Fifty Tastes of Great

Taking a leaf out of E.L.James' current runaway best-selling tome - Fifty Shades of Grey, I found over 50 shades of great-tasting dishes from local shores and further afield at the newly launched Sparkalite Brunch at InterContinental KL's Serene Brasserie.

Unlike the leading male protagonist who's a total control freak, I had to get a firm grip of my own self-control when faced with the huge smorgasbord of goodies laid out...slabs of tender beef, lamb cutlets, crayfish, gourmet sausages, boneless chicken fillet and prawns tempting provocatively from the barbie whilst chefs dutifully dish out Aussie fish & chips, mini meat pies, potted eggs from live actions stations.

Heaps of chilled assorted seafood: shucked oysters, mussels, crabs and bamboo clams beckon from the entrance; jostling for attention amidst platters of colourful sushi rolls, g! listenin g raw fish slices and mixed salads.

What a fabulous way to add some sparkle to mundane Sundays! Despite it being billed as brunch, the buffet opens at noon - perfect for city folks tend to sleep in and settle for a late breakfast or opt for lunch upon waking. At RM198++ per head, you can enjoy free flow of sparkling, red/white wines and beer whole teetotalers pay RM120++.

I can't recall the last time I was this excited over a buffet spread but it's a befitting avenue for new executive chef Darrell O'Neill to showcase his inimitable creativity.

Have your kids in tow? No worries, just leave them at the Kids' Corner - a section filled with colourful kids-size furniture, foil balloons and a Candy Station. Keeping the young ones occupied is a telly showing cartoons and animated movies. There are even some fun, interactive activities for aspiring, budding chefs.

Aside from myriad Malay, Indian and Chinese delights: Peking duck wrapped in pancakes, mutton curry, prawns masak lemak, laksa and briyani rice, there's cooked to order Italian pasta, English roasts (we love the exceptional Sunday roast beef with Yorkshire pudding), Spanish stews of veal and meatballs, hearty seafood tomato soup and an international cheese platter too.

Mindfully keeping some spare tummy space for the decadent sweets and fresh fruits, I settled for some lamingtons, pavlova, rocky road and strawberry ice cream sprinkled with crushed pistachios.

Before calling it a day, I indulged in some chocolate dipped strawberries and snucked a cup of popcorn from the kiddies corner washed down with dainty glasses of bubbly. Ah, Sunday blissful Sunday!

Serena Brasserie, InterContinental Kuala Lumpur, 165 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: +603-2161 1111