What do you expect from an appetizer buffet at a brasserie? Salad, seafood
and cheese are the usual suspects, but what else? Buffets are about choices,
but I am sure many of you will agree that having more choices is not a
prerequisite of happiness and satisfaction. Recently, I had a pretty
happy and satisfying buffet experience at French Window with friends.
The brunch we had was a semi-buffet with two oysters, beef tartar and free-flow Veuve Clicquot Brut
Yellow Label and house wine. There were five choices of main courses including
confit duck leg, mussels linguini, seared salmon, egg benedict and seafood soup.
I started with the salad bar as usual. Apart from the fresh salad green, olives and oil, there was also anchovy and some pre-mixed salad. The seafood salad was appealing, especially with the chewy and fresh squid. Among the seafood offered, the smoked salmons definitely stood out. Three kinds of smoked salmon were offered, of which the wild catch Balik was the most delicious. Beneath its rather blend look, your mouth would be filled up by its rich flavour and oil. It would be hard to return to the artificial-breed salmons after trying that.... It was the must-eat item.
The cheese corner, which was more often than not a weak spot in buffets in Hong
Kong, was another recommended section of the brunch. It offered five kinds of
cheeses including Emmental, Brie, Gruyere, Tete De Moine and St Maure, and all
of them were of above-average quality. Tete De Moine was my favourite among
them, not only because I liked its nutty flavour and subtle sweetness, but also
because I enjoyed playing with the cheese curler.
French Window could also satisfy those who wanted meaty choices. They had black sausage, beef, pate and cold cuts, all of them were worth trying. The foie gras pate was a must try. I particularly liked the spices surrounding it. If you want something hot, try the roasted beef and black sausage. You would not be disappointed.
When we were nearly filled up by the buffet, our main courses arrived. The appetizer buffet was so good that I could hardly finish the main course by myself. Luckily, I ordered the lightest choice on the list, the seafood soup. It was unexpectedly rich and yummy, and I was able to finish it all despite being more than half-full. Other choices like egg benedict and seared salmon all looked promising. Everything was decently delivered without a hitch. The Chef's effort was certainly commendable.
The desserts section was perhaps the weakest part of the brunch. All the cakes and pastries were too dry and the chocolate taste of the desserts was not strong enough. Fortunately, the homemade ice-cream and sorbets were awesome. We tried the caramel ice-cream, pineapple and pear sorbets. All of them were delicious! They brought a fitting end to the amazing brunch.
If there is any improvement I would suggest, it would be an addition of more hard
cheese as I am a hard cheese lover, but I would probably too full to have them
anyway! Instead of having lots of mediocre choices, I prefer a few stunning
dishes. That is why I don't always enjoy a buffet. Compared to many buffets
which aim at convincing you that your money was well-spent instead of offering
really good food, this one was indeed a better choice, especially those who
enjoy lighter food like me.
The French Window
Shop 3101, 3/F, Tower 2, IFC Mall,
No.1 Harbour View Street ,
Central
Service:wwwwwww
Environment: wwwwwww
