Swez Brasserie

This article is part of my Ramadan 2018 compilation.

Special thanks to Eastin Hotel Penang for extending this food review invitation.

Eastin Hotel Penang is a 4-star hotel next to Queensbay Mall. This evening, the hotel offers a sneak peek of its upcoming Ramadan promotion. An iftar buffet will be served at Swez Brasserie every evening from 18 May 2018 to 14 June 2018. Titled "Ramadhan Warna-Warni Ala Kampung", the menu features a number of traditional Malay dishes that are more prevalent at the countryside.

Bubur Lambuk is an essential appetizer when breaking fast in the evening. Rice is cooked until the grains have mostly disintegrated into the thick porridge. Spices are used as seasoning, while chopped scallions and fried shallots help to enhance the congee's aromatic appeal.

Another notable highlight of the Ramadan menu is Kambing Golek. Marinated with various spices, the goat is gently roasted in rotisserie style to golden perfection. Served alongside the juicy mutton are briyani rice, grilled vegetables and potato wedges. I think rosemary sauce goes best with the mutton.

Sup Gear Box is an excellent way to build one's appetite. The rich soup contains chunks of the goat's femur. Besides collagen-rich flesh around the bones, this delicacy is also prized for the savory bone marrow. The soup is named "gear box" because the femur resembles a gear stick.

Next, Kari Kepala Ikan Salmon is cooked in a large wok called "kawah". To retain its crispiness, fried salmon head is dressed with thick curry just prior to serving. The fish head curry also contains okra (lady's fingers), tomatoes, onions and chili peppers. Although the fish does not offer much meat, it takes advantage of the flavorful curry.

Ketam Masak Cili Ala Temasik, more commonly known as Chili Crab, is a delicacy from Singapore. In this dish, blue crabs are stir-fried with an eggy sauce of moderate spiciness. In fact, I feel that the seasoning is sweeter than it is spicy. Blue crabs do not offer much meat, so this dish is more of a palate teaser.

As for Kambing Panggang, grilled mutton is served with capsicum sauce. The creamy dressing presents a mild degree of sweetness. To balance the meaty flavors, mutton slices are paired with juicy vegetables like broccoli and tomatoes.

Another interesting red meat dish is Daging Kuzi. For this dish, scrumptious chunks of beef are stir-fried with okra, tomatoes, onions and raisins. The overall taste is simply gratifying, making this dish one of my favorites so far.

Moving on, Pajeri Mangga contains chunks of mango dressed in thick gravy. Since unripe mango is used, it presents a lovely level of crunchiness. Nevertheless, the mango's tanginess is largely dominated by the spicy gravy itself.

The buffet also includes several Western dishes like Chicken Pomodoro. For this dish, chicken cutlets are baked with cheese and are served with tomato-based gravy. The overall appearance is similar to Chicken Parmigiana. By the way, "pomodoro" is the Italian word for "tomato".

Examples of Ulam-Ulaman are pucuk gajus (cashew leaves), daun selom (selom leaves) and kacang botol (winged beans). These raw vegetables are typically eaten with condiments like sambal belacan (spicy shrimp paste), budu (fermented fish sauce) and cincalok (salty shrimp paste).

Meanwhile, Malay salads include Kerabu Betik (papaya salad), Kerabu Mangga (mango salad), Kerabu Udang (shrimp salad with rice vermicelli), Kerabu Sotong (squid salad),  Kerabu Ikan Bilis (anchovy salad) and Kerabu Kaki Ayam (chicken feet salad). Also provided are rice snacks like Lemang and Ketupat, which are often eaten with serunding (meat floss).

Kek Pandan Kukus is a steamed cake with pandan flavoring. The cake's texture is soft and fluffy. Meanwhile, Kek Batik is a non-baked cake that combines Marie biscuits with chocolate sauce. Other sweet treats include Sago Gula Melaka (sago pearls with palm sugar and coconut milk) and Kek Ladu Oren Coklat (rice flour cake dripped in orange and chocolate sauces).

The variety of Malay kuih is somewhat modest. Crowd favorites this evening are kuih loyang (honeycomb cookies), kuih cakar ayam (sweet potato crackers), biskut badam (almond cookies), bahulu (Malay madeleines), ketayap and dodol (durian candy).

Should diners prefer something fruity, Kek Nangka Manis is a good choice too. The cake is covered with jackfruit cubes, which I originally mistook as mango. The jackfruit cake contains lots of sweet cream but it does not really appeal to my palate.

The confectionery section has several types of French pastries, each having a different icing. Another interesting dessert that delights my taste buds is Bubur Durian Istimewa (durian porridge). The taste is so heavenly that I cannot recommend the porridge highly enough.

Eastin Hotel's Ramadhan Warna-Warni Ala Kampung is priced at RM120.00 net for adults. Children aged between 6 and 11 years enjoy 50% discount, while senior citizens pay RM69.00 net only. For a limited time, Eastin Hotel is offering early bird vouchers for RM100.00.

Name: Swez Brasserie
Address: 1, Solok Bayan Indah, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-612-1111
Business hours: 6:00am-12:00am
Website: http://www.eastin.com/penang/dining
Coordinates: 5.33629 N, 100.30632 E
Directions: Eastin Hotel Penang is located along Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu) and is conveniently next to Queensbay Mall. Swez Brasserie an eatery next to the hotel lobby. There are parking spaces at the basement levels of the hotel.