[Hong Kong] KITCHEN at W Hong Kong - Seafood Galore Buffet Dinner

Rating: ❤❤❤1/2

I think most people have a love or hate relationship with buffets - you either love the idea of being able to sample a variety of food in one meal or you hate having to sacrifice quality for quantity and getting all stuffed after a meal. It's a good idea though when you have a big group of friends or family and if you can't decide on where to go, a buffet is usually a good idea because it will most likely have a bit of what everyone wants! I recently went to check out KITCHEN at the W Hotel in Kowloon which not only serves international cuisine buffet but also different themes from Monday to Thursday for even more variety from 6pm-10pm for $558/adult and $279/child.

Monday - Seafood Galore

Tuesday - Mediterranean Coast

Wednesday - Butchers BBQ

Thursday - Japanese Robata

I was here on a Monday night so I got to feast on all-you-can-eat seafood! 

Before I started stuffing my face, the whimsical decor at the restaurant caught my eyes from the white peacock made with wheels at the entrance to the moving Mona Lisa digital art piece to the golden eggs wall where you can check your eyesight by trying to find the 10 white eggs among the sea of gold. 

I started my night off with smoked salmon for which there were 3 kinds - regular, dill and coriander. All three kinds were delightful to eat especially with a pinch of lemon juice but the ones in the jar were a bit bland though. 

Moving on to the stars of the night - seafood! - the usual suspects you'd find at a seafood buffet are all here: mussels, yabby, brown bread crabs, Boston lobsters, Boston lobster claws and snow crab legs. The most popular item has got to be the snow crab legs as I saw a woman building a mountain with them on a single plate! My favorite were the snow crab legs too because it was flavorful with a briny sea salt taste while the yabby which is a freshwater crayfish was also surprisingly delicious to eat. The Boston lobster and claws however were quite bland and could have used some melted butter dip to dress it up. 

The oyster bar may look sparse but that's because the oysters were gone the minute the kitchen replenished them! The oysters available that night were the North Bay oysters from Washington, US and the Marennes-Oléron from France. Both kinds were fresh with different characteristics - the Washington had a more briny taste while the France had a more creamy texture. 

Since it was also Green Monday, I went to the salad bar to get my greens. The salad had an array of salads including the ever trendy quinoa option along with cold cuts and cheese.

 

The sushi bar had rolls, nigiri and sashimi with salmon, tuna, clams and more.

Right next to the sushi was a noodle bar where you can choose from 4 kinds of soup - chicken, Thai spicy, Japanese pork and wonton. I tried the Thai spicy soup with thick noodles and a bit of everything but the soup could have been spicier and more fragrant if it was supposed to be a Tom Yum soup.

 

The meat station had 2 kinds of meat to choose from - a Waygu beef rump and a pork rack. Both looked tantalizing but texture was a bit tough and chewy while the flavors were there. 

 

The rest of the hot food included curry chicken, sauteed vegetables, roast items, steamed fish, dim sums, foie gras, clams, salmon and more. 

 

When I first saw the massive dessert bar, I couldn't wait to get to the desserts!

I have a weak spot for chocolate fountains and dipped some marshmallows right away! The chocolate was quality and not oily so it was tasty to eat. You can also dip fruits as well or basically anything you want to be covered in chocolate for that matter!

This pool table dessert complete with a cue stick caught my eye!

Cake pops anyone?

Bread and butter pudding!

And finally...a potted plant? It's actually a tiramisu dessert with chocolate cookie crumbs on top to resemble soil. The leaf was also edible as it was made of white chocolate. I loved this whimsical dessert but would have preferred more espresso or coffee flavor in the sponge cake to balance the mascarpone. 

Verdict - the KITCHEN is certainly a beautiful place to dine at with its chic decor, views of the sea and superb service but its value for money and variety may not be enough compared to competition. People love buffets for the ability to sample as many different things as they can to get their money's worth and with increasingly competition like The Grand Buffet which just took over the revolving spot on top of Hopewell, I think the heat in the KITCHEN just got hotter and the restaurant needs to step up its game with higher quality and more quantity. 

* By Invitation

KITCHEN at W Hong Kong
1 Austin Road West, Kowloon
Tel: 3717 2299
http://www.w-hongkong.com/en/kitchen

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