Taste the world at the Global Taste Fiesta

 

Do you know that Qatar, the host country for FIFA World Cup 2022, is the first host country that had never played in the World Cup before?

 

Well, now you know.

 

Get a taste of salads prepared from recipes
popular in nations around the world

As this will be the first World Cup tournament hosted in an Arab nation, Chef Harmandah who specializes in Middle-Eastern cuisine, was inspired to create an exciting menu that highlights the cuisine of the Arab nations in the Global Taste Fiesta served at Dine@Eight in the Holiday Inn Johor Baru City Centre.

 

The Global Taste Fiesta dinner buffet presented on Friday and Saturday evenings, will offer diners a taste of some 70 popular dishes from 16 countries in the world.

 

It was a wonderful opportunity to discover items – both familiar and new to me – from soups and salads to items in the hot buffet and delightful desserts that will let me have a taste of food from various nations.

 

Chef at the Shawarma 
live station

When I made a quick survey of the buffet spread, I was pleased to read the labels arranged next to the dishes, designed with a small flag, to inform and educate diners about its country of origin.

 

As I looked at the collection of flags, I thought this was also a good way to get acquainted with the national flags of countries from around the world.

 

At the Salad Bar, there was a selection of salad recipes like Insalata Caprese and Caponata Salad from Italy, Tzatziki and Roasted Pepper Salad from Greece, Cob Salad from Spain, Eggplant Salad from Morocco, Luke-warm Prawn Salad from the United Kingdom, Spring Rolls from Vietnam, Pecel from Indonesia and Malaysia’s own Rojak Buah or fruit salad served with peanut sauce.

 

Freshly-made naan in
tandoor oven

A choice of hot soups included Red Lentil Soup, a popular soup in Turkey and Cyprus, Italian Seafood Minestrone and our Malaysian Sup Daging Berempah.

 

Local diners may be familiar with Italian pasta served with a swirl of cheese in the Grand Padano cheese wheel but it was good to see a wide choice of pasta – from spaghetti, penne, fettucine, farfalle, tagliatelle, fusilli to vermiglioni – to pick from to mix with Alfredo or Pomodoro sauces and toppings.

 

Another live cooking station was the Tandoor and Shawarma section where chefs were preparing to bake traditional breads in the tandoor oven and serving freshly-baked naan with Tandoori Chicken or slices of Chicken Shawarma complemented by a choice of sauces and condiments.

 

Nearby, the Cotton Candy station offered a fascinating experience of watching how multi-coloured cotton candy was created and served on a stick.

 

A wide choice of pasta to pick from at the
Grand Padano Pasta Station

It was interesting to discover dishes in the hot buffet like Al-Kabsa, a traditional rice and chicken dish from Saudi Arabia, Russian Beef Stroganoff, Coffee Lamb from Taiwan, Egyptian Bamia Basti – an okra and meat stew, Korean Dak Gang Jeong – sweet, crispy fried chicken, Kashmiri Gaadh – a fish dish from Pakistan, along with Chinese dishes like Tri-Colour Steamed Eggs and Dry Butter Prawns and Malaysian Nangka Masak Lemak or Jackfruit braised in coconut milk.

 

A chef at the Carving Station helped to serve cuts of oven-baked Leg of Lamb with Briyani Rice for diners to savour with a range of sauces.

 

Twirl and whirl an umbrella
of cotton candy!

At the Kids’ Corner, all-time favourites served include Chicken Nuggets, Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, Cheesy Wedges and Grilled Chicken Sausages for the kids and all who are young-at-heart.

 

There was a choice of hot coffee or tea to enjoy with a sweet selection of desserts that have their origin in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Greece, France, Spain and Morocco.

 

It was easy to identify Turkish delights like Baklava, Halva and Baked Pumpkin with Tahini, cups of Italian Tiramisu and Crème Brulee, a French favourite.

 

This array of desserts continued with assorted cut fruits, small cakes and pastries, and sticks of cut fruits and marshmallows to dip into a chocolate fountain.

 

Choices of delightful desserts

So come, taste the world at the Global Taste Fiesta weekend dinner spread served every Friday and Saturday from 6pm to 10pm at Dine@Eight.

 

Rate at RM128 nett per person with a Buy Five-Free One deal, 50% off for children aged six to 12 years and 30% off for seniors aged 60 years and above.

 

IHG One Rewards members will enjoy 20% discount.

 

Dine@Eight is on Level Eight, the lobby level of Holiday Inn Johor Baru City Centre, located in Johor Baru City Centre Mall, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, 80000 Johor Baru, Johor.

 

For reservations, Tel: +607 207 8888 or +6011 3603 3163.

 

Catch the World Cup fever at The Lobby Lounge which will be transformed into a sports bar from Nov 20 to Dec 18, and open from 6pm to 6am to celebrate the FIFA World Cup season with a one-for-one beverage promotion all night long for only RM35.

 

Watch your favourite teams in action on big screens and enjoy snack bites presented in creatively themed names like Free-Kick Chilli Con Carne, Saved Akkawi Manakish, Beef Shawarma Hattrick, Mid-fielder Truffle Chilli Fries, Defenders Honey Chicken Wings and of course, the World Cup Champion Platter.

 

For more information, visit the Holiday Inn Johor Bahru City Centre official Facebook and Instagram pages for holidayinnjbcc or website: holidayinn.com/johorbahru