This October, Cafe BLD at Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel presents the “Discover This Way” buffet led by the new Executive Chef, Syafifi Tahir, who has made full use of the localities’ specialities into the menu – the seafood.
Situated right at the balcony at Cafe BLD, a corner is dedicated for live seafood cooking station which is much more elaborate this time. Accompanying the usual grill station is the “Shell Out” station.
One might liken shell out to what the US would’ve called the ‘seafood boil’, where the main ingredient is the Cajun seasoning and boiled in a plastic bag. Shell Out; the Malaysian version, instead, skips the plastic bag but serves the whole seafood dish on a plastic drape, where people then eat from.
Personally, I am not a fan of such dining style and have thus missed out on tasting any shell out that was not home-cooked, but I was so glad to finally experience the rich Cajun flavour seafood and at the exquisite hospitality of Cafe BLD’s station nonetheless, where they skipped the plastic bag and the plastic drape altogether, leaving only fresh sea critters cooked in the rich, silky Cajun-style sauce served hot from the wok. Bonus is the surprising wok hei aftertaste, a delight to any Malaysians who love localised dishes.
“Here we would like to empower our team to express their creativity and elevate it at the same time, in order to enhance the luxury concept with great food quality, serving the exquisite lifestyle that people can experience in Renaissance Johor Bahru,” said Chef Syafifi, specialising in modern Asian cuisine with 15 years of experience under his belt.
The other food that I love is the Steam of the Day, hot from the pot, Gulai Daging Tetel with Potatoes that goes so well with the Middle East-inspired rice dish from the live cooking station. It became a familiar Malaysian food, for instance, with a bowl of the comforting gulai and tender beef trimmings with just enough fat to make a whole dish tastier.
And the delightful array of desserts made up of tasty local and French pastries made the perfect conclusion. My choice of the day was the buttery Sarawak Kek Lapis, Kuih Seri Muka, and a slice of Chocolate Cake.
Sounds like a perfect buffet with family and friends? The Discover This Way buffet is available from Sunday to Thursday, 6:30pm to 10:00pm, priced at RM118 nett per adult and RM59 nett per child aged 6 to 12 years old.
Live stations are only available for the weekend buffet, from Friday to Saturday, from 6:30pm to 10:00pm, buffet is priced at RM188 nett per adult and RM94 nett per child aged 6 to 12 years old.
Club Renaissance Johor Bahru members get 35% discount.
Book your seats via WhatsApp or Table App. More information head to cafebld.com/specials
