I bet you already have heard about Aloft hotels and their impressive design. This American hotel chain is well known for its funky vibe and easy-going stay. However, in Kuala Lumpur Aloft is known for more than just that. In this buffet Mecca, the Aloft Kuala Lumpur buffet is beloved by locals and tourists. We checked why is that so, and here is our Aloft Kuala Lumpur Buffet Review.
Welcome to the Aloft KL Buffet
Ambiance
Aloft Kuala Lumpur Buffet is served in their restaurant, called Nook. The futuristic setting of the Nook restaurant appears airy and uplifting. Spirits are lifted with intense colors, and lighting, which add the playful element. Personally, we like the easy navigation and excess of space around the buffet and the dining area of the Nook restaurant tables.
You can choose to sit in the dining area or at the private pods
Ceiling lights by the Riamond Puts
Drinks
One can quench thirst with free flow of four chilled beverages, or check the Nook menu. Though, we loved the buffet offer of infused water with lemon & cucumber, and apple & watermelon over the passion fruit tea or orange juice. In addition to that, tea and coffee are also in an endless supply for the duration of the Aloft buffet. Let it flow!
Aloft Buffet is easy to navigate
The Food at the Aloft Kuala Lumpur Buffet
An abundant variety of dishes is set to make vegetarians content, but the omnivores are in for the treat. Regardless of your diet, you’ll find plenty of options to test your belly’s capacity. Chances are you’ll find yourself overindulging into the traditional Malay dishes if not in international ones. We like the balance between the classics and ingenious bites, which makes Aloft buffet Kuala Lumpur more exciting.
Rustic Le Creuset bowls add charm to the futuristic interior decor
Appetizers
Creative appetizers are our favorite part of the Nook buffet at Aloft KL Sentral. For this reason, we kept returning for compressed watermelon with feta cheese and artichokes with sautéed onions. Both were mouthwatering and shared the pleasing sweetness that was highlighted with light seasonings.
Tuna tartare in caramelized shallots marinade with croutons.
Salads
On the salad aisle, we found the combination of thick mayonnaise dressing on the apple & orange salad the most enjoyable. After all, that doesn’t mean other salads weren’t thoughtfully put together. Notably, the most fulfilling one was the chicken salad with chickpeas, beans, and black olives.
Apple salad with oranges, chicken salad with beans, and tomato salad with cress.
To point out, part of the self-service salad bar was a mixture of leafy greens with classic and more daring dressings. We customized it with tuna tartare in a tasty marinade with shallots.
List of classic dressings at the salad bar.
Cold Cuts & Cheese
Next to the salads, we found smoked salmon and cured belly, while Camembert, Gorgonzola, Cheddar cheese were right next to the freshly baked bread, nuts, and butter. However, the cheese selection outnumbered the modest collection of cold cuts. It wouldn't hurt if there would be a bit bigger offer.
An abundant variety of dishes at the Nook buffet is set to make vegetarians content, but the omnivores are in for the treat.
Seafood
For those looking for ocean taste, we advise you to walk around and discover the daily offer. We found whole black mussels and prawns on the ice, while tuna tartare and smoked salmon were only a few steps away.
Seafood on ice
Soup
Soup section spoiled us with sweet corn soup that had a generous amount of coconut milk in it. This creamy soup was incredibly rich in all its simplicity. On the other hand, more complex and completely different was the clear herbal chicken soup with vegetables.
Bakers at the Aloft are true artists.
To our surprise, we found the creamy mushroom soup to be the mildest tasting. Surprisingly enough, but it is possible that the mushrooms weren’t the strongest tasting bunch since they lacked the desired umami flavor.
Noodle Corner
Asia is crazy about noodles, and Aloft Kuala Lumpur Buffet is no different here. For the first time in our travel around Malaysia, we come across the Sarawak laksa. We liked the fragrant herbal base with medium heat thinned down with coconut milk and chicken stock. In addition, the bounty of add-ons included vegetables, fish balls, prawns, tofu, and four different rice noodles. Traditionally, the Sarawak laksa is made with thin rice vermicelli noodles.
Bounty of add-ons included different vegetables, fish balls, prawns, tofu and four different types of rice noodles.
Besides Sarawak laksa, we also tried vegetable broth, chicken broth, and prawn mee. Kind staff complied with our desire for tiny portions, which is a good idea if you want to try as much different food as possible. Overall, we can title laksa as a winner of the Nook buffet noodle corner.
Caramelized popcorn anyone?
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Mains
The international array of mains present Malay classics in strong light, but it doesn't outnumber the western style dishes. In general, the food was tasty, even though as time goes by, the quality declined.
Fragrant dry beef curry was delicious next to the boiled parsley potato
For this reason, the chef tackled a problem by creating some hardy items, like thick lamb stew or vegetable dhal. Additionally, there is also Italian (pizza and pasta) and satay live station, to maximize the freshness.
Pizza at the Italian corner
Desserts
Fine looking sweets were neatly displayed on the dessert aisle, some tiny others ready to be cut as pleased. Cubes of moist opera cake and Malay Kuih were a handy bite on the go for seconds, but tiny cupcakes and peanut butter cakes were best next to the coffee.
Mini chocolate cupcakes with vanilla cream
However, the majority of the desserts did disappoint as we could taste the powdery additions. Among all, we liked the creamy coconut panna cotta and coffee brulee the most.
Creamy coconut panna cotta tasted as good as it looks.
Gentle pandan cake with cream is a lovely fit with green tea.
Local specialties everyone should try are refreshing sweet lotus seed soup and the popular Ais Kacang, known as the shredded ice. We really liked the board with the guidelines so anyone could make the proper version of it.
Guidelines for the Ais Kacang are a handy addition
Coffee brulee had crunchy caramel top and tasty center.
Conclusion
Aloft Kuala Lumpur Buffet is a playful buffet where you can try local and international specialties and classics. The offer is big and the quality of the bites is good. However, there should be some improvements to the dessert sections. After all, the sweet kick makes the biggest impression. Or are we spoiled from the unforgettable Mandarin Oriental Buffet? Nope, standards should be high!
The edible decor for candy craze
Aloft Kuala Lumpur Buffet Review Card
- ATMOSPHERE – 9.3/109.3/10
- FOOD OFFER – 9.2/109.2/10
- PRESENTATION – 9.2/109.2/10
- SERVICE – 9.3/109.3/10
- FOOD TASTE – 9.1/109.1/10
- VALUE – 9.2/109.2/10
Price & Location
Kuala Lumpur Nook Buffet at Aloft hotel is possible every day for breakfast (6:00 am -10:30 am), lunch (12:00 pm – 2:30 noon), and dinner (6:30 pm - 10:30 pm). Here is a link to the Aloft Sentral for easier navigation to your buffet.