Abell Hotel with the addition of Carvery Restaurant & Bar is fast becoming the place to stay and dine in the city.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Abell Hotel located in the Kuching city centre.
IT’s hard to miss Abell Hotel when you’re in Kuching.
Besides occupying a prime spot in the city centre, the hotel has a warm, earthy exterior that exudes a residential feel, giving would-be guests a small preview of what to expect inside – an inviting and conducive environment amidst a sleek, fresh, chic and contemporary interior.
The floors of this boutique hotel, which opened its doors last month, are boldly assigned with bright, lively colours while the 80 well-appointed guest rooms are conceptualised with simplicity and functionality in mind for comfort and convenience.
“The vibrant colours, depicting Malaysia’s vibrant culture and culinary heritage, are fused into our cosy guest rooms, funky lobby, multi-purpose function room as well as the Carvery Restaurant & Bar,” said general manager Christopher Tan.
He pointed out that all rooms were well sized with modern amenities such as flat screen televisions, plush 350-thread count bedding, invigorating rain showers in the bathrooms and complimentary wireless Internet with views of either the shopping district of the city or miniature rock garden on all its floors.
“We are also proud to be an entirely non-smoking hotel as we strive to provide our guests with a comfortable stay in a clean, smoke-free environment.”
The hotel’s attraction is none other than the Carvery Restaurant which has relocated from its old premise in Pending.
The restaurant, one of the top dining spots in town for the past decade, continues to live up to its name with its signature Brazilian churrascaria buffet dining concept.
Dining here typically begins with the restaurant’s signature creamy mushroom or vegetable soup, and the self-served hot and cold salad bar which offers wonderfully fresh greens that go beyond the staple iceberg and romaine lettuce.
Expect to find imported crisp arugula leaves, oak leaves, juicy cherry tomatoes among the range of salad mixes available as well as ready-made salads such as potato salad, green pea and corn salad, and coleslaw, to name a few.
Then it’s time for the meat course to commence much like a typical churrascaria, meaning Brazilian steakhouse. Guests are treated like royalty as passadors or meat waiters come out to serve from table to table with knives and skewers of various cuts of specially seasoned and slow-roasted meats, prepared specifically in the Brazilian barbecue churrasco style.
A selection of 14 air-flown premium quality meats and seafood all grilled to perfection will be served one at a time, including roasted lamb leg, lamb chop, rump steak, mussels, smoked beef, beef ribs, fish fillet, turkey ham rolls and an array of plump, juicy sausages.
The best among these delightful selections are the roasted lamb leg bursting with smokey and peppery flavour, beef ribs where the texture remains sufficiently tender and the rump steak, served perfectly at medium rare to create a flavoursome cushion-like bite.
To go with the meats and seafood, a variety of sauces such as black pepper, mushroom and mint are available but even without these condiments, the meats are perfect eaten on their own.
A quirky little feature at Carvery is a chip bearing the words ‘serve me’ on the green side and ‘thank you’ on the red side, given to diners at the start of their meal.
“The carvers will continue to serve guests unless the latter show the red ‘thank you’ side of the chip, signalling to the carvers to stop once the guests are done,” Tan explained.
Every meal is given the five-star treatment in the restaurant’s quest to provide a top-notch dining experience, and given the food and impeccable service, it’s no wonder the restaurant continues to be packed since its opening last month.
Pioneering yet another concept for its diners, Carvery has added a Butcher Counter offering wide choice of premium meats such as chilled USA beef, baby lamb rack, Wagyu beef, foie gras and New Zealand salmon steak, all at reasonable prices.
“Guests can make their choice of meat or seafood from our Butcher Counter and prices will be based on the weight of the meat or seafood they have selected,” Tan said, adding that guests could opt to have their selection grilled to perfection, accompanied by trimmings and salad or as takeaway to be grilled at home.
“The Carvery dinner buffet, priced at RM56 per person, is also available for lunch with nine selections of delectable meat and seafood at RM38 per person.”
For those who aren’t meat lovers, the Carvery’s Salad Buffet is available at RM28 per person. There is also an ala carte menu with a good range of favourite appetisers and main courses.
The presence of Carvery Restaurant is a big plus for Abell Hotel which itself is fast becoming the choice of business and leisure travellers with its affordable rooms, high quality service and prime location that allows easy access to shopping malls and sightseeing, tours and activities.
Make reservations to dine at Carvery by calling 082-239449.