First and foremost, I wish all Muslim friends Selamat Berpuasa. My first buka puasa this year was at the classy Glass Restaurant at the invitation of Bobby of Thistle Johor Bahru Hotel.
This Ramadan, Thistle Johor Bahru's Executive Chef Imran is presenting two buffets; the Warisan Johor Buffet (self serve) and the Hidang Style (a la carte) buffet. Executive Chef Imran hails from Kedah and had worked in Thistle and Hyatt hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan and the United Kingdom.
We had the hidang style buffet which is served at Thistle's elegant Glass Restaurant. It's a "semi buffet". Customers can choose a la carte from a menu of vegetable, fish, chicken, meat, seafood and rice main courses. There is a self serve buffet spread of appetisers, soups, cakes, kuihs, ice creams, and hot and cold beverages.
Needless to say, there was way more food than we can eat :P So, here are just the dishes we managed to try till there was no more space in our "not small" tummies - which is just a small fraction of what is on offer at Hidang Style Glass Restaurant.
There was an extensive array of familiar local appetisers to whet our appetites for the big feast.
Steamed Cod Fish in Ginger Soy Sauce
Our first buka puasa meal took off with these thick pieces of steamed cod fish. They tasted fresh and were quite tender. The soupy and light tasting sauce was made mainly with soya sauce flavoured with slivers of ginger and black mushrooms, and garnished with parsley.
Red Snapper Asam Pedas
The red snapper asam pedas was very pleasing. The fresh and thick red snapper flesh was tender. The well balanced asam pedas gravy was soupy, tangy and spicy with sweet notes. I bathed my plate of plain steamed white rice with the flavourful asam pedas and enjoyed it very much.
Prawns in Coconut Milk Gravy
The sea prawns in curry were fresh and succulent. The curry was loaded with creamy, fragrant, sweet santan spiced with hot spices such as fiery chili.
Daging Salai Masak Lemak Cili Padi
I like the curry in the beef curry as it was a well balanced blend of rich santan, spicy hot chilies, and tanginess with sweet notes from tomatoes and onions. The slices of beef needed a bit of chewing work.
Burung Puyuh Goreng Ranggup
The deep fried quails were fried till the birds were crispy dry. The fried quail was just the right flavour - it's neither overly salty nor greasy. This dish is best enjoyed eating with our fingers.
Shank Kambing Masak Beriyani
The lamb shank beriyani was nicely flavoured with aromatic spices that complemented the lamb's gaminess well.
The meat was firm and dense.
The crunchy kang kong stir fried with belacan was sweet, spicy and savoury.
I found the fried bean sprouts with salted fish highly likable. Glass Restaurant executed this classic staple well - the juicy bean sprouts were just done and crunchy. The kitchen did well, going the extra mile to pinch the roots off the bean sprouts leaving just the white and juicy stalks. Nice home cooked feel.
There were four types of soup served. We picked the chicken and ox tail soups.
Plenty of cakes, kuih and ice creams at the dessert table. psst :) don't miss the Hagen Daz ice cream near the coffee machine :))
Hidang Style "all you can eat" a la carte Ramadan buffet costs RM120++ per adult. Children 7 to 12 years get a 25% discount.
Restaurant name: Glass Restaurant (at Thistle Johor Bahru Hotel)
Address: Jalan Sungai Chat, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/jRBGn
GPS: 1.461763,103.743188
Hours: Buka puasa till 10:30pm
Halal
Date visited: 10 Jul 2013
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