Sunday Brunch Alfresco

The unintentional series of Sunday brunches continues, this time at Seasons in Causeway Bay's Lee Garden. With such mild and pleasant weather now that winter is (almost) officially over, we couldn't have picked a better day to sit outside at the terrace of the restaurant in the midst of a busy shopping district and chill. I have been to this place a couple of times in recent months and enjoyed many of Chef Olivier's dishes here, and this latest promotion obviously struck a chord with many local customers, as it was packed on the day of our visit.

The Sunday brunch menu consists of a number of appetizer and dessert dishes served buffet-style while we could also pick one egg dish and a main course from the many choices to be served at the table – pretty much the winning formula for many brunch offerings in town. It's hard not to be distracted by the beautiful display of buffet dishes at the counter outside the open kitchen and bar as we walked in. I was impressed by the generous spread of fresh seafood served in an ice-bath with unlimited supply of lobsters, king crab legs, prawns and shucked oysters. That's in addition to the Smorgasbord and charcuterie platters, the salad bar, soup and cheeses, plus a number of meat, seafood and vegetable dishes available in canapé portion. (the beef tartare and tuna tataki - both served in little porcelain bowls - were excellent!)

Nothing wrong with the egg dishes though to be honest I expected a bit more creativity from the team. What we got were eggs to order served with hash brown, grilled tomatoes and bacon - basic stuff you would expect to get at say, any generic hotel coffee shop. My 63-degree egg was nicely presented in a fancy bamboo basket, but maybe they should consider doing a fancier potato side dish to make this more interesting. I like the variety of choices for the main courses, and my pick of roast beef striploin served with gravy, mashed potatoes and spinach was more than decent. Still a bit unoriginal, but I love the mashed potatoes done with a lot of butter for the smooth texture and rich flavor so I ain't complaining.

We couldn't wait to get back out to the bar area to fetch our desserts as soon as we finished with our main courses. And they were as delicious as they looked! I particularly loved the classic pear tart with the buttery crust and the sweet filling with a hint of vanilla and almond. All the other mini pastries I picked – eclairs, lemon tarts, caneles, mille-feuilles – were very good too. There’s also a eggette/gai daan zai station serving a matcha-flavored gai daan zai waffles with black sugar syrup and red bean paste for a cute touch of local-style sweets. There’s definitely no lack of choices of yummy dishes – only your appetite is the limit!

More pictures in my Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72157677986461763

(The meal was by invitation)

When? March 12 2017
Where? Seasons by Olivier Elzer, Shop 308, Lee Garden 2, 28 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Pear and Frangipane Tart
Drinks? Champagne Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut NV
Web: www.seasonsbyolivier.com