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2012-10-28
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My parents decided to try this place for lunch. They have a great Sunday mini-buffet option where you get to pick a main dish and then help yourself to an unlimited supply of soups, salads, and appetizers. When you have finished your meal, there is also a good selection of fresh fruit and one choice of cake for you to enjoy with your drink that is also included in the set. I called at around 11:10am to make a reservation for three. I was greeted by a man, who was very friendly. I told him I woul
I called at around 11:10am to make a reservation for three. I was greeted by a man, who was very friendly. I told him I would like to make a reservation. He told me to wait, and about 30 seconds later he noted my reservation down. We arrived promptly at 12:00pm and were seated immediately by the very friendly greeter.
Immediately upon entering the restaurant, you know that this is not an ordinary chain japanese dining facility. The decor is certainly unique. The room is filled with various potted plants and the ceiling columns are adorned with elaborate vinage. The tables are simple and are spaced well throughout the restaurant The chairs are very comfortable, however I believe that the pillow that is placed on the sofa part of the table is much too soft to give any decent back support. The sofa itself though is very comfy.
For a set menu there is really a lot of variety to choose from. You could pick from simple sashimi and sushi dishes, to rice pots, and noodles all ranging from the price of HK$150 - $370. We placed our orders and proceeded to peruse what the mini-buffet had to offer.
The Mini-Buffet:
I always enjoy sampling everything that a buffet has to offer. Starting on the top left hand corner, this was a simple egg and potato salad. I like how it looks like a scoop of ice cream, that is very creative. At first, I found the potato to be too rich. However, by the second bite, I found the overall flavour to be very satisfying. It was creamy, yet the acidity of the tomato (which I had on the second bite) helped to balance the dish very well. My dad really enjoyed this dish.
On the bottom left hand corner, we have a simple cabbage salad with thousand island and peanut dressing. Nothing special to report, and the only problem I had with it was that there was too much sauce which overwhelmed the salad.
On the top right hand corner, we have a simple shredded seaweed, cabbage and bean sprout salad. I really enjoyed this. It was a cold dish and combined both Japanese and Korean flavours. The dressing was sour, but very mild and there was sesame in it. However, what really gave it an extra dosage of goodness was the Korean kimchi flavour. Also, the portion looks very tiny, but the salad is packed together very tightly, so there is actually a lot more than there appears to be.
Finally, on the bottom right hand corner is the best appetizer of all; the soup. This soup is full of flavours and ingredients. There are mushrooms, tofu, cabbage, salmon, onions, and all of this simmers in a very light miso base. I also like how they place the soup in a clay pot and keep it simmering at the buffet, this ensures that it is nice and hot for everyone to enjoy. At first I thought the soup would be over seasoned, but it was just right. The mushrooms were very soft and also the salmon was cooked perfectly. My whole family would agree that this was the best part of the meal. The table was not set with any spoons, and we had to ask for soup spoons to enjoy this dish, however, these were quickly brought to us.
The Main:
For the price I paid, I was very disappointed by the amount I was given. The salmon was very fresh, but I thought it was sliced too thickly. The shrimp and remaining sashimi were average. The wasabi was excellent though, it dissolved seamlessly into the soya sauce.
This was piping hot when it was served. Once again, I was amazed by everything that was packed into this little pot. There was the wagyu beef (quite a large portion), the poached egg, onions, mushrooms, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots. It all looked very lovely in this pot. There was also a very large portion of rice, however, the rice was very soggy and I would have scored this dish with five smileys had it been more dry. I really appreciate, how the restaurant did not skimp on the amount of beef, unlike the sashimi. Every mouthful had plenty of beef to go with the rice. The mushrooms were also cooked with a teriyaki sauce, which made them full of flavour. I also give special props to the onions which were caramelised perfectly, and by this I meant that they were very soft and soggy, but when you bit into them, there was still a crunch. This is not easy to do.
This was over seasoned. I could not drink the soup at all. I only managed to eat the little pieces of steamed and fried tofu, which were cooked very well.
Dessert:
The coffee was really good. It had a very strong roasted flavour to it, which is my favourite kind. The cheesecake, although very small, was just right in terms of its richness and creaminess. I always judge a cheesecake by its crust, which is my favourite part and thought that it lacked any real crunch. I appreciated that we had the option to have brown or white sugar with our coffee. One small comment was that the fork that was provided to eat our cheese cake had two prongs, and was the size of a tooth pick, which made it quite difficult to eat the cake in anything more than a dainty little bite.
Overall, I would say this place has great value,great service, and a great environment. I would just come back to have that soup again. There are also many other options on the lunch the set that looked good, and I heard that they change the components of the buffet every week so I will definitely go back and try something new. The place was not very packed for prime lunch time.
Other Info. :
It seemed to me that the sushi bar is closed on Sundays during lunch as they place the buffet along the bar. I saw many guests come in and leave after asking if they could sit at the sushi bar.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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