A hidden gem of a buffet!
Thyme Out by Equatorial is a little-known buffet restaurant in the Asian Institute for Chartered Bankers (AICB) building. Most people hear “buffet” and think of a five-star hotel, not a finance building. However, this unassuming all-you-can-eat restaurant serves up a daily spread of Malaysian and Western food in a pleasant yet impressive venue. There’s something for everyone at Thyme Out by Equatorial.
Ambience & Amenities
Thyme Out by Equatorial has a huge space that can accommodate big parties. We recently held our wedding luncheon for over 20 guests at Thyme Out, and they were able to accommodate us easily. The tables inside benefit from the full-length windows, though the view isn’t of anything. The restaurant even has a small semi-private room with about a ten-person capacity.
More seats spill out into the hall of the AICB building, where diners can marvel at the grand bookcases or the eye-catching architecture of the building itself. Many of our guests commented on how nice the building and restaurant were and wandered off to explore the other floors.
A visit to the toilets is inevitable when it’s time to make room for the next course. The washrooms are next to the restaurant near the grand staircase. Exit Thyme Out and turn left. The facilities were clean, classy, and big enough to support all the diners at the restaurant. Also handy were the large full-length mirrors to check how tight my clothes were fitting after that fourth plate of food.
Food at Thyme Out by Equatorial Saturday Hi-Tea Buffet
Although the Thyme Out by Equatorial Saturday buffet is called the “Hi-Tea” buffet, it’s much more than just little sandwiches and tiny cakes (although they do serve those too!). The standard Saturday hi-tea buffet at Thyme Out is a mix of local favourites and international food. The buffet is halal, so everything is pork-free and there is no alcohol. Guests might be able to bring their own alcohol with a corkage fee, but this is something to discuss with the restaurant directly.
Appetizers
The appetizers are at the front of the buffet and the first thing guests will see. This section was the most aesthetically arranged. Potted flowers pretty up the dainty glass bowls of salad and hors d’oeuvres on three-tier stands. The selection was mostly international, with items like mussel salad, gazpacho shots, lentil cups with edible flowers, chicken roulade, salmon pinwheels and tea sandwiches. There was also a popcorn machine at the entrance, which was quite popular with the kids. One idea that spread quickly was to take a cup of popcorn and drizzle some chocolate from the chocolate fountain on top. Yum!
Mains
The main buffet stations are in a U-shape behind the appetizers but don’t miss the food stations in the hall outside. There were more “make your own” stations than at other buffets I’ve been to, which I prefer so I can take exactly what I want.
The dishes change daily, and special themed buffets run throughout the year. Check Thyme Out’s social media for promotions during Diwali, Chinese New Year, Merdeka Day, Ramadan and other important holidays. The Diwali promotion was still active on our visit, so our buffet had more curries and Indian food than usual.
List of Main Food Stations
- Seafood Galore (crab legs, shrimp, mussels)
- Fried Mee Mamak
- Garlic seafood fried rice (with shrimp and mussels)
- Made-to-order pasta station (choose noodles, sauce, and ingredients)
- A variety of curries (white bean, prawn 65, Afghani mutton, Mughlai chicken) with an assortment of chutneys (mango, mint & cucumber yoghurt)
- Samosas & pakoras
- Cheese naan
- Lasagna
- Fried chicken wonton & otak otak sptring rolls
- Korean fried chicken with spicy sauce
- Fish & chips
- Mushroom and cheese quiche
- Mini pizzas
- Chicken rendang, ketupat palas (glutinous rice wrapped in leaves) & pulut udang (shrimp wrapped in glutinous rice)
- 2 kinds of shumai (shrimp, chicken), steamed bao
- Roast lamb with black pepper or rosemary sauce
- Roasted beets, potato and pumpkin
- Broccoli, cauliflower and cherry tomatoes in a creamy paprika sauce
- Beef and chicken satay with peanut sauce
- Make your own prawn mee
- Make your own pasembor (bean curd and veggie salad)
- Make your own rojak buah (veggie and fruit salad)
The best thing I ate was the roast lamb, which seems to be a regular dish. It’s cooked fresh in batches instead of in bulk at the beginning of lunch. We had to wait five minutes for a fresh serving, but it was worth it. The lamb was pre-sliced in modest portions with a mix of lean and fatty pieces available. It was tender and easy to cut through.
I tried to resist taking some Korean fried chicken, but I couldn’t do it. I even tried to tell myself to have only a small bite to save room for other food – I failed that, too. The chicken was just so good that I ate the entire piece. It was so satisfyingly crunchy on the outside. I didn’t even need the spicy sauce meant to go with it.
I got seconds of the big samosas, which is probably what did me in. The outside was crunchy, and the inside was bursting with potatoes and peas. I topped them with gravy from the various curries and could not stop eating them.
Desserts
The centrepiece is the chocolate fountain near the entrance, which is hard to miss. Children and chocolate-loving adults will go crazy for this. There were small mugs with dippables, including berries, grapes and marshmallows. Most impressive was that the fountain never got thick and goopy, even at the end of lunch. There was also a waffle station nearby with sauces and lots of toppings.
The two chilled shelves on the right side of the buffet store the rest of the desserts. The fruit available was white dragon fruit, jackfruit, cantaloupe, longans, and pineapple. The cake selection had almond crumble tarts, swiss roll, strawberry shortcake, coffee cake, creme brulee, pandan layer cake, Bueno cake, chocolate fudge cake, blueberry cake, and a mysterious unlabeled white cake with a caramel drizzle on top. All the cakes I tried were great, but the standout was the chocolate fudge cake.
Warm desserts are to the right of the chiller. Today had bread pudding with vanilla sauce and two different kinds oftong sui: bubur pulut hitam and a creamy durian soup. Our friends and family who tried the durian soup said it wasn’t bad – it was just weird.
Drinks
There was lemon water near the seating area and a still and sparkling water dispenser across from the pasta station. In the same section were two kinds of juice (orange and iced honey lemon). Hot beverages included teh tarik and a coffee machine. The only letdown was the teabag selection, which only had Boh English Breakfast.
Saturday Worthy?
Since there’s no foot traffic and nobody knows about this place (for now), Thyme Out by Equatorial is quiet and not swarmed with people. We could give a speech to our three tables of family and friends without being drowned out by noise, and our small party enjoyed a peaceful meal. The food stations were tidy for the entire lunch, and there was no uncouth riffraff messily picking at the buffet.
Booking for such a large group also went very smoothly. My contact at the restaurant was responsive on WhatsApp and clear when conveying the process. We had to reduce the number of pax the day before our event, and they were very reasonable about it. They adjusted our final bill and sent us an updated deposit amount without giving me any BS about the last-minute change.
We went into this place blind, trusting the high Google reviews. We are highly pleased with the food, price and overall experience. Our guests raved about the food selection and how delicious everything was. I’m pretty sure some of them will come back to Thyme Out for their own future events. I highly recommend the Thyme Out by Equatorial buffet if you want excellent food that’s fairly priced.
Thyme Out by Equatorial Saturday Hi-Tea Buffet Price
Adults – RM90
Seniors (over 60 years) – RM70
Child (7 to 12 years) – RM45
Babies – Free
6% SST applies
Thyme Out by Equatorial
Address: AICB Centre of Excellence (ACE), Ground Floor, 10, Jalan Dato Onn, Kuala Lumpur, 50480 Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 5pm (Monday to Friday), 12pm – 3:30pm (Saturday), Closed on Sunday
Alcohol Served: No
