Lamb Kuzi Pizza a sell out

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WHEN I drove into the sprawling parking area of the Hotel Equatorial Bangi-Putrajaya, there were many vacant bays left, or so I thought.

Fast forward a few minutes and all were taken up. Before long, Rohaizat and I were caught up in the mass of people approaching Cafe Lavista on the lower floor of the hotel for buka puasa. The crowd though large was well behaved and many diners had their children in tow.

Carving station: A chef expertly carving choice slices of roast beef for diners.

By 7.25pm, Cafe Lavista was bursting at its seams and I was envious of those who had seats outdoors, to admire the twinkling lights of Bandar Baru Bangi as dusk slowly set in. The ambience was almost surreal.

Food was aplenty and the queues at the different stations were orderly.

Besides soups, appetisers, main course, dessert and beverages there were selected Malay, Chinese, Japanese and Italian dishes to whet the appetite.

It being Ramadan one would expect lamb, especially whole roast lamb, but the chefs at Lavista had put on their culinary caps to create Lamb Kuzi Pizza. Delicious to a fault, the pizza was one of the hot items at the buffet.

Slices disappeared as soon as they were served on the platter. The meat had a lovely aroma with a slightly charred or musky flavour to it. A spicy after-taste was another reason why the pizzas were a hit with the buka puasa crowd.

For the adventurous, there was a bounty of taco shells begging to be loaded with sliced chorizo sausages and minced beef. This attempt at introducing Mexican food to the buka puasa spread fared well, too. Many diners were seen mopping up the extra filling on their plates with garlic bread.

Confectionery bouquets: Caramelised fruits at the Cafe Lavista dessert counter.

No Ramadan meal is complete without a taste of traditional favourites like gulai kawah, ikan bakar, roti jala, laksa, gulai nenas ikan masin, kerabu and ulam. Cafe Lavista’s Ramadan buffet table was laden with these and more in the form of lamb masala, gulai daging dan rebung, satay Kajang, cendol and pengat.

The buffet is priced at RM82++ for adults and RM38++ for children below 12. Those who make reservations before Sept 17 with 24 hours pre-payment enjoy a 10% discount.