When in Manila, Makan-Makan, a great Malaysian culinary experience is is for your appetite’s taking only at my favorite buffet place : Circles Event Café at Makati Shangri-La.
You don’t really need to go far to get a taste of Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu as top chefs from Malaysia come to Manila to prepare only the best of asia at Circles buffet.
There’s always something different every day of the week at Circles Event Café. You get an Asian, Italian, Indian, Seafood Market or a Barbeque theme on a specific day. And although there are vast cuisines to choose from any given time, a certain region’s food is always featured for a day.
From Oct 8 to Oct 20 we are all privileged to have Malaysian chefs Saidi Bin Rajiman, Lim Leng Chuan, and Sebastion Bing Sopitang bring to our palates the various regions of their country (Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu) through the artful dishes that they create.
Malaysia is a familiar country to Filipinos, sharing almost the same looks, language and culture, it can be pretty close to our hearts and this month to our tastebuds. If you’re out taking a break from the usual Japanese and Chinese food , this is a refreshing course to indulge in Circles buffet.
Spices, aromatic herbs and roots are all used in Malaysian cuisine which has a multicultural influence from India, China and Thailand. There is a lot of spice to Malaysian food which makes it so exciting to eat.
To start off this experience , from Penang is the Marinated Prawn Salad with cucumber, onion, and coriander. A very good appetizer with an amazing mix of flavors as it rolls in your mouth. The prawn was very fresh and so were the vegetables that just had the right crunch to it. Good combination.
Then from Kuala Lumpur is Sup Ekor Berempah which is spicy oxtail soup. It’s a little bit like our bulalo only loaded more with different spices. And the beef bits were so soft.
The Rendang Daging from Kuala Lumpur is braised beef with spices and grated dried coconut. The feat that comes from making this dish is derived from pure passion as the grated coconut is patiently cooked and mixed with the beef for hours to come up with this special taste.
Back to Penang is the Steamed Fish with Lime Juice which I say is my hands down favorite. It’s lapu-lapu cooked perfectly, very soft, but towards the end, you get that lemon bite. It totally gets you hooked to try another bite, and another and another. This dish officially made me a fan.
And chicken lovers will have a treat with Ayam Tapai (chicken cooked with local rice wine). This is next on my list. Soft and just enough sour in it. Very asian and close to the Filipino taste, but with a delectable twist.
The Sayur Nagka Ikan Masin is jack fruit in coconut milk with salted fish. Penang is a multicultural society and most of its food is sold at road-side stalls also known as “hawker-food”.
We took in all that yumminess with rice of course, how could any asian cuisine go without this – but this time it was Nasi Briyani from Kuala Lumpur. Reflecting Kuala Lumpur’s love affair with eating is a staple that shows how multicultural this country is in taste.
Capping all that off is the Coconut Sago from Kota Kinabalu. It tasted so good because there was a lot of texture to it. You feel the sago, and then some melon, and then you get a hint of ice cream! In Kota Kinabalu you are presented by different ethnic groups that present you with different flavors that elicit various delights. Ergo such variety in this dessert.
Here are the chefs from Left to Right. Chef Saidi Bin Rajiman from Shangri-la Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Chef Lim Leng Chuan from Shangri-la’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa in Penang and Chef Sebastion Bing Sopitang from Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa in Kota Kinabalu.
As we met and greeted them, we took in not only the sumptuous dishes they made but their passion from being the masters in their field. They shared a little of their thoughts for us to take home : being a chef not only takes passion but patience AND more than the food it is the relationship with the customers that makes a mark in culinary art.
And these gentlemen definitely made a mark with their dishes and persona. From October 8 to Oct 22, you can still get a chance to savor in the flavors of Malaysia by going to the buffet at Circles at Makati Shangri-La Manila.
Join them also as they hold a cooking class Oct 15 & 16, 2011 for P2,000+++ inclusive of cooking kits & lunch buffet.
When In Manila, experience how Malaysia is truly Asia in its cuisine as you savor the region’s spread along with a whole lot of other dishes from other countries at the buffet in Circles Event Café, Makati Shangri-La Manila.
Monday to Saturday P1,360++ lunch buffet / P1,635++ (Sunday to Thursday) / P1,850++ (Friday & Saturday)
Sunday P1,650++ Sunday brunch
Diners may also get a chance to win stays at Shangri-La hotel Kuala Lumpur, Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, and Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa. When In Manila you can also experience Malaysia.
Circles Event Café:
Phone : (632) 8400884
Hours : 6 am – 12 midnight, Sun – Thursday 6 am – 2 am, Fri & Sat
Location : Lobby Level
Dress Code : Smart Casual
https://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/manila/makatishangrila/dining/restaurant/circleseventcafe
Makan-Makan : A Taste of Malaysia at Makati Shangri-La Circles Buffet Restaurant
