My last post was when I was still 34. That doesn't seem quite long ago since I only turned 35 barely 2days ago. A week before the big day, we were still undecided on where to go.
Thirty8 at Grand Hyatt KL was my top pick but their buffet was only available during the weekend. Neither did it help that it was priced at around RM 150. Per pax.
It wasn't as though the price for Contango's buffet was displayed on their website but it's my birthday and when else if not now to splash on? So, he made a booking and off we went on Friday noon. They gave us a table by the window which had a rather nice view. Except that it was difficult to get out to grab the food. And it did get a little bit hot as the sun made its presence known.
Our reservation was at 12pm and we were probably the first few customers. Come 12.30pm, more people came and mostly in parties of at least 4. The place does seem to be rather popular with corporate customers. There were few odd tourists though.
At about RM100/pax after taxes, definitely well worth it when you compare it with other KL hotels.
One of the reviews that I read complained about the lack of oysters for the price paid. True enough, their shellfish menu was limited to only mussels and bamboo shoots. The mussels were all right. Bamboo shoots are best served in
kamheong style unless you don't mind soft and slightly slippery texture. Not quite like oysters, a bit more rubbery. Disappointing on this section.
Cold cuts. I was surprised that my lunch date didn't know what
cold cut meant 😂These were not bad but some were a bit too salty on their own. Maybe you're suppose to have it with some salad? There were some sides of pickled vegetable, alfafa, cheeses etc. I paired it with feta and it was amazing. Oh feta, why you so expensive?
Cheese platter. We were there so early that some stations were still setting up and the cheese was still unopened. It would be nice if they labelled the cheese then I can give you a proper review. Do you eat that white layer outside? Like, are you supposed to?
Anyway, the cheese were not that great.
This would be my second buffet for the month and the first one left me salivating for salmon. Belly to be precise. Contango sadly didn't deliver the belly but they did offer really fresh fish. Presentation definitely could use some improvement though when your food is good, does it matter how it looks like?
More sashimi in the form of octopus and tuna. Thick slices are great because it means you're getting your money's worth but when in a buffet, it feels as though they are trying to cheat you. Tuna's just something that I haven't quite learn to appreciate in sashimi form. Octopus was quite nice, only if they didn't slice it so thick, making it an arduous process of chewing. I need to save my energy for chewing other food too.
Some say to start a buffet meal with something that's light on the palette so that you can fully appreciate the flavors, freshness in this case. After a 6km run in the morning, I was truly famished by then and really appreciate the freshness of these sashimi. The soba noodle comes in both hot and cold. I took the cold one since it was a really hot afternoon.
Next stop: cold cuts. Tried their coffee machine and it was quite good without that bitter aftertaste. So much so that between the both of us, we easily consumed 5cups during the meal alone.
The disappointing platter. Lemon wedges helped a bit with the shoots. Maybe it's just the Asian side of me who grew up with properly cooked bamboo shoot who can't accept it in other forms.
Moving on to the Western section,
broccoli
soup tasted just like broccoli. Roast lamb, braised leg duck, lamb meat
ball, couscous and pizza all were well seasoned, hit the right
notes, just not exceedingly impressive.
The previous platter felt a lot to take in so we went easy for the next and returned to the Japanese counter for
spicy jelly fish, baby octopus, scallop (trimmings), salmon tempura and edamame.
The tempura fish choice was surprising given how it's a lil pricey to
be deep fried . This ain't a complaint that it doesn't taste good (it did). Jelly fish was much better than the scallop
as it was spicy and would make for a great snack in between the heavier
stuff.
More cooked food from the Western stations. roast lamb, fried onion ring. very stuffed by then to fully appreciate the taste . In case if you're wondering, Contango's buffet spread goes from Japanese, Western to Asian. From the appetizers all the way to the desserts. We focused on the Japanese and Western sections, ignoring the local fares for last.
People say to save the best for last. We were just too full by the end to bother trying out any of their fried brinjal, kurma mutton, curry beef, curry fish etc.
M
ocha (made to order) and blueberry crumble. Quite a great combo if you have a sweet tooth but just not all the way. I did find their mocha to be a bit too sweet.
Let
the coffee put a smile on your face. Apart from the coffee machine
churning out latte/cappucino/espresso, they also have baristas to make a
nice cup of joe. Just don't expect coffee art.
C
ompared
to their savory counters, their dessert station is small but comes with
the basic cake, jelly and macaroon. Guava, kiwi and mango juice
available if coffee/tea ain't your thing. Their chocolate cake is rich, thanks to Valrhona chocolate. Macaroons were as expected exceedingly sweet. Nothing that coffee can't fix here.
One last call before we hit the road. Also because they were closing off at 2.30pm.
The pasta counter is made-to-order. You get to pick the pasta (spaghetti, fettucine, penne), portion and tell the chef what sauce. My aglio olio turned out to be a bit sweet, from the capsicum. Also the lack of bacon since this is a
halal (or no pork) joint.
Churros took awhile as the PIC was missing in action. When it finally did arrive, it wasn't quite worth the wait. Sure, it was hot and crunchy. But
Street Churros definitely does it better.
My makeshift birthday cakes in the form of fruity citrus tart and lemon stone rose cake.
These came in small bite sizes, perfect to end the meal, especially the tart that was a little bit sour. The rose cake came with a jelly in the middle, also not too sweet.
So yea, that wraps up my birthday 🎂
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