Special thanks to The Wembley for extending this food review invitation.
For the Ramadan season next month, The Wembley is rolling out “Sajian Tradisi Buffet” for dinner on selected weekdays. Dinner is served from 6:30pm at Wembley Cafe on Level 2.
Starting at the carving station, Lamb Kuzi is marinated with spices and is served with herb brown sauce. I feel that the seasoning did not penetrate the lamb leg deep enough; I think longer marinating is the key. Served on the side is a pilaf rice, which is infused with meat stock and spices.
Gulai Kepala Ikan is a dish of hot-and-sour curry with fish head and okra (lady’s fingers). Salmon is the natural choice of fish because Wembley Cafe also serves salmon sashimi. There is no reason to let the fish head go to waste.
For Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Api, chicken is cooked in a yellow curry that is prepared from coconut milk and chili peppers. The curry’s yellow color is due to the presence of kunyit (turmeric).
Ikan Siakap Masak Tiga Rasa uses a special sauce that presents sweet, sour and spicy flavors. The sauce is not mixed with fish fillets beforehand, but is provided in a separate bowl instead. This is to allow fried fillets to retain their crispiness until they are ready to be eaten.
If you enjoy petai (stink beans), Sambal Cincalok Udang is probably your cup of tea. This stir-fried dish comprises of prawns, petai and cincalok (fermented shrimps). A specialty of Malacca, cincalok has rather pungent taste and smell.
Ulam-ulaman are assorted vegetables such as ulam raja (king’s salad), jantung pisang (banana flower), kacang panjang (yardlong beans), petai and okra. The raw vegetables are customarily eaten with sambal belacan (spicy shrimp paste), sambal asam (tamarind sauce) and cincalok.
Rice is the staple food in Malaysia. This is why an iftar meal should also include ketupat daun palas and lemang. These rice dishes are meant to be eaten with serunding (meat floss). Two types of serunding are available today: chicken and beef.
Seafood on ice is always the main focal point of Wembley Cafe’s buffet spread. Today’s delicacies are snow crabs, slipper lobsters, prawns, oysters, scallops and mussels. Several types of dipping sauces are provided.
At the Asian tapas counter, diners can help themselves to finger foods like satay, spring rolls and keropok (crackers).
Apom is prepared at the à la minute counter. The soft crêpes contain sweet corn, sliced banana or a combination of both. Apom goes particularly well with vanilla ice cream.
Proceeding to pastries, there are Western confections like red velvet cake, chocolate moist cake, cheesecake, Swiss rolls, cupcakes, jellies and macarons. Meanwhile, several types of Nyonya kuih are presented in tiffin carriers. In addition, there is a chocolate fondue to delight one’s sweet tooth.
Speaking of chocolate, I am fascinated by Warm Chocolate Pudding. The soothing aroma of cocoa is mouth-watering indeed. The dessert is meant to be eaten with vanilla sauce.
Sajian Tradisi Buffet is served on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for 3 weeks (13 May 2019 – 29 May 2019). The price is RM100.00 net for adults, RM50.00 net for children and RM80.00 net for senior citizens. In addition, Wembley Cafe is also serving Lebaran Delights for lunch and dinner on 4 June 2019 and 5 June 2019.
Name: Wembley Cafe
Address: 183, Jalan Magazine, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-259-8123
Business hours: 24 hours
Website: https://www.stgileshotels.com/hotels/malaysia/penang/stgiles-wembley/wembley-cafe
Coordinates: 5.41311 N, 100.32989 E
Directions: The Wembley is located at Magazine Road (Jalan Magazine), just opposite of Hotel Jen and 1st Avenue Mall. Wembley Cafe is located at Level 2 of the hotel. There is a multilevel parking garage at the hotel. Patrons to Wembley Cafe can get their parking tickets validated for a flat rate of RM6.00 per entry.