Discovering Malaysian Food (A Global Food Festival Experience)

It's a crazy season for the foodies of Riyadh! There were restaurants that opened while we were gone (ie. Japanese restaurant Benihana) and there is the Global Food Festival happening in Riyadh that started last January 16 and will last until the 28th. While we were anticipating the opening of the new eating places, it's the first time we've heard of the Global Food Festival aka Riyadh Food Festival and we were surprised to find most of the city's top hotels are participating! 

The Global Food Festival has a nice website that details the information needed for newbies to the festivals like us. Basically, the hotels are assigned a specific cuisine which they would prepare for their guests, whether in buffet or ala carte or set meals form. The prices vary according to each hotel. This is the list of cuisines available:

Ritz Carlton - Chinese Food
Intercontinental Hotel - Saudi Food
Makarim Riyadh Hotel - Indian Food
Four Seasons Hotel - Asian Food
Courtyard Marriott Hotel - Italian Food
Al Mashreq Boutique Hotel - East African Food
Radisson Blu Hotel - Moroccan Food
Marriott Hotel - Seafood
Sheraton Hotel - Turkish Food
Holiday Inn - French Food
Hilton Garden Inn Hotel - Malaysian Food
Al Mutlaq Hotel - Spanish Food

While it looks simple, choosing which one to go to is hard. We cannot possibly go in all right? Right?! (What are we, gluttons?! Hehe!) I would love to visit each restaurant but I don't think I have the stomach to welcome each morsel of food that comes my way in that gustatory week. I tell you, folks, I already gained so much weight from my vacation in the Philippines, it would be a sin to add more to it. Also, I returned broke from that vacation. Haha! My brother simplified the choice for us --- he wants Malaysian food, just because he wants satay. Plus points because the Cobone is offering a coupon for it! Only SR99 per person from the original SR200! So off we go to Hilton Garden Inn Hotel... 

The Hilton Garden Inn Hotel is a simple, contemporary hotel in Olaya Street. It's not as magnificent as the Ritz or as huge as Makarim but it's adequate. We were greeted by a friendly receptionist to their restaurant, Oasis Grill. By the looks of their buffet station, I can already deem that it wasn't that extensive. The dishes are limited. We were seated in a round table and off we go to get ourselves a clean, white plate. Aside from the huge Malaysian flag hanging in the ceiling, there was no extravagant decors for the theme.

Inviting interiors

How do I say this? I am not a buffet person (wehhh?!). I get excited when I see a lot of food but I can only eat a little of each. Takaw-tingin lang ba. I get a piece of each dish that gets my attention and when I like a particular viand, I get a little bit more. Pero, hindi ko pa rin nasusulit. Haha. Anyway, here's a run through of what I had...

Salads. They have a wide array of salads looking all fresh and colorful. There's the usual hummus but what I got was a glass of potato salad in a bed of shredded cabbage. Is there a national salad for Malaysia?

Vibrant colors = fresh veggies

Stuffed grape leaves + shredded red cabbage

Crisp and crunchy apple salad

What are we having? Some bruschettas?

My choice: potato salad

Aside from the salads, there are sides available. I only tried two:

Vegetables in coconut milk

Potatoes with coconut shreds

Both are a little bit boring and bland. I'm more excited for the main dishes which are authentic Malaysian! (I saw the Malaysian chef in the kitchen grilling the meat! :P)

Beef Satay. Satay is basically barbecue (skewered meat), Malaysian style. It's not exclusive to Malaysia though. Indonesia has to die for satays too. We were expecting chicken for the satay and I was looking forward to a very peanut-y sauce that goes with it but it was missing in action. The beef satay was a little bit chewy and swimming in a somewhat diluted peanut sauce. 

Lots of action going on in this dish

Beef Rendang. Rendang is a spicy meat dish usually served in Asia. Cooking rendang is time-consuming because the beef needs to be slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices. The Malaysian version is curried. I love this dish. The sauce was full of flavor and the beef is soft and delicious.

Thick curry gravy, very flavorful!

Malaysian Noodles. This is SPICY. One forkful and I'm done with this dish. Okay, make it two. Hehe. Their laksa, a popular noodle soup, is spicy too. I don't even have a photo of it because I didn't get a bowl. I first sampled my brother's bro and realized I will not have anything to do with this kind of laksa. The brothers enjoyed it though.

So spicy it's hooooot!

Some other viands include:

Grilled chicken

The fish dish

Looks appetizing?

My plate filled with goodies.

My first plate

The rice is Nasi Lemak, steamed in coconut milk. It's tasty and a little bit oily.

There are three things that I truly enjoyed from this buffet (and yes, I returned to the buffet table for them). It's surprising that I beelined for the simple food rather than the ones with complex flavors.  My second plate:

My favorites

Roti. This is a flatbread often sold in stalls in Malaysia. It's simple dough with fat, egg, flour, and water. The roti in this buffet is a little bit fluffier and thicker and a little bit sweet. It's yummmmmy! Especially when freshly-made and warm. I paired it with the sauce of the beef rendang. 

Kropek. This deep-fried crackers are so good I couldn't stop munching! Think Chowking's chicharap, only better and more flavorful. I kept on saying, "Try the kropek, it's goood! Masarap!" that night and no one seemed to believe me. Oh well, more crackers for me then! ;)

The desserts are your typical fruit array and a few cakes. The only "Malaysian" in there is the ginataang halo-halo/bilo-bilo, which the Philippines also has. It's filled with little sago and sweet potato.

While the buffet leaves me wanting for more variety, I think it speaks of the Malaysian cuisine really well. Being a multicultural country, Malaysia has adopted some dishes from their neighboring countries and put a spin to it and made it their own. Very much like the Philippines' cuisine. I love how diverse our taste buds are but we find something in common from all these culinary goodness.

The Riyadh Food Festival Map | Where it's happening! :)

The Malaysian buffet in Hilton Garden Inn Hotel ended yesterday. For those who have tried it, good for you! For those of you who didn't... awww. Maybe next time? Meanwhile, the other hotels participating in the Global Food Festival are still serving their featured cuisine. Go and visit! Hep, please share your experience after. Thanks! ;) ~ Sundrenched