KY eats – Mother’s Day Promotion at Armada Hotel

Being a mom has one of the toughest job descriptions ever. In this upcoming Mother’s day over the weekends (see? even their “day” falls on a weekend so they don’t get days off from work), it’s time for a role reversal and cook her dinner instead.

But for those who can’t or otherwise not capable of doing so, bringing mom for a nice meal would be a good alternative.

Utara Coffee House at Armada Hotel, Petaling Jaya

Last weekends a few of us were invited to Armada Hotel’s Utara Coffee House to sample their Mother’s Day promotion – Loveably Mama:

• Eve of Mother’s  Day (12/5/2012) – 7 pm to 10:30 pm – RM 70++ adult, RM 35++ child/domestic helper
• Peranakan “Ho Chiak” Buffet Hi-Tea (13/5/2012) – 12 pm to 4 pm – RM 75++ adult, RM 37.50++ child/domestic helper

Mothers also dine for free (subject to 2 moms per group of 10, call for more info). On top of that, the first 10 moms get to have free caricature drawings, plus there are goodie bags, games and prizes too.

the usual buffet spread – fresh oysters and prawns among the dishes

OK, now on to the food choices at Utara Coffee House.

The buffet spread, while not the biggest I’ve been, does offer pretty decent selections considering its price point.

there are some exquisite entrees too, the girls preparing laksa

There’s the raw bar with fresh oysters, prawns, as well as sushi and a selection of sashimi (from their Shokudo Japanese restaurant I assume).

There are also those exquisite little salad and prawn thingy served in a shot glass,  cold cuts, satey, and even a noodle bar where you make your own nyonya laksa.

wide variety of food, including many local delights

For the Peranakan promotion that they are having, you’ll also find otak-otak, nyonya chap chai (mixed vegetable), ayam pong teh (stewed chicken), kiam chai ark (salted vegetable duck soup), jui hu char (fried cuttle fish, or nyonya hokkien sengkuang), loh bak, ayam buah keluak, sambal petai, and so forth.

Desserts include kuih kochi, sago gula melaka, kuih onde-onde, pulut tekan with kaya, ang koo kuih, pasembor, and pulut tai tai.

we tried their duck soup, sashimi, sushi

I had some oysters, salad, and cold cuts from the buffet (normal everyday line up), then for the review, we were served several items that were going to be available for Mother’s Day.

We started out with kiam chai ark (salted vegetable duck soup), and it was as authentic as they come. Slightly spicy and absolutely flavorful, something I’m used to growing up in a Penang Hokkien family where Nyonya food is our staple.

The asam sting ray (wish I took some rice) and jiu hur char (sengkuang with cuttlefish) too tasted very similar to what my mom used to make, I really liked them.

asam stingray, nyonya hokkien sengkuang, pulut kuning and rendang, dessert

I enjoyed the pulut kuning too, and while the ayam rendang was good, I must say that I am more used to curry chicken as a companion dish instead. Sushi and sashimi that we had were decent, but as with most buffets, they aren’t exactly going to be those type of offers a life changing experience.

My takeaway from buffet at Armada was that it was genuine, with food true to the origin (Chef is an experience guy originally from Penang and had extensive working experience overseas), and offers very decent value for money.

More photos at facebook page

Address:
Utara Coffee House
Hotel Armada Petaling Jaya
Lot 6, Lorong Utara C,
Section 52, 46200 PJ, Selangor
GPS: 3.104199, 101.640964
Tel: 03-7954 6888 (ext 4557)