Following on from the seafood feast I had the night before, I am at the Harbourside restaurant at the InterContinental Hotel for a buffet dinner. My wife was lucky enough to win a pair of tickets to dine here.
This is probably Hong Kong's most famous buffet as it is the most expensive in town. It's situated at their basement but you still get good views of Hong Kong island past the harbour, as suggested by their name and from the photograph below.
It was busy, being the weekend and we had reserved a table. We were shown are seats quickly, asked what we wanted for our welcome drink and then told to help ourselves.
For my next visit I chose some of the more extravagant dishes they had to offer such as Seafood Birds Nest Soup and Foie Gras. The soup was a thick broth, which did not have a great flavour and with stringy bits of 'nest' and nothing amazing. I liked the foie gras a lot more; it was pan fried and soft, which I placed on top of small toasted pieces of bread.
I moved onto the meats afterwards. Wagyu beef was overcooked for my liking. It was too well done as the chef at the cooking station had already fried several pieces before, which was a little disappointing. However, I think you can request for a slice to be cooked the way you want it if required. The lamb was better, as I did not mind the level of how well it was cooked too much.
By contrast to the Wagyu, the roast beef was bloody but still edible, if a little chewy. I also took some sauteed vegetables and roast potatoes to compliment it and make it look more like a Sunday lunch, although they did not have Yorkshire pudding.
This is probably Hong Kong's most famous buffet as it is the most expensive in town. It's situated at their basement but you still get good views of Hong Kong island past the harbour, as suggested by their name and from the photograph below.
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| View from our table |
From my first visit to the food counters I picked various cold seafoods and sashimi to start with. With the seafood platter, I decided not to take too much, given the amount of seafood I are the precious night. The lobster was good, squid was not too chewy and the nice seafood salad I picked had dry prawns and tomatoes in it. The salmon and tuna sashimi was fresh and raw.
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Seafood Platter on left, Sashimi on right
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| Seafood Bird's Nest Soup |
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Foie Gras
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I moved onto the meats afterwards. Wagyu beef was overcooked for my liking. It was too well done as the chef at the cooking station had already fried several pieces before, which was a little disappointing. However, I think you can request for a slice to be cooked the way you want it if required. The lamb was better, as I did not mind the level of how well it was cooked too much.
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| Wagyu Beef and Lamb Chop |
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| Roast Beef |
A dish that was not pictured was Fried crab in garlic and ginger, which I felt was the nicest main dish I ate.
I then moved onto desserts. I shared a plate with my wife initially. She took a lot of macarons as show in the photograph, all of varying flavour, with the raspberry one being the one I like the most. There were also several cakes on that plate, which were all very nice, the standout one for me was the lemon cake, which had that sour and citrus taste to it.
A second visit to the dessert counter followed and I ordered a pancake to be cooked and also took a Portuguese Tart. The pancake was a thin crepe stuffed with a lot of blueberries and strawberries, probably a bit too much. The tart is very much like the Hong Kong Egg Tart except the pastry is a bit puffier and its a bit sweeter, which I really like.
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| Portuguese Tart & Pancake |
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| Various Desserts |
Background music was provided by the live band playing in the bar upstairs. Due to the open nature of the hotel building, the sound filtered downstairs to the restaurant so it was not too loud or distracting. They played an eclectic mix that included Gangnam Style!
Whilst the food here is good it is not exceptional and could do with fresh oysters perhaps to add more value for money? The dining hall is comfortable and stylish but at peak times it does get slightly crowded so one has to be careful when walking with a plateful of food. Waiters are friendly and are quick enough to clear your plate once finished to keep the table clear. Overall a pleasant experience, however given the price you pay I do not think I will be coming back in a hurry.
Whilst the food here is good it is not exceptional and could do with fresh oysters perhaps to add more value for money? The dining hall is comfortable and stylish but at peak times it does get slightly crowded so one has to be careful when walking with a plateful of food. Waiters are friendly and are quick enough to clear your plate once finished to keep the table clear. Overall a pleasant experience, however given the price you pay I do not think I will be coming back in a hurry.
Scores
Food: 3/5
Presentation 3/5
Service: 3/5
Setting: 4/5
Total Bill: Nothing due to the prize draw. However it's $790 (plus service charge) a head usually, so about £70.
Food: 3/5
Presentation 3/5
Service: 3/5
Setting: 4/5
Total Bill: Nothing due to the prize draw. However it's $790 (plus service charge) a head usually, so about £70.
I ate: All of the above.
I drank: A glass of Merlot as a welcome drink and Darjeeling tea towards the end of the meal. Both were included in the price. Water was also served throughout our dinner.
I wore: A pair of Loake shoes for the first time in Hong Kong.
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