International Buffet Offerings @ All New Lemon Garden, Shangri-La Hotel KL

The Lemon Garden restaurant in Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur has always boasted one of the best buffet spreads in the city with a wide array of international and local cuisines. But the years has worn out the interior of the restaurant and seeing that, Shangri-La KL decided in Nov 2016 to have its signature restaurant refurbished and renovated to a dining venue befitting of its name and its guests and customers.

And on 27 February 2017, after a four month renovation, the doors of Lemon Gardens reopened with a brand new facelift by Bond Design Studio Inc from Japan. Gone were the lackluster sofas, tables and interior, now replaced with a more contemporary look with touches of yellow in its floors, furniture and lighting fixtures. The lemon shaped light bulbs were a nice touch.

The garden terrace and chic alfresco dining areas make up the outdoor section of the restaurant that overlooking the zen-setting koi fish pond and water fountain, making for a natural hideaway in the middle in the city. The makeover also extends to the front with a new elegant silver Lemon Garden sign to greet guests at the entrance.

Upon entry, I was sorely tempted to make a beeline of the dessert area immediately on the right of the entrance but the sight of the seafood island and rows and rows of piping hot, freshly cooked dishes of many types of cuisines quickly captured my eye (and growling stomach).

It was raining on the day of my review and it was the perfect to sip on the ever rotating selection of double-boiled soup at the Asian kitchen. The black chicken with ginseng soup comes highly recommended. The Chinese spread was impressive with an offering of roasted duck, chicken, dim sum, siew pau, dumplings, fried rice and many others. I imagine this section would be a real treat for the international and local visitors alike with its quality versions of familiar chinese dishes.

The Nyonya Curry Laksa was an unexpected crowd pleaser with a rich, creamy broth that was not at all oily. Best part was you can DIY your condiments before adding on the delicious sambal paste.

Stepping up to the seafood line was akin to joining a warehouse sale but of the high end designer kind. It was clear why as the spread of seafood (prawns, crabs, oysters, clams and mussels), sashimi and sushi were fresh in taste, kept on ice to maintain its freshness and constantly refilled throughout the service.

I was there on a normal  international buffet night which runs from Sunday to Thursday but Lemon Garden also offers a Seafood dinner buffet on Fridays and Saturdays. Seafood lovers can definitely enjoy the wider spread with a promise of Alaskan King Crabs.

The international spread offered a range of lamb, chicken, fish and roasted vegetables along with a healthy salad bar. Cheese fans will enjoy the cheese platter and variety of breads ranging from hard bread to soft buns and more. Moving on to the Italian corner where one can enjoy freshly made thin-crust pizzas hot from a unique wood burning oven and Interactive Pasta Hotspot allows guests to DIY their pasta meals by choosing their pasta style and sauce.

I had my share of five helpings of the main courses before I was officially stuffed but there was always space for dessert. Because at the dessert section, a colourful lineup awaits.

I say colourful not just in terms of colour but also in flavour because Lemon Garden has everything one can imagine starting with cakes of the local and western kind, tarts, puffs, creme brulee, in-house made ice-cream and the ever popular, chocolate tap aka fountain.

It was so popular that they ran out of the fruits on a stick. I recommend going straight for the durian cake and chocolate souffle for a decadent treat.

Even with a seating capacity of 368 persons, the restaurant often sees a full house even on weekdays. It opens daily from 6am to 11.30pm for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Outside of its buffet hours, Lemon Garden also offers ala carte dishes.

The Lemon Garden's buffet pricing are as below:
International Lunch Buffet
Monday – Friday (12noon – 2.30pm)
 - RM 128 nett (adult), RM 64 nett (child)
Saturday (12noon – 3pm)
- RM 148 nett (adult), RM 74 nett (child)

International Sunday Brunch
Sunday (12noon – 3pm)
- RM 168 nett (adult), RM 84 nett (child)

International Dinner Buffet
Sunday – Thursday (6.30pm – 10.30pm)
- RM 158 nett (adult), RM 79 nett (child)

Seafood Dinner Buffet
Friday – Saturday (6.30pm – 10.30pm)
- RM 208 nett (adult), RM104 nett (child)

Sunday Champagne Brunch (inclusive of 1 bottle of Veuve Cliquot per person)
Sunday (12noon – 3pm)
- RM 488 nett (adult)

For reservations or more information, call (03) 2074 3904 or email restaurantreservations.slkl@shangri-la.com.