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WL and I were at Sungai Wang today to do some additional shopping on top of all the shopping that we’ve already done this week. As we were going our rounds, we had this craving for fried chicken. Not wanting to go for the usual fast food outlets like Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Shakeys Pizza, McDonalds, or even A&W, we decided to go to Hartz Chicken Buffet instead.

Now there are two outlets that I know of. The first is in Sunway Pyramid and the second is located at Berjaya Times Square (BTS). The one at Sunway is cheaper than the BTS outlet. However, considering that we were in the vicinity, it should be obvious which one we chose.

We arrived at the restaurant at 7.30pm. As the name suggests, Hartz is a buffet restaurant, although it does have an alacarte menu as well. However, I should mention that while the ala carte is cheaper than the buffet meal (obviously), the food items are taken straight from the buffet spread. The buffet costs RM16.90 nett for adults. I can’t remember what the price is for children, but those below 2 years old eat for free. As I mentioned earlier, the outlet at Sunway is cheaper by about RM2.00 per person.

The main course on the buffet menu consists of three different types of chicken, namely fried chicken, hot and spicy chicken, and roasted chicken. It is complemented by an assortment of side dishes such as onion rings, french fries, yeat buns, mini cinamon rolls, chicken fillets, fish fingers, potato chips, chicken gizzards, and hot wings. The hot wings are WL’s favourite, but I don’t particularly like them cause it smells like week old sweat socks.

Additionally, there’s a seperate section serving western and local dishes. This consists of items such as mash potatoes, rice, stir fried vegetables, fried pumpkins strips, different varieties of soups, kidney beans, deep fried potatoes, chicken stew, sweet and sour toufu, and crispy potatoes. The menu for this section changes daily.

There is also a salad bar serving various cold salads, fresh vegetables with dressing, and an assortment of fresh fruits. The desert section has consists of a selection of biscuits, cakes, and of course, ice cream. I suggest leaving the biscuits and cakes alone cause more often than not, they are soft and stiff from exposure. The ice cream is good though. Finally, there’s a drinks counter which has the standard offering of softdrinks. I recommend the Seasons Iced Lemon Tea, which goes well with everything.

Although the outlet of Hartz Chicken Buffet at BTS is roughly the same size as the one at Sunway, it doesn’t see as much volume of customers as its sister outlet. We were there for about an hour. During that time, we saw about 20 people walking in and out of the restaurant. This is a relatively small number compared to the Sunway outlet which sees a higher turnover rate. This is probably because BTS gets a small number of visitors to begin with. The price might be another reason for the small volume.

For a buffet restaurant, a small volume of customers is a problem. It means that the food does not turn over as quickly as it should, resulting in the various dishes on offer being left on display for much longer than it should and getting cold. I noticed this immediately when I went to get my first helping of chicken. I usually select drumsticks since they are the easiest to chow down, but there were none available. The chicken, french fries, and onion rings were only luke warm. If it were not for the heated serving trays, I suspect that they would have been cold. This is in contrast to the Sunway outlet where the chicken is often fresh from the frier and piping hot.

I decided to wait a while before going for seconds. I was rewarded with a fresh batch of crispy fried chicken, four drumsticks in total. Now that’s more like it! All in, I ate 7 pieces of chicken, a selection of side orders and salads, and a little bit of each dish that was available. Not bad, all things considered.

It is especially fun if you go with good company. I remember my first time to Hartz was with a gang of friends after a long day at Sunway Lagoon. We were all starved and being alot younger back then, I must have chowed down on some 15 pieces of chicken.

Anyway, I do recommend Hartz Chicken Buffet if you have a sudden urge to binge on fried chicken. However, it is a little overpriced at BTS. Go to the outlet at Sunway Pyramid instead. It has better turnover and the dishes are usually fresh. However, the high turnover has its price. It is usually crowded during meal times and you most always have to fight for the chicken drumsticks when they are served.

Hartz Chicken Buffet
Outlets at Sunway Pyramid and Berjaya Times Square
Operation hours: Lunch through dinner