We have been to our fair share of hotel buffets in Sydney and thought we had seen it all, until we tried out Sheraton on the Park’s festive dinner at their signature restaurant Feast to kick off the Christmas season. Located upstairs from the hotel’s elegant lobby area, Feast offers an impressive selection of buffet dishes to tantalise all palates. From plentiful seafood to roast meats, there is something for everyone.
As veterans of the all-you-can-eat game, we were surprised (and very pleased) to find a well stocked seafood bar which never seemed to empty. There was a generous range of shellfish and crustaceans on offer, including 3 different types of crab (Spanner, Blue Swimmer and Jonah) and 2 kinds of prawn (Tiger and Banana). Our favourites from the seafood station were the plump Sydney rock oysters which were firm and succulent, served natural with a dash of lemon and also the easy-to-eat Balmain Bugs (the meat came out all in one go) – their sweet flesh tasted like a cross between a lobster and a prawn.
We ended up dunking our de-shelled Balmain Bug meat in our bowls of freshly made to order chicken egg noodle soup, served at the Asian cuisine section by the chefs who allow you to pick any condiments and toppings you like, such as chilli, Chinese greens, bean sprouts and spring onions.
Other Asian dishes on offer included a red curry, stir-fried prawn noodles, sticky pork ribs and even some baked oysters, as well as a sushi station.
There was also an impressive baked whole salmon on display, which everyone could carve up to pick out their favourite parts of the fish. Speaking of carving things up – you can also help yourself to a range of roasts (beef, ham and chicken) all carved by the chefs.
Onto sweet treats, there was an extensive array of (mostly Christmas-themed) desserts available – we ended up trying their chocolate mousse cake, a berry roulade, mini cupcakes, pannacotta and their pavlova. The pavlova was the pick of the bunch, with fluffy, crispy meringue contrasting nicely with the fresh, seasonal fruit.
During the festive season (until 30 December 2015), Feast will be serving up their seafood-focused buffet in their sleek surrounds from $85 per person for weekday lunch (dinners and weekends are priced higher, as are Christmas eve, Christmas and New Year’s Eve) – it’s definitely at the premium end of the buffet spectrum, but the abundant shellfish on offer justifies the price tag for us seafood-lovers anyway.
Excuse Me Waiter dined as guests of Feast
Feast
Sheraton on the Park
161 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone:(02) 9286 6000
