Tuck into bazaar food

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MENTION Ramadan and buka puasa, and most people will picture a Ramadan Bazaar.

The bazaar, which comes to live in the afternoon, offers a lavish spread of delights for the breaking of fast.

Healthy option: Diners can have their choice of vegetables stir-fried on the spot.

However, the downside of heading to the bazaar is that one has to contend with the traffic congestion and large crowd, and this causes some people to stay away from such bazaars.

“Here, our guests can enjoy the food they would find at the bazaar in the comfort of a hotel ambience.

“They need not worry about traffic jams, searching for a parking space, or jostling with the large crowd at the bazaar.

“And they can have their food piping hot for buka puasa,” said Quality Hotel Shah Alam executive sous chef Hikmal Hisham Ramlee.

This year, the hotel is featuring the Ramadan Bazaar concept for the buka puasa buffet throughout the fasting month.

With almost 30 stalls set up in the hotel’s foyer dishing up a wide variety of dishes, guests will be spoilt for choice at the buffet that will be available until Sept 21 at the Gardenia Coffee House on the ground floor.

Must-try: Chef Hikmal carving the roast lamb, which, he says, needs to be marinated with a variety of spices for at least six hours before it is grilled to perfection. It comes with a choice of mint, mushroom or black pepper sauce.

Guests can relish a variety of kerabu, gulai lemak masak cili padi, ulam and sambal and about 100 other dishes, including rendang tok and gulai kawah.

There is also grilled whole lamb that comes with mushroom, black pepper and mint sauce.

Diners can also choose hot dishes prepared on-the-spot at the stalls. These include a variety of noodles and char kuey teow.

Usually, when it comes to food for breaking fast, meat, chicken or fish dishes will take centre stage and little attention is given to vegetables.

Traditional favourite: Lemang and ketupat to be eaten with rendang.

However, at the hotel, greens are given special attention this fasting month.

There is even a special stall dedicated to preparing the greens throughout the promotion.

“We have more than a dozen types of vegetables that are cooked on the spot by our chefs.

“Diners can ask for any vegetable and have it cooked in front of their eyes,” said chef Hikmal.

He said a variety of local and imported vegetables were available, including kangkung, kailan, broccoli and mushrooms.

“There is no fancy cooking; the vegetables are simply stir-fried but they are fresh,” he said, adding that freshly stir-fried vegetables had been a hit during previous buka puasa promotions.

To cater to the buka puasa crowd, the hotel’s foyer has been turned into a dining area.

Tables have been set up in the foyer as an extension to the Gardenia Restaurant, to providing seating for about 800 people.

The Berbuka Puasa promotion at Quality Hotel is priced at RM55++ per adult while children and senior citizens pay RM30++.

GARDENIA COFFEEHOUSE, Quality Hotel Shah Alam, Plaza Perangsang, Persiaran Perbandaran, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor (Tel: 03-5510 3696 ext 8316). Business hours: 7pm to10.30pm nightly (Ramadan promotion).