Just An Ordinary Girl

Photo By: Elin Chow
Official Website: Thirty8

Last month, my husband brought me to Thirty8 at Grand Hyatt Hotel to celebrate my birthday. It was quite a surprise because this was the first time he actually planned a birthday celebration for me.

Located strategically on the 38th floor of Grand Hyatt Hotel, directly opposite of Petronas Twin Towers and Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, Thirty8 is arguably one of the most recommended restaurant in Kuala Lumpur for Fine Dining.


Everything is impressive at the Grand Hyatt. From the moment we walked into the hotel, I was filled with awe at the tall ceiling and the gleaming marble flooring. We stepped into a very grand and spacious concourse featuring a very calm water feature and a magnificent staircase that leads to the opulent ball room. It was absolutely impressive! There is no lobby, only a small concierge desk and a set of express lifts that will transport you to the highest floor of the building.


To get to Thirty8, you will need to take an express lift directly from the concourse directly to the sky lobby on the 39th floor and walk down a flight of stairs to the 38th floor. We found it a little confusing because we were used to taking the lift at the ground floor lobby straight up to the rooms and restaurant. But at Grand Hyatt, the lobby is actually located on the highest floor of the building. From there, you will need to transfer to another set of "local" lifts to get to the rooms.


"WOW!" I gasped as the lift door opens on the 39th floor. The sky lobby is circular in shape and boasts a great sweep of immense floor-to-ceiling windows that offers a completely uninterrupted 360 degree view of Kuala Lumpur skyline.


You will find the reception desks in one corner with several clusters of sofas scattered throughout the rest of the circular space, and of course, a breathtaking view that you will never forget. Everywhere we look, we were greeted by spectacular panoramic city views. Right before our eyes, the glorious Petronas Twin Towers stood against the night sky, illuminated in a bright white, which also makes a excellent backdrop for photo. You will find the iconic KL Towers far in the distance as well. It was so beautiful!



Nestled on the 38th floor at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Thirty8 is an award-winning dining room, consisting of a wine bar, lounge area and a restaurant. Walking down a flight of stairs from the sky lobby, you will first be greeted by the bar & lounge section with stunning view of the city. It is a great place for guests to gather and relax with a glass of wine or signature cocktail while enjoying the picturesque view.
The restaurant offers intimate dining setting, paired with an extravagant city view. Large floor to ceiling glass windows offers a  magnificent 360-degree view of the Kuala Lumpur city center and Petronas Twin Towers. The ambience is incredibly cozy and relaxing, which makes it the perfect place for a romantic date.


My husband had already made a reservation for us before our visit and I am glad that we were seated near the window with a great view of the Twin Towers. It is best that you make a reservation and request for a table facing the Petronas Twin Towers if you wish to get a good seat with a good view.



Featuring a lively open kitchen, the restaurant has a diverse menu, serving authentic chinese, Japanese and Western cuisines that are bound to delight diners' taste buds. The menu offers a few selection of steaks such as Australia Wagyu and premium Black Angus prepared from grill oven, as well as freshly cut and sashimi platters. Choices are pretty limited but enough to satisfy any palate.


A loaf of freshly baked bread served with butter after we have made our order. Do not worry, this is free and you would not need to pay a single cent for the bread. You can eat this while waiting so you would not get too hungry since the food will take some time to arrive.

Roasted Wild Mushroom Soup with Thyme Croutons (RM 45)
The Roasted Wild Mushroom Soup was deliciously creamy and full of mushroom flavour. Portion size is surprisingly huge and very filling. We could not finish it even when we were sharing.

Australian Black Angus Sirloin 250G (RM 185)

For my main course, I ordered the Australian Black Angus sirloin steak to try. There are 4 different cuts of steak to choose from - Sirloin, Rib-Eye, Tenderloin and Chateaubriand. I wanted to order rib-eye but it is so expensive and way out of our budget. In the end, I had the cheapest cut of steak, which is sirloin.

The steak is very lean because it has very little fats and connective tissue. Even though the meat is a little tough to eat, it is full of flavor.

Australian Lamb Chops & Green Asparagus (RM 212) 

My husband had Australian Lamb Chop & Green Asparagus. I actually prefer the lamb chop to my Black Angus steak. Well, I usually dislike lamb because of that strong lamby smell. But this is surprisingly good despite of that smell. The meat was very tender and juicy and full of flavor. Definitely a delight to eat! I love the green asparagus too. They are very fresh and perfectly cooked until tender but crunchy.

For both the steak and lamb chop, there were 8 different sauces to choose from - bearnaise, mushroom cream, peppercorn, Chimichurri - Parsley, Oregano, Garlic, Chili, Lemon and Olive Oil. I chose bearnaise to go with my steak and my husband chose mushroom cream.

Thirty8 Signature Cake

The Thirty8 Signature Cake is served on a white cake stand with dome lid, fogged up with dry ice. What a grand entrance! We could not see what is inside the fogged dome lid, so I guess it is kind of a surprise. Once lifted, warm caramel sauce is being poured over the chocolate cake, which melts cake slowly to reveal a chocolate mousse center. Served with banana ice cream and raspberries, the chocolate cake was rich and has an almost melt-in mouth texture with just the right amount of sweetness. It was so sinfully delicious!


Overall, we have an enjoyable night at Thirty8. The service team was very professional, attentive and friendly. Even so, I feel that there are still room for improvement. It takes longer time for the food order to be served as every order is meticulously prepared and wonderfully crafted We probably waited for about 40 minutes for our food to be served.

Food wise, it was good, but not impressive and definitely not up to my expectation. Even though the portions size may look small, they were actually very filling. We were so full that we could not finish everything we ordered, even though we did not really ordered a lot.
Of course, prices are high, which is expected in such an upscale restaurant. But even so, we still feel that it was a little too overpriced, given the quality of food. And seriously, charging RM 30 for a bottle of mineral water is just too ridiculous. We feel that we were actually paying more for the ambience and view than for the food.

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