Hapi Snacks

Snacks.  I love them.  I'm an avid snacker, and in particular, have quite a weakness for snack mixes.  I love hunting through mixes for my favorite piece of the moment, I love all the different textures and flavors, I just really love to munch.

I like classic American snacks mixes (like Chex or Gardetto's mix, although, not the generic store bought stuff, I'm partial to homemade - my mom's is the best! - or locally made styles like Sunday Bakehouse's furikake version), and I definitely like to try mixes from other countries.  While Asian style rice crackers aren't generally exciting on their own, put them in a snack mix, and I'm suddenly all in.  Which brings us to Hapi Snacks.

"Hapi snacks for happy times."

Hapi is a snack maker from Thailand, although the brand is pretty mainstream in the US.  You can find their products in Asian markets, but they also are available in Walmart, so, not exactly hard to acquire.

I've only tried a few of their products, but, spoiler: mainstream or not, these are pretty top not snacks.  I can't wait to seek out more.

Mixed Crackers: Original Party Mix.

"With an array of spiced rice crackers to choose from this crunchy hapi party mix packs a full-flavored punch. Perfect for game day or an afternoon pick-me-up these tasty and authentic crackers burst with the zesty flavors of thailand."

Wow.  I've had a lot of rice cracker mixes in my life, and I've mostly found them ranging from being slightly lacking, as in, I almost really like them but somehow always want more, to fairly satisfactory, like the Trader Joe's rice cracker medley that has a pretty addicting mix including salt & vinegar pieces and seaweed wrapped ones, but these ... these are in another realm entirely.  Hands down, no question, the best rice cracker mix I've ever had.  It makes all others seem like child's play.  I mean, really.

This mix excels on all dimensions, notably the incredible diversity of pieces.  How many distinct kinds are there?  I'm not sure.  I think I counted nearly 10, but it was hard to slow down to do that analysis.  There are multiple classic rice cracker shapes, one that is nori wrapped (iso maki), other styles that are jagged and a bit sweet, some that actually turn out to be shells with hollow insides filled with something that rattles around (!), and, finally, wasabi peas.  They all have their own merits, and they all combine into magic.

So, where to start.  First, the flavors.  Just far more intense than any other brand, be it the heavy soy sauce flavored pieces, the highly umami onion and garlic ones, the legit kick to the wasabi ones, or more mild, but equally compelling, seaweed flavored bits.  I don't think I've ever had rice crackers quite this flavorful before.

Then, the textures!  Another defining characteristic.  Not only are the pieces all different shapes, sizes, and flavors, but the textures of each are strikingly different as well.  Some are super crisp and crunchy.  Others are remarkably airy.  Others actually soft. I truly couldn't tell just by looking at a piece what sort of texture it would have.  The variety of textures made the eating experience fantastic, and, well, impossible to stop.  "Just one more super crispy one!"  "Ok, I need one more soft piece to round it out ..."  And so on and so on.

If I had to pick a favorite piece, it would be the jagged longer pieces, as they were both savory and sweet, and had a fantastic texture.  The ones with the surprise inside were another favorite, as were the crazy intense wasabi peas.  But really, they were all good.

Overall?  Addicting.  Flavorful.  Best I've ever had.  Nothing I would change.  ****+.

Hapi makes other mixes too, with names like "Crazy Mix" or "Tokyo Mix", with totally different styles of rice crackers, but this is definitely my favorite of the mixes I have tried.

Hot Wasabi Peas.

"Hapi Wasabi Peas are a great way to spice up your tea time! The crunchy texture compliments the fiery flavor of the Wasabi (Japanese Horseradish)."

These are very legit wasabi peas.  Eat a handful of these and the wasabi builds pretty quickly.  The peas themselves are top notch - super crispy, lightly coated in rice flour.  Super addicting due to the high crunch factor, but, wow, they pack a punchy zing.  The best wasabi peas I've ever had.  ****+.

They also make sriracha peas that I'd love to try sometime.

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Koomi, Sydney

Update Reviews - 2023 & 2024

November 2023

When I was in Sydney prior to the Pandemic, I discovered, and fell in love with, Koomi.  It was the first place I ever liked a yogurt drink of any kind, and it re-defined what these could be.  I tried after that yogurt and rice drinks all over Sydney, and in the US, and just never cared for them (even at the famous Yomie).  But Koomi ... Koomi was just unlike anywhere else, and I adored it.  See below for my original review.

And yet, when I returned to Sydney in August last year post-Pandemic, and then again earlier in 2023 in February and March, I failed to go back to Koomi.  My brain was broken - I knew I thought that Koomi was amazing, but I'd since had so many "meh" yogurt and rice drinks, I thought it must have just been a phase I was in back then.

And then, this visit, I decided to return.  Spoiler: it is still as glorious as ever.

Town Hall Location.

A few things have changed however.  Koomi's original Sydney city location is closed, and they only now have a small shop underground near the Town Hall station.  They no longer have froyo, and they no longer have foam as a topping.  These two things detracted me, but, I need not fear.  It is still amazing, even without the aesthetically pleasing shop location and two signature items.

Mango Moo (no sugar).
Add Purple Rice $0.80, Add Coconut Jelly. $0.80.

For my drink, I had the hard choice I always seem to have of mango or taro, but decided that mango was the right choice, because mango in Sydney is just so dramatically better than in the US, and because I had literally just ordered a taro cake for a party the next day, and would certainly be getting my taro fill.  I added purple rice as I always do, and, on a whim, added coconut jelly too (I was thinking about aloe vera, but the person taking my order suggested the coconut jelly instead, so I took her suggestion).  As always, I did it not sweet.

I'll admit that this seemed different than my memory of Koomi (and not only because it came in a different cup).  It seemed more like a smoothie at first.  I thought I remembered the yogurt being thicker and richer.  And I thought I remembered far more mango.  But, a few sips in, I didn't care.  My brain again couldn't stop thinking, "How is a yogurt drink this good?".  I don't know the answer, besides that Koomi clearly uses quality ingredients, and they really do combine into magic.

The yogurt is rich and smooth and nicely tart.  The mango sooooo ripe, so sweet, so juicy, so, uh, mango flavored.  This really likely would be fine with nothing more added, maybe sprinkle some coconut flakes on top and call it a day.  But I added the purple rice, which was perfectly a bit al dente and slightly sticky, added incredible texture.  I would get this again no question.  The coconut jellies were standard quality, nothing special, but, they did add bursts of sweetness and a fun slimy component.  I'd consider them again, or try another mix-in for fun.

So yes, every component was great, and together they were even greater.  It was somewhat refreshing.  It was somewhat dessert-like.  It was pretty filling.  I'm not sure really how one is supposed to work these into their regular daily eating, as it isn't really quite a meal, seems like a lot for a snack, and can be way too filling after a full dinner.  But maybe if are were someone who eats a light lunch, no lunch dessert, and then wants something later afternoon before eating a later dinner, it could do the trick nicely?  Or, I'm sure there are plenty of people who skip a meal and consider this one.  For me, one who eats breakfast, late morning snack, lunch, lunch dessert, afternoon snack, dinner, and dinner dessert, it doesn't fit easily into that schedule, so I tend to have half as a lunch or dinner dessert (and often add whipped cream and other toppings to push it even further into dessert land), and then the other half the next morning for breakfast (and add some granola and more fruit).  Morning me is always happy with that decision.

Overall, a winner, and I'd get it again, and was definitely tempted to return the very next day.  ****.

February 2024

Another visit to Sydney, another last minute impulse swing by Koomi.  I did again try to ask about the difference on their menu between the "Koomie Yogurts" and "Koomi Smoothies", even using a specific example of the "Mango Moo" (yogurt) and "Mangonificent!" (smoothie), but got nowhere.  The first was described as mango and yogurt, the second as sweet yogurt and mango, blended with ice.  I said, "Oh, so the Mango Moo isn't blended?" but then was told that it is too.  I asked if it was different yogurt in the two drinks, and was told no.  So ... both are the same yogurt, and mango, and blended ... but they maybe sweeten the later more?  But you can also adjust the sweetness ...  I'm still really not sure.

Mango Moo (No Sweet). $10.
+ Sticky Rice ($0.80) + Konjac Jelly ($0.80).

I went for my regular choice: the Mango Moo, with sticky rice, not sweet.  I also decided to add konjac jelly this time (last time I added coconut jellies, which was good, but, hey, why not try more things?).  The konjac jelly turned out to be crystal pearls, large size, and lots of them.  They were fine, but not what I actually wanted in my yogurt.  Oops.  I wouldn't get those again most likely.

The base drink was a frothy tart yogurt.  Blended with the sticky rice, which added nice texture throughout.  Not sweet, just as I asked for.  But it still seemed like what I'd consider a smoothie ...

The mango was hard to get to, all at the base.  It was fresh, juicy, and only slightly sweet, actually a bit tart itself.  Since I didn't add sugar, this meant the whole creation was pretty savory, with the only real sweetness coming from the pearls, which were considerably less sweet than something like coconut jellies.

I did struggle as I usually do to know where to fit this into my life.  It wasn't a dessert.  But it was more than a snack.  But also not a meal.  I ended up having some the next morning with berries and granola as a yogurt bowl, and that was quite delightful, and used most of the sticky rice and mango with some cream top from Sharetea to make a dessert.  I still really liked it all, I just don't know quite when and how to properly eat it!  One of these days, I'll try either sweetening it and making it more dessert-like, or potentially having a super light lunch and enjoying it after?  Still, great yogurt, good mix-ins, a regular for me.  ****.

Original Review, 2020

Sydney has a lot of bubble tea shops.  Seriously, bubble tea has ... exploded, everywhere.  Some neighborhoods have a bubble tea shop literally every other storefront.  The more recent trend though?  Yogurt drinks.  Yogurt and rice drinks that is, which burst into town with Yomie's Rice X Yogurt (which, um, I hated by the way).

Yogurt drinks, rice drinks, really did not seem like something I'd ever like, but, I finally tried one in 2019, and Koomi, and, well, my world changed.  I adore it, and now yogurt rice drinks are one of the focuses of my return visits to Sydney.  I've since explored many different shops in Sydney, but none compare to Koomi.   It really is just the best.

"The brand is featured by yoghurt, adopts the addition of different fruits, and innovatively add purple rice, enriching the taste of drinks and bringing consumers different taste experience."

Koomi is a franchise, with 4 locations in Australia, all in the greater Sydney area, plus one each in Thailand and the Philippines.

Setting

I visited one of the first Koomi locations, the main one, in Haymarket in Sydney.  It has zero curb appeal, without much street front itself ... as ...

Beauty Products?

Koomi is located at the front of a beauty store.  Certainly an odd setup, but the others who ordered before me did go browse, so, maybe this is a concept that I just don't understand.  I just waited patiently for my order.

The ordering process was easy, at the little counter, and it was prepped within a few minutes.  Orders were called out at the side window onto the sidewalk, which was nice so everyone didn't crowd around the beauty store.

Cow.

Is this Koomi?  I don't know.  But I decided this was Koomi.  A cute fellow, perfect for snapping your Instagram photo with.  Their cow theme *is* the brand, giving it brand recognition instantly, a clever touch from their marketing department.

Drinks

The menu at Koomi consists primarily of yoghurt drinks.  It isn't like Sharetea/CoCo Fresh/etc, with huge menus, many styles of tea, hot and cold options, etc.  There is no tea.  No milk.  Only yoghurt.  The drinks are all served cold, because, well, yoghurt.

Ok, technically, there is one tea, oolong, available as milk tea with mousse.  And one hot drink, taro milk.  That really is it, for drinks.

Menu.

There are 15 yoghurt drinks listed, all of which can have sugar level adjusted, and a few mix-ins added (sticky rice, oats, red bean, boba, taro, yoghurt foam, and froyo).  And that is basically it.

So many of the drinks sounded fascinating.  I was originally drawn in by the signature Stick-On-Me Purple Rice Yoghurt, but the Chunky Purple Taro Yoghurt sounded right up my alley.  And, although I don't normally go for the fruit offerings, the Red Ninja Dragon Fruit Yoghurt or Luscious Mango looked pretty awesome.

The final part of the menu is froyo, with exactly two options, neither of which had any description: Snowy Fuji Fro-yo and Fiery Vesuvius Fro-yo.  My Instagram stalking had shown me what the Snowy Fuji was though, and it is what had originally attracted me to Koomi in the first place.  Taro mash base, a layer of red bean, a layer of mango cubes, sticky rice, and then ... yogurt frozen yogurt, and a cone perched on top.  Basically, all the best mix-ins/toppings, parfait style, with froyo.  Oh yes.  My stalking also revealed a lot of people saying it was great, but a meal basically, huge, and just full of things.  I still can't quite figure out what the other froyo is, but it is layered, has boba, and some kind of drizzle ...

My first visit, I sampled the froyo, and found it quite enjoyable.  A tart style, but smooth and creamy, rich, not icy style American froyo.  I'd gladly get a creation with this sometime, but the weather was quite cold when I was there, and I never found myself actually wanting froyo.

Anyway.  I focused on the signature yogurt drinks.

2019 Visits

I first discovered Koomi in 2019.

Chunky Purple Taro Yoghurt + Black Sticky Rice + Yogurt Foam. No Sweet. $6.90 + $0.90 + $1.

For my first creation, I knew I wanted taro, but I also wanted sticky rice, and I wanted to try their version of foam.  So ... the "Chunky Purple Taro Yoghurt" it was, with sticky rice and foam added.

My drink wasn't exactly photogenic, not like many of the others with layers of fruit and bright colors, it was just white yogurt, pale purple taro, and some vaguely black rice visible.  I couldn't see the foam, the difference between the yogurt and foam was nonexistant, not like a tea drink with a layer of foam perched on top.  

Oh well, I wasn't getting this for Instagram.   I was getting it for taste.  Not that I really knew what to expect with taste either.  I've never had yoghurt drinks before, well, besides smoothies I guess.  Or Indian lassi.  But nothing like this.

I took my first sip.  Well, huh.  It was ... refreshing?  Which is an odd thing to say about yogurt, I know.  It was thick, rich, but ... refreshing.  Not too thick.  Not too rich.  Tart, but not too tart.  Slightly sweet, but not really.  So hard to describe.  I can see how it would be great with the fruit bases too.  I liked it.  I still can't be sure I ever distinctly tasted the yogurt foam vs the yogurt base, but I think the very top was lighter and fluffier?

The yogurt was novel, but the rest of the drink was also quite fascinating.  I loved the black sticky rice.  Just the right level of chew.  The drink had plenty, most sips had noticeable sticky rice, but it didn't overwhelm.   Turns out, yogurt and rice really is a great combination.  No wonder this trend is taking off.  I could tell that even just a yogurt and rice drink would be good.

But of course, I had the taro too, as I had picked the Chunky Purple Taro as my actual selection.  The base of the cup was a huge pile of taro mash, clearly actual fresh taro mash, and tons of it.  There was more throughout the drink.  Mostly mash, but some chunks too.  Soft, slightly sweet, and, well, it tasted like taro.  I liked it as well.

While this was a refreshing drink, it was also quite heavy, and felt like a meal.  That much yogurt, rice, and taro ... it added up fast.  I don't know the exact amounts, but I think it easily had ... 1.5 cups of taro and a cup of sticky rice?  And the rest was yogurt.  That ... isn't really a snack.  I think adding both heavy carbs, while I liked them both, is a bit much.  I'd consider getting fruit and rice in the future, or just the taro on its own.

The base drink was $6.90, quite reasonable for a drink of this style, and the add-ons were $1 for the foam, and $0.90 for the sticky rice.  I realize now if I had ordered the Stick-on-me Purple Rice Yoghurt for $6.30, and added taro ($1), that would be cheaper than the $6.90 chunky purple taro with $0.90 rice ... no idea if the "recipe" would be different?

Luscious Mango Yoghurt + Sticky Rice + Yoghurt Foam.  No Sweet. $6.90 + $0.90 + $1.

I couldn't resist.  I went back the next day to try the mango drink.  I again added sticky rice for the texture, and foam.

And ... um ... I didn't really like it.  It honestly seemed entirely different, more like what I had expected, actually.

The rice wasn't as chewy, and it was just ... bits of rice throughout.  Everything I loved about the chewy bits of rice from the other drink was missing.  The yoghurt base was more sour, thicker, and ... icy?  Was it ice blended and I didn't notice the first time?  Not refreshing, just, sour yogurt.

And speaking of sour ... the mango.  I was very excited for ripe, sweet, juicy mango and instead this was kinda mango mush, and so very sour.  Maybe it was frozen? Is that where the frozen bits came from?  I rather hated the mango.  Granted, it wasn't mango season.

On the plus side, I did distinguish the yoghurt foam from the rest of the drink this time, and yes, it was lighter, fluffier, and sweeter.  I liked it a lot

But wow, what a difference in the two drinks, and this one left me uninspired to return.

Except, I didn't throw it out.  I just put it in my fridge.  A few hours later, I had a few more sips.  I ... liked it more.  I know they say to drink within 2 hours, but, the rice had settled, gotten stickier, clumpier, in a way that I liked.  The mango still was really sour, and I couldn't get past that.

But I still didn't throw it out.  The next morning, after a disappointing breakfast, I went back at it.  And this time, I really enjoyed it.  Even the mango.  Maybe the mango steeped in the yogurt overnight and mellowed it out?  The yogurt seemed even thicker, and I liked that too.  And the rice, even clumpier, more chew, and I liked that.

So, um, this is a funny review, but I ended up really enjoying it, just, mostly as breakfast the next day.  I'd love to get this again when mango is in season.

Valentine's Rose + Taro + Black Sticky Rice + Yogurt Foam. No Sweet. $6.30 + $1 + $0.90 + $1.

I moved on from Koomi over the next few days, determined to try some other options.  I had a purple rice yogurt (with taro and rock salt cheese foam added) from The Moment, that was nearly as good (review soon!).  I had a purple rice blended with yogurt (with taro pearls and cheese foam added) from my old favorite Bubble Nini Tea, but really didn't care for it.  My final night in town, I finally waited in line forever at Yomie's Rice & Yogurt, the original yogurt rice drink shop in Sydney, and ... hated it. .

I couldn't end my trip with such a sad experience, so I power walked the two blocks to Koomi, where there was no line at all, and put in an order for another drink, even though I had the Yomie drink still in hand, only a few sips taken.  It was ready within just a minute.

And it was the best of my trip.

I knew I wanted the black sticky rice and taro and yogurt and yogurt foam, and was tempted to just get my original creation again, or perhaps try the dragonfruit, but ... I'm not sure why, I decided that the Valentine's Rose might be an interesting option.  Rose and taro just sounded like an award winning combo.  And the sticky rice of course.  And the yogurt foam, since I adore that.  As always, I went for no sweet.

The rose base was still plenty sweet, sweeter than the others I have ordered from Koomi, but not nearly as sweet as the Yomie one I loathed, nor as sweet as the Bubble Nini one that was just far too sweet for me from the honey.  I'd prefer less sweet, but this was fine.  The rose flavor was quite lovely, not too floral, if that makes sense.

The taro was again a generous portion, all in the bottom, fresh taro, mashed, sweetened.  The taro did go well with the rose, just as I expected.  The black sticky rice was also as before, slightly clumpy, which I liked, and nice chew to it.  It was mixed in initially, but I found that, like before, I preferred when it settled.  I only had half of it that night (since I did have the Yomie too), the next morning the chewier rice was even better.

One thing that was different was the packaging - instead of sealed like my previous two, it came with a lid, perhaps because it was overfull from all the mix-ins?  I actually liked the lid, as I was able to take my first sip through the hole in it, rather than threw a straw, and get just a lovely mouth full of the yogurt foam.  Love the foam, although it is less savory/salty/cheesy than many others.

Overall, this was another winner, quite pleasant, rose + taro went together as magically as I hoped, and the yogurt + sticky rice + foam combo is still one I'm into.  I'd probably go back to my original, or try another fruit in the future, unless I was really craving rose.

2020 Visit

Another year, another trip to Sydney, and of course Koomi was very high on my priority list.

Luscious Mango Yoghurt + Sticky Rice + Yoghurt Foam.  No Sweet. $6.90 + $0.80 + $1.

When I arrived I was planning to get taro, but ... fruity mango just sounded so good.  Except of course, given my memory of the last time I tried it.  I asked how the mango was, "is it really sweet right now or more sour?" and the worker told me it was crazy sweet, juicy, and ripe.  Well, I was sold.  I wanted Koomi to have a chance to redeem itself in the mango department, plus, I was craving mango.

I went for my old standard recipe of adding the sticky rice, the yogurt foam, and getting it not additionally sweetened.  It was made to order fairly quickly.

I took my first sip and ... wow!  Yes, it was everything I wanted it to be.  The mango was indeed ridiculously sweet and juicy, just, exactly what I wanted.  Probably *too* ripe if you were just eating the fruit, but inside here, it was perfect.  

The yogurt was sweet, rich, slightly tart, sorta healthy tasting but indulgent at the same time, and fabulous.  My brain still did the "how do you like a yogurt drink this much?!" dance over and over, but, well, it is just delicious.  So very hard to describe, as it is somehow refreshing but nourishing, healthy by dessert-like ... and yes, technically, a "drink".  I was drinking it through a large boba straw after all.

The straw was great for getting the bits of rice too, which added some texture and chew, a bit of starchiness.  Not necessary for the drink to be a success, particularly with such good mango, but, a nice addition.  And of course, the foam on top, slightly fluffier, slightly more savory, than the yogurt, and fabulous too.

I have only good things to say about this, as a drink, or, as I enjoyed it even more, by the spoonful so I could get entire bites just loaded with mango.

The price was $0.10 less than the previous year - the rice got cheaper!

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Thai Diner, NYC

New York has no shortage of great options for dining, no matter what cuisine you are interested in.  When I visited this past summer, I was craving good thai food, as we just don't really have great thai in San Francisco.  I had numerous options of course My first thai craving lead me to order from the well regarded Fish Cheeks, which I did enjoy, and would gladly get again, but, I wanted to try something different.  Somehow my searched lead me to Thai Diner, a concept that sounded great to me - thai food, served all day (including breakfast), in a diner-like setting. The menu sounded fairly authentic, had some great sounding dishes, and used proteins I enjoy like octopus, liver, and skate.  It has a Michelin bib gourmand too, so, some credibility.

Packaging.

I ordered for delivery on DoorDash, so I didn't get to see the diner decor, but, reviews I read all really do laud the decorations and vibe.  

My items all came nicely labeled with the contents, and a vibrant Thai Diner sticker was used to seal for both security and practicality.  My items came in a variety of containers: this cardboard box for the salad, an aluminum tray with plastic lid for another, and a cardboard bowl for another.  All disposable, no re-usable.

Food

So, the menu.   I wanted much of it.  If I was there at breakfast or brunch, I'd certainly be tempted by the thai tea babka french toast (think: thai tea butter, salty condensed milk, babka base!!!) or even the well lauded breakfast sandwiches (wrapped in roti of course).  But I wanted dinner food, and was alone, so, I couldn't order too much.  I went for a salad, a "snack", and a dessert, so I skipped the main dishes entirely, including the sandwiches & platters section (diner inspired here, but, thai), the "House specilaities" (everything from curries to lobster omelettes to one of my favorites, khao soi), and the "From our woks" (noodle dishes, which can be made with standard tofu, chicken, or vegetarian, but also fried chicken (!), beef shortrib, or large prawns).  I also skipped the sides and the raw bar, so I could order two dishes (salad and snack) and not have too much leftover.

They also have an extensive drink menu, with tons of teas, espresso drinks, wine, and fun sounding cocktails or herbal elixir shots.

Soup & Salad

Soup & Salad Menu.

To start, I got a salad.  Not what I'd ever normally order from a Thai restaurant, but I read so many rave reviews of their baan salad (and also, I have had some fantastic crispy rice salads in the past).  They also had a standard papaya salad.  To the salads you can add a variety of proteins: a fried egg ($2), fried tofu ($5), chicken ($7), fried chicken ($8), beef ($9), prawns ($10), snow crab claw ($13), or even a half chilled lobster ($15).

Baan Salad (No Avocado). $15.

"House salad with Crispy Red Curry Rice, Romaine, Watercress, Avocado, Red Onion & Thai Herbs.  Served with Sweet Chili Dressing."

I was ordering it as a light side salad, so I did not add any protein, although I did ask to have the avocado omitted as I'm allergic. Luckily, it was a built-in option when ordering online to have no avocado (same with red onion).

I was fairly underwhelmed by the salad.  The base was as promised, romaine and watercress, both quite fresh and crisp, along with some herbs mixed in.  There were also some slices of watermelon radish, which along with the thinly sliced red onion, added a pop of color.  But besides the crispy rice, there wasn't anything else to this.  The crispy rice added great texture, but it was more like the crispy rice topping from Sweetgreen (which I do adore), than the mind blowing creation that was the crispy rice salad at Mumu in Sydney.  Just individual bits of dry crispy rice.  A garnish, not a focal point.  I had to leave off the avocado that is normally included due to my allergy.

So, a kinda boring salad.  That said, my salad was also missing the dressing.  They had an option to have the dressing on the side, rather than pre-dressed, which I selected.  However, my dressing was nowhere to be found.  The sweet chili dressing sounded unique, but, alas, I had none.  And thus, no dressing, and no avocado (that part was my choice), and an interesting salad it was not.  *** as it was all fresh. 

This also happens to be vegan.

Snacks

Snack Menu

The next dish I got was from the "Snacks" portion of the menu, essentially the appetizers.   This section had so many heavy hitters, like spicy stuffed clams, octopus with seafood nam prik that people rave about (and I do love octopus!), betal leaf wraps (always something I enjoy), Thai "disco fries" with massaman curry and other toppings, and so on.  Picking just one was very, very hard.  If I were to return, I'd love to try more from here.

Snack: Spicy Chopped Chicken Liver. $16.

"with Pineapple, Thai Herbs & 2 Rotis."

I settled on just one, the spicy chicken liver, as it definitely sounded the most unique, and is one of the most well regarded items on the menu.  Plus, I love chicken liver!

It was just as fascinating, and delicious, as people had said it would be.  It hit all the notes of great Thai cuisine: spicy, sour, sweet, salty, bitter.  The chopped chicken liver mix was well seasoned, and properly funky.  It reminded me a bit of some fermented pork Thai dishes I've had, with all that umami in it.  Very good chicken liver.  The crispy fried onion bits on top added crunch and salt, the cubes of pineapple added a balancing sweetness, the thin sliced red onion and lime to squeeze over provided the acid and sour notes, and the fresh herbs brightened it all up.  They really nailed the balance of all the things, in a very unexpected dish.  I've had various types of liver or pate with a fruit component many times, but this was hands down the most unique prep I've had in years.  ****, unique, and very well thought out.

It came with 2 fresh roti, each packaged in a metallic bag to keep warm.  The roti was very good - flaky, buttery/oily, lightly decadent.  As good of roti as I've had, particularly as I wasn't having it quite fresh.  ****.  Additional roti can be added to any order for $3.

Making wraps with the liver and other ingredients made for really quite taste bites, particularly when I drizzled the spicy sauce in as well.  Speaking of that sauce, it was definitely spicy, and full of unique flavor.  Again, properly funky, nice umami and spice, just, everything.   **** sauce too.

So, overall, a unique dish, very tasty, and fun to eat as well.  **** all around, and I highly recommend.

Roasted Chili Nam Jim / Spicy Seafood Nam Prik. $1.75 each.

I couldn't resist adding extra sauces to my order, as I'm a sauce girl through and through.

First up was the roasted chili nam jim. It was fairly similar to the sauce that came with the liver, capturing all the classic Thai goodness of sweet, sour, spicy, and pungent.  Funky yet balanced, and would be fabulous on just about anythin.  ****.

And lastly, the spicy seafood nam prik, which normally comes with the octopus appetizer, and gets rave reviews.  This truly was spicy as advertised, and overall very flavorful.  I detected lime juice and fish sauce, which both gave it a balanced complexity.  I absolutely see how it would make for a great dip for grilled octopus or calamari, or really, any seafood.  Or even something like yucca fries.  ****.

Dessert

Dessert Menu.

And then of course, dessert.  The entire dessert lineup was tempting too, with a "thai coffee monster" (a monster shaped thai coffee cake with condensed milk frosting) that I would have ordered if it was earlier in the day for caffeine, or a play on the signature New York black & white cookie with a "green & white", featuring pandan and salty coconut (!), and, for dine-in, an epic sundae.  But, if I had to pick one, the banana rum pudding it was, as I adore puddings.   

Banana Rum Pudding. $10.

"Banana Pudding with Uncle Boons Rum topped with Whipped Cream, Caramelized Bananas & Thai Lotus Sesame Tuile. "

I love all pudding, but I really love banana pudding, and I certainly bought in to the idea of adding both rum and a tuile on top.  I was so excited for this.

When you dine-in, the tuile is a topper on the big pudding bowl.  I asked to have it on the side so it would stay crispy.  I'm not sure if they normally stuff it in with the pudding.

The pudding base was ... fine.  It had a strong banana flavor.  This wasn't just vanilla pudding layered with sliced bananas, it was actually banana pudding.  I did not taste any rum.  It was however really quite sweet, and a fairly thin style, not a rich and creamy pudding.  ***.

On top was whipped cream, thicker.  It helped balanced the sweet pudding a bit.  ***.

Then, the caramelized bananas, which were a notch above standard just plain sliced bananas for sure.  They were lightly bruleed on the top.

And finally, the beautiful crispy sesame tuile.  This was not only awesome to eat (so crunchy!), it was loaded with sesame flavor.  Such intense sesame.  Sweet too, as it was glazed in some way.  Delightful.  You could definitely just eat these as a snack and be quite happy.  ****+.

Overall, this was good, but not amazing.  The pudding a bit too thin and too sweet, but the other elements somewhat made up for it.  In a city of such great banana pudding though (I'm looking at you Magnolia!), this didn't really measure up.  ***+.

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Breakfast Buffet at BTWN, W Hotel, Sydney

Update Review, February 2024 Visit

Hard to believe it, but, just two months after my first visit to the W Sydney, I was back again in February.  Which meant, more high quality breakfasts at BTWN, one of the hotel restaurants.

The lineup did not change much in the two months between my stays, so I'll skip re-reviewing everything I tried my first week there.  See below for that original review.  This update only covers the new items I tried this time.

Baked Goods

Classic Lamington. $7.

"2 layers of vanilla sponge, a house-made raspberry jam and a Heilala Vanilla & cream cheese cream. Dipped in a dark chocolate glaze and to finish, they are rolled in coconut chips"

"Layers of soft and fluffy vanilla sponge cake, house-made raspberry jam, raspberry crumble and Heilala vanilla cream cheese filling. Individually dipped in a dark chocolate glaze and rolled in coconut."

I'm not generally excited for lamingtons, and the hotel I was at the week before (Sheraton Grand) had them every night in the club lounge (different flavors), but I couldn't resist trying these when they showed up (I think weekends only?).  They looked so inviting!

Why do I not normally like lamingtons?  Well, the cake is frequently pretty dry, there is no frosting/icing/buttercream (which is a critical part of a cake for me!), I find the jam to generally be lackluster, the chocolate always seems to distract, and the thin shredded coconut makes it eat so dry.  Basically, there is rarely anything compelling about a lamington for me, save a layer of cream in the middle, depending on how that is done.  The only exception I've really found is the version from Flour & Stone bakery, where the cake is soaked in panna cotta so it is moist and rich, the berry component is a compote instead of simply jam so there is a bit more fruit going on, and the coconut is large shards so the overall texture is better for me.  I had actually just enjoyed the Flour & Stone version two days prior, in large format cake form, when a co-worker brought it to the office, so, I had restored my hope in lamingtons, and thus, tried the Sonoma Bakery version.

It was considerably better than most lamingtons I've had before, although not nearly as glorious as the Flour & Stone one.  It was fairly moist, so the cake itself was better than most lamington cake.  The jam layer was more flavorful than average, and the cream quite delicious.  Very thick layer of cream filling that was essentially cheesecake.  Definitely the prime component.  The outside coating I didn't love, neither the chocolate nor the coconut, but, it was a bit better than average too, larger coconut flakes that were less dry.

So overall, quite good for a traditional lamington, but still not an item I'm super excited about.  ***+.

Lemon Blueberry Financier. $5.50.

"Fragrant lemon, almond and blueberry cakes topped with sliced almonds and a citrusy lemon drizzle."

Lemon flavors, and financiers in general, are not generally my thing, but once I'd tried everything else in the baked goods section, I decided to give these a try.  They were larger sized than traditional financiers, cut in half here, normally rectangular shaped and longer.  I was drawn in by the berries and almonds.

I liked the sugar top (which I guess was lemon drizzle?), and the almond slices on top were good for crunch, but ... it was a financier, and that just isn't my thing.  Way too strong in the almond meal.  It was moist, and probably fine if you like this sort of thing, but for me, *+.

Daily Special

During my stay in November, the pancake/waffle station never had items ready when I cruised through breakfast at 6:30-7am.  They have addressed that delay, so I was able to try these daily rotating specials finally.

Pancake.

The pancakes are not made to order exactly, but they are in a separate, staffed section, and made in small batches as they run out rather than in the general buffet.  Plentiful toppings are available, which I've enumerated before in my prior post.

The pancake was highly average.  Average size, fairly thin, not very puffy.  No interesting flavor to it, no buttermilk tang.  Not bad tasting, not burnt, but, just very uninteresting.  It was also lukewarm.  Syrup and fancy butter, or whipped cream and berries helped, but, they still weren't particularly good.  **+.

A few days later, I tried the waffle.  Again, highly average.  No interesting flavor.  It was crispy in the pockets, but pretty soft and soggy elsewhere.  Not something I wanted.  **+.

Made to Order Eggs

Custom Order: 1 Poached Egg, Hollandaise on the side, Crumpet on the side.

While the benedict at BTWN is always good, one morning I wanted it deconstructed-ish, so I could potentially just spread my crumpet with jam/butter/whipped cream as a sweeter dish *after* my eggs (and some days I found the hollandaise a bit too lemon forward, so I wanted that on the side just in case it wasn't to my liking).  I asked for a poached egg, with hollandaise on the side, and a toasted crumpet on the side.  Basically, the benedict, but with no topping choice (e.g. no spinach, ham, bacon, etc), and intending the components to be separate.  It still came with the egg on top of the crumpet, and was drizzled with oil (which was soaked into the crumpet too, so, that ruined my plans for making that a sweet option).

Anyway, the egg was well poached, although it did have a bit of runny white AND a bit of medium-cooked yolk, so not flawless.  The hollandaise was indeed too heavy in the lemon for me, so I was glad to have it on the side.  

The crumpet was glorious as always, fluffy, great crags, awesome tang.  I did wish it wasn't soaked in oil though.  While that makes sense with the egg perhaps, it wasn't what I wanted.  **** base crumpet though. Egg: ***.  Hollandaise **+.

Scrambled Eggs.

One morning I decided to mix it up, and order the scrambled eggs, even though I don't generally care about scrambled eggs, and even though the buffet had them available to just grab anyway.  I saw someone else get them, and they looked pretty stunning.  Yes, scrambled eggs looked that good.

I'll admit, these were pretty nicely scrambled eggs.  Silky smooth.  Lovely ribbons of egg.  But they were just scrambled eggs, and not particularly interesting to me, even once I drizzled with soy sauce + maple syrup + hot sauce.  But lovely preparation.  ***.

Crumpet.

I wanted to just enjoy a crumpet with jam and cream, so I asked for one untoasted.  It still seemed to come oiled? And sorta did still seem toasted ... but I do really like these.  ***+.

Original Review, November 2023 Visit

The brand new W hotel in Sydney is finally open!  

If you have visited Sydney in the past ... 4? years, you likely noticed the stunning huge new property being built along Darling Harbor.  This is the new flagship W hotel, the largest in the hotel portfolio.  I was pretty excited for it to open, given the proximity to my office (although I have been an extremely loyal guest of the Sheraton Grand in Sydney for years).  There were delays, Covid, etc, but it finally opened in October 2023, and I visited just a month later.

Since this is a food blog, and not a hotel review site, I'll spare you the details on the hotel itself, but, it is as stunning inside as it is outside, and features some very, very compelling amenities, such as a 29th floor infinity pool complete with cabanas that will instantly make you think you are on an island resort somewhere and not literally right in Sydney city, and full residential apartments (think: washer and dryer, dishwasher, everything), in addition to the usual swanky W style suites and rooms.

I really loved my stay at the property in general, but the focus of this review is on yet another compelling feature: the breakfast at the hotel restaurant, BTWN.  The service was definitely working out some opening kinks (e.g. a little too eager at times, neglectful at others), but overall, I recommend, a truly high quality experience.  Special touches include the hostess quickly learning my name and room number, and greeting me by name daily.  It is a little thing, but makes it feel quite welcoming.

Setting

BTWN is located on the 3rd floor of the property, with views overlooking Darling Harbor, but not a particularly high vantage point.  It is open to hotel guests and the public.  The space is fairly expansive, with many different sections and styles of seating.  The entire space is bright and light filled.

Bar.

The bar area is large and in the center of one of the first areas of the restaurant.  While not a focal point at 6:30am obviously, I imagine that during dinner service this is a more interesting area.  It had plush counter stools for seating.

Herb Wall.

As you enter, an interesting focal point you walk past is the herb wall, which presumably the restaurant uses for some of its dishes (although its pretty modest compared to the number of covers they do, so clearly isn't for all of them).  It serves as a reminder of the hyper local focus of the restaurant.

This area also has couch seating with oblong tables.

Dining Area.

Several dining sections are made up of a collection of more standard square tables with plush chairs, and banquette seating around the edges.  I generally picked the banquettes, as I like a soft comfy bench.  I found the seating all quite comfortable.

Food & Drink

BTWN is open for breakfast daily (6:30-10:30), lunch (12:30-2:30, longer hours on weekends), and dinner (6-10pm).  In the evening, it also houses 2AM: dessertbar by Janice Wong. I visited only for breakfast, which is a buffet style ... mostly.  Lunch and dinner are traditional a la carte.

The breakfast is $55 per person.  The buffet includes everything you'd expect, and in addition, you can order some items from your table.  The overall quality is quite high, with nearly everything sourced from a well curated selection of local artisans, rather than mass produced food service items.  The dishes are well labelled, and attractively displayed, served at proper temperature.  I was impressed with the quality level, particularly for the price point.

Breads & Pastries

The first section you walk through contains all the breads and pastries, along with a daily special station.

It was in this first section that I got a sense of just how different the BTWN buffet was than most.  Rather than the same generic mass distributed foodservice baked goods, they had stellar looking items from local bakeries.  I heard many guests commenting on the high quality pastries and breads.  This area also had honeycomb to scrape direct off of, a big huge wheel of Pepe Saya Butter, and Druken Sailor jams.

There is a conveyor belt style toaster available, but, not for guests to use directly.  Instead, you hand your bagel/toast to a staff member, who puts it into the toaster for you, and returns to you when ready.  I'm assuming this is because they've learned their lesson that guests burn toast and get bagels stuck all the time, but it was a bit inconvenient. 

Bagels, Rolls.

The bagels are from a local place, Brooklyn Boy Bagels.  Our lineup included Za'atar ($4.50 from them directly) and rainbow ($6).

Za'atar

"Classic Brooklyn Boy dough dusted in a traditional mix of oregano, thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds."

I first tried the Za'atar bagel, drawn in by all the herbs.  It ... was nothing like a real NY style bagel.  It was more like a big ring shaped bread.   Considerably bigger than a standard bagel.  Didn't have a shiny exterior or nice chew to it.  The herbs were substantial, but, a bagel this wasn't really.  **+.

Rainbow: 

"Take several different doughs, of every colour in the rainbow, and twist them all together. What you get is a bagel that's screaming for Instagram fame! It has only the faintest hint of added sweetness, so it plays nicely with sweet or savoury toppings. Unicorns and 100s & 1000s, optional."

I didn't try the colorful rainbow bagel, but I saw plenty of excited kids grab these.

Sonoma Bakery

The bread and pastry selection came from local Sonoma Bakery, which I'd heard of before.  It is a well regarded bakery.  The lineup was extensive to say the least.  

A la carte, these pastries are available 2 for $18 from the hotel.  The prices I've listed below are the direct from the bakery prices for reference.

Artisan Breads.

The breads were beautifully displayed, and mostly not yet broken into by other guests when I arrived soon after opening.  Most are sourdough base, which isn't my thing.  I was tempted to try them though as they looked so good.

My second to last day I did just that.  I went for the big fluffy white panor loaf.  I toasted my slice lightly.  I really enjoyed it, particularly with some scrambled eggs stuffed inside.  Great bread, and I say this as someone who isn't usually particularly excited about bread. ****.

Well Labelled Pastries.

The pastries, like everything in the buffet, were well labelled with the vendor and the selections.  They were piled in distinct areas, rather than mixed together.  As a lover of baked goods, I made my way through this entire area with glee.

Mixed Berry Muffin.

"A rich berry muffin studded with raspberries and blueberries an

d a hint of toasted coconut."

There was only one type of muffin available, mixed berry.

I liked the pearl sugar top that was lightly crisp, and it was nicely moist inside, exactly my style of muffin.  Good crumb structure.  The berries were minimal however, and I didn't really find the hint of coconut they describe.  It was considerably better than any other hotel breakfast buffet item, and I appreciated that it was a full size and not mini muffin, but I wouldn't really seek it out from the bakery itself.  ***.

Cultured Butter Croissant. $5.

"Traditional yeasted French style crescent pastry, crisp and light with a soft layered and buttery interior. Individually handcrafted using the finest ingredients."

And then we got into the croissant lineup, a signature item from Sonoma Bakery.  The plain croissants looked shiny and textbook.

Pain au Chocolate. $6.50.

"Crisp and light with a soft layered and buttery interior, with Belgian chocolate."

Next up, the pain au chocolate.

Sadly, the croissant itself looked better than it was.  Lightly crisp on the exterior, but fairly soft inside, not very flaky.  It was fine, don't get me wrong, but, not as premium as it looked.  The two bars of dark chocolate were decent, but fairly small.

Overall, for a bakery or cafe, I'd give it a low ***, for a hotel though it was ***.

Almond Croissant. $8.

"Soaked in syrup and filled with almond cream and flaked almonds, this croissant is twice baked to achieve its caramelised crust and melt in the mouth, soft interior."

The first croissant I tried was the almond croissant, which is always a bit polarizing for me, but, when I like an almost croissant, I really like it!

This one was a let down.  The pastry wasn't particularly flaky, and didn't really have the "caramelized crust" they advertise.  The filling was extremely minimal, not even a tablespoon of the promised almond cream.  The flaked almonds on the exterior were good and had a nice crunch.  Again, better than your average hotel breakfast buffet croissant that comes frozen from a large distributor, but not up to par with a good bakery.  **+ if I was judging from a bakery, ***+ from a hotel, *** overall.

Ham & Cheese Croissant. $10.

"Cultured butter croissant fold baked fresh with a filling of shaved ham, matured vintage cheddar, béchamel and two types of mustard, seeded & Dijon."

The savory croissant option was ham and cheese, nicely studded with everything seeded crust.  I did really like the seeded crust, and the pastry was better than average for a hotel, but like the almond one, not great in the bakery sense.  I didn't care for the very strong flavored ham, and didn't actually taste any of the promised duo of mustard, nor the béchamel, both of which seem like they'd make for an interesting pastry.  The cheese was nicely melted, and was flavorful.

Overall, fine, but not something I wanted another of.  ***.

Banana Bread $6, Rhubarb Danish $9.

Banana Bread: "Loaded with ripe bananas and a touch of cinnamon. Sweet and moist, perfect toasted with cultured butter."

Next we moved into banana bread that didn't look particular great, and several danish options, starting with rhubarb.  A co-worker had that one of the danishes, and said it was good.

I tried the banana bread later in the week, and it was fine.  Fairly moist, but also fairly standard, not particularly interesting spicing, no nuts, no frills.  ***.

Sour Cherry Danish. $9.

It was hard to decide which danish to try first, but I went for the sour cherry on my first day.

The danish pastry itself was fine, clearly fresh, flaky, not a frozen foodservice product, far above average for hotel breakfast or cafe.  Studded with cocoa nibs for some crunch.  The filling is where it shined, juicy slightly tart cherries, and a bit of custard.  I enjoyed the filling.  ***+ in the high quality bakery rating scheme, but **** for hotel/cafe/buffet item.

Update review: I had another, and still enjoyed the filling.  This one also seemed to have chocolate in the center, which was even better, sorta black forest like.

Seasonal Danish: Apricot. $9.

"Flaky Danish croissant pastry filled with Heilala vanilla cheesecake crème and topped with an apricot half. Garnished with diced green pistachios and individually glazed with a vanilla sugar syrup."

The final danish offering was apricot, with a full apricot half right in the center, and an inviting pistachio rim.  I had this a few days after the sour cherry one.

The pastry itself was much the same as the previous - reasonably fresh tasting, good butter on the finish, better than your average buffet, but not top tier Parisian bakery quality.  I did like the pistachio dusting for crunch.

The vanilla cheesecake filling was fine, a thin layer of it under the apricot.  It added a creamy component, and slight cheesiness.  There wasn't much though, so it was easy to miss.  The apricot was a poached (?) soft apricot, great flavor, clearly not a dried fruit.  I preferred the sour cherry filling to this, but this was nicely done.  ***+.

Cinnamon Cruffin / Morning Bun. $6.

"Sonoma signature treat, a croissant pastry scroll sprinkled with cinnamon citrus sugar."

The hotel had these labelled as cinnamon cruffins, but Sonoma just considers them morning buns, which is what I thought they were too.  I grabbed one my first morning, as it looked so perfect to have alongside my coffee.  

It was fine.  Certainly far better than standard hotel breakfast pastries, better than most coffee shops.  Really well coated in cinnamon sugar (I didn't taste the citrus notes).  Fresh and flaky.  But I found myself bored by it - perhaps warmed up, or with some whipped cream to dunk it in, I would have enjoyed more.  But certainly far far above average for a breakfast buffet.  ***+.

Update Review: I had another a few months later, as they really do just look so good.  I was again let down slightly ... it had good sugar coating, and was nicely rolled, but, I just didn't find it particularly flavorful nor interesting.  ***.

Portuguese Egg Tart. $4.50.

"Delightfully sweet, flaky Sonoma puff pasty tart filled with a rich vanilla egg custard that has been baked until caramelised."

The final offering was a surprise to see, Portuguese egg tarts!  Now, I love a good pastel de nata, but I certainty didn't expect it at breakfast in the buffet in Sydney.  (Side note: if you ever find yourself in Lisbon, yes, Pastéis de Belém is as good as people say it is).  They looked great, just the right level of lightly caramelized on top.

The tarts really were quite good.  Flaky pastry.  Rich custard filling with strong vanilla notes.  Not too eggy.  Just, really quite good.  No complains at all about these, and I wished I could have one warm, as I bet they'd be magical that way.  ****+.

Update: I had these a few more times, and loved them every time.  They really do seem more dessert appropriate though, as they were sweet, and the filling so rich.  But, top notch.  ****+.

Gluten Free

The buffet catered well to many dietary needs, with dedicated gluten-free sections, which were always well labelled.

Gluten-Free Breads.

Gluten-free and vegan diners had several local made breads to pick from, from Nonie's bakery.  

Charcoal & Quinoa:

"The Activated Charcoal & Quinoa Bread has a depth of flavour to match its looks. The earthiness from the charcoal, quinoa seeds and buckwheat flour is balanced by a delicate sweetness from organic coconut sugar. This striking black bread can be served savoury or sweet."

The activated charcoal one looked stunning, so I tried it.  It was ... just dry bread that happened to be an odd color.  Lots of texture from quinoa.  It tasted too healthy.  **.

Spreads, GF Crackers.

They also had a dedicated GF cracker section, with assorted spreads.  I tried the fancy looking peanut butter, and the macadamia butter.  Both were fine but not as exciting as they sounded.  Same with the black wafer crackers, that seemed like just rice crackers, and were flavorless and unseasoned.

Mmmore Slices: Coconut, Caramel? or Hazelnut. 

Gluten-free/vegan guests weren't left out of the sweets either, as they had some slices from yet another local company, Mmmore.  Every day had a lineup of their raw slices.  Mmmore makes 8 different flavors, including some awesome sounding ones like mint chocolate, peanut butter, or caramel, but I was only able to try three more simple options.

Mmmmore hazelnut slice

"A rich, powerful raw cacao and hazelnut combo that will make you emotional (the good kind)."

On the left was one labelled as caramel, but, I believe this was the hazelnut (the caramel one has a much lighter main portion, and a coconut biscuit base, and, presumably, tastes like caramel, and this one did not).  What I had was more of a fairly healthy tasting bar, made up of dates, coconut, and nuts (hazelnuts, cashews), with a hint of cocoa.  It was lightly chewy, lightly crunchy from bits of nuts, and although it had healthy vibes, it also tasted a bit decadent, from the intense coconut.  I was glad that I didn't taste dates too strongly, they mostly just provided some natural sweetness and a binding agent.  Considerably better than most healthy date based bars.  It seemed a bit odd to eat for breakfast, but also wasn't a dessert to me, and I'd rather have as a post workout snack perhaps (which, I certainly could have done, had I gone to the gym in the morning instead of just getting up, rolling out of bed, and going to feast).  An interesting product, but I don't think I'd get it again.  ***+

Mmmore coconut slice

"Lush coconut filling with raw choc top and chewy almond base. Best eaten in secret on tropical island."

Next up, coconut.  It was pretty obvious which one this was, as it it is the only blonde item they make, and was coated in extra coconut.  This one had an even simpler ingredient list: the same coconut, dates, coconut oil, and cocoa powder as the previous, and just some almonds to help form the base, and additional brown rice syrup to add more sweetness.

It basically tasted like coconut.  Slightly chewy.  A tiny bit of a nutty taste.  But mostly, like coconut, like a macaroon.  I really wanted to dip it in chocolate.  Fine, but, just coconut really. Low ***.

Raw Raspberry Slice.

"Pink coconut dream. Dreamy coconut whip with tangy raspberry ripple. Low in fructose. High in love."

My last day a pretty pink one showed up, so I obviously grabbed it.  This turned out to be raspberry, with a description that seemed a bit far fetched (coconut whip?  Nope, its a solid bar ...).  It had a base of almonds, coconut, and brown rice syrup like the previous, and a body of more coconut, raspberries, and dates.

The base of this was basically the same as the coconut slice, lightly chewy, lightly nutty, a bit too healthy tasting for me.  The top was much the same too, it tasted strongly of coconut and little else, although it had a mild fruitiness to it.  I liked this one slightly more than the plain coconut, but the raspberry was pretty muted.  ***.

Daily Specials

Adjacent to the breads and pastries was a staffed station, with a daily special and toppings. The special seemed to just alternate between pancakes and waffles, none of which were made to order, but were made in small batches out there, and served to you directly rather than sitting premade in the buffet.  Breakfast opened at 6:30am, but this station was rarely ready to go by 6:45am or even 7am when I arrived, so I never tried it.

Toppings.

The toppings lineup here was a bit odd.  The cream cheese and Nutella made sense for the toast/bagels.  Cocoa nibs for waffles I guess?  And then nuts?  There was also maple syrup for the pancakes/waffles, but nothing fun like fruit purees, no whipped cream, no chocolate shards, no 100s & 1000s.  This is one of only two areas where I feel the Sheraton Grand does a better job with their breakfast buffet, as they always have great sweet toppings.

The next day, there was whipped cream.  It was a rather thick, gloopy style.  Closer to just clotted cream for scones than what I think of as whipped cream.  Lightly sweetened.  I used it with crumpets and jam one morning, and with fruit another, but it wasn't particular good whipped cream.  **+.

Berries.

This section also has the only berries.  There is plenty of other fruit in the buffet, ranging from fruit salad to whole fruit to sliced fruit of all kinds, but, the berries were only here, and only in small little bowls, with small serving spoons that made it hard to take only a few at a time.  It seemed almost like a cost cutting thing to prevent people from taking tons of berries, but, given the high quality bounty of the rest of the lineup, I don't think that was the reason.

Every day had strawberries and blueberries, some days has raspberries or blackberries.

Anyway, the berries were all quite good, fresh, perfectly ripe.  I was thrilled to finally be able to eat some fresh fruit, not contaminated by melons (I'm allergic), as so many buffets always have the melon mixed in with the other fruit.  ****.

Gelato.

What is a breakfast buffet without gelato or ice cream?  Yes!  The gelato lineup had 6 flavors my first day: vanilla, salted coffee, port, baby peach, and mango sorbet.  The sign said $6, but they were actually included at breakfast.  The flavors changed daily.

Salted Coffee. $6/scoop (included with breakfast).

The first time I tried the ice cream / gelato / sorbet I went for the salted coffee, because, it somehow felt the most breakfast appropriate.  It was just coffee with sugar and cream after all, right?

It was decent gelato, fairly creamy, no crystallization.  This was a salted flavor that did deliver in the salt, which was a bit odd to taste with coffee.  I didn't dislike it, but I didn't love it.  I wouldn't get it again.  ***.

Fresh Fruit & Juices

Once you've gotten over your amazement at the pastry lineup, it is time to be stunned again, with a wall of fresh pressed juices, smoothies, yogurt pots, sliced, and whole fruit.  This is in addition to other fruit found throughout the buffet, and larger format yogurt options that come later.

Juices, yogurts, fruit.

The fruit juices came from Nectar Cold Pressed Juices, and are available a la carte for $10.  Sliced kiwi, cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon were on offer the first day, along with peaches, nectarines, mandarins, and bananas.

The little yogurt pots here included plain, passionfruit, and mixed berry. 

Passionfruit Yogurt.

I tried the passionfruit yogurt pot, but wasn't into it.  The yogurt was tart and not very smooth, and the topping tasted more like pears than passionfruit?  **+.

A few days later, I tried the mixed berry one.  Same thing - I just didn't care for the not smooth yogurt base.  **.

More juices, yogurts, fruit.

Additional cold pressed juices, additional sliced fruit, pears, and several types of apples completed this fruit section.

The yogurt parts here were coconut, honey and chia, and, a bottled mango lassi (also from Nectar).  

Nectar Mango Lassi.

I tried the mango lassi, and wasn't impressed.  Not particularly strong mango flavor, tart, really just a generic smoothie.  But the bottle sure was cute. **.

Dragon Fruit.

My second morning, they had dragonfruit.  So vibrant.  Sadly not all that flavorful.

White Dragon Fruit.

Same with the white dragon fruit a few days later.  Fairly flavorless, although juicy.

Cherries.

Several days had fresh cherries.  Such abundance!  The cherries were excellent.  Every time.  Top notch cherries.  I got my monies worth on cherries and pastries alone!  ****.

Lychee.

And lychee!  The lychee too was excellent.  I was very impressed with some of this fruit.  ****.

Cold Buffet

Next came the standard continental lineup, with charcuterie, cheese, salads, more yogurt and fruit options, and cereal.

Charcuterie, Smoked Salmon.

I did try the smoked salmon, Leisa's Cold Smoked Salmon.  It was fine, but not special.  Fairly firm.  Not much smoky flavor. ***.  The meats were from Pino's.

Again, so much detail put into showing the local sourcing of the products.

Cheeses.

Cheese came from a selection of vendors, each labelled.  There was fresh cheese like fetta and boccacini, a soft triple cream, a medium firm smoked cheese, and a harder alpine style.

I tried a couple, they were fine cheeses, but I'm not really one to want cheese in the morning.

Salad Bar.

The salad bar was a bit interesting, with basic mixed greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes (which seem to be the standard at all buffets around here), plus some pickled things (peppers, gerkins, onions), and a quinoa salad.  Three kinds of dressing were on offer as well.

I missed having sprouts and other interesting salad items from the Sheraton buffet.

I tried a few pickled things, they were fine.

More Salad Bar.

The rest of this station had some fermented products (kimchi, cabbage), spreads (hummus, avocado, babaganoush), and condiments for the smoked salmon (lemon, cream cheese, caperberries).

I tried the babaganoush one morning.  It was nicely smoky and flavorful.  

Yogurt, Muesli.

The yogurt was the same brand as the little pots I didn't like, and looked to be the same style.  There was also coconut yogurt and bircher muesli.  

I of course tried the bircher muesli my first morning, since I love good bircher, and the Sheraton where I'd just been staying the week before has a version that is fine but not great.  This one was also fine ... not too mushy, not too yogurt heavy, not too acidic, but tasted more like standard overnight oats, just a thicker version, than muesli to me.  Fresh berries on top were a nice touch.  ***.

The coconut yogurt was a nice consistency, smooth, thick.  It was very strong in the coconut flavor, as you'd expect.  I think I'd like it with some mango, which is one fruit I never saw show up in the buffet.  Not really my thing, but if you like coconut, it is likely yours.  ***.

Fruit Salad and Compotes.

I was happy to see a fruit salad without melons, although the strawberries in this were fairly mushy, and I didn't really want the apples or citrus.  Grapes were fresh and juicy.

Cereals.

The cereal lineup had all the expected cereals: Nutrigrain, rice puffs, corn flakes, bran sticks, Weet-bix, granola.

I tried the granola, it was fine, but pretty coconut heavy.  ***.

Milks.

The milk choices were full cream, skim, or soy.  No almond nor oat.

Nuts, Seeds, Crackers.

There was a selection of nuts and seeds, along with gluten free cornflakes and more gluten free crackers too.

Hot Buffet

The least exciting section of the lineup for me was the hot foods buffet.  It did have sections that changed daily.

Medium Boiled Eggs.

The first morning, and several days later in the week, this changing area was egg focused.  Kudos for the egg cups and little spoons.

I tried the egg one day, and it was really not what I'd consider medium.  It was fully cooked, seemed hard boiled.  Zero softness to the yolk.  A few months later, I tried another, and it was slightly softer, but still not what I think of as medium boiled.

Scrambled Eggs.

Some days, it was scrambled eggs.  I am not sure why, but I decided to try the scrambled eggs my first day.  The most generic item, and one that is never good in buffets, yet, I was oddly drawn to how creamy the eggs looked.  They were creamy.  I'm curious how they compare to the made to order scrambled eggs that you can order.  ***+.

I had them again several days later, and enjoyed them again.  I think there is copious amounts of butter in here, and likely some cream, or maybe even cheese ... it is hard to tell, they are a very runny style, but, not in a bad way.  "Loose" perhaps is the right term for them?  I really did like them, particularly drizzled with soy sauce and maple syrup, and stuffed into toast.  Probably the best buffet scrambled eggs I've ever had.  ****.

My last morning I had them again, but alas, they were far less magical.  They were still a somewhat loose style, but, really were not any more transformational than other scrambled eggs that at least didn't seem made from powder. ***.

Indian Vegetarian Curry.

The second day, the egg focused hot items turned into an Indian station.  I tried the curry, and it was quite creamy and flavorful.  Veggies a bit soft though.  ***.

Dal.

I didn't have the rice or dal.

Samosas.

The samosas were quite large.

Indian Condiments.

To round out the Indian station, a selection of condiments was available, with chutney and raita.  I really did like the green chutney.

Sides.

Next came a lineup of breakfast sides, these did not change: confit tomatoes, roast mushrooms, black forest double smoked bacon, potato rosti, baked beans (all $8 a la carte).

They were all displayed attractively in heavy casseroles.  The lids kept things warm, but were a bit cumbersome to open while also holding a plate.

Pork Sausage.

There was also some kind of sausage link every day, sometimes chicken, sometimes pork.  I did try both the chicken and pork sausages, and both had a great sear, nice snap to the casing, but inside was quite dense and I wasn't into the texture at all.  I wonder if this is an Australian style thing, much like flabby bacon?  **.

Potato Rosti.

The breakfast potatoes were always rosti patties, no hash browns, home fries, etc.

I tried them one day, as they did look lovely, golden brown, with some herbs in the mix.  I didn't really care for them though, just kinda greasy and not actually warm.  **.

Sauteed Asian Greens.

Every day had a different set of Asian sides, sauteed greens my first day.

Stir Fry.

And stir fry some other days.  I tried it once, with fond memories of the noodles from the Sheraton Grand breakfast, but these were fairly blah.  Not much flavor, kinda greasy, lukewarm.  Good chew to the noodles though. **+.

Congee + toppings.

The first day, chicken congee rounded out the end of the hot bar, with just a few meager toppings.  The next day it was miso soup.

There was no oatmeal nor Western hot cereal or grain.

Condiments.

Hot sauces, ketchup, soy sauce, barbecue, HP, Worchestershine, and mustards completed the buffet area.

Made To Order

There are no made to order action stations at BTWN, e.g. no barista bar, no egg chef, no noodle station.  However, from your table, you order coffee beverages and eggs.  I found this ordering process extremely frustrating - it could take forever to get the attention of someone to place an order, and, sometimes getting the items took forever.  I waited >20 minutes for a long black my first morning, in a fairly empty room.

Coffee

Decaf Long Black.

I generally started my day with coffee in my room using the Nspresso machine the moment I got up, so by the time I made it downstairs, I was ready for decaf.  I opted for a long black most mornings.  It sometimes was ready in 5 minutes, and other mornings, 20 minutes.  Hard to rely on them for coffee if you want it right away.  

It did come in an attractive double walled glass, and was reasonably warm.  No decaf funk, smooth flavor.  Good, but not exceptional.  ***.

I had one of these most mornings, and the flavor ranged from totally fine to too acidic.  But never great.  This was really the low point of the otherwise high quality buffet, particularly in a city with so much great coffee.

The Breakfast Experience

"Breakfast Experience" Menu.

From your table, you can order several "breakfast experiences".  Otherwise known as made to order eggs.  Options were eggs your way (sunny side up, scrambled, boiled, etc), omelettes (with choice of three fillings), or benedict (several styles).  The benedicts are served over crumpets by Merna, another small batch, locally made product.

This order at your table approach is definitely classier than standard buffet with an egg station that always becomes a bottleneck, but, I also knew it meant it would take longer.  I'm rarely there to linger, always rushing to work, so I do appreciate a regular buffet egg station where I can give my order, go get whatever else I want, and have my dish coming out fresh as I walk back.

If you order eggs or omelettes a la carte, rather than from the buffet, they are $24.

Eggs Benedict, Spinach.

OMG.

That is all I have to say about this eggs benedict.  It looked amazing, and tasted as good as it looked.

To start, the basics.  The egg was well poached, no runny whites, nicely runny yolk.  Textbook.  Also, it was a bit freakishly large, I think a chicken egg, but, certainly bigger than normal.  A+ egg.  

Next, the wilted spinach.  Again, textbook.  The portion was good, not too meager, not overwhelming.  It wasn't greasy or oily, which sometimes happens with sautéed spinach.  It went so well with the egg yolks and hollandaise.  A small thing, but, one that often isn't done that well.  A++ spinach.

Then, the hollandaise.  This was fine - creamy, rich, reasonable flavor.  Portion was generous, smothering the egg entirely.  Good hollandaise, but I actually found it not necessary, given how good the rest was, which is saying something, as I'm usually all about sauces.  

And that gets us to the base.  The crumpet.   I'll admit I actually almost asked to not have the crumpet, as I don't care for sourdough, and wanted to save stomach space for other pastry carbs, but, I'm so glad I didn't.  Everything before this was flawless, on par with the best eggs benedict I've had elsewhere, but it is the crumpet that took it over the top.  I can safely say that I've never enjoyed an English muffin or crumpet as much as this.  

"Crumpets by Merna are small batch, locally made sourdough crumpets, created using the best local ingredients. These Traditional Buttermilk Crumpets are made using Pepe Saya buttermilk."

It was extraordinary.  Another local product, this one from Crumpets by Merna.  Merna makes crumpets in a few flavors, ranging from savory cheese & chive to sweet chocolate ones, with coconut vegan offerings and even Christmas tree shaped seasonal one, but my benedict featured the traditional crumpet.  The restaurant toasted it perfectly, just the right amount of crispness, yet still soft and quite moist.  The flavor to this base was incredible, it turns out, I guess I can appreciate sourdough after all.  The fermentation, plus the buttermilk, just made it unlike anything I've tasted before. The crags and nooks and crannies were extensive, and were great vehicles for creating pools of delicious yolk and hollandaise once I cut into the egg.  It made me very interested to try one just with jam and cream sometime, but it was definitely perfect for the benedict.

So, yes.  Perfectly poached egg, non-greasy spinach, lovely hollandaise, and epic crumpet.  To say I enjoyed this is an understatement.  Stunning.  ****+.

Eggs Benedict, Spinach, No Hollandaise.

A few days later, I was back to the poached eggs and crumpets, this time, I asked for no hollandaise, not because I don't care for it, but because I wanted to drizzle it with my own favorite sauce mix: soy sauce + maple syrup + sriracha.  I love the sweet-savory-spicy blend, and I wanted to be able to taste the crumpet even more purely than with all the hollandaise on it.

The egg was again poached flawlessly.  I've had plenty of good poached eggs before, but, these were both truly perfect, not even a tiny bit of runny white, and yet totally runny center.  Perfection.  The spinach was again nicely wilted, and just the right portion for the egg.  The crumpet, again, lightly toasted, but mostly allowed to just shine, full of flavor on its own.  I ended up having a bit with one of the nice local jams and whipped cream from the pancake station, and loved it that way too.

Excellent.  ****.

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