Mary and I thought it would be fun to discuss the merits of the buffet and a la carte restaurant. Often maligned, I feel the buffet restaurant needs a bit of support.
Dispel those images of ‘buffet’ food sat under hot lamps begging to be rescued from a life of congealment. Banish the idea that insects have had free reign over your chips. Destinology don’t feature any restaurants that might jog your memory of childhood restaurant misery.
Now, I don’t want to sit on either fence, but here’s a little story to blow away all those pre-conceptions you might have about the buffet restaurant...
On a recent visit to Abu Dhabi, I ate at one of the best restaurants in the Middle East, namely Le Vendome Brasserie at the fantastic Emirates Palace. It’s not billed as ‘buffet’ – but it is.
Elegant and sophisticated, the food here is quite outstanding. Any preference will be covered with constantly replenished fine dining dishes fresh from the kitchen.
To name but a few, there was a fusion of cultures like Teriyaki Chicken, Mexican Quesadilla, Indian Lamb Jalfrezi, Baked Seabass with Rocksalt – with all featuring optional tasty side dishes. Inventive vegetarian dishes like Porcini Mushroom Risotto with Truffles also graced the presentation table. The main challenge for me was what on earth to put on my plate.
I opted for a Mezze style starter plate involving home made vol-au-vents with salmon and cream cheese, supple grilled lemon scallops, light curried samosas, freshly baked trout and a crisp side salad with root vegetable cous cous. Where would you find that on an a la carte menu?
How many times do you look at a menu and ask the waiter if you can have the chicken but not the asparagus that comes with it? With a buffet option, you simply don’t get what you don’t want. And if you’re unsure (I’d never had oysters before) you just take a little and if you like, return for some more.
Delightful fresh roasted vegetables and creamed potatoes accompanied my roasted rack of lamb with redcurrant jus for my main course (plus a couple of pork kebabs that I liked the look of on the walk back to the table!), whilst my dessert involved fondue chocolate dipped fresh fruit, a slice of strawberry cheesecake and more than a handful of perfectly crafted dark chocolate Petis Fours.
The whole dining experience here was breathtaking, from the internal beauty of the Brasserie to the great service and beautiful food. It was a tailor made meal from heaven – and best of all, it was all of my choosing AND I could return for more if I wanted. I was quite full though!
Anything you don’t like the look of, you don’t put on your plate. None of the worries of having to send an entire dish back because you don’t like it after thinking you would.
So, choose the buffet option – this way you won’t be restricted to just one dish – and you won’t pay the extra for the privilege of having exactly what you want on your plate.
Oh dear, that fence I wasn’t going to sit on…