Hard Rock Hotel Penang Christmas Takeaway Dining

Christmas Festive Dining Takeaways sounds fun for someone who can’t dress a Turkey, much less roast one.

As we wind down the year, all of us look forward to Christmas.

Everyone has their must-have Christmas celebration food–a Traditional Christmas Turkey with all the trimmings, giblets gravy, and cranberry sauce.

Every year, I yearn to eat Roast Beef, Turkey Stuffing, Gravy, Roasted Potatoes in Goose Fat, Yorkshire Pudding, and a beautiful Tiramisu or two in a Chocolate Cup.

I usually give Christmas Turkey a miss for a hearty Beef Wellington.

But then again, that’s just me.

Let’s do something different for a Festive Quarantine Christmas with no guests for a change.

2020 will go down as a year most memorable for our global lockdown – and I have a Christmas Festive Dining Takeaway that I “cook” at home.

A Gourmet Christmas Takeaway Dining

For many, Christmas is the only holiday season you meet the “Uncle” and the “cousin.”

All of us have one or two in our extended family.

You get the drift–I’m the weirdly eccentric writer person in my family.

We smile brightly, wave happily, and MOVE as far away as possible.

My take on Christmas presents.

It’s time for festive dining, so we celebrate with colleagues and friends with Festive Family-style Dining during this holiday season.

Office parties are a challenging Christmas Feast misadventure.

I dread office parties every year–sometimes we get lucky and DON’T get last year’s recycled pressie.
If possible, I avoid it.

I bring a cheap bottle of wine and leave that in the lucky draw, AND I conveniently leave my present behind.
It works out to be the best remedy.

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”–Forrest Gump.

My take on Christmas Feast cooking

Cooking for one person is on the rise– it is a little more lonesome on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

I spend many Christmas Eve cooking as the kitchen helper (food instead of payment).
In my 20s, it was fun.

When I hit my 30s, I only want to eat buffets and disappear down the dessert section, to be found on Christmas Day.

How to truss a Roasted Turkey–Don’t Trust me.

In my 40s, I learned to cook grudgingly.

Beguilingly is reserved for the stunningly beautiful Nigella Lawson.

I could cut, plate, wash and take photos for all prosperity.

BUT I never learned to Roast a Turkey.

There is no point in learning to Roast a Turkey.

My cousin couldn’t truss Turkey properly.

Every year, when the bird comes out of the oven, I stare into that dark gaping hole with the stuffing spilling out.

I’m like, WHY does this happen every Christmas (can we order something–McD delivery perhaps)

My cousin calls me rude every year.

Turkey lies side saddle with the slightly “raw side” down and burned side up.

I gulp. I learned to muster up a cheesy smile pronto.

I also learned that I like to eat potatoes and salads and drink copious paper cups of nasty Cordials.

It’s a Malaysian family thing to serve that Chinese New Year hampers bright orange Sunquick cordial with more 7Up to dilute the sweetness.

When I hit 50, the best decision is where to buy Christmas Dinner.

Rotisserie Chicken, Curry Chicken, and Chicken Korma is a safe and sane version of dining well.

When we order takeaway food,–everyone gets to eat happily.

All the guests are happy.

My younger cousins will whisper, over here, Aunty Dory–these are takeaway food. Faster.

My Eurasian friends taught me that every woman MUST make a signature dish so well or your version to bring to Pot Lucks.

Do you know that dish everyone politely takes but leaves untouched on their plate?

So, I learned to make my one saving grace recipe–perfected by watching Jamie Oliver’s Best Roast Potatoes videos.

My insanely delicious version of Jamie’s Best roast potatoes is a HIT.

It goes faster than my cousin carving a turkey smothered in Cranberry Sauce.

Ordering Hard Rock Hotel Penang’s Christmas Takeaway Dining

What I miss most in the ‘new normal’ Christmas is the big family and friends gatherings at the buffets in Penang hotels.

For festive treats that everyone loves but no one in the family can prepare professionally, the best bet is to order in and eat at home.

I miss making reservations for dinner out during the festivities.

Not that I eat that much now.

I can still indulge in a semi-buffet with a main, a dessert, and coffee!

I remember the insane grocery shopping days in advance for Turkey, Ham, Chicken, Lamb Shanks, Beef, and a long list of other ingredients, herbs, spices, sauces, and condiments.

We write our menus, break down the ingredients into lists, and “attack” the hypermarkets with three trolleys.

Every year, we miss out on one or two essential items.

Someone has to rush to find thyme, rosemary, or lemon.

Same process every year, same good problems to solve quickly.

One year, we ran out of gas.

Another, the fridge door busted a hinge–we stuffed ourselves silly eating ice cream!

Christmas Party Food Leftovers

Cooking up a storm once a year at home is a DISASTER.

All of us have that Hallmark perfect Christmas Dinner – we envisioned the festive table with a Roasted Turkey as the centerpiece next to the Honey Glazed Ham and Roasted Vegetables.

Eating that and washing up – no problem.

The only real challenge is cooking the entire mains ready (make that 7.30 pm) for Christmas Eve Dinner.

Every year dinner is late.

Every year, we stuff ourselves eating the desserts and cookies; hence we have leftovers – an entire mains table for Christmas Day Buffet Brunch that no one wants to eat anymore.

Christmas Takeaway Dining For Penang Bloggers

Christmas dining takes on a more traditional approach in 2020 as hotels all over Penang and Malaysia aim to provide a home experience with takeaway holiday feast packages.

Smart Dory and Penang Bloggers were treated to enjoy a lux dinner at home and share the review experience.

Christmas will be a little different this year, so what better reason to treat yourselves to an absolute cracker of a festive menu?

I always love new festive menus and takeaways to stuff myself silly eating and getting riddled with guilt the next day.

Contents of the Christmas Takeaway Dining Cooler Bag

1x Pumpkin Soup (with Croutons and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds for garnish)
1x Roasted Potatoes
1x Mixed Grilled Vegetables
1x Brussels sprout with Smoked Beef Bacon
1x Rolled Stuffing
1x Roasted Turkey Roll
1x Braised Lamb Leg
1x Roasted Beef
1x Herb Jus
1x Cranberry Sauce
1x Assorted Christmas Cookies

Heating Instructions for Prepacked Dishes

I received the Hard Rock Hotel Penang’s cool Cooler Bag with the cooked dishes prepacked and clearly labeled with heating instructions in three easy steps.

For Microwave Heating

1. Puncture the bags and place them on a plate.

2. Heat up for 2 minutes (using a higher set temperature) and shake the bags.

3. heat up for one more minute before serving them warm.

For Gas Stove or Induction Cooker Heating

1. Place the bags in a pot of boiling water.

2. Heat up for 8 – 10 minutes.

3. Serve them warm

How I heated My Festive Dining Takeaways Meals

I’m old school; I don’t own a microwave but use a gas stove.

I preferred to spend a little more time heating all the items individually in a frying pan and pot.

Since I was busy, I decided to break the jolly season experience into three meals.

Dinner – Pumpkin Soup (with Croutons and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds for garnish)

I wanted a light dinner, and the Pumpkin Soup is perfect.

I decided the best way is to heat the soup by emptying the contents into a pot on a low flame.

When I stirred it, the soup’s texture thinned out and no longer looked like a pumpkin puree.

The soup’s texture is smooth, like silk.

The taste is delightful, not too sweet, not too creamy (no taste of milk/heavy cream)

I’m not sure, but I think there is a hint of garlic, nutmeg, oregano, and saffron.

You can’t get this glorious yellow without saffron strands.

I love the lightly toasted green pumpkin seeds and the little croutons; they go so well together.

Lunch – Roasted Turkey Roll, Rolled Stuffing, Roasted Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Beef Bacon

I’m a lazy cook and hate washing up.

What I do is to use the pan with minimal washing between heating up.

Roasted Potatoes

The first thing I heated up was the Roasted Potatoes – I was craving to eat a delicious version of Jamie’s Best roast potatoes.

I got a masher to press potatoes down to maximize the surface area in contact with the pan.

I got beautiful crispier roasted potatoes with caramelized bits and a soft, fluffy interior.

Perfecto!

Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Beef Bacon

Pan heating released the Smoked Beef Bacon’s flavor and got some grill marks on the Brussels Sprouts.

The taste of the Brussels Sprout halves, when seared in a skillet enhances their nutty sweetness.

The contracts against the saltiness of the smoky Beef Bacon are just lovely.

Roasted Turkey Roll and Rolled Stuffing

A butterflied turkey breast rolled with sausage and herb stuffing makes a great alternative to Traditional Roasted Turkey!

Every year I look forward to eating all kinds of recipes for stuffing instead of Turkey.

I enjoyed the sweet Roll Stuffing with the most delicious, colorful blend of chestnut filling and meat perfumed with herbs.

Now I can safely concur that Chestnut Stuffing is the best.

The only missing dish is a decadent Chicken Liver Pâté-Filled Yule Log Cake – this is the missing link to my million calories, jolly, festive meal.

Afternoon Tea – Assorted Christmas Cookies

Bee and I nibbled on this when we were heating the food.

Hence you see the teapot and cups of tea with the dinner display.

Did we like the cookies? There are two varieties in the goodie bag.

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies
• Orange-Walnut Butter Cookies

What’s not to like about cookies, except more cookies!

Dinner – Braised Lamb Leg, Roasted Beef, Mixed Grilled Vegetables

I saved half of the Roasted Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Beef Bacon to join the Mixed Grilled Vegetable medley for dinner.

Braised Lamb Leg

They filled the Braised Lamb Leg package with a bit of Herb Jus.

When Bee slowly heated it until the meat was warmed through, part of the liquid evaporated.

We both loved the tender lamb. So moist, absolutely flavorful, and utterly delicious.

I think I’m going to order Braised Lamb Leg for my Christmas Supper.

Roasted Beef

I like an excellent pink Roasted Beef from the oven after it has rested.

After having my beef “bleu,” it was hard for me to eat Roast Beef.

Perhaps we got the heating all wrong this time.

We should have boiled the package.

We thought it would be tasty, browning it with butter!

I learned that the only to eat a good steak is at a good restaurant, not at home – remember, I can’t cook to start with.

Mixed Grilled Vegetables

The mixed grilled vegetables are incredible with Baby Carrots, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Asparagus, Yellow Courgette, and Fennel (which I love).

Accompanying Sauces – Herb Jus, Cranberry Sauce

The best part of a Christmas Roasted Meal is the gravy boat – my top pick for serving sauces at Thanksgiving and beyond.

Bee and I loved the Herb Jus’s flavorsome taste, which pairs well with almost anything and everything!

The Cranberry Sauce was a little watery; we should have heated it more so it thickened up.

We got too hungry while Bee heated each item individually.

I liked a jammy Cranberry Sauce consistency, which I want to spread over leftover turkey for making sandwiches the next day.

I love that Cranberry Sauce is part of the sweet treats for the festive delights.

The other thing I miss is an excellent homemade Apple Pie with a massive ball of ice Cream that we can have to polish off this grand meal.

The three meals were all wonderful, and eating this way at home felt very gourmet instead of dining out in a restaurant.

Deliciously Easy Christmas Takeaway Dining from Hard Rock Hotel Penang

When I discovered that Hard Rock Hotel Penang has three ready-to-eat festive takeaways specially curated for Christmas, I was excited.

Leaving the cooking to the professionals is a perfect idea.

Our countdown journey to Christmas never seemed this fun and exciting with the Best Christmas Food to order for takeaways!

The Classic, Retro, and Techno takeaway sets.

Hard Rock Hotel Penang invites you to celebrate the yuletide season in tropical splendor with lavish spreads and delectable culinary dishes for your gatherings and reunions with family and friends.

You can celebrate Christmas over a plump Roasted Turkey with delicious sides and condiments, and a succulent Leg of Lamb. Or delectable rounds of Wagyu Beef Tomahawk.

These perfect sharing platters are prepared and carefully stored in fashionable, limited-edition water and heat-resistant Hard Rock branded cooler bags.

What to order for Christmas Dining Takeaways Sets

CLASSIC (serves up to 8 people) | RM290 nett
Traditional Stuffed Roast Turkey (4 kg) with Roasted Potatoes, Bread and Dried Fruit Stuffing, Sweet Potato Puree, Roasted Market Vegetables, Cranberry Sauce, and Herb Jus

RETRO (serves up to 8 people) | RM450 net
Slow-roasted Australian Leg of Lamb (3kg) with Roasted Baby Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Beef Bacon and Herbs, Roasted Market Vegetables, Mint Jus, and Rosemary Relish

TECHNO (serves up to 5 people) | RM650 net
Australian grain-fed Wagyu Beef Tomahawk (2.5kg), Truffled Red Skin Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Garlic Head with Herbs, Brussels Sprout with Smoked Beef Bacon and Herbs, Creamy Black Pepper Sauce, Herb Jus, and Cilantro Chimichurri

Festive Dining Takeaways Add Ons
An additional order for side dishes and accompaniments for two people is available. Guests will undoubtedly be impressed with the delicious homemade creations.

There are ten selections of add-ons to choose from the list below.

• Cheesy Mac and Cheese
• Charred Corn and Herbs
• Confit Cherry Tomatoes
  Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Roasted Baby Potatoes
• Creamy Spinach with Garlic Hazelnuts
• Cauliflower Rice
• Steamed Quinoa
• Curried Carrot Ginger Soup
• Potatoes and Leek Soup

Those looking to take advantage of the Festive Dining Takeaways can now place their orders until New Year’s Day, 1 January 2021, and must order at least three days in advance.

Conclusion

Let’s do something different for a Festive Quarantine Christmas with no guests for a change.

2020 will go down as a year most memorable for our global lockdown – and I have a Christmas Festive Dining Takeaway that I “cook” at home.

I tested and tasted Hard Rock Hotel Penang’s Festive Dining Takeaways Sets with family and friends.

These perfect sharing platters are prepared and carefully stored in fashionable, limited-edition water, and heat-resistant Hard Rock branded more fabulous bags.

We split it up into three meals, heated up to eat for Dinner, Lunch, and a final dinner on the second night.

The food is well prepared, tasty, and something you can serve up just by heating.

You can have a choice of using your microwave or on a gas stove.

I’m old-school, so I use my pots and pans.

If you want a fuss-free gourmet-level Christmas Dinner, just let your fingers do the walking instead.

Enjoy Gourmet Christmas Adventure With Festive Dining Takeaways From Hard Rock Hotel Penang from RM290 Nett for a stress-free celebration that brings a gourmet to your home parties.

So, get ready for your Christmas Party Food delivery in Penang.

Smart Dory wishes everyone a blessed, Merry Christmas, and Stay Safe.

RESERVE YOUR TABLE TODAY!

For table reservations, please contact our Rock Agents at:
Starz Diner and Festive Dining Takeaways
Tel: +604 886 8057
Email: [email protected]

Hard Rock Hotel Penang
Batu Ferringhi Beach, 11100 Batu Ferringhi, Penang.
Facebook: Hard Rock Hotel Penang