Makan Kitchen @ DoubleTree by Hilton

Buffet spread of abundance 

Jan 16, 2019

While it is traditional to go for set menus at Chinese restaurants to celebrate the Lunar New Year, it makes sense to opt for a buffet if the family members have vastly different preferences. That way, everyone will be able to enjoy their favourite foods as well as try new dishes in tasting portions.

Watchful dragon on crystal mountain at the dessert station

Makan Kitchen, on the 11^th level of DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur, is offering special CNY items for New Year’s Eve (Feb 4), on CNY (Feb5/6) and Chap Goh Meh (Feb 19) as well as 2 set menus for the Reunion Dinner (Feb 4).

Yee Sang platters for 10 pax

Yee sang platters are also available from Jan 14 to Feb 19 with toppings such as vegetarian fruit, guai fei abalone, crispy fish skin, salmon, tuna, unagi and smoked duck.

These are for tables of 10/20, so if your group is small, you can make your own personal yee sang at the buffet appetisers section.

Buffet-style yee sang for individuals and small groups

Of course there is a choice of other appetisers too, such as seafood on ice, sashimi and kerabu such as seafood kerabu and chicken tandoori in yoghurt dressing with onion and coriander. The seafood on ice tray is stacked with black mussel, flower crab, scallop, prawn and clam, accompanied by wedges of lemon and dips. The prawn and crab are particularly delightful and I’m having second helpings.

Seafood on ice with dips

Chicken tandoori salad and seafood kerabu

Highlight of the Chinese section are roasted duck, chicken and char xiu (barbecued honey boneless chicken). The chefs continuously replenish, so there’s no fear of the meat drying out on the trays. These come with sweet sauce and a vinegared chilli garlic dip.

Chinese-style roast duck and chicken

Chicken char xiu 

But do check out the Chinese appetisers. The most popular has to be smoked duck with plum sauce, as I notice the chefs replenishing the platter every so often. Then there’s marinated jellyfish, marinated baby octopus with Thai chilli sauce and marinated ladyfinger with chicken floss.

Chinese  section appetisers: Marinated jellyfish, marinated octopus, ladyfingers and smoked duck

While My Best Friend prefers the thickened seafood soup, I refresh my palate light herbal chicken soup with wintermelon. Then we head for the hot items. We fill our plates with Eight Treasure Lotus Leaf Rice with seafood such as shrimp, dried oyster, dried scallop, mushroom and ginkgo nuts as well as wokfried crab with chilli and garlic and wokfried ladyfinger with spicy dried shrimp.

Wokfried crabs with chilli and garlic

Signature steamed tilapia fish

Eight Treasure Lotus Leaf Rice

It’s easy to see why the steamed tilapia fish is a Makan Kitchen specialty; the deboned and skinned fish flesh is firm and sweet and the light sauce helps bring out its best side.

Personally, I prefer the wokfried lamb with sweet bean and dangguai black pepper sauce. The dong guai adds a subtle herbal flavour that dances well with the strong flavour of the tender slices of lamb.

Wokfried lamb with  sweet bean, danggui and black pepper

Then we head for the noodles station where, after we pick our favourite noodle and condiments, the chef blanches them and ladles tom yam or clear soup over it.

Choose your favourite ingredients at the Noodles Station

The other sections are just as exciting. At the Malay station, start with skewers of beef/chicken satay with peanut gravy, cucumber, raw onion and ketupat. There’s a whole grilled percik fish too.

Beef and chicken satay

At the Indian section, skewers of tandoori chicken and chicken tikka draw the crowd. But there are more, such as pulao to go with South Indian style Madurai Fried Chicken, aloo gohbi, onion bhaji (crispy fried onions in dhall batter) and lamb curry.

Madurai Fried Chicken

Meanwhile MBF is eager to get started on the dessert. The display here centres on a “dragon on a crystal mountain”, watching over the Longan Cashewnut Cake, Red Bean Almond Crumble With Lotus Seed, Osmanthus Jelly, Golden Almond Peach Dome, Raspberry Financer, Milky Black Sesame Cube and Mini Red Bean Sesame Cube as well as assorted nyonya-style pastries.

Picks from the dessert spread

Add your favourite ingredients to leng chi kang

At the Chinese section, there’s also a DIY leng chi kang. Just fill your bowl with longan, lychee, ginkgo, lotus seeds, sea coconut, aloe vera, natta de coco and attap seeds. Then pour in the chilled brew of longan and red dates for a cool dessert.

phoenixbee@gmail.com

MAKAN KITCHEN (halal)

Level 11, DoubleTree by Hilton

348 Jalan Tun Razak

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Telephone

+603-2172 7272

Opening Hours

6am to 11pm

Promotion

Reunion Buffet Dinner (Feb 4)

6.30pm to 10.30pm

RM168 nett per person

50% discount for senior citizens and kids 6-12

CNY Hi-Tea (Feb 5/6)

12.30pm to 4pm

RM98 nett per person

RM48 nett for senior citizens and kids 6-12

CNY Reunion 10 pax, 9-course Set Dinner (Feb 4)

Golden Prosperity: RM1,680 nett

Luck & Joyfulness: RM1,380 nett

Chap Goh Meh Buffet (Feb 19)

6.30pm to 10.30pm

RM168 nett per adult

50% discount for senior citizens and kids 6-12

Yee Sang (Jan 14 to Feb 19)

From RM68nett (half portion)