Festive flavours at Seasonal Tastes

 

It’s that time of year again to indulge in festive flavours and feast on a lavish spread hosted at Seasonal Tastes, the all-day dining café at The Westin Desaru Coast Resort.

 

A platter of Roasted Turkey

I had the privilege for a preview of this delightful spread after I and other guests joined General Manager, Grant Young, to witness the lighting-up of the towering Christmas tree in the spacious lobby.

 

When we greeted each other, GM Grant remarked that he was familiar with me and My Johor Stories and in fact, the resort has copies of my books for the guests’ reading pleasure, in the reading corner right there at the lobby.

 

As guests enjoyed the live performance by the choir from Bethany Christian Church, Kota Tinggi, the beautifully adorned Christmas tree added to the holiday spirit and the resort’s inviting atmosphere.

 

Roasted Wagyu Beef Striploin 

In his warm welcome, GM Grant shared briefly about the resort’s activities in the past year that included projects with the underprivileged in the community through their Corporate Social Responsibility activities.

 

Every month, the Resort along with sister properties in the Marriot Group, namely Renaissance Johor Bahru and Four Points by Sheraton Desaru, will partner with Kechara Soup Kitchen Society to support the Orang Asli or indigenous people at Kampung Sungai Temon.

 

I was delighted to learn that the resort also collaborates with the urban farmers at Feed Our Loved Ones (FOLO) Farms by contributing food waste that will be transformed into rich organic compost, used to cultivate a wide range of healthy vegetables and microgreens.

 

Reception counter at entrance
to Seasonal Tastes

This was because I am familiar with the collaboration of Renaissance Johor Bahru with FOLO Farms and even featured the story of FOLO Farms in my Book Two, My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People.

 

The Resort had also teamed up with BoomGrow’s Machine Farm to cultivate pesticide-free, nutrient-rich greens in an initiative for sustainable vegetable production. With a farm cultivated within the resort, fresh greens harvested daily, are served at the breakfast buffet and with a la carte dishes.

 

As we made our way into Seasonal Tastes, I saw that many families were already taking full advantage of the holiday season for a stay experience at the resort.

 

In a walk around the café, I had a quick look at the festive spread before deciding on which items to start on and how this delightful meal should end.

 

Lights all aglow on the towering
Christmas tree in the lobby

I was pleased to see that the culinary team had curated a festive menu that presented a delightful array of classic Christmas delicacies, diverse international choices and an array of irresistible handcrafted desserts that will be served for dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

 

This festive season, the café’s International section will feature mouth-watering favourites like traditional Roasted Turkey, Roasted Wagyu Beef Striploin, Baked whole Grouper with Portuguese sauce, and in the hot buffet, Grilled Lamb with Mushroom sauce, Fish Picatta, Cheesy Baked Potato and Roasted Vegetables.

 

In the seafood section, there was fresh Seafood-on-Ice with whole prawns, mussels, clams and amazing Oysters Rockefeller. The seafood spread continued with Yellowfin Tuna, Prawn Cocktail and an interesting serving of Salmon Mosaic.

 

Fresh Seafood-on-Ice

With a regular clientele of local and international guests, I was glad that this café has sections for Asian cuisine including Chinese, Malay and Indian food, so that diners may enjoy a wide range of local flavours in this one-stop buffet spread.

 

Part of the Chinese section was a live-cooking station to serve fresh seafood prepared in the diners’ choice in Sour Curry Sauce or Kung Pao Sauce, while its hot buffet featured premium items like Salted Egg Lobster and Smoked Duck Fried Rice.

 

I followed my nose to the Malay section where I spotted grilled skewers of satay in the hot buffet that also served popular local dishes like (Beef Ribs) Tulang Rusuk Berlado, (Cray Fish) Udang Galah Masak Kalio, and (Chicken) Ayam Penyet with condiments.

 

Chef Rajendra putting the finishing touches
to the dishes at the Indian section

When I paused at the Indian section to look closer at the gravies to savour with fragrant rice or baked breads, the chef who was putting the finishing touches to the buffet, directed my attention to the platters of Tandoori Turkey and Grouper Fish Tikka.

 

While my eyes zeroed in on his name tag which read as, Chef Rajendra, I could tell that he was rather proud of these cross-cultural recipes for the turkey and chicken.

 

Happy with his proactive attitude, I went on to quiz him about the range of gravies served in the Indian section because I am careful about avoiding ingredients that did not agree with me.

 

Don't miss a taste of Tandoori Turkey

As he responded to my barrage of questions, my disappointment was clear because two items – that I was keen on – had the ingredient that does not agree with me.

 

When I told Chef Rajendra about my food intolerance, he was quick to respond with an offer to specially prepare separate portions for me, without using that ingredient. 

 

I was pleased to discover that the kitchen at Seasonal Tastes was among those in the better hotels that will accommodate the diners’ dietary requirements, upon request.

 

The extra-long Swiss Roll Yule Log

With this kind reassurance from the Chef, I went on to look at the array of appetizers, salads, Japanese sushi, fruits and lingered over the sight of the delightful desserts.

 

In addition to the Macaron Tower, there was Christmas Pudding, a Red Velvet Christmas Tree, Raspberry Macarons, Matcha Choux, Tiramisu in chocolate cups and Sea-salt Caramel Nut Tarts.

 

But the star of the Dessert section must that extra-long, Swiss Roll Yule Log covered in shards of dark chocolate and sprinkled with split strawberries and candy canes.

 

This overview of the spread just gave me a clear idea of where to begin enjoying the festive flavours.

 

And when I sat down to eat, it was not long before Chef Rajendra served two small portions of the gravies of my choice – just as I requested – for me to savour with roti and rice.

 

For reservations and further information, call Tel: +6019 755 0283 or email fb.westindesaru@westin.com

 

Christmas Buffet Dinner

24 & 25 December 2023

6.30pm – 10.30pm

MYR288 nett per Adult MYR144 nett per Child (Ages 4 - 12)

*Add-on beverage package (Beer OR Wine) at MYR158 nett

 

New Year's Eve Buffet Dinner

31 December 2023

6.30pm – 10.30pm

MYR338 nett per Adult MYR169 nett per Child (Ages 4 - 12)

*Price inclusive of 1 party pack per guest

*Add-on beverage package (Beer OR Wine) at MYR158 net

 

Seasonal Tastes is on the lobby level of The Westin Desaru Coast Resort at Jalan Pantai 3, Desaru Coast, 81930 Bandar Penawar, Johor. For more info, visit website: westin.com/desaru