Doesn't this ring a bell?
Been there before...
Alright, Global Kitchen at Pan Pac for seconds...
Crab buffet...attack!
The main lure.
In its raw form.
All set to tackle.
For the first time, I started off with mains first, forgoing the starters and appetizers...heading straight to the crustaceans! In fact, it was the focus for most of the diners who charged to the table with much gusto, the orderly queue was ignored.
Braised Ee Fu with Crabmeat
Limp bland noodles with shredded crabmeat.
Crab Black Bean and Peppers
Indian Crab
Black Pepper Crab
Crab with Green Curry and Kaffir Lime
Tomato and Chilli Crab
Baked Crab
Was more of a stuffed crab meatball with vermicilli.
Deepfried Baby Crab Crab cake with sweet corn
8 types of crab dishes that graphically looks thereabout..taste wise, minor differences largely because the taste is not strong, more of a "touch and go" taste. The crabs used are probably Flower Crabs, the meat lacking in bite...soft and mushy. I'm not a huge crab fan but at least I can tell if the crabs are fresh! Those served certainly did not taste fresh. I was expecting Sri Lankan crabs, red and fiery looking and sizable! The crabs were not stuffed with meat as desired and portions wise, it seemed that each crab was chopped into two. Of the range, my favourite goes to Indian crab, did not know that dry crabs tasted good too. Crab cake was like a commercial meatball..now I get the fuss about Morton's Jumbo Crabcake.
I requested for a bowl of lemon water to cleanse the hands, even additional tools to crack open the claws had to be requested...which puts Swissotel's Market Plaza Cafe and Ritz's Greenhouse in good light. Both places had them placed very thoughfully on the table. The amusing bit came when the waiter was confused with my request, almost as if it sounded strange requesting for them. Is it not logical for a crab buffet?
Crab Bisque
Compared to its crab counterparts, the soup version was tastier though lacking in crab meat. Bread was slightly tough too.
Basmati Rice
Gave this a pass.
Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding
Ordinary roast beef with loads of tendons which I'm not a fan of. The Yorkshire pudding was a stiff and dense baked item which I could not bare to eat more than a mouthful.
Salmon Filet
Overcooked.
Potato Gratin
I actually liked this! The finely shredded potato with cream sauce and melted cheese, albeit simple...it outshone the rest of its modern contemporaries.
Beef Filet
Slightly overcooked.
Chicken Sausage
You can taste nuts from this heavily blended meat sausage, maybe just the cheese.
Creamed vegetables
Wholesome goodness.
Oden
A major surprise to find this dish in the Japanese section of a buffet, usually the spread is limited to Cha Soba, Sushi, Tempura and Sashimi. This is a Japanese winter dish, consisting of daikon radish, konnyaku and processed fishcakes cooked in soy flavoured dashi broth. My first attempt and I found it on the bland side.
Teriyaki Chicken
Tasty!
Tempura (Vegetables/Prawns)
The crispy crust was addictive but when left too long, they ended up chewy. The prawns are quite fresh!
Sushi
Not too bad.
Salad Bar (Caesar, Chick Peas, Potato Bacon, Chicken Celery)
Usual normal tasting salads.
Assorted smoked salmon
They had more than one type up for selection but I cannot quite tell the difference.
Pepperoni/Smoked Sausages
Interesting for me, the western take on chinese preserved sausages which had a slight smoky taste.
Seafood (Mussels/Prawns)
These were snapped up so fast, the hotel did not bother replenishing.
Pasta Live Station
Choice of cream sauce or tomato based pasta with bell peppers
We attempted at least 6 plates of pasta, each plate differing in taste from the other but do request for "milkier and spicier" to get the best taste. The cream pasta fared better than the tomato base. Simple ingredients but when cooked just right, it is delicious!
Noodle Station
Mee Soup
Made no attempt.
Selection of cheeses and preserved fruit
Nothing goes in between my stinky cheese and I.
Opera
Cheesecake
Mango Mousse
Strawberry Mousse
Berry cake
Of the lot, the berry cake's the best. The mousse cakes are too light, cheesecake too dense..
Tapioca Kuehs
Not too bad but on the hard side.
Lapis cake
Fragrant yet dry cakes.
Agar agar
Nothing interesting.
Bread and Butter Pudding
I wish these were kept in a warmer of some sort, the cold puddings paired with vanilla bean sauce was not too bad, just a little dry.
Apricot Tart
Pretty alright with more cake than tart.
Ice-cream (Chocolate/Vanilla)
Magnolia. Icecream. 'Nuff said.
Oreo Cheese
I found the balance of cheese and oreo slightly tipped to the cheesy side, a little too heavy for a dessert on a buffet table.
Fruits!
Opera
Chocolate Eclair
Fondue
Moist Chocolate Cake
The chocoaddict did not unrevel any mystery of all the chocolate desserts, the chocolate cake was the best of the lot that was overly exposed, given the layout of the dessert station.
Eggtarts
Regular bakery fare, flaky crust with custard.
Yet another average buffet by Global Kitchen. Service was slightly intrusive with the overly polite waiter who appeared every now and then and in a half bow asked "May I clear your plates."
Crab Dinner Nights
$58++
Fridays & Saturdays only
Global Kitchen
Pan Pacific Hotel
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