the carvery, park hotel alexandra.
had heard good things about this roast-centric buffet, so i wanted to try it. came by for lunch with L on a monday afternoon. i have to say that it isn't exactly in the most convenient of spots by public transport, though.
it was, however, a good spot for a leisurely, quiet lunch. the restaurant was spacious, overlooking the rooftop pool. i liked that the tables were spaced quite far apart- no accidental eavesdropping.
we got a table right next to the full length glass windows. great lighting, and it was a quiet corner. service wasn't compromised, too. our plates were cleared promptly, which i appreciated.
it being called the carvery, of course we hit up the meats first.
three roasts available that day- chicken, beef and ham. we tried a bit of each the first time, before concluding that the chicken was the best of the lot. i usually am quite into beef, but i didn't quite take to their rendition. the chicken, however, was juicy and flavoursome, and we went back for several other helpings later on. they had a huge variety of sauces and condiments to go with the roasts, right at the roast counter.
there was also a salad counter, which also included prawns and mussels. no complaints- the seafood was fresh and the salads were reasonably good.
i was more excited by the hot sides, though! they had a long counter of hot sides, including interesting ones like polenta fries and sweet potato gratin. one gripe though- they had heating plates beneath the trays, but they don't seem to work very well. most of the food we got were lukewarm at best, which is quite a pity because i can imagine that the food would've tasted so much better hot.
aside from the hot sides, two types of soup (mushroom soup and beef and barley soup) and cheeses were also available. the soups were surprisingly no afterthought- piping hot and delicious. the mushroom soup, especially, was full of mushroomy, umami goodness.
then there was the pizza and pasta counter. they had an actual wood-fired oven, and they were making the pizzas on the spot! when i tried the pizza for the first time, i was disappointed, because with an oven like that, their pizzas should be good. then i realised that it was because, left out in the open, without any means of keeping warm other than a weak heating lamp above, the pizza had gone cold. so i kept a lookout and managed to nab a slice just as it came out of the oven. what a difference that made! the crust was crisp and fragrant, the cheese oozy and melty. they should really invest in better heating equipment, or make the pizzas a la minute.
i'm always looking forward to dessert. to me, it's what makes or breaks a buffet experience. the dessert counter was a small one, but it did not disappoint. i particularly liked the bread and butter pudding (but then again i'm always partial to it).
the buffet also came with a selection of coffee- lattes, cappuccinos and the like. it's a nice touch. it was the perfect ending to have coffee with desserts.
in all, it was a pretty respectable buffet. we paid about $34 each, because they were having an opening promotion (50% off the second diner, original price $38++ each), which was a really good deal. not a wide variety of things, but i would rather go for quality than quantity. might come back to try their dinner, which has a wider selection of items, including yorkshire pudding.
the carvery
park hotel alexandra
