Mission

Mission: To respond thoughtfully and responsibly to my experiences of drinking and dining at restaurants with regard to the quality, service, preparation, presentation and overall experience received thereat. The standpoint is one who respects the crafts of the chef and sommelier and who seeks to understand their choices in the kitchen and cellar and grow in knowledge. In this, I will seek to be fair, reasoned, direct and constructive and aim to keep my ego in check on our mutual journeys through the worlds of food and wine.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Westin Hotel KL Ballroom - very good food!


Major shout out for the Ballroom kitchen in The Westin Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

Went to a wedding reception there last night and (except for the overly firm and chewy vol-au vents and strange vinegary Top Hats which killed the Moet) the food was excellent. The menu was well thought through and the dish presentation was simple yet at the same time clear that some equal thought had gone into it. 

Most hotel Ballroom food lapses into the bland or ordinary through sheer force of dish numbers needed to get out from the kitchen and onto the tables - when you have fifty plus tables to feed, the kitchen is winning if the food they produce is edible. From recent experience, this remains so without any exception; no stunning food from Ballroom kitchens in Kuala Lumpur hotels, which (unless it is exceptionally bad) is why I feel it is not very fair to comment too much on them. Granted there were only twelve tables in our party and perhaps this had an effect on the food standard. Even so, the Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin was excellent, the Double Boiled Three Variety Mushroom Soup was tasty and the Fragrant Golden Garlic Fried Rice was outstanding. And the Car Parking was RM10 flat after 6pm. Added the fact that the Wedding Party let me sing my Chinese song and Lenglui her "Only You" and it all made for a perfect and memorable evening. 

This underlines the fact that the Westin remains my preferred destination for functions. Our IWFS had a brilliantly memorable evening there in 2013 after the disaster that was the Shangri-La (see previous posts). Additionally, the Shang and Hilton / Meridien kill with their occasionally stiff car parking charges (they seem to give flat rate for functions but only the first two hours are at flat rate for other visits eg restaurants). The other outlets at the Westin are also not bad from memory - the Prego for Italian cuisine and Qba for Latin style creations. They used to offer Privilege Cards at one time - might be time to check if these are still ongoing. Branding by example - kudos to the Westin!

Menu
Signature Combination
Apple Cream Cheese Tartlet with Caviar
Grilled Prawn with Mango and Lime Salsa
Steamed Seafood with Australian Scallop

Double Boiled Three Variety Mushroom Soup with Fresh Flower Fungus and Sun Dried Scallop

Pan- Roasted Salmon Medallion with Steamed Broccoli, Crispy Garlic and Sea Urchin Butter Sauce

Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Sauteed Baby Beans and Rosemary Jus and Fragrant Golden Garlic Fried Rice

Chocolate Mud Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

Chinese Tea

Wines through the night - Moet & Chandon NV, Koonunga Hill Chardonnay 2014, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2014

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