Spice Brasserie

This article is part of my Ramadan 2018 compilation.

Special thanks to The Light Hotel for extending this food review invitation.

The Light Hotel is the only 5-star hotel at Seberang Perai. Today, the hotel hosts a preview session for its upcoming Mutiarasa Ramadan Buffet Dinner. Held at Spice Brasserie, the buffet features over 140 dishes that cover a wide range of cuisines.

Kambing Golek Warisan Tok Wan is the main highlight this evening. Marinated with Middle Eastern spices, the entire goat is cooked in rotisserie style. Black pepper and mushroom sauces serve as condiments. In addition, there are also large platters of briyani rice to go with mutton.

Gulai Tetel Pisang is cooked in a large wok called "kawah". Kawah is a common kitchen utensil in Malay villages because food is often cooked in a communal setting. The curry contains actual bananas.

Chicken Shawarma hails from the Middle East and is a familiar street food from the region. Stacked on a vertical spit, the meat is rotated continuously so that it is heated evenly. Once cooked, the chicken is shaved off the block and then wrapped in pita bread. Optional ingredients include diced tomatoes, chopped shallots, bird's eye chili (cili padi) and hummus.

Gear Box Kambing Beach Street is another interesting delicacy this evening. The phrase "gear box" refers to the goat's femur. The sweet-tangy flavor of tomato really helps to build appetite. Another appealing aspect of this dish is the savory marrow inside the bone. On the other hand, diners who prefer something lighter can try the Kanji Lambuk Masjid Sembilang. The thick congee is elegantly flavored with spices.

Ulam-Ulaman comprises of assorted vegetables like jantung pisang (banana flower), ulam raja (king's salad), daun selom (selom leaves) and daun pegaga (Asiatic pennywort leaves). As the vegetables are eaten raw, they are typically paired with powerful condiments like sambal belacan, sambal mempelam, ayaq asam and budu. Other Malay appetizers include ikan masin (salted fish), kerabu (Malay salad) and tauhu sumbat (stuffed tofu).

Moving on to hot dishes, Ikan Goreng Achak-Achak is fried fish fillets topped with pickled cucumber, carrot and pineapple. The pickles are quite similar to acar awak.

As for Telur Lemak Cili Api Belimbing Buluh, eggs are cooked in thick yellow gravy based on coconut milk and turmeric. The spiciness level is moderate. This egg dish also contains a tropical fruit called bilimbi.

D'light Nasi Kandar is the hotel's strong suit. The buffet line features a number of popular Indian-Muslim dishes like Kambing Hitam Manis (mutton in sweet dark sauce). Served with sweet sauce, the mutton also produces mild spiciness on the tongue.

Kari Kepala Ikan is another staple dish in nasi kandar restaurants. The fish head curry comes with okra (lady's fingers), tomatoes and onions. The main appeal of this dish is not so much the fish, but the rich curry itself.

Other interesting nasi kandar dishes are Gulai Ketam (crab curry), Gulai Udang (shrimp curry), Ayam Bawang (chicken curry with onions) and Dalca Telur (egg curry). A popular way to enjoy nasi kandar is to "banjir", i.e. to drench the rice with all available curries.

There are several flavors of roasted chicken at the Chinese section. I particularly I love the version with sweet glaze. Chinese chicken rice is also prepared today.

After savoring several meat dishes, it is nice to have Sayur Goreng as a counterbalance. The assortment of sautéed vegetables includes oyster mushrooms, baby corn, carrots, cauliflowers and broccoli. Light oyster sauce is used.

Beef Bourguignon is a traditional French recipe and is named after the Burgundy region in France. To prepare this dish, beef cubes are braised with beef broth and then served with red onions.

Hasselback Potato Cheese Gratin is essentially baked potatoes topped with a browned crust. Despite its simplicity, I enjoy the earthy taste of potatoes. The potatoes are also quite firm and not too mushy.

As for Italian cooking, lasagna is one of the better-known dishes. The Light Hotel's Vegetable Lasagna has alternating layers of pasta, tomato sauce and vegetables.

Pizza lovers will be rejoiced to find pizzas with seafood or vegetable toppings. Calzone is also prepared this evening. As for Indian flatbreads, there are roti canai and murtabak just to name a few.

Ramadan meals will not be complete without traditional Malay kuih. The plethora of sweet treats covers kuih talam, kuih cara, kuih bingka ubi, ketayap, bahulu, onde-onde and more.

Kuih lapis is quite similar in appearance to mille crêpe. Like its Western counterpart, the cake needs to be prepared layer by layer.

The is also no shortage of Western pastries this evening. Today's buffet spread has Black Forest Cake, Marble Cheesecake, Bread & Butter Pudding and assorted petits fours.

Towards the end of the meal, diners may cleanse their palates with tropical fruits such as pineapple, honeydew, papaya and watermelon. Those who fancy Fruit Rojak can also take advantage of the thick rojak sauce. As for me, I love to indulge in The Light Hotel's specialty dessert, Pengat Durian.

The Mutiarasa Ramadan Buffet Dinner is served from 18 May 2018 to 14 June 2018. The price is RM110.00 net per adult. Children and senior citizens enjoy discounted price of RM90.00. Until 30 April 2018, the hotel offers early bird vouchers at RM88.00 net each. In lieu of buffet, diners can also opt for rice platters instead.

Name: Spice Brasserie
Address: The Light Hotel, Lebuh Tenggiri 2, Pusat Bandar Seberang Jaya, 13700 Seberang Jaya, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-382-1111
Business hours: 6:30am-11:00pm (Sunday-Thursday), 6:30am-1:00am (Friday-Saturday)
Website: http://thelighthotelpg.com/dining
Coordinates: 5.39422 N, 100.39872 E
Directions: From Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan (North-South Expressway), take the Seberang Jaya exit and head west. Turn left just before the pedestrian bridge and drive all the way to the end. When the road splits, keep right. The Light Hotel is the first building on the left. Spice Brasserie is located next to the lobby. There are parking spaces within the hotel's compound. The parking fee is RM4.00 per entry.