Lat's Place @ Puteri Harbour, Johor

I had fine dining Malaysian style tonight, courtesy of a package that includes a trip to Hello Kitty Town, complete with a dinner at Lat's Place, the restaurant next to Hello Kitty Town. To read more about the day trip and Hello Kitty Town itself, please refer to this and this.

 

The restaurant has a unique concept in that it honours the local cartoonist Lat, hence much of the interior decorations are reproductions of his work. The interior of the restaurant is decorated in the style of an old kampung (aka village).

 Restaurant sign

 

 The entrance to the restaurant. I like the decoration!

 

What I like about the place is the superb customer service. On my way to Hello Kitty Town in the morning, someone from the restaurant called me and confirmed my reservation. I was really impressed that they would go to this extra mile to personally call me and ask what time I would be going and which menu I would like. I chose the Adults' menu.

When I reached the restaurant, it was still closed. Apparently the place opens for dinner only at six, so I had to wait. The staff asked me to wait at the bench outside where drinks were served. Bear in mind that the restaurant is halal, hence no alcoholic drinks would be served. The drink is a welcome drink of fruit punch.

 

While waiting, one of the staff came up to introduce herself and said she would be the host for the night. She gave me the table number and asked me to wait at the front where a statue of a hen is at six, where someone would come and usher the customers inside.

 

 This is where customers have to wait to go in

 

Slightly past six, the staff of the restaurant came out and ushered the guests in. The interior of the restaurant is shaped like the inside of a typical kampung house. We had to pass by the gift shop and a long corridor before going into the restaurant proper, which is again structured like a kampung house. It really gives the feeling that one is dining in a kampung house!

 



 This is Lat, the cartoonist

 

 The interior decoration of the restaurant

 

There were not that many customers in the queue. When I entered the restaurant, I realised why. There are only enough seats for thirty-five guests the most. Hence advance reservation is required. I suppose they liaise with a lot of tour agencies, so the dinner at this restaurant is normally part of the package for families going to Hello Kitty Town.

 

When I entered, I saw the menu and the table setting, and is pleasantly surprised! The setting is that of a Western fine dining style, but the food is typically Malaysian. Normally I do not take much to fusion food, but this place does it in a way that is both classy yet retains the local flavour. Kudos to them!

 The menu

 

 The table settimg where the first dish is covered, complete with the utensils and the welcome drink

 

 The spices and condiments

 

Dinner started the moment the guests sat down. First course was Appetiser, which is Seafood Pudding "Otak otak", Mango "Kerabu" and Honeydew Prawns.

 

The first course (Appetizer) - Honeydew Prawns, Mando "Kerabu" and Seafood Pudding "Otak otak"

 

While eating, that was when the entertainment of the night started. The staff all started dancing and singing in, entertaining us with their merriment. I must say, all the staff could sing and dance! I wonder if that was one of the requirements when the place hired its staff?

 

Not just that, an entertaining clip of a cartoon was played on video. The cartoon consisted of the "village head" welcoming all the guests into his "kampong" and hoping that we enjoy the food! The "village head" also introduced us to all the other "residents" of the "kampong".

 

Before the start of the second course, the "village head" spoke out the name of some of the guests, and one of the staff then went over to the person and asked if they were enjoying themselves. This entertainment went on throughout the dinner and there was even a dance that kids could participate in!

 

I am really impressed by this unique concept. I have not come across any restaurants that let the guests interact while having dinner (and I do not mean interact with each other, but interact with the serving staff). That is really personalised service of the highest kind!

 

As dinner went on, the staff even announced that one of the kids is having a birthday, and brought out a birthday cake, compliments of the house, to celebrate. This is what will keep the customers from going again and again!

 

In any case, the next two dishes are below, followed by tea or coffee (I took tea) to end off the whole dinner.







 Second course (Mains) - Steamed Fragrant White Rice with Chicken Potato Dumpling, complete with Rolled Chicken with Lemongrass and Mild "Percik" Sauce, Lamb Cutlet Curry with Potatos, Steamed Red Snapper Fish with Ginger Soya Sauce, and Steamed Vegetables with Peanut Sauce

 

 Final course (Dessert) - Sweet Black Glutinous Rice and "Buah Melaka" with Fruits

 

This is really the best dinner I have had! Interactive, personalised, and the food is really good too! I actually enjoyed the dinner more than anything else I have done for the day.

 

For those who are intending to go to the Puteri Harbour theme parks for the day, do complete your day with this interactive and unique dining concept. Trust me, this is really highly recommended, and you will get a dining experience which you will otherwise never get anywhere else.

 

Five stars for this!

Food : 4.5 out of 5

Ambience : 4.5 out of 5

Service : 5 out of 5

Price : Not sure as it was part of the package. But there is no hidden cost, and we do not need to fork out anything else. The food, service, entertainment and all other things are all inclusive, so I find it really worthwhile.