After two years absent from the Ramadan fanfare, the Hilton Kuching Ramadan buffet is back with the theme ‘Jelajah Selera Bersama Hilton Feast’.
The place: Makan Kitchen
Hilton Kuching usually adds a special canopy for their Ramadan buffets, but this time around they would be utilizing their newly renovated Makan Kitchen restaurant to the fullest instead.
Located on the ground floor of the hotel, the modern styled restaurant provides a beautiful view of the Kuching Waterfront, so it was very possible for you to enjoy the lovely Kuching sunset while you dine.
Personally, I liked the seating arrangements of the restaurant as it was rather spacious with food well arranged for picking. Groups of eight could easily seat together, while the seats were very comfortable.
Inside, well planned lights not only highlighted the dishes, but also allowed me to take quality photos of the dishes I had as you can see in this post.
Hilton Kuching Ramadan buffet menu
According to Hilton Kuching, there’s three different menus on rotation during the Jelajah Selera Bersama Hilton Buffet Dinner.
This means Hilton Kuching Ramadan buffet menu will change daily for three days, before it returns back to the first set. This means if you want to taste it all, you have to go for three days straight!
Anyway, there’s a lot of food served during the buffet and I doubt anyone can complaint about the selection available.
Among the 100 plus dishes served during the food preview I attended were Arabic Rice, Butter Prawns, roasted lamb, Sotong Masak Lemak, Ayam Pansoh Daun Bungkang, Bubur Pedas, Laksa Sarawak, Rendang Tok, Umai Ikan, Mi Kolok and the list goes on.
The dessert selection was a slight surprise to me because they had kuih sepit, kuit payung, Kuih Jala, and Kuih Tako served. These local Sarawakians desserts usually don’t make it to Ramadan buffets I’ve attended in the past, so I was pleasantly surprised.
If local favourites aren’t your choice, there’s also other desserts like cakes, pastries, ice cream and Air batu Campur (ABC).
The drinks corner also served Air Soya Cincau, which was my favourite, and Air Selasih, two drinks that I rarely find at Ramadan buffets as well. The usual Air Bandung was also served beside fruit juices and coffee and tea.
The highlights
If there is one thing I look for during my food reviews, it would be dishes highlight.
While Hilton Kuching has their recommendations, mine would be the following, with the last one mentioned being a must try.
Sambal selection
I love sambal, so when I saw Hilton Kuching serving about four different types of local sambal, it was a no brainer for me to give it a try.
All four sambals that were present were good and on-point. The sambal belacan in particular was delicious. It would have been even grander if Hilton Kuching improved on the selection of vegetables to go with the sambal nonetheless, but as far as the sambal goes, it was good.
Steamed prawns
The steam prawns to be honest were an interesting surprise. They were fresh and cooked nicely, just enough to give you that ‘springy’ feel upon every bite.
The prawns were medium in size, just nice for one bite.
Laksa Sarawak
As a Sarawakian, I am very particular about my Laksa Sarawak, and I can recommend the Laksa Sarawak served at Hilton Kuching.
For some reason, I prefer my Laksa Sarawak with yellow prawn noodles, and Hilton Kuching allows you to custom your Laksa Sarawak with the noodles you want.
The broth to me was just nice, being slightly thick yet not too spicy. Together with the accompanying shrimp paste, and lime, the Laksa Sarawak was on-point, worthy to be promoted to the masses.
Australian Wagyu Minute Steak
The Sarawak black paper marinated Australian Wagyu Minute Steak is also a highlight of the buffet in my opinion. It is medium done and was delicious just eaten on its own.
I personally not only like the flavour, but also the size. Being ‘mini’ means its easy to eat and not difficult to finish as well.
Nasi mandi
Believe it or not, the Nasi Mandi is actually a Middle Eastern dish which is ‘sort of like’ Nasi Kandar. It uses Basmati rice, and is served with three (or was it four) different dishes poured onto the rice.
I don’t recall the names of the different dishes, but I remember one, namely the Lamb Shank.
Together, they produce an amazing blend which taste really good, with the Lamb Shank in particular worth a shout out for being not only tender but delicious.
I’m usually against eating lamb shanks because they aren’t exactly easy to eat, but this one was just superb.
Price, bookings and reservations
According to Hilton Kuching, there’s a tier pricing for their Jelajah Selera Bersama Hilton Buffet Dinner.
This tier pricing is based on the dates one intend to attend the buffet, as well as how early you book your seat.
If you are the first 20 to book daily between 3 April to 2 May 2022, you stand to enjoy the buffet for just RM88+ (20% discount).
Then, those who dine from 3 – 7 April will be able to enjoy the buffet for Rm98+ per person, while those coming from 8 April to 2 May will need to pay RM128+ per person.
Reservations can be made through Hilton’s website or by calling +6082223888 .
Conclusion
Hilton Kuching’s Ramadan buffet is something one should not miss if you love going to buffets.
Their staff is quick to react to empty tables, and dishes that are finished get refilled almost instantly. This means you can constantly enjoy the food without worry.
That said, if you are craving for a Ramadan buffet this coming Ramadan, keep Hilton’s version in your choices because it will be something worth to consider.