I enjoyed the Ramadhan month a lot particularly when it comes to food. I have visited a lot of Ramadhan bazaars but when it comes to Ramadhan buffet, I'd had not visited any of them before. And my turn finally came during one of the previous weekends of Ramadhan, where I was at De Palma Hotel in Shah Alam with my father and his colleagues for a Buka Puasa session. The price for the Ramadhan buffet is priced at RM 65 nett per pax with senior citizens above 50 years old entitled for discounts.
De Palma Hotel in Shah AlamI was a little surprised because the tables and food stalls were placed inside a ballroom instead of a designated cafe area. Something new to me.
The ballroom was used as a place for tables and stallsWe reached the place about half an hour before breaking fast. The ambiance was busy with people busy walking and taking their food to get ready for breaking fast. I followed suit and the first section I visited was the appetizer corner.
Appetizer CornerRanges from the pickles to some ulams(vegetables fancied by the Malay).
The busiest of the corner seen with people queuing up was the Authentic Malay Cuisine stall. I did not get any of the cuisine because they were not so appealing to me. I wanted to get the looked good Ayam Berempah (fried spiced chicken) but they went out of supply.
Malay Cuisine Corner
Stewed Beef CurryToo bad, I can't consume beef. It scented and looked delicious though.
While browsing for food, my attention was caught by a Malay lady seated on the floor preparing some kind of cuisine. A closer look revealed that it is the East Coast Cuisine with different offerings of side dishes and fried chicken or curry fish to go with your rice. Just order from her and she will prepare you a nice plate of rice.
East Coast CuisineUpon seated, I was informed by my Dad's colleagues that the plate of rice I took was called as Nasi Dagang.
Nasi DagangConsisted side condiments such as salted egg, raw vegetables, coconut pulps and fish cracker. There was fried chicken and curry fish to go with your choice of red or blue rice with some drizzling of the specialty gravy. It was my first time having such cuisine and I must admit that I liked it, tasted good in a unique way.
If you are a fan of some hot and soupy stuff, Soup & Bubur Lambuk might just be your choice.
Soup and porridge cornerI was delighted that they served Murtabak as well. Since I'm a big fan of Murtabak, I had a few good pieces of them.
Murtabak Corner
Chicken MurtabakPretty good murtabak that is not too oily nor sweet with a mild crisp on the outisde. I'm still learning to take Murtabak with the onion that were infused with red syrup though.
As you passed by the Murtabak corner, you will come across the Frying Corner where you could see a lady busy frying keropok lekor, banana fritters and cempedak balls.
The Frying Corner
Freshly fried from the wokQueue was pretty long and being impatient, I'd managed to get keropok lekor only.
Keropok Lekor and PopiahThe Roasted Lamb Stall was the crowd favourite stall and my favourite as well. The chef was spotted all the time busy slicing the lamb into chunks for the crowd.
The Roasted Lamb Stall
Roasted lambMeat were pretty decent with the tenderness and juiciness maintained. However, I must say the accompanying gravy was a let down as it was lacking in flavour!
Malay cuisine is incomplete without the inclusion of kueh-mueh. There is no exception at De Palma Hotel, with a corner specially designated with the offerings of local kueh-mueh delights.
Kueh-mueh corner
Cakes corner
A little bit of this and that Pretty normal kueh and cakes. Nothing much to shout about.
Drinks and beverages cornerThe beverages were watered down so badly. Tasted more like sugar water without a real taste there.
Just like usual, I ended my dinner with some fruits from their Fruits Corner. A little disappointed on why they named it as Malaysian fruits corner when they did not offer at least some of the seasonal fruits such as mangosteen or even langsat.
Local fruits and dates corner
Dates or known as KurmaA favourite appetizer among the Malay during breaking fast session.
My first Ramadhan buffet experience ended in a so so feeling. Perhaps, I it was because I was robbed a chance to taste the Malay authentic cuisine such as rendang or even fried spiced chicken. There was a lot of food that were not replenished after the breaking fast time, with many empty tray spotted. As for now, I'm hoping for a better Ramadhan buffet come next year at other places of course!
Atmosphere: 5/10
Overall varieties: 5/10
Food: 5/10
Price: 5/10
Verdict: How can Ramadhan buffet be lacking of Malay authentic cuisine? Disappointed at the lack of replenishment on Malay authentic cuisine.
De Palma Hotel Shah Alam
Jalan Nelayan 19/15
Seksyen 19, 40718
Shah Alam, Selangor
Malaysia
Tel: 603 - 5542 8080
Fax: 603 - 5542 0492
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