The dinner was held at The Pavilion, a private dining room on the sixth floor of The RuMa Hotel (Photo: Suhaimi Yusuf and Sam Fong)
If you have been charmed by The PuLi Hotel and Spa in Shanghai with its pared-back ode to contemporary oriental luxury or The PuXuan Hotel and Spa in Beijing that is just a stone’s throw from the walls of the Forbidden City, chances are you will fall equally hard for the group’s first hotel outside of China — in Kuala Lumpur, to be precise — The RuMa Hotel and Residences.
Located in Jalan Kia Peng, The RuMa is a joint development between Ireka Corp Bhd and Aseana Properties Ltd and is managed by international luxury hotel operator, Urban Resort Concepts. Its name is taken from the Malay word rumah, which means “home”, and a wealth of details have been incorporated into the property, all of which draw from Malaysia’s rich heritage and culture.
In celebration of its recent introduction to the Malaysian hospitality scene, The Edge and Ireka teamed up to host a small dinner, taking guests on a dining journey of discovery. Held at The Pavilion, the private dining room on the sixth level of the hotel, the event saw 40 guests converge to experience The RuMa’s unique art of hostmanship, which began with copious flutes of champagne during aperitif hour before proceeding to a five-course dinner prepared by executive chef Tyson Gee of the ATAS restaurant using primarily local ingredients, including local herbs and vegetables such as ketumpang air, pegaga and midin, tiger grouper from Penang and Malaysian strawberries, and paired with a specially selected flight of wines.
After dinner, several guests took the opportunity to tour The RuMa’s sumptuously appointed guest rooms while others indulged in a post-prandial Cohiba accompanied by digestifs in the form of whisky and the hotel’s take on the classic gin and tonic.
The Edge publisher and group CEO Datuk Ho Kay Tat, Puan Sri Datuk Sandra Lee, Datuk Anne Eu, Abrar A Anwar and Datuk Lai Voon Hon
The elements:
The venue:
The Pavilion at The RuMa Hotel and Residences
The hosts:
Ireka Corp Bhd group managing director Datuk Lai Voon Hon, The Edge publisher and group CEO Ho Kay Tat and Ireka group deputy managing director Monica Lai
The guests:
Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia managing director and CEO Abrar A Anwar, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre general manager Alan Mark Pryor, Persatuan Daybreak executive chairman Puan Sri Datuk Sandra Lee, Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd group managing director Datuk Edward Lee, Eu Yan Sang chairman Datuk Anne Eu and group managing director of Eversendai Corp Tan Sri AK Nathan, among others
The food:
The special menu was prepared by executive chef Tyson Gee, and included barbecued highland vegetables on whipped chickpeas with shiitake XO dressing; heirloom tomato brunoise with avocado oil, puffed rice and coconut dressing; steamed tiger grouper with kohlrabi, tuak nage and ketumpang air; slow-cooked lamb loin with dabai tapenade, midin and port reduction; and textures of Malaysian strawberries dessert (pictured)
The wines:
Bushvine Cape of Good Hope Chenin Blanc; Franck Massard ‘Herbis’ Verdejo Viura; Nicolis Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOC; Hetszolo Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos
The flowers:
Pink and scarlet carnations
The party favour:
Each guest went home with vouchers for afternoon tea at The RuMa’s SEVEN Lobby Bar and Lounge as well as a spa treatment at the soon-to-open UR Spa
This article first appeared on Mar 18, 2019 in The Edge Malaysia.
