[Review] The Westin Kuala Lumpur's Christmas buffet 2024

When shopping malls start playing that one Mariah Carey song, you know it’s time—time for a Christmas buffet review, that is.

This year, we had the opportunity to try The Westin Kuala Lumpur’s “Citrus Wonderland: A Clementine Christmas” spread at The Living Room.

I must admit, I was initially confused by the theme. What does this citrusy fruit have to do with the most joyous time of the year? Apparently, its ties to the festive holiday is a long one, with some celebrants even stuffing their Christmas stockings with clementines.

Beyond traditions, though, The Westin showed us just how delightfully scrumptious clementines can be when added into your Christmas feast.

An a-peel-ing spread of meat

Taking centre stage at the very front of The Living Room was the carving station featuring four roasted meats.

The Spice Crusted Roasted Lamb Leg was adequately fatty and packed with flavour. You immediately get a taste of spices like cumin and smoked paprika at the first bite. It wasn’t the most tender, but this could be because we got to it a little late and the dish had become cold by then.

An equally delectable red meat option was the 24-hour Slow Roasted Steamship (whole round) Beef Leg. The size of it was a sight to behold, especially displayed alongside the smaller roasted vegetables like carrots, beets, and celery.

But the meat was a little tough and dry after being under the heat lamp for an extended period of time. Hence, we recommend getting this at the start when it’s fresh to counter this hiccup.

If I were to choose only one red meat dish, I’d go for the Sticky Barbeque Beef Ribs. A classic dish, it’s everything you’d ask for when eating barbeque ribs. The extra barbeque sauce served on the side gave the dish more depth as it also had hints of clementine, complementing the meaty flavours.

That said, our pick for the best roast of the night was actually the Orange Roasted Whole Chicken. It was juicy and packed with flavour, perhaps it was marinated or brined? You could taste the use of clementines here more than in the other roasted meat offerings, yet, its citrusy taste wasn’t overpowering at all.

So if you don’t usually gravitate towards chicken dishes at buffets, we strongly recommend you make an exception here.

Tasting a tang-o of flavours

It’s my belief that buffets are one of the best times to be adventurous with your food. For a set price, you can have everything on the menu and try new items you normally wouldn’t splurge on.

Holding onto this philosophy, I piled up a plate of several anomalies to my everyday palate, namely:

Pate En Croute
Rainbow Vegetable Terrine
Dodine De Canard with Pistachio
Dry-Aged Roast Duck Breast with Pomegranate and Cranberry Jus

Pate En Croute is a meat pie served at room temperature with a hot water crust pastry. But instead of the traditional pork or liver, this pate was made of chicken, which I find makes it more palatable.

Its soft texture would also increase its appeal to older folks who can’t chew very well, allowing people of all ages to still enjoy flavourful chicken.

The Rainbow Vegetable Terrine divided us; I was for it but my colleague didn’t reach for more than a couple of bites.

Composed of several layers of colourful root vegetables like beet and cream cheese, it reminded me of a lasagna that’s savoury and sweet. The cream cheese made the dish quite heavy to eat on its own, though it worked well as a side pairing with the roasts.

Duck isn’t my preferred choice of meat as I usually find it too dry for my liking. However, the Dodine De Canard with Pistachio (stuffed duck with pistachio) and Dry-Aged Roast Duck Breast with Pomegranate and Cranberry Jus were both pleasant dishes.

The stuffed duck had a similar mouthfeel to the Pate En Croute, whereas the roast duck breast is juicier and on the saltier side. Both of these are good alternatives if you’re bored of chicken and beef.

For those who prefer more familiar flavours, there is also a wide variety of Asian and Western dishes on top of the Christmas specials.

This includes Pan-Seared Fish with Tomato Salsa Verde, Lamb Pie Ala Tourtière, Stir-Fried Lotus Root with Salted Egg Yolk and Carrot, Deep-Fried Fish Fillet Seabass with Orange Sauce, and even a pasta station if you’re craving freshly made Italian noodles.

I recommend making your way to the chilled seafood section to savour the fresh prawns, clams, crabs, scallops, and mussels. The oyster topped with baked cheese is also one not to be missed if you’re a shellfish fan.

These dishes were skillfully prepared by Chef Firdaus, who was recently captain of Malaysia’s team at the IKA Culinary Olympics 2024 in Germany, and his team.

A zesty end to the evening

It’s not a buffet if you don’t end it with dessert, and at the Westin KL, we were truly spoilt for choice.

From Clementine Orange Chocolate Yule Log and Orange Spiced Crème Brulee, to Orange Gold Choux Craquelin Tower and Lemon Madeleine Tower, there were plenty of sweet treats to go around.

If that’s not enough, you can DIY your own skewers of fruits and marshmallows to dip in the chocolate fountain. This would be a fun activity if you’re bringing children along.

Westin KL’s “Citrus Wonderland: A Clementine Christmas” buffet will be available during Christmas and New Year, with details as following:

Buffet Type	Christmas Eve	Christmas Day	New Year’s Eve
Date	Dec 24, 2024	Dec 25, 2024	Dec 31, 2024
Time	6PM to 10PM	12.30PM to 10PM	6PM to 10PM

Regardless of which day you choose, the buffet is priced at RM198 per pax for adults while children aged 7 and above get to feast at RM99 per pax. To enjoy free flow of soft drinks, house pouring wine, and Draught Tiger Beer, guests can add on an additional RM60 nett per adult.