By Aiman Azri
Native Scottish oysters harvested in the four-century-old Loch Ryan beds; Australian lobsters caught from shallow ocean reefs and crayfish from river burrows; Malaysian and Indonesian crabs fished out of the seas of Borneo and Java - Seafood Sensation 2.0 brings the bounty of the world's waters to Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, served in a new buffet spread that's now available three evenings every week at the hotel's TEMPTationS restaurant.
We previewed Seafood Sensation 2.0 at the hotel's 24th-floor Lifestyle Lounge, sampling a small selection of what awaits diners at the full buffet. Start at the shimmering seafood-on-ice station for your choice of crustaceans and mollusks - poached green lobsters and slipper lobsters and yabbies and tiger prawns, black Chilean mussels to scallops on the half shell, beckoning with luscious lustre.
Oysters deserve a special shout-out; our sneak peek saw imports from Canada, France and the Netherlands, but the complete range will also include offerings from Scotland and England, flown into KL every Wednesday, the eve of the buffet sessions. The selection is expected to evolve every three months, so expect to enjoy a variety of brininess and butteriness, freshly shucked on the spot. For oyster enthusiasts, this section alone makes Seafood Sensation 2.0 a mandatory appointment.
Seafood Sensation 2.0 also comprises a slew of engaging seafood recipes - the Salad In The Jar, for example, is strikingly stacked, layered with a prawn cocktail that's buoyed with the sweetness of pineapple, plus grilled calamari with a chilli oil dressing that evokes Thai dynamics. We'd happily return to the buffet counter for a second helping of this.
Things heat up with the Manhattan seafood chowder, a creamy medley of mussels, shrimp, scallops and squid bobbing within the bread bowl, addictive with the carb comfort of its crusty, trusty vessel.
We're impressed further by the buffet's main-course repertoire, which also includes various ingredients prepared a la minute, such as the Lobster a la Plancha Linguine, a persuasive coupling of seafood and pasta, showcasing Aussie lobster that's seared to a pleasurably light smokiness.
The Chilli Crab is a certain crowd-pleaser, with a punchy-spicy sweetness that complements fleshy Sabah crabs without overpowering them, ideal with fried mantou buns to soak up the sauce.
Slow-Baked Pacific Salmon is another highlight, smooth and flaky-moist with lovely crisp skin, rounded out with umami-rich roe and the cheery uplift of cherry tomatoes and a tomato-based Roma Relish sauce, much more satisfyingly ambitious than the average buffet concoction.
All in all, an estimated 90-strong dishes should be available at each Seafood Sensation 2.0 session, spanning more seafood (the ulam bakar sambal stingray should be noteworthy for fans of local seafood preparations) as well as non-seafood treats like beef short ribs, plus a full range of desserts like Wild Berries Compote Sorbet and Strawberry Tarts with Mascarpone Cream for the perfect palate cleanser after an hours-long feast that'll likely include dozens of oysters, lobsters and everything else.
The Seafood Sensation 2.0 buffet is available at TEMPTationS, Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for dinner, 630pm till 1030pm, at RM138 nett per person.
Many thanks to Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel for this preview.
Seafood Sensation 2.0 @ TEMPTationS
Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, Corner of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2771-6692
Find out more about Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel's restaurants: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/restaurant/kulrn-renaissance-kuala-lumpur-hotel/
For reservations: rhi.kulrn.fb@renaissancehotels.com
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