Malaysian Food Festival at Colony, The Raintree, Chennai

What: Malaysian Food Festival

When: 22^nd April to 8^th May 2016

Where: Colony – The Raintree, St Mary's Road, Alwarpet, Chennai

Though known for their Indian, Italian and Continental cuisine, Colony at The Raintree is hosting an authentic Malaysian food festival till the 8^th of May 2016. Chef Asri from Malaysia brings down the authentic culinary taste of Malay food to Chennai with his signature delicacies during this 17-day long festival. The chef’s experience of more than 30 years is evident by the way he gets indulged into explaining the Malay food.

As we fastened our seat belts to explore the Malaysian food, I was hoping to enjoy any Malay food that comes my way. The style of food will definitely not be every ones cup of tea. Especially, the strong flavor of seafood, in particular shrimp, is hard to avoid. The buffet spread is vast with both Malay and Indian delicacies. And the fear came alive when the menu was completely filled with fragrance of seafood. Though I was petrified I made sure to taste every possible dish I could, there were likes and dislikes but the food stayed true and the authenticity wasn’t compromised.

The Malaysian Seafood Soup, Lamb Satay with peanut sauce, Tofu Sambal and Banana Fritters were some favorites from the soups and starters; though others enjoyed tasting the Salted Fish, I didn’t want to try as I knew that would be something which I shall not like. The banana pancake (Lempeng Pisang) was tad less on sweet as they use only banana and no sugar; and frozen Malaysian ice (Ais Kachang) was the BEST one with corn, sago, nuts and many simple elements put together to create magic in each bite.

As we moved to the buffet for the Salads and Main course, the spread was huge and I was bold enough to experiment everything. The cucumber-pineapple salad (Jelatah) and bean sprouts salad (Kerabu Taugeh) are the perfect picks that were refreshing and enjoyable to eat. With mains that went endless my favourite was Vegetable dal curry, Kacang Goreng (sautéed long beans) and Red Snapper Asampadas. But the best was Kobis Lemak Putih, a rich and creamy coconut gravy with cabbage and tofu with perfect flavour combination. The Roti and Parathas were soft and great. 

Nothing can match the Biriyani of Chennai so this one wasn’t that great; whereas the noodles and potato balls were a good pick in the mains. 

The desserts resembled a glam show, they were placed beautifully. The arrangement of Indian and Malay desserts with vibrant colours is a treat to look at. The Indian desserts were a favourite by default but the black sticky rice pudding (Bubur Pulut Hitam) and coconut stuffing filled pancakes (Kuih Ketayab) were unique look-wise and had the resemblance of Indian payasam and Kozhukattai. The sago and layered cassava cake wasn’t my favourite. And the buffet had many more dishes that would leave you enthralled.

That huge buffet spread of authentic Malay food comes at a price of Rs.1450++ without alcohol and Rs.1850++ with alcohol.

Breaking Down Points

Location & Parking: Positive. Follow the maps and valet parking.

Ambience: Positive. Simple and neat

Food Variety: Positive. The Malay spread was vast to explore.

Taste: Entirely depends on your food preference, if you love Malay food then right now this should be the place you must be.

Quality: Positive. The buffet design and use of ingredients were unique.

Quantity: Positive. Unlimited till your tummies are overloaded.

Service: Positive. Perfect.

Price: NA. Costly but definitely accounts for the spread and food. If you love Malay food and want to taste some authentic delicacies then this would be ideal.

So my Verdict!

Colony at The Raintree is shifting their grounds to Malaysia till the 8^th May 2016 to host food festival that displays authentic Malay delicacies. To explore the Malaysian cuisine, check out the festival before it’s too late.

For Reservations & Enquiries call +91 44 42252525

P.S. This write-up is based my food palate and dining experience during my restaurant visit. On-the-house invite for tasting session. Food taste only based on Malaysian Food Festival. Remember, no two person’s palate can be same.