiday for me. In fact, I value it more than the Eid as it was a lot more hectic on Eid, and one do not have time for themselves then.

What did I do this year? At my Mum's, enjoying her cooking. I couldn't say no to that. My sister was there as well, minus Irfan who was still having a temperature. We didn't want him to pass it on to his cousins.

So, Happy Ramadan again to all ....

Iftar at Latest Recipe

For the final Iftar for this Ramadhan, my brother-in-law took all of us out to Le Meridien. Unfortunately, Latest Recipe stopped doing the Ramadhan buffet since the weekend. So, we settled for the standard buffet there.

While I was settling down, I heard a voice calling. It was a friend from Sheffield, who was with his family for Iftar as well. I last saw him about three years ago when I visited him at Prince Court Hospital. I I was not mistaken, it was during Ramadhan as well. How time flies.

Food there was great as usual. They had all my favorites, salad, sashimi, tandoori, laksa. They also had pasta, where my children's eyes lit up when they were able to order off the menu straight to the chef, and the food was prepared in front of them.

The boys started out, appropriate I might add, with the chocolate fountain. That kept them hyperactive all dinner long. Irfan, especially enjoyed the dinner. He had the chocolate-covered marshmallow of course, then pasta, biryani rice and waffles. Really worth his buffet admission price.

Irfan enjoying his startersStarting things off with a bowl of salad. I'm civilised that way ....Then came the raw stuffsThe tandoori was especially nice this evening, although I was disappointed that they did not have the spiced pappadoms like before, which went down brilliantly with the mango chutney. I was full by the time I had dessert - ais kacang, custard pudding and sago gula Melaka. A hefty dinner indeed.

The boys mesmerised by the chefBuffet here at Latest recipe had long been my favorite as they serve all my favorite dishes. They had at one point Peking Duck - not tonight. A good place if you wanted variety, or simply if you were in a group and you were not sure what the rest of the group prefer to eat. You could't really go wrong here. And again, Selamat Hari Raya.

If you want to know more about Latest Recipe at Le Meridien, please click here.