The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur has taken cultural celebration to a whole new level.
In conjunction with Hari Merdeka, which we celebrated just days ago, and the upcoming Hari Malaysia on 15 and 16 September, the hotel presents Malam Gala Malaysiaku: The P. Ramlee Premier — a guided dining experience unlike anything we’ve come across on the local fine dining scene.
We had the chance to try it out ourselves, fittingly, on Merdeka Day itself. And trust us when we say: this one is truly one of a kind.
First up, can we really call ourselves proud Malaysians if we don’t know the man, the legend, the icon himself, Tan Sri P. Ramlee? This dining experience honours him in full, and quite frankly, took us on a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
Where Screen Meets Table
This guided dining experience presents itself as a seven-course dinner that brings screen to table, where each course takes its name, and its inspiration, from an iconic P. Ramlee film. Before every dish is served, guests watch a clip from the film it’s named after, so you see the story first, then taste it.
It’s a genuinely fascinating thing to witness. Watching a scene unfold, then seeing how that scene has been translated, thoughtfully and deliberately, into a dish on your plate.
Throughout the evening, guests are accompanied by a Pencerita, or storyteller, in English, who guides you through the experience with a Stage Direction. Not just what’s being served, but how it’s meant to be enjoyed, course by course, story by story.
The Opening Act
The menu has a lot of interesting dishes, each one unique and inspired in its own right. There’s a curry puff derived from the film Masam Masam Manis, a reverse take on the classic where the pastry arrives hollow and crisp, and the filling, smoked chicken, is served on the side as a rich, dippable confit potato, finished with a curried espuma and a dusting of curry leaf powder.
There’s also the dish inspired by Musang Berjanggut, which pairs fragrant nasi lemuni with coral lobster, bathed in a torch-ginger sambal that’s fiery, floral, and unmistakably local, a dish that feels both comforting and refined at once.
But it’s the opening course that truly sets the tone, and it was one of the most interactive parts of the evening.
Before anything hit the table, we watched a clip from Laksamana Do Re Mi, complete with its iconic magical flying mat. Then, right on cue, we found ourselves chanting along: “Zam… Zam… Ala Kazam!” before a woven mat was rolled out in front of us, setting the stage for a trio of dishes: Tualang honey-roasted quail paired with pomelo chutney, a bright young mango kerabu, and Haji Ali’s crispy beef lung.
Of course, there was also the interactive course drawn from Pendekar Bujang Lapok: a betel leaf-spiced fish cake, otak-otak in its most familiar form, hidden among six boxes. Only one held the next course. Get it wrong, and you’d chant “cobaan…” along with the rest of the table, just as they did in the film, before trying your luck again.
The Desserts
And not to forget the desserts, easily one of the most decadent parts of the night. There’s one inspired by Nasib Labu dan Labi, a comforting pumpkin dessert sweetened with gula apong. Then comes the finale taken from Ali Baba Bujang Lapok, where guests roll dice to unveil the closing sweets: a pairing of pineapple praline and pineapple pâté de fruit.
A Tribute Beyond The Table
Beyond the food, the evening is rounded out with live music throughout, drawing from P. Ramlee’s much-loved song catalogue, keeping that cinematic thread alive between courses. The space itself is dressed with pieces of his legacy too, original artefacts and archival items presented in collaboration with the P. Ramlee Memorial House and Arkib Negara Malaysia, offering a closer, more personal look at the man behind the films. It all comes together to create a warm, nostalgic atmosphere, a genuine tribute to a figure so deeply woven into Malaysia’s shared cultural memory.
Catch This One-Of-A-Kind Curated P. Ramlee Experience
Malam Gala Malaysiaku: The P. Ramlee Premiere is being presented across four nights in total, on 30 and 31 August, and 15 and 16 September 2026, from 6:00 PM to 10:30 PM at The Brasserie, The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur. Having experienced it ourselves on the 31st, we can say the remaining two nights are well worth catching before the experience wraps up for good.
Malam Gala Malaysiaku: The P. Ramlee Premiere
- The Brasserie, Level 2
- The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur
- 15 & 16 September 2026
- 6:00 PM – 10:30 PM
- MYR 428 nett per person
