Wednesday, June 19, 2019

When Weekend Buffet Was the Perfect Thing To Do

I am not the kind who usually vouch for all-you-can-eat menus, but this time we went along to one at The Tai Pan at The Murray hotel recently, joining a few friends of ours for a family gathering a few weekends ago.

Going for buffet-style brunch does have a clear advantage when kids were involved, as they could just go around choosing whatever food they wanted, without having us adults dealing with that specifically. And the one at The Tai Pan went one step further as far as kids-friendliness is concerned, with activities and programs designed to keep the little ones happy and occupied. The day we went they had someone walking around making balloon animals and toys. Appreciate their thoughtfulness.

And there were plenty for the grown-ups as well. The menu was actually in the form of semi-buffet – that means there were dishes available in the common area, and we also got to choose our main course prepared a la minute inside the kitchen. For the buffet courses, there’s everything from the cold cuts, salads, savory and sweet pastries and a few hot dishes too, including the roast and even Peking Duck. I was most impressed with the spread of desserts including all the beautiful mini cakes, macarons, canapes and the ice cream cabinet!


A few other dishes were brought to our table as well, starting with the oyster platter, then an egg course (poached and served with lobster ragout) and soup (green asparagus “cappuccino”). We could pick one of the six main course choices and I went for the pan-seared barramundi. It’s on par of my expectation, with the fillet well-seasoned and seared with the crisped skin, and served with bell pepper piperade underneath and a simple salad on the side.

The add-on drink package is not something uncommon these days but I thought the one offered here was especially good. Of course one couldn’t go wrong with some Champagne to start, and I also felt the Aperol Spritz was good for a leisure weekend afternoon like this. One could also go for juices, wines, beers plus a few other cocktail selections. With kids being taken care of, us adults can take comfort with a few sips while enjoying the food. That, I guess, is why I thought buffet brunch such as this was perfect for the occasion.

When? June 2 2019
Where? The Tai Pan at The Murray, 22 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Pan-seared Barramundi with Bell Peppers Piperade
Drinks? Champagne Ruinart "R de Ruinart" Brut NV


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