A gastronomic weekend affair | Bangkok Post: food

EATING Out

Sunday brunch buffets have become all the rage here in Bangkok over the past 12 months. Every top hotel offers this weekend affair with prices to match the quality. Though most of them present practically the same kind of food, each is cherished differently and each caters to a different crowd. Having reviewed the Sunday brunches of almost every five-star hotel in the city over the year, Real.Time has finally come up with a list of our top picks.

Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok

Ratchadamri Road

Tel 02-250-1000

Open: 11:30am-3pm

Price: 2,350 baht with open bar,

900 baht for children 4-12 years

In brief: Impressive variety of top quality food confirming the hotel's long-cherished culinary reputation.

The venue: Spread over three outlets - Madison, a 80-seat fine steakhouse; Spice Market, a Thai restaurant; and Aqua, an al fresco dining lounge - in the courtyard.

Cuisines: Italian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese, Mediterranean and Western-style steaks.

Items worth snatching: Foie gras (offered in four different versions: pan-fried with port wine sauce, as a terrine, as a sausage, or in custard with a hint of truffle oil), caviar, lobster, wagyu beef and lamb chops. Imported seafood includes oysters, rock lobsters, tiger prawns, scallops, mussels, crab legs and crab claws - both ready-to-eat and cooked-to-order.

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Centara Grand at CentralWorld

Rama I Road

Tel 02-100-6255

Open: 11:30am-3pm

Price: 1,490 baht with open bar

In brief: One of Bangkok's largest venues for Sunday brunch with more than 20 food stations.

The venue: Spread over 2,000 square metres and taking over two restaurants - The World and Ginger - on the hotel's 24th floor with a panoramic view of the city. The long line of culinary delights stretching from one end of the building to the other can present quite a challenge.

Cuisines: Western, Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Mediterranean.

Items worth snatching: Barbecued pork and roasted duck from the Chinese barbecue station; the Japanese-style pan-grilled beef, pork, chicken and seafood from the teppanyaki counter; a large selection of sushi and sashimi; pan-seared foie gras with fruit sauce; chilled and cooked imported seafood; international desserts and homemade Japanese ice cream.

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Marriott Cafe

JW Marriott Bangkok, ground floor

Sukhumvit Soi 2

Tel 02-656-7700

Open: 11:30am-3pm (Sat & Sun)

Price: 1,600 baht (2,300 baht with open bar)

In brief: With everything in easy scope, this medium-size venue is one of the most diner-friendly brunch buffet places in the country - and among the most popular, too.

The venue: A 180-seat restaurant with a sensible food layout. All food stations are set at the centre of the dining hall, which makes it more convenient for parties with kids and older people.

Cuisines: Western, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Indian.

Items worth snatching: Chilled seafood from tiger prawns and mussels to king crab legs and rock lobster; prepared-to-order pasta dishes and foie gras; grilled Australian beef tenderloin lamb chops (made from chilled, not frozen, grain-fed lamb); and lamb osso buco with mashed potatoes from the hot dish station. There is a nice variety of sashimi and handrolled, cone-shaped sushi and maki; wagyu prime ribs (not many places offer this premium Japanese beef in their buffet line); and Chinese-style crispy suckling pig.

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Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit

Between Sukhumvit Soi 14 and 16

Tel 02-649-8353

Open: 11:30am-3pm

Price: 2,350 baht with open bar,

1,250 baht for children

In brief: An enthralling array of food accompanied by charming tunes from a world-class jazz act.

The venue: Set almost non-systematically on the hotel's first floor and spread over three restaurants - The Living Room, Rossini and Basil - and the hallway.

Cuisines: Italian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Mediterranean.

Items worth snatching: Mediterranean cold cuts; freshly-prepared Thai entrees and appetisers; Asian-style hot dishes especially the plump and crispy sesame prawns; and barbecued meat and Peking duck rolls. Chilled imported seafood includes king crab legs, rock lobster, oyster, fish roe and caviar with freshly-made blinis. For meats, there are roasted lamb rack, prime ribs and tenderloin steak. There's a huge line of international sweets and a lovely corner where as many as a dozen ice cream and sorbet flavours are available.

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The Rain Tree Cafe

Plaza Athenee Bangkok

Witthayu Road

Tel 02-650-8800

Open: Noon-3pm

Price: 3,040 baht net with open bar,

800 baht net for children

In brief: One of the most extravagant buffet brunches in Bangkok.

The venue: Set in the 190-seat, glass-facaded Rain Tree Cafe on the ground floor.

Cuisines: Western, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Mediterranean.

Items worth snatching: Rougie foie gras is served in three different styles - terrine, creme brulee and pan-fried. Imported seafood includes Maine lobster and Japanese scallops, which can be enjoyed chilled with your preferred dipping sauce or cooked the way you want; as well as oysters from across the globe. There are Chinese-style steamed crab, dim sum and Peking duck, eggs Benedict and mini hamburgers with home-cut fries. Desserts are made with Swiss Valhrona chocolate and Movenpick ice cream.

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The Atrium

Landmark Hotel Bangkok

Sukhumvit Road

Tel 02-254-0404

Open: 11:45am-3pm

Price: 1,700 baht net

50% discount for four or more persons

In brief: The locally owned hotel offers a wide variety of no-nonsense food at a very affordable price.

The venue: Set at the Atrium restaurant on the lobby level with big dessert counter and cocktail bar arranged at the adjacent Rendezvous Bar.

Cuisines: Western, Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Mediterranean.

Items worth snatching: Top-quality seafood includes Alaskan king crabs, New Zealand mussels, imported oysters, rock lobsters, blue crabs, tiger prawns, Venus clams and escargot from the chilled seafood bar. There are sushi, sashimi and tempura; wagyu prime rib; honey roasted ham and stuffed turkey; and pork, poultry, red meat and goose liver cooked a la minute. Desserts include authentic Thai sweets prepared to order.

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55 Restaurant

Centara Grand at CentralWorld

Tel 02-100-6255

Open: First Sunday of the month, 11am-3pm

Price: 2,555 baht

In brief: Though it seems a bit pricey, this monthly, extraordinary buffet has proved to offer true value for money.

The venue: 55 Restaurant on the 55th floor with breathtaking views of Bangkok.

Cuisines: Prime-grade, Western-style seafood and steak with fine champagne.

Items worth snatching: Prepared to order lobster Thermidore, baked Rockefeller and Kilpatrick oysters, Hokkaido scallops and Alaskan sole fish from the Surf menu; char-grilled Australian lamb chops, USDA dry-aged New York strip and grilled Iberico pork from the Turf menu; lobster sashimi and wagyu sashimi from the Japanese counter; steamed mussels with spicy white wine sauce; freshly carved Joselito ham; foie gras apple terrine; and baked-to-order berry souffle.

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China House

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok

Charoen Krung Road

Tel 02-659-9000

Open: 11:30am-2:30pm (Sun)

Price: 980 baht (1,380 baht with free-flow wine)

In brief: The country's most celebrated hotel offers one of the most inexpensive, all-you-can-eat Chinese meals.

The venue: China House, a 90-seat restaurant set in a century-old, merchant's mansion in front of the hotel.

Cuisines: Haute Hong Kong-style fare and dim sum..

Items worth snatching: Hong Kong-style dim sum varieties, especially shrimp mousse in crispy tofu skin and crispy waffle rolls filled with Pacific clams and leeks; Hong Kong-style seared beef tenderloin with black peppercorn; crispy squid tossed with five-spice salt; steamed snow fish with soy sauce; stir-fried crispy chicken with sweet and savoury vinegar sauce; deep-fried prawn with green mustard; chilled drunken chicken; crispy suckling pig and shark's fin soup.