If you’ve ever had the chance to dine in the delicious enclave that is Mosaic at Mandarin Oriental KL, you’ll know that feeling of being bowled over by so many choices you don’t know where to start. 

Its offerings for Ramadan are no different. We’re not looking at just a small section dedicated to local Malay food – the restaurant’s Malay sous chef Kamarudin bin Dali, also affectionately known as simply Chef Din among regulars, has come up with a special menu featuring his family’s own recipes that have been handed down for generations. 

Here’s are some that stood out for us the most out of the very expansive repertoire. 

Appetisers

Whet the appetite with an assortment of local appetisers like paceri nenas for something sweet and sour, kerabu urap nangka tampe for something more savoury or ulam kampong dengan telur dan ikan masin for something earthy. The kerabu sotong tradisi stood out for us, being a crisp explosive salad of the perfect balance of spicy and tangy. 

Soups

After a long day of fasting, warm the body and line the stomach with Chef Din’s selection of local soups. The sup pedas ala Sichuan will sit very well with lovers of spice while the sup kambing mamak is an old favourite. Local snacks like keropok lekor, serunding daging mak tok, kerepek uni kayu pedas and otak-otak are also available for you to snack on while sipping your soup. 

Mains

The Kashmiri biryani is a beautifully satisfying option to start with, being steamed with generous fresh herbs and spices. On its own, it is fragrant with a good bite but we recommend pairing it with the likes of the gulai kawah rusuk rebung, sambal tumis udang harimau petai and kambing kuzi rencah asli for a true meal of traditionally Malay flavours. The curries and gravies for each are rich and well-spiced and the meats and seafood, chunky and cooked to the perfect point of tender. 

Dessert

A plethora of Malay kuihs await for dessert but what got us really excited was the warm, creamy bubur pulut hitam gula nipah. Not too sweet and skillfully made to still retain a nice bite in the pulut hitam, it is immensely comforting after a meal so heavy in spices. Another of our favourite is the onde-onde gula Melaka, which is a nice and easy sweet treat that you can pop into your mouth with minimum mess.

This Ramadan special will be served alongside Mosaic’s over 100 other dishes at its other cuisine stands ranging from Indian and Middle-Eastern to Chinese and Japanese from June 6 - July 5.

It is priced at RM188 nett per person and RM94 nett per child aged 4-9 years old. Bookings made on June 6-12 or July 4-5 will be at a special price of RM138 nett per person and RM69 nett per child 4-11 years old.

For more information of reservation enquiries, please call 03 – 2338 8797 or email mokul-fb@mohg.com.

Another buka puasa option worth checking out: Vasco's at Hilton KL will be transformed into an old port harbour from the Sultanate area for a truly authentic experience.