Dinner In The Sky @ Kuala Lumpur Malaysia : Our Priceless Experience

Written by @joehairie
Photos by curiostraveller.com

Believe it or not, it’s our 2nd Dinner in The Sky. Twice in 2017. Why? Because it’s one unusual dinner experience, as listed by Forbes and whatever that is unusual, count us in. We are big fans of  Dinner In The Sky. We’re both are in between ‘addicted’ and ‘scared’ to heights, so tell us the current location of Malaysia’s Dinner In The Sky and we will be there! Our first experience was in Kota Kinabalu and this time around in Kuala Lumpur, specifically Bukit Bintang.

About Dinner In The Sky Malaysia

Brought to you by TwoSpicy Entertainment, Dinner In The Sky is currently available in Malaysia and Thailand in the South East Asian region. Already a well-known brand of entertainment, this innovative Belgian-based experience has hosted more than 5,000 dinner events in 40 cities around the world. Iconic locations have included the Kuala Lumpur Tower, the Marina of Dubai, Villa Borghese in Rome, Athens, Copacabana Beach, and Cape Town.

Dinner In The Sky observes its safety measures to an utmost level. While seated guests will wear safety belts, standing presenter and crew are secured by safety harnesses all the time during the flight. A safety supervisor will brief patrons about all the safety regulations prior to the flight and will be in constant communication with the crane operator and ground crew for a smooth flight. The experience has been approved by TÜV SÜD, the German organization that validates the safety of products of all kinds to protect humans and the environment against hazards.

On The Ground

Walking towards the waiting lounge, we passed by this semi-coated airplane, an old B737. It’s written there, coming soon! …and @Lan who is the most curious person I have ever met, kept asking me questions that I really don’t have the answer. “Why is there a plane on the ground, in the city?” “Is Arvin the CEO is up to something unusual again?” “Do you think they are going to make it ‘floating’ up there?”. The questions, endless.

We entered a beautifully erected medium-sized tent and soon we realized that we’re in SkyLand Malaysia. “What on earth is SkyLand?” asked @Lan, again. I have no answer for him. Perhaps it refers to both Dinner in The Sky and Plane in The City or #PITC as highlighted in the CEO’s Instagram account. I beg @Lan to concentrate on today’s program and to think about the plane later.

Yes, as in any functions, we came early, way ahead of everyone else, although our ‘flight’ is at 6.30pm. Obviously we’re super excited. The staff manning the reception counter were surprised to see us as it’s still 5pm. Smiling genuinely, they politely greeted and briefed us of what’s coming up. They asked for our names and each of us had to sign an indemnity and waiver form.

“You’re both are the first to come” said one of the staff and she then escorted us to the waiting lounge. She invited us to choose our preferred seating area. Inside, it’s quite spacious with plenty of comfy sofas to sit on and another section with tables for 4 pax each, altogether enough for 22 pax, as counted by @Lan. There’s an empty space on the other side of the sofas and probably that’s gonna be the waiting area for those booked on that Plane In The City.

There are some lockers available for those who come with big items. Surely no one needs to have that large handbags while being up in the air, so this is where unnecessary items will be stored. There’s a bar in this waiting lounge. The staff came to us and gave us the beverage menu. He asked us if we need to order anything for our dinner, to which we politely said no. We did order two cokes anyway as we’re thirsty. Those who wish not to order any beverage to have for dinner will be given free flow of juice and drinking water.

At 5.30pm, some people showed up and same as us, they signed their forms and were ushered to the waiting lounge. At this point, some insisted to have their photos taken and after bits of flash here and there, all were happy and excited, getting ready for the boarding. Some decided to head for the washroom, some were sitting quietly and some faked their smiles, we knew they’re super nervous. We’ve seen all that in Kota Kinabalu. It’s time to have that sweaty hands! 6.10pm was when we’re all invited, one by one, by numbers, to go on board that platform!

Boarding

I was particularly nervous but excited that I didn’t realize I was already ‘glued’ to my seat! It won’t be long now before ‘the flight’! This indeed gets my adrenaline going, kind of hoping on that roller coaster ride. I guess to retreat is already too late now. It reminds both of us a lot of our first experience in Kota Kinabalu.

While still on the ground, staff started plating the appetizer for all 22 diners. Then it was that final safety check. Ground staff going for the final round, ensuring everyone (diners and crew) were safely seated with safety belts and harnesses on. It was during this particular moment that I get to see some diners with stiff expression!

The pre ‘Flight’

It didn’t take long before ground staff gave that green light and staff made some announcement as well as trying to cheer-up the nervous diners (including both of us!). Here are some short videos of our ‘ pre-flight’. We kindly remind you that it is best if you personally experience Dinner In The Sky. No videos or blog posts will be able to fully describe the experience, soulfully. You need to be here and experience yourself.

Dinner

The official caterer is Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur. During reservation, we were asked of our preferred main course. There are 4 options: Beef, Chicken, Fish or Vegetarian. I opted for Beef while @Lan, Chicken. I have to say that Sheraton Imperial team did a good job as all plates were well-presented and food tasted great, amazingly delicious. Soon as we’re lifted, staff religiously served meals, course by course.

Appetizer 
Smoked Duck Breast serve with Braised Belgium Endive, Raspberry, Crumbled Feta Cheese, Essence Orange Balsamic Dressing with Walnut. Duck Breast was tender and every elements on the plate complemented each other. Endive, was a bit bitter, which means though being braised, ably to retained its freshness. The dressing elevated the taste of all elements, especially the Duck Breast.

Main Course  – Peri-peri Black Chicken Thigh with Mashed Potato and Saute Asparagus. @Lan had this and according to him it’s great in terms of portion, presentation and taste. Of all elements on the plate, the mashed potato was his favorite. Though he adored the taste and texture of that Chicken Thigh, he personally prefer it to be a bit spicy but overall he was pleased and satisfied.

Main Course Grilled Striploin, Mushroom Ragout, Salsa Verde and Mashed Potato. Beef; juicy and tender, cooked just the way I prefer and yes I must agree with @Lan that the mashed potato was amazingly great in taste and texture.

Probably, though caterers served great foods, most diners weren’t totally into the meals as all of us were actually mesmerized by the view of Kuala Lumpur city. The rotating platform made all of us paid full attention towards whatever down there or buildings around us. I guess Dinner In The Sky is about enjoying the view, conquering fear of heights and at the same time try your very best to please your palate. True foodies however will be able to to tell whether the food are of high quality. In our case, we confirmed that Sheraton Imperial’s team did a great job!

The ‘descent’ 

While descending, the platform rotated once again. It rotated before to allow the photographer to take individual or group photos that were printed and shown to all diners at the lounge. It cost RM35 for each printed photo (including soft copy) but do take note that purchasing is optional. We recommend you to purchase it as you will get that priceless soft copy which you can upload to your Instagram! But again, that is up to you. It’s one great memento anyway. We had ours, uploaded as the featured image of this entry.

Our Thoughts

It’s one of the best thing that we did in Kuala Lumpur. In fact, it’s the best of the best, a great way to celebrate New Year 2018. We went for this particular Dinner In The Sky on December 31, 2017. The feeling of being able to experience it for the second time, in different location is something that really make us proud.

The experience is priceless. There’s no comparison to it unless there’s another Dinner In The Sky somewhere else in Malaysia. The foods served for dinner were amazingly delicious, well-presented and well-suited for everyone. Ground staff in the lounge, at the platform area and in the platform were friendly, polite and attentive.

We’re baffled with some negative reviews in TripAdvisor. Some claimed that staff were not professional. What we saw was positive working attitude. When we came here to experience the whole thing, it turned out to be entirely different from those negative remarks.

If you are planning to visit Kuala Lumpur, we highly recommend Dinner In The Sky for you to experience, as it is among the top attractions in the city. It’s once in a lifetime thing to do, unless you are on the same boat as us, repeating customers at different locations! 

Pricey? Well, let me tell you something, it’s priceless after your own experience. Something to be remembered for quiet a long time. 

About TwoSpicy Entertainment (Event Organizer) 
TwoSpicy Entertainment has grown to be one of the major players in the Malaysian event business, organizing all kinds of events from live concerts to obstacle challenges, such as; Datuk Shah Rukh Khan 2014, Avicii Live in Malaysia, We Love Asia featuring Pitbull, The Maze Challenge Asia and others.