If you want to trace the origins of hotel-style buffet restaurants in Hong Kong, you have to ask for a terrace restaurant. Founded in 1950, Terrace Restaurant is one of the restaurants of Hong Kong's five-star hotel, The Old Peninsula Hotel. The Peninsula has been in Hong Kong for 90 years and is known as the "Lady of the Far East" because of its location at the southernmost tip of the Kowloon Peninsula. The Terrace Restaurant adheres to the classic and noble temperament of the hotel, where you can enjoy a buffet of food, perhaps the food itself is not important, and the atmosphere of the exclusive environment is enough to indulge in it.
The variety of dishes in the restaurant is far less than that of the three- and four-star restaurants, which is of course the principle of "not too much in the fine" that most five-star hotels adhere to. Sashimi and cold cuts are served next to each other, and the standard seafood includes prawns, long-legged crabs, jade snails, cockles, scallops, and abalone, which can only be found at top restaurants. The abalone has a springy texture and a rich flavor with sauce, which will be disappointing in comparison to the blandness of crab and shrimp. The selection of hot dishes is mainly Western-style, and the chef will cut and grill lamb chops and steaks. There is also crab and yuzu salad, prawn bisque, pan-fried herring with lemon butter, scallop gratin with cheese sauce and traditional paella. The two hot soups are oxtail soup and cream cabbage soup, which are also Western-style. It may not be very friendly to diners who prefer hot Chinese food. Of course, the desserts from the top hotels are a reassuring and excellent contestant. Beautifully presented in a variety of styles, the waiter will serve freshly baked soufflé to each table at the end, and the hotel's homemade ice cream is also worth trying.
Of course, if you put aside the hotel bonus to evaluate the buffet of the terrace restaurant, the higher price is not better than the buffet of a three- or four-star hotel, and the lack of style is also a shortcoming, which will inevitably disappoint. On the Peninsula, it is obvious that the afternoon tea in the lobby and the Michelin Cantonese restaurant Jia Lin Lou are more handy, and the buffet at the terrace restaurant seems to be a little behind. But if you're looking for a tranquil and elegant dining environment, the terrace restaurant is not as crowded and noisy as other buffet restaurants, and the comfort of dining here is much higher. When it comes to service, the catering service of the top hotels is more high-quality and meticulous, the waiters are well-trained, humble and respectful to the guests, the demeanor is generous and natural, and the closing time is mobile. It is worth noting that in addition to Hong Kong dollars, the payment methods that can be used in restaurants include Visa, Master, AE and JCB, which do not include UnionPay, and are one of the few hotel restaurants that do not accept UnionPay cards.
