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Christmas Eve at Zest Restaurant
6 January 2009, Tuesday Although I myself and most of my friends aren't Christians, we celebrate Christmas almost every year. Christmas is significantly different here in Langkawi. There's no snow, no exchanging presents, and no chatting and sitting in front of the fireplace (well, that's how I always imagine the people in cold countries do). Oh yeah! Another difference is that the Santa Claus here doesn't wear thick red suit and deliver presents to children, he wears an airy comfortable Batik shirt, drinks beer and relaxes at the beach. (Like this one in the photo on the right).
Anyway, we had a semi-buffet dinner at Awana Porto Malai Resort on Christmas Eve last year. We had a dinner there on Christmas Eve in 2006, we thought that it was not bad so we decided to go back again last year. This time, we went back to see that they had changed the to another spot, which was a long walk from the hotel's main entrance. A bad thing for people who have small bladder because the restrooms are near the lobby. We were all so hungry by the time we arriverd at our table. After making our order, we took turn to grab some food while waiting for our main course to be served. Appetizer Corner We started with appetizer. At the appetizer corner, you could find salad, with different types of dressings for you to choose from and finger food of exciting colours. My plate of appetizer. I had mussels, ham, smoked salmon, and some seafood salad. The ham was the best on this plate, the salad was not bad, but the salmon and mussels weren't very fresh. Cream of Chicken and Dinner Roll I love thick creamy soups, but this bowl of thick cream of chicken was too creamy for my liking. The taste was a bit bland but the soft yet slightly chewy dinner roll went really well with the soup. Pasta Corner At pasta corner, you could pick your favourite pasta and have it cooked in your preferred sauce. The best part of this dinner was, you could eat unlimited servings of pasta if your stomach could afford to accommodate the abundant food. Spaghetti ala Bolognese Chew Yong went for their Sphaghetti ala Bolognese. I thought that it must be delicious as he finished it in a flash. I didn't have the pasta for myself because I knew that I wouldn't be able to finish my main course if I had one. But I did try Shin Joe's Fettucine Alfredo, which was pretty good. Roast Turkey Corner Christmas wouldn't be complete without the traditional Roast Turkey. There's Roast Turkey Corner where everyone could get a piece of the flavoursome meat, drizzled with their fantastic mushroom sauce and cranberry sauce. Roast Turkey This tender and moist piece of meat was a perfect pair with the sauces. It was a good balance of savoury and sweet. Christmas Caroling While we indulged in our food, the hotel staff sang Christmas carols to entertain the guests. Mocktail All the girls opted for Mocktail to go with the food. It was refreshing and not too sweet. Just the way I liked it. I could trace watermelon and milk in it. After a long wait, our mains had finally arrived. Grilled King Prawns with Tabasco Chili Sauce Shin Joe went for Grilled King Prawns with Tabasco Chili Sauce, which was accompanied with green bean risotto and boiled brocolli. The king prawns were huge and fresh, the sauce was perfect to go with the prawns. Grilled Lamb Chop with Rosemary Sauce Chew Yong, Wei Tze, Shiang Chin and Jia Huey decided on Grilled Lamb Chop with Rosemary Sauce, which was accompanied with roast potatoes and boiled broccoli. Jia Huey gave a piece of her lamb chops to me. I loved it! It wasn't so chewy that it felt like eating rubber. But, It was rather tender and slightly pink in the middle. Fried Fillet of Cod with Mushroom Coriander Sauce Me and Lee To went for Fried Fillet of Cod with Mushroom Coriander Sauce, which was accompanied with green bean risotto and boiled asparagus. The moment I put the fillet into my mouth and bit it, it magically fell apart. I could tell that the fish was absolutely fresh and tender. The white asparagus was nicely boiled with some crunchiness still retained. However the gravy was a tad too oily. Otherwise, it would be the best among the mains. Cheers~ We had three bottle of Hardys R&R Rose that night. This light crimson rose wine has fresh strawberry, rapsberry and floral rose aromas. Its soft, sweet berrt fruit flavours dominate the palate with a lovely zesty finish. Dessert Corner The corner that I'd always looked forward to. My plate of desserts. I had cakes, pudding, tarts and profiterols. Everyone loved the cheesecake, which was not too sweet and it was somewhat addictive. Unfortunately, by the time we were about to savour those delightful desserts, the staff had started cleaning up the dessert corner as it was near closing time. Christmas Eve was fun! But it would be extremely fun if I had more alcohol *giggles* Thanks to my dearest friends, I had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas Eve. Zest Restaurant Awan Porto Malai Resort, Langkawi Tel. : +604-955 5111
Tanjung Malai,
07000 Langkawi,
Kedah Darul Aman.
Fax : +604-955 5222 Back to the Restaurant Guide