The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa – Seasonal Tastes

Seasonal Tastes is the all-day dining restaurant in The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, located one floor below the Main Lobby. Furnished in a contemporary modern style, the restaurant is spacious and casually chic with lots of natural light streaming in through the glass walls. We always chose to sit at the very far end of the restaurant just beside the glass walls – that’s the best spot as we get a panoramic full view of the splendid Andaman Sea.

The restaurant has a seating capacity of up to 200 persons complete with a private dining room. We were told their Buffet Dinners are immensely popular, with their myriad themes and selections changed daily, as designed by Executive Chef Chandran Narayanan. The exquisite cuisines in the buffet are matched with an extensive wine list from the rack. We however did not have a chance to check this out but we were bowled over by their Buffet Breakfast – more about that later.

We had our first lunch at Seasonal Tastes on the day of our arrival.  Flipping through their menu, I noticed that certain items are marked with a green leaf logo and the words SuperFoodsRx^TM.

So, what is SuperFoodsRx^TM ?  It is part of Westin’s ongoing commitmentto personal renewal and they have teamed up with SuperFoods Partners LLC, the owners of the SuperFoodsRx^TM brand to become the first hotel brand to create a SuperFoods focused menu for their guests.  SuperFoods are known for being health-enhancing and rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients and these are the main ingredients in Westin’s signature dishes.  This initiative has been rolled out in the Westin hotels, showcasing their Westin Signature Breakfast – a SuperFoods breakfast selection that many will say is a “breakfast for champions”!

 Tomato Basil Soup

The Westin SuperFoodsRx^TM menu is not restrictive nor is it a diet; rather, they are dishes that contain the SuperFoods – fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins which are known to improve well-being and promote longevity.  Dishes marked with a SuperFoodsRx^TM logo signify that they have been approved by SuperFoodsRx^TM’s team of nutritionists and doctors and that the selection contains nutritionally significant amounts of one or more of the SuperFoods.

Key to the SuperFoodsRx^TM philosophy and likewise to the new Westin menu is “food synergy” – certain foods play off each other.  That means to say that some foods, when paired together, are even more nutritious than when they are eaten on their own.  Some examples are:

• Avocados increase the absorption of antioxidants in other SuperFoods like spinach and tomatoes
• Likewise, black pepper increases the absorption of nutrients in SuperFoods like beans, berries, green tea, broccoli and spinach
• Cinnamon works with whole grains to control blood sugar
• Walnuts, eaten with other food helps to burn fat after you’ve left the table
• Honey supplies “fuel” for the healthy bacteria in low-fat yoghurt

Beef Goulash Soup

Armed with this information, we made sure that our lunch choices included some SuperFoodsRx^TM  items.  For a start, my Tomato Basil Soup (RM29) is tagged with a SuperFoodsRx^TM .  The roasted tomatoes soup, simmered with basil and with crème fraiche was tangy, light and had this wonderful aroma thanks to the basil.  DL opted for the more robust Beef Goulash Soup (RM29) which had some tender chunks of beef in it, flavoured by tomatoes, paprika, potatoes, bell peppers and thickened with sour cream.

Penne

If you have a chance to dine at Seasonal Tastes, do try their Penne (RM57) which is a SuperFoodsRx^TM dish. It’s a colourful pasta dish with al dente penne tossed with beef chorizo sausages, broccoli, spinach, seasoned with garlic and chillies and topped with parmigiano-reggiano for good measure.  Oh of course, all these delicious ingredients are bound together with extra-virgin olive oil.

Pan-fried Seabass Fillet

After his wholesome Beef Goulash Soup, DL sensibly chose a Pan-fried Seabass Fillet (RM71) as his mains.  A thick slab of gorgeously fresh seabass fillet, almost translucent white and flakily tender, sat on top of a pile of healthy-looking saffron-boiled potatoes, roasted garlic, saute’ed spinach and cherry tomatoes and a splash of shallots jus – a light yet very fulfilling dish.

 Cajun Lobster Pasta

I, on the other hand, decided to have their Cajun Lobster Pasta (RM98), as recommended by Kiran, our lunch host. As you can see, it’s a stunning dish… half a lobster propped against a pile of spaghetti with sun-dried tomatoes, bell peppers and tossed with pesto.  The half-lobster, flavoured with Cajun spices and grilled (although a bit overdone) retained its succulent marine sweetness and I finished the entire dish myself, with little help from DL.

Vanilla Sabayon

Our dessert choices (desserts are classified as non- SuperFoodsRx^TM , haha!) were Vanilla Sabayon with forrest berries and cookies crust (Kiran’s favourite), Tiramisu with a Twist (DL’s choice) and because I could not decide on ONE dessert, I opted for a Trio – the Sweet Amuse!  It’s a combination of banana and caramel crumble, raspberry trifle and chocolate moist cake… truly a magnificent end to our first lunch at The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa!

 Tiramisu with a Twist: Japanese Green Tea Tiramisu with Mascarpone

 Sweet Amuse

As mentioned earlier, our breakfasts were taken at Seasonal Tastes – their buffet breakfast spots a splendid spread of SuperFoods. Tables are laden with every imaginable breakfast item, local and western themes that made selection rather difficult, really.  We wanted to eat everything but then knowing that’s quite impossible, we zoomed in to our favourites.  There were live stations for eggs, roti canai, pancakes but our favourite is the fresh fruit juices counter – we lost count of the number of glasses of freshly-made orange juices we had!

With such an awesome spread of food, it’s not surprising that breakfast time is the busiest time in Seasonal Tastes as every guest just want to load up on all the healthy and wholesome offerings.

Seasonal Tastes
Level 3
The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa
Opening hours:  7.00am till 10.30pm
*Buffet Breakfast is available from 7.00am-10.30am