I HADN’T been to a high tea buffet in years and had often wondered at its long duration from noon to 4pm.

A lengthy meal does have its charm and benefits. As it’s usually at the weekend, it’s ideal for a get-together with family and friends.

That’s what we did with old friends at the Terazza Brasserie in the Grand Dorsett Subang on a recent Saturday afternoon.

There’s something for everyone at the Saturday spread featuring well-loved Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes and Western specialities, desserts and cakes.

Putu mayam, or string hoppers, lamb keema and dhal curry made for a spicy, satisfying start. I then considered the vegetables in the salad section, picking up some pickled cucumber and pineapple, roasted eggplant and hit of Thai beef salad. The last was good, sweet, sour and tasting of the heat of chilli.

There were sotong sambal with petai and chicken rendang which I liked. The lontong with tempeh and cabbage in a light-yellow curry was well done.

The butter chicken tasted better than it looked, with a white creamy sauce with a fragrant lift from curry leaves and chilli. I also had a forkful of the mee mamak but found it a little soggy.

The young people at our table went to make for themselves sandwiches with croissants. They mostly went for the Western dishes like fish and chips, roast lamb and pasta.

One of them was a little experimental at the noodle station, adding curry to glass noodles.

It was a pity the rice at the chicken rice stall was a little dry and hard, though the roast chicken was moist and well flavoured, served with a hot ginger dip and tangy chilli sauce. I would have liked the dim sum more if they hadn’t been so colourful.

I couldn’t resist the roast lamb, which was tender and juicy, with broccoli, cauliflower and cherry tomatoes and roasted potatoes for sides.

I was done with the savoury part of the meal. For dessert, all I wanted was the golden-brown bread and butter pudding with vanilla custard. This classic English sweet was very good.

There was panna cotta in a glass, strawberry mousse cake and chocolate cake among the Western desserts, and all kinds of kuih.

The Saturday high-tea is priced at RM98 nett for adults, RM78 nett for senior citizens (aged 60 and above), and RM48 nett for children from 6 to 12 years old. For reservations, call +60 3 5031 6060 or email [email protected].

On Father’s Day tomorrow, Dad gets to dine free is he is accompanied by three paying adults. The meals comes with a 20% discount voucher redeemable for the buffet dinner on the next visit.

The dim sum brunch is from 11.30am to 2pm. It is priced at RM98 nett for adult, RM78 nett for senior citizens, and RM49 nett for children. – June 18, 2022.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.