Dining at Ritz Carlton Langkawi is a smorgasbord of choices, each better than the other. As we discovered, eating our way through the menus at all its outstanding restaurants, no two meals at the hotel are the same.
This is the perfect recipe for a successful holiday. Don’t you just hate it when a fabulous resort offers a dismally limited food selection, and you are resigned to eating the same thing again and again? At Ritz Carlton Langkawi, that will never be the case.
Let’s start with breakfast and the luscious spread at Langkawi Kitchen (pictured below). You can choose to play it safe and stick to the egg station, the cut fruits or the bread corner, or experiment a little with the daily-changing noodle soups with a hearty broth to soothe the soul. Whatever you do, don’t miss trying the cheese that they make in-house.
My absolute favourite was the Rendang Cheese. Divine. As for my go-to section in the breakfast buffet? It’s got to be the Malaysian corner where the talent shines bright. Crispy Roti Canai (or roti prata in Singapore) with a sunny side up on top and lip-smacking curries to dip it in can only be rivalled by the authentic Nasi Lemak to be found here. If you crave something unique, try the spongy Pandan French Toast from the a-la-carte menu. The icing on the cake? Breakfast comes with free flow mimosas or espresso martinis. You’re on island time, as they say, so why not indulge?
Work your breakfast off with an exciting and educational hike with the resort’s naturalist or a few hours of kayaking. You’ll need it, with what’s in store for lunch. Come lunch, you can choose between the unlimited dim sum menu at Hai Yan, the island’s only fine-dining Chinese restaurant, and the ever-so-casual Beach Grill. Beach Grill (pictured below) does a great job of marrying local flavours with international dishes, such as the unanimously popular Rendang Pappardelle which must have been invented by a genius.
Talking of genius, I caught up with Executive Chef Mattia Salussoglia who shared, “Having worked in Asian countries for over 15 years in Japan, Macau, Shanghai and now Langkawi, I’ve had many opportunities to collaborate with local chefs and taste a smorgasbord of diverse ingredients, which has influenced my cooking, and refined my skill in bringing out the best of each cuisine when creating fusion dishes. At The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, supporting our local farmers and producers is of the utmost importance, and I always go to the local market to see what’s new, as this is part of our effort to be more sustainable.
I’m a big fan of rendang, which is what inspired me to create the Rendang Arancini, Langkawi Kitchen’s signature amuse-bouche, as a way of marrying my Italian background to my favourite Malaysian dish. The crunchiness of the fried breadcrumbs pairs perfectly with the spiciness of the rendang and rice stuffed inside.”
Meanwhile, decadence awaits you at Hai Yan Ritz Carlton Langkawi (pictured above) where the very skilled dim sum chef rolls out an array of steamed, fried and baked dim sum. Our dim sum lunch lasted for 3 hours, and you’ll need all that time (available 1-4pm) to try everything in this all-you-can-eat extravaganza handcrafted by dim Sum Chef J. Jay and his team. I particularly loved the delicate and flaky Honey Barbecued Chicken Puffs and the subtle and pillowy Custard Buns the most. The latter comes with their signature Hai Yan logo stamped on each bun, a lovely, personalised touch.
After eating so much, we’re glad we had a few hours at the spa to recuperate. And before we knew it, the sun started its journey down the ‘horizon’ and we headed to the namesake bar for a sundowner (or a few). The mixologist at Horizon, the adults-only bar with the most-Instagrammable infinity pool ever (pictured above), is a genius and uses local herbs and spices to elevate each cocktail.
My favourite drink was the Botanist, a refreshing gin-based cocktail infused with herbs grown in-house. Another crowd-pleaser was the dramatically presented Hornbill, named after the beautiful birds, you see flying around the resort. With strong notes of star anise, the beverage was served in a gilded cage, adding to the drama.
For dinner, we were torn between the Chinese specialities at Hai Yan and local Malaysian delicacies at the Langkawi Kitchen. While the latter treated us to a jammy, fall-off-the-bone Rendang from the Berak region, Hai Yan begged us to don our finery and enjoy an elegant meal in an opulent setting surrounded by a water-side walkway from which we could admire the green lights from the squid boats lining up on the horizon.
A dining destination frequented by guests from across the island, Hai Yan oozes charm and skill reflected in dishes such as the Marble Goby with on-trend crispy scales and a perfectly-cooked Peking duck carved tableside and served with aplomb.
With so many options to choose from, my holiday at Ritz Carlton Langkawi never had a dull moment and I came back satiated, content and blissful. If you, like me, judge weekend getaways by decadent dining, Ritz Carlton Langkawi passed with flying colours.
