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| Chef de Partie Yulie Hermono (right) and Banquet Cook Bavu Yuliansvah Warsono (left) |
Words by Monica Clear
Photos by Monica Clear and Sheraton Imperial
There is a special dining experience currently being offered at the in-house restaurant of the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur. For the month of October, “Essence” restaurant has flown in two visiting chefs from Surabaya Sheraton to introduce diners to the treats of Indonesian speciality dishes from the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, Indonesia.
“A Taste of Padang” features cuisine known for it’s rich coconut milk and spicy chili, with specialities such as Rendang Daging, Bubur Kampium, Sop Iga Kambing, Soto Mie Padang, Udang Balado Ijo, and Itik Masak Lombok Ijo.
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| Nasi tumpeng |
Chef de Partie Yulie Hermono (“The Smiling Chef”) and his Banquet Cook Bavu Yuliansvah Warsono have been working together for many years, perfecting menu creation, recipe costing and dish presentation, and drawing on their mutual international culinary interests and experiences, to put together a feast of treasures from their homeland.
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| Staff wearing traditional Indonesian dress |
Living up to it’s namesake, Essence restaurant provides an open dining atmosphere bathed in hues of warm reds, oranges and yellows, creating an energetic and vibrant backdrop to the experience.
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| The dining experience at Essence |
The food is served buffet style (as well as a la carte), and while there were multiple live cooking stations of Indian, Italian, Japanese, and Malaysian specialities, I stuck to the Padang delights of the evening, especially the Soto padang live, Rendang daging sapi, Ayam goreng balut telur, Ikan masak tempoyak, Gulai nangka muda, Balado telur, and Gulai tunjang.
My plate was too busy for a photograph after taking samples of each tempting offering, but the individual photos of the dishes provide a taste of the treats you will savour during this event.
To begin with, there were many appetisers to sample:
The main dishes were aplenty, varied, and interesting:
Save room for the impressively varied dessert spiral, complete with a chocolate fountain and ice cream sundae bar, among other panna cotta delights, parfaits, and cakes.
A Taste of Padang at Essence restaurant made for a delightful culinary adventure. With discounts applying to Sheraton Reward members and Maybank, UOB, and CIMB card holders, there are other incentives for indulging. However, the cuisine itself will be enough.
Reasons to visit: welcoming staff; comfortable atmosphere; authentic Indonesian specialty dishes; abundant and diverse buffet; dessert selections.
Reasons to visit: welcoming staff; comfortable atmosphere; authentic Indonesian specialty dishes; abundant and diverse buffet; dessert selections.
Essence
First Floor
Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
+6 03 2717 9900
restaurants.imperial@sheraton.com