Ramadhan Buffet Review: Balik Kampung with Four Points By Sheraton

And I quote: There is no sincerer love than the love of food. And so long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.

Right? Well loosen that belt and make room for many cheat days because in a few more days, the Ramadan season will be on us again! And like a promise kept, there will be plenty of food everywhere in the country throughout the Fasting month.
 
This year, I had the privilege to try out Four Points by Sheraton Kuching 'Balik Kampung Ramadhan Feast'' at its only restaurant, The Eatery. [A little bit on the restaurant: The Eatery is a multiple-award-winning restaurant and its banquet kitchens have been recertified as 'halal' in accordance with the new guidelines issued by the Sarawak Islamic Council. So there you have it.]

Chocolate cake! All geared up for Raya?

The "Balik Kampung" style buffet is being featured via the Eatery's eight open concept kitchens. Wide and spacey, plenty of room for everybody, perfect for group dining or adjustably romantic for  couple's night out. The buffet will showcase some of the best traditional Malay cuisines including the hard-to-come-by desserts and appetizers, and interspersed with the The Eatery's long standing favorites. However, I think I was too hungry and too excited to remember to take pictures of all the delicious stuffs I ate, but no matter, you can always give it a try yourself next time.

Roast Arabic whole lamb with Basmati rice...

The main course, roast Arabic whole lamb is just juicy enough. The only thing I find missing is the black pepper sauce, it would've been perfect to go with the lamb cutlets. Served instead with Basmati rice, it makes a perfect lamb briyani.

Dinner is served! ...

Then there's the Indonesian Bakso soup, prepared with 10 types of condiments. Soup is best served piping hot and chilli hot for that sniffling effect.

 

Bakso ...

They even incorporate some local elements into this awesome looking pizza - Beef serunding (beef floss) Rending! I can't decide if it was the floss or the soft-hard crust pizza base that I like better, but they make a pretty decent combination.

 Beef serunding pizza...

And the usual colorful lok-lok for the health-conscious.

 Lok lok

Midin shrimp salad anyone? I was told the chef used fresh tiger prawn for this crowd-pleaser dish. You can't go wrong with midin, people. After all, it's uniquely Sarawak.

Midin shrimp salad...

If you notice, I normally mix and match the desserts with the appetizers and the main course. They go well in one plate and you can pick whichever you want to try first. The beauty of eating buffet style.

My favourite part of this whole buffet dining has got to be the desserts. The sweetmeats, exotic finger food, bite-size pretty delicacies ... I can get full on just those alone. I mean, check out this sweet Arabic Baklava! Four Point's The Eatery reportedly has the best crunchiest moist baklava in town. I gotta agree. They are sweet and poignant, just enough to store itself inside the memory, for next time in case of that craving.

Sweet Arabic Baklava...

And the usual traditional kuih-muih to wrap things up (or to start them off, whichever way you prefer). They also served lemang, ketupat, satay and rendang... but none for this preview for now. Wash it all down with sweet Air Bandung, and you're good to go. Or fruit juices, or coffee, to each his own taste.

Cucur sayur/udang...

And our compliments to the hotel's culinary team, for dishing out a 'great variety, great food and great value' buffet. That's their tagline anyway.

One for the camera...

Four Points by Sheraton will start showcasing the Ramadhan Balik Kampung Feast beginning on the first day of fasting which is on this 10th July, until the eve of Syawal.

For RM80nett per person, I'd say this is a good deal and a great option for your Berbuka Puasa. Group dining discount of 10% will be given for every 10 - 19 adults, and a further 15% discount  for a group of 20 pax and above. Bring your kids along too. Children below 12 are entitled to a 50% discount. Babies below 3 years of age eat for free (like they even eat that much :p).

That wraps things up. Thank you Sarawak Bloggers and Four Points by Sheraton Kuching for the opportunity to do a preview on this Ramadhan Buffet. And to my Muslim friends and acquaintances, Happy Fasting in advance!

For reservations, call 082- 280888.

Stalking July ...

You have a nice name, July. Here's a tiny admission.

I get a kick out of reading a blog entry with lots of personal information. Don't you? The strange predatory feeling it invokes, and that sense of headiness knowing you're on the outside getting an inside first-hand report of perhaps something exclusive, confidential, intimate. You didn't have to ask or look for it, it was handed to you on a silver platter.

Nice homebody accounts just don't cut it anymore. Sweet stuff gives you toothache, and a cringing sensation at the back of your neck. Whereas agonizing stuffs, awful experiences, throbbing awareness ... those are award winning materials.

The deeper the pain, they say, the better the kill. The more morose the conviction, the more profound the incitement. The more intimate the story, the more poignant the feeling. How else do you think break-up songs keep winning top charts and heart-wrenching movies keep getting high ratings in the box offices? Taylor Swift to the legendary Titanic.

In each of us underlies a seeker ... a shadow of a hawk. Always skulking about, repressed and smart. Knowing when to surface, and knowing when to withdraw. Knowing when to defend, or when to offend. And knowing most of all, when to lend a supportive shoulder, open arms, an assuring pat on the back, or a nod of acknowledgement... without giving away too much of oneself or without getting too involved. Or in other words... without sounding like a stalker.

 Pic courtesy of Internet Bird Collection

Sometimes I wonder what drive people to expose so much of themselves to a world they're barely familiar with, what more to say trust in? I can only speak for myself. Because the one time I let myself loose and hang with the rest of the heartsick and miserable lot was when I was truly lost and looking for an avenue to channel all emotions. I found then that the virtual world could be a sympathetic listener as well as a convenient support, always accommodating, always glad to assist. Little did I know when I put myself out there for the whole world to read, I also opened a wealth of potential harms to myself.

A short moment of reprieve. Like Eve, deceived. 

We all like sheep, they say. Going where one leads. Not necessarily a bad thing that. But to let yourself out without much thought to the consequences, that is where our downfall begins. I know, I have been there, for years. Do I learn? Sometimes not as quickly as I meant to. Do I still do it? Less and less now. I find that giving my stalkers something to laugh about behind my back is distasteful, so I'd rather give them something else to wonder about. They do like a bit of mystery, a vague clue, something not quite there. Ah. Familiar territory. Don't we all go through that, one or the other?

What is there sacred anymore?

Because, why should we give anybody the satisfaction of telling them about everything that goes on in our lives, at the risk of being endlessly scorned, mocked, and made parody of? We're not celebrities, whose lives are not our own anymore. Nor are we heroes, or martyrs.

Live, love, write, document them ... whatever you do... refrain from telling the whole world everything. Everything. A vulture would feast on you in  minutes. But a hawk will bide his time.

In short... Don't give me the time of the day. 

P/s: There is not much point to this post other than to merely address the inner hunter in each of us. Stay in the shadow. And to us the writers, tread with care.
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