Partake in a lavish Yultide spread at The Brasserie on Christmas and Boxing Day (Photo: The St Regis Kuala Lumpur)
If the festive season last year was graced by a period of sketchy video calls, Home Alone re-runs and reheated leftovers, you’d be glad to know that the city is slowly emerging from a pandemic fog with a plethora of dining establishments ready to help you honour old traditions and celebrate new beginnings. Restaurants around town have crafted big spreads to capture the spirit of sharing, but also curated menus for an intimate night-out. However you choose to savour the season, pick from any of these options for a memorable celebration.
The RuMa Hotel and Residences
Executive chef Tyson Gee of ATAS Modern Malaysian Eatery is extending the restaurant’s penchant for local provenance to its festive menu, starting with a Christmas dinner that includes foie gras parfait, oyster and champagne, turducken with black truffle and warm Christmas pudding. Those hankering for slow roasted turkey and roasted black angus beef can opt for brunch on Christmas Day itself. Plan ahead for New Year’s too as RuMa is launching a stay-and-dine suite package inclusive of a private dinner for six people, overlooking an unbeatable view of the Petronas Twin Towers.
Christmas dinner, RM328+; brunch, RM398+; NYE stay-and-dine, RM10,888. Call 03 2778 0888 for reservations. See more here.
W Kuala Lumpur
The hotel has prepared a slew of dining options this time around but nothing beats a year-end bash than capping off 2021 with a few laughs. Malaysia’s Queen of Comedy, Joanne Kam Poh Poh and friends come together for a showcase called “Christmas is Kam-Ming” to warm your hearts with songs and a litany of parodies with a side of risqué humour. If you’re already ushering new beginnings, the Wet Deck is throwing a NYE Dom Perignon party, accompanied by beats and tracks performed by local DJs.
Dinner and drinks at 6pm; show starts at 8pm. RM298+ per person, inclusive of one drink and three-course dinner. Additional alcohol package available. For NYE party, call 012 347 9088 or email [email protected] for details. More info here.
The St Regis Kuala Lumpur
If scones with clotted cream at the Drawing Room isn’t quite your cup of tea, bask in Yuletide cheer when you partake in a lavish spread of fresh seafood, oyster, caviar, roast lamb rack, beef wellington and traditional roast turkey at The Brasserie on Christmas and Boxing Day. Additionally, count-down to the New Year with style at Astor Bar, home to the world’s oldest and rarest whisky collection. Sink into its plush leather sofas and sip on bespoke cocktails or exquisite champagne with a cigar in hand. If money is no object, snag a spot at Crystal Upper Deck or Sunken Cabana to catch the longest fireworks display in the city.
The Brasserie’s Christmas Eve buffet dinner from RM418+ per person; NYE countdown buffet dinner with fireworks at Crystal, from RM588+ per person. For dining reservations, call 012 280 1303 or email [email protected]
Nobu Kuala Lumpur
Japanese-Peruvian stalwart Nobu is pulling out all the stops with 6 Plates of Christmas, starting with the Moriawase comprising servings of Oyster Foie Gras with Caviar, Salmon Sashimi with Black Goma Sauce and Bonito Tataki Amarillo Jalapeno Sauce with Crispy Shiitake. Head sushi Chef Masa is giving Japan’s produce top-billing too, trotting out dishes such as Alaskan King Crab with Cha Soba, Nobu-style Seafood Ceviche, Grilled Japanese Wagyu Beef, and more. Keep the champagne and food flowing when you round up your posse for New Year’s Eve with an elaborate six-course meal. Feasting on stellar sushi aside, diners will be treated to Wagyu with Bottarga Sauce, King Crab Yuzu Truffle Butter Sauce and, for a sweet ending, Yuzu Chocolate Mousse with Black Goma Mochi.
6 Plates of Christmas, RM658++ per person; NYE, RM758++ per person. For enquiries, call 03 2380 0028 or email nobuklreservations@
Table & Apron
To avoid jostling with festival-goers downtown, this neighbourhood favourite in Damansara Kim offers a quiet respite, but with all the Christmas trimmings no less. Kick-off your celebration with a menu studded with cold cuts, hearty stews, weekend roasts and sliced porchetta that will make a good table centrepiece. Don’t let the crowd deter you though – there are takeaway options to choose from, be it the Noel’s Lamb or Santa’s Piggy menu that feeds two to three pax.
Make your reservations here or call 03 7733 4000.
Entier French Dining
Chef Masashi Horiuchi may be of Japanese descent, but his training in French culinary has allowed him to craft ingredient-focused but no less breathtaking nose-to-tail dishes that have garnered the praise of affluent food aficionados. The chef has prepared a festive six and seven-course degustation dinner this month, featuring the best of the sea’s bounty. Stellar dishes include the confit French seabass and scallop (pictured), Iwagaki rock oyster and Maine lobster with mango. A festive lunch menu is also available on selected days where guests can enjoy the likes of Australian Wagyu sirloin and cured Norwegian salmon tartare.
Daily six-course dinner menu, RM580; seven-course dinner menu, RM620. Festive lunch menu, RM380. Dec 24-26, 31 & Jan 1-2, 2022. Make reservations here or call 03 2268 3819.
Willow KL
If you’re looking for a romantic setting to please your date this holiday season, a table at Willow KL will guarantee an exquisite dining experience that’s as enchanting as the restaurant’s iconic shower of lilac blossoms hanging overhead. The culinary experts have curated two six-course menus, both of which unites premium ingredients, including caviar, scallop, black winter truffle and A5 Miyazaki beef in a seamless and harmonious way, for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. If you’re feeling extra festive, opt for a beverage pairing to sample Willow’s artisanal winter cocktails and mocktails. Vegetarian and kids’ menus are available upon request when you book in advance.
Christmas Eve dinner, RM580; New Year’s Eve dinner, RM800. Add on RM150 for alcohol pairing or RM60 for non-alcohol pairing. Make reservations here or call 013 235 0542.
Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur
For the entire month, patrons are treated to a plethora of lavish Christmas offerings, including festive buffet brunches and dinners at Curate. Look forward to roasted turkey, mincemeat pies, yule logs and other holiday classics on top of the restaurant’s signature dishes, such as Wagyu Round of Beef and Keralan Scallop Molee. If you’re booking a stay at the hotel, it’s highly recommended to pay the award-winning Bar Trigona a visit if not for the glamorous 2022 countdown party, then for the delicious limited-time-only festive cocktails.
Discover all their festive offerings here. Call 017 262 9185 to book.
Flour Restaurant
It takes adroit culinary skill and expertise to strike a balance between the polarising worlds of French and Indian cuisine. Yet, the alchemy of taming explosive flavours with refinement is exactly chef Yogesh Upadhyay of Flour’s forte. Inspired by the season of winter, the chef has chosen to make the staple charcoal his muse, utilising one of the oldest cooking methods known to mankind to create a modern menu. While the said menu aims to transport guests to the Himalayan range, where temperatures can drop to the deep end of the negatives, it will also present a culinary story that gets warmer dish by dish, with an optional wine pairing that expedites the process.
RM880+ per pax. Additional RM495+ for wine pairing. Call 012 960 0053 to secure a table. More info here.
Akâr Dining
When creating the Carte Blanche menu, chef Aidan Low pondered on the aspect of freedom in crafting dynamic dishes and acknowledged the honest and hard work of local agricultural suppliers, producers, farms and many honourable small businesses that play an integral role in Akâr’s modern cuisine. The menu reflects a sense of togetherness, heightened by year-end festivities and the liberty to reunite with loved ones. For that reason, it can feel both nostalgic and new. Pictured is the Porridge & Caviar, where a savoury bed of pearl barley koji is topped with Caspian caviar. We also heard good things about the dessert, Neslo by Stephanie, which marries malt chocolate and robusta coffee.
Carte Blanche Menu, RM400++. Wine pairing at an additional RM150++. To book a table, call 0 18 277 0597. See more here.
