KUALA LUMPUR: When it comes to annual holiday traditions, the Christmas tree lighting signifies the beginning of the festivities and the advent of what is to be expected. This year, EQ, Kuala Lumpur continues its annual tradition, signifying the start of their Yuletide celebrations. Held on 15 November 2022, at the grand lobby of the hotel, the 30-foot evergreen tree was festooned with baubles and trimmings to match the understated elegance of the property, with bronze, rose gold and gilded ornaments reflecting the proverbial light of hope that suffuses the Christmas season. The celebratory occasion was further added to by carollers, canapes and all-round Christmas cheer, as members of the hotel management team, guests, and friends of the property gathered to officially declare the start of the year-end festivities. Along with the lighting was another of EQ’s long-standing traditions: that of the Angel Tree Initiative. An annual custom since the hotel opened its doors in 2019, the Angel Tree was designed as an avenue with which guests could share festive cheer with the less fortunate. To this end, along with the decorations on the Christmas tree, there are also tags bearing the names of children from care homes specially chosen by the hotel. Guests are at liberty to remove as many tags as they wish, purchase gifts appropriate to the individual children, and hand the presents to EQ staff who will ensure the tokens are delivered to the respective recipients. This year, EQ has partnered with Home of Peace, a shelter for at risk, impoverished and abandoned girls, based in Old Klang Road; and Shelter Home, for the Angel Tree Initiative. Gerard Walker, General Manager of EQ said, “Even before Corporate Social Responsibility became a buzzword, EQ have always desired to remember the less privileged among us. The Angel Tree is a tradition that ensures we realise that while we are in celebration mode, there are others who may not have that opportunity. By our gift-giving, we include them, albeit in a small way, in our festivities.”
Holiday spirit 2022
Fueled by the optimism of Christmas, EQ, Kuala Lumpur has rolled out a literal cornucopia of treats, festive events and edible gifts for a blow-out year-end celebration. Santa and carollers will be walking the hotel floors on 24 December 2022 from 7.00pm to 8.30pm, and again on Christmas Day from 12.30pm to 4pm, while the Gingerbread Bake Shop will be offering goodies of all kinds at the lobby. There will also be a customising hampers service provided, which will help guests plan the perfect Christmas gift for their families, friends, relatives or corporate patrons. The hotel is also offering a delicious selection of their signature holiday roasts with which to celebrate at home or at office parties. These include slow-roasted Christmas goose at RM138+ per kg, roasted duck ala orange, at RM108+ per kg, with Williams potatoes, braised red cabbage, hibiscus and apple sauce; oven baked lamb and trimmings beginning from RM128 per kg, and pescatarian selections such as lobster mayonnaise, home-smoked Baltic salmon, and salmon Wellington which range from RM208+ to RM328+. Festive platters are also available from Etoile, with prices starting from RM98+ per platter for Christmas eve and Christmas day, as well as New Year’s eve and New Year’s day. Should a dine-in experience be preferred, Etoile will offer a New Year’s eve supper buffet from 11pm to 2am for RM88+ per adult, and RM44+ per child. For those desiring to live it up in the luxurious dining spaces of EQ, there are options aplenty to meet all wants and fancies, including festive buffet lunches at Nipah from 1 to 30 December 2022, except Christmas day, priced at RM158+ per adult, and RM79+ per child 12 and under. Nipah’s Festive Weekend buffet dinners run from Thursday to Sunday except for Christmas eve and are priced at RM168+ per adult, and RM84+ per child.
Christmas eve buffet dinner at Nipah is priced at RM228+ per adult (additional RM188+ per person for the beverage package), and RM98+ per child. Christmas buffet lunch and dinner is RM208+ per adult, RM98+ per child. Nipah’s New Year’s eve BBQ grill buffet is priced at RM228+ per adult (RM188+ per person additionally for the beverage package) and RM98+ per child, while New Year buffet lunch is RM158+ per adult, RM98+ per child. The New Year buffet dinner is set at RM168+ per adult and RM98+ per child. Along with poinsettias and holly, December also heralds a stunning Tottori prefecture showcase Kampachi. This exclusive Japanese showcase is set to deliver the best of the Tottori region’s produce, including Tottori wagyu. This very rare meat, which has won the famed Wagyu Olympics, will be available exclusively at Kampachi. Exclusive omakase menus and unique sake pairings will be presented at RM950+ or RM1200+ with sake pairing. The Japanese restaurant will also offer a five-course Christmas Eve Omakase (RM388+ per adult, RM188+ extra per person for premium sake and wine pairing), Christmas day brunch (RM268+ per adult, RM98+ per child), and weekend brunch (RM208+ per adult, with the option of a RM98+ per person add-on for sake buffet). For New Year’s eve, Kampachi will present a seven-course omakase at RM588+ per adult, with the option of premium sake and wine pairing for an additional RM188+ per person. New Year’s day brunch is priced at RM268+ per adult (add on RM188+ per person for sake buffet), and RM98+ per child, while weekend brunch will be available at RM208+ per adult, with an additional RM98+ per person for sake buffet. Living up to its tagline of ‘The best of the best’, EQ has spared no effort in ensuring the spirit of goodwill and cheer is infused into every dining and entertainment option. Therefore, expect an experience at Bottega’s festive Dolce Vita afternoon tea, all through December, from 12pm - 2.30pm or 3pm - 5pm, priced at RM99+ per adult or RM198 per set of two persons, inclusive of coffee and tea. The luxe lounge will also host the New Year’s eve countdown celebrations from 10pm till late, completed with snacks, beverages, live performances and the New Year’s eve balloon drop at the lobby. Award-winning fine-dining restaurant, Sabayon, has pulled out all stops for the festivities, offering extravagant dining options ranging from Christmas eve five-course dinner with limited window seats opening out to the celebrated city view at RM888+ per person and regular seat at RM788+ per person, both of which include a bottle of champagne. A five-course Christmas dinner is priced at RM688+ per person with wine pairing at RM328+ extra per person. For those seeking a European Christmas and a touch of nostalgia, Sabayon will be curating a festive lunch on Christmas Day and New Year day for RM208+ per person, and RM98+ per child. This special offering honours the legacy of the Chalet, the former Equatorial Kuala Lumpur’s European fine-dining restaurant, with menu items from the days where Chalet reigned as one of the city’s most upscale dining venues. Sabayon will offer a taste of the high life to mark the beginning of the new year. Its Countdown five-course degustation is priced at RM2,688+ per couple for limited window seats, and RM2,388+ for regular seats. Both options are inclusive of a bottle of champagne. The New Year five-course dinner is priced at RM688+ per person, with wine pairing being an additional RM328+ per person.
For an extra-glamourous wrap-up to 2022, join well-heeled revellers at Blue’s New Year’s eve countdown party for RM128+ per person, inclusive of a drink. For a guaranteed space to party, table packages begin at RM1,688+ for two to four persons, and RM6,688+ for groups of eight to twelve. The live entertainment for Blue’s New Year’s eve countdown party will feature best Female DJ Award winner, DJ Nikki, who will be spinning a three-hour set from 10pm; and the dynamic performer Atilia Haron.
