Breakfast Buffet at Feast!, Sheraton on the Park.

Overview

Feast was the onsite restaurant at the Sheraton on the Park / Sheraton Grand in Sydney for many years.

 It offered an a la carte breakfast menu, but 99.999% of people are there for the buffet.  They offered two versions of the buffet, Continental for $38, or, the Full Australian for $44 (2018 pricing).

I always went for the full Australian.  The following is a collection of reviews over many years (starting in 2018 until the restaurant closed and rebranded as Sydney Common - read those more recent reviews here).  My stays at the hotel are generally at least 2 weeks long (generally a month), so I've visited Feast many, many times (and now, Sydney Common).  Somehow I hadn't published this before, even though I had it fully written up and ready to go for years!

///

The setup, just like the dinner seafood buffet offered at Feast (which I've reviewed before), is a full room of offerings.

Each station has items that are largely consistent day to day, but a few slots that rotate with daily specials.  I can safely say, that even if you ate here every day for ... a month (which, I did!), you'd never get bored with eating the same thing twice.  So. Many. Options.

The buffet often features items that I had tried many times before in the Executive Lounge upstairs in prior years (before I started splurging on the restaurant buffet), with selections from both the dinner and evening lineups in the lounge (which you can read about here).

2018-2019

X-Mas in July Breakfast Buffet.

The buffet wasn't normally themed, but one year when I visited in July, they went all-in on a Christmas in July theme.

Example Round #1.

I'll preview each island of the buffet separately, and then dig into each one in detail review.  But first, some previews.

This first preview plate, my first venture on the first day I was there in 2018, was just testing the waters.  It gives you a feel for it though.  Yes, I had Asian stir fry, pancakes, waffles, a mound of whipped cream, fruit, granola, porridge, and breakfast dessert crumble all on set of plates.

They have ... everything.

Example Day 1: November 2018.

My first day in November wasn't much different.

Yup, made to order noodles, eggs benedict, a salad, and bread pudding, gelato, and sorbet? A totally reasonable "breakfast" meal ... at 6am ...

Example Day #3 - July 2018.

Some days, jetlag leads to strange choices.  Like this three course (!) feast.

Course #1: A lovely salad, filled with fresh greens, cheeses, crunchy things, fantastic dressings.  Crazy satisfying, and odd for me at  breakfast, no question.  With my salad, I also had ... a hot dog, baked beans, and stir fry.  Not breakfast items at all.  But I wanted them, right then and there!

Course #2: My second course was all breakfast though: eggs florentine, and it was perfection.  Plus a little more stir fry (I love it!), and, uh, a danish.

Course #3: Yes, any one of the above courses was a full breakfast, no question.  But ... it was time for dessert!  A little porridge (skip!) and ... insanely good bread and butter pudding.  With gelato too.

Oooph.

Some days, let's just say, restraint, at 6:30am, when your body is soooo confused, just isn't possible.  And also, when the food is just that insanely good!

At some point, I'd actually try a different agenda, going closer to the end of service, like 10:30am instead of 6:30am, and go just for a big salad, stir fry, and bread pudding, as lunch.  It would work well on a day when I was waking even earlier, and could have breakfast and coffee in my room, or the lounge, earlier.  Hmmm ... #nextTime.

Example Carb + Eggs Day (July 2018).

Can you tell what I narrowed in on as my regular lineup?

What does Julie like?  Sweets, coffee, and the crazy good eggs benedict and hollandaise.  Uh, at least I had protein?

Always the eggs!

While my other dishes rotated, as I tried *all* the things, sampling a little of this or that from the buffet, one thing remained constant: the eggs benedict!  It really was exceptional.

Sometimes I added toppings (from the Asian station).

Mix & Match.

Sometimes I really wanted salad early in the morning.  (And a donut of course).

But I always wanted those eggs.

Multiple Benedict's ... & Bread Pudding.

And most days ... I wanted bread pudding too.

For me, this was the perfect #breakfastOfChampions ... the poached egg for protein and "healthy", and the decadent bread pudding because, well, I love my sweet breakfast carbs.

Trying to Mix It Up ... Made to Order Scrambled Eggs & Crisp! (November)

I tried to mix it up one day, and got made to order scrambled eggs, and a cheese toastie, but ... I could not resist, by round 4, I had eggs benny back on my plate.  At least I moved on to fruit crumble and gelato for dessert instead of bread pudding?

Mixing it up again ... Made to Order Fried Egg & Fruit! (November 2018).

The next day I tried again, going for a fried egg to order but ... the benny called again too.  It was a two egg morning.  I did significantly jazz up my dessert selection too.

2 Egg Courses + 2 Dessert Courses (November 2018).

My breakfast quickly took a very similar format.  Two courses of eggs, one always the benedict, one something from the hot line or made to order station, and then a round of bread pudding or crisp ... and then a second smaller round of "just one more little taste".

I added on a few veggies here or there, or tried new sauces, but for the most part, this was my standard four course feast.

Mixing It Up: Only ONE egg course! And lots of dessert (November 2018).

During my trip in November, I managed to finally not have two egg courses every day ... my last day, lol.

I still had one egg course, and a huge dessert course, but then ... swung by the lounge a bit later to get another savory course.  I needed *more*.  My body was too used to 4 course breakfasts by that point, it turns out.

More eggs, more noodles, more bread pudding, better gelato! (January 2019)

Nothing changed when I returned in January 2019.

I was still ravenous in the mornings, eating 3-4 courses, always including eggs benedict, always including a fantastic dessert, enhanced with excellent gelato.

Look ma, no eggs! (January 2019)

On this morning, I had brunch plans at 11am, but woke at 6:30am.  I couldn't imagine waiting to eat for 4.5 more hours.

So I had a "light" breakfast, skipping the eggs this time, having a yogurt/granola pot to be healthy, and of course, finishing with an amazing bread pudding/gelato/custard/whip cream/fruit/sauces pre-brunch breakfast dessert.  I don't claim to be a reasonable human.

Perfection (January 2019).

During my 11 day stay in January 2019, I had eggs benedict and bread pudding 9 mornings.  And I am *not* the type of person who has the same thing every day.  I rarely, rarely do that.

But when the dishes are that reliable, and that perfect, day after day ... I just have no choice. I mean, really.  Look at that yolk exploding from the egg, and that pile of creamy custard to go with the braed pudding!

Every day.

Every Day Perfect. (January 2019)

The base of the breads used in the bread pudding changed slightly, my ratio of toppings changed slightly, but, what rarely wavered was my enjoyment.

Just, perfection, over and over.

Weak Eggs = More Dessert! (January 2019)

Then one day, the eggs benny finally let me down.

But I had a solution: extra breakfast-dessert!  Good timing that chocolate pies (!) showed up that day.

3 Courses! Noodle Bowl + Smoked Salmon Eggs Benny
+ Bread Pudding Dessert Bowl. (January 2019)

During my January 2019 stay, I finally remembered how much I loved the noodles, near the end of my stay.  I added them back in as an amazing first course.  Perhaps they make more sense for after the eggs? Or alongside?  I'm not sure.

This was way too big of a breakfast, and I finished it all, because everything was just really, really good.  Such a winning day.  And hey, I had veggies!

4 Courses! Veggie Bowl + Poached Egg + Bread Pudding Dessert Bowl
+ Stuffed Liege Waffles. (January 2019)

My final morning, I broke from the mold, ordered fresh poached eggs, made a noodle-less noodle bowl, and opted for post-breakfast dessert liege waffles (in the lounge).

Decision making is hard sometimes.

Jetlag Day 1: Noodles & Dessert. (March 2019).

A few weeks later, in March, (yes, literally, just a few weeks later), I was back, fresh off new jetlag.  And my first morning, my body craved ... yup, the noodles, the MOMENT I woke up.  And then, after that, all I wanted was desserts.  Lots of it.  My body clearly thought it was lunch time (which, it was in San Francisco), and that I had skipped breakfast, and needed to eat, stat!

Jetlag Day 2: Eggs + Seafood + Noodles + Pastries + Fruit + Bread Pudding + Gelato. #soHangry. (March 2019). 

The next morning was more comical.  My body still very confused, and angry that I had a hard time dragging myself out of bed even though wide awake at 5:30 am, by the time I rolled into breakfast at 6:45am, it wanted ... EVERYTHING!  EVERYTHING NOW!

I laughed at myself, slightly, and tried to slow down, but after a first course of a noodle bowl and poached eggs (covering the bases!), I decided I needed to try the new smoked fish, and then somehow some pastries and fruit and yogurt wound up on my plate, even though of course I was going for bread pudding and toppings next ...

Oh, jetlag.

Jetlag Day 3: Getting more reasonable:
Savory Plate + Dessert Plate. (March 2019).

By morning #3, I think I was getting slightly more reasonable.  Although I still walked away uncomfortably full.  At least I only got two plates full?

Course #1 was savory, mediocre smoked salmon benedict, white bean cassoulet, assorted greens and seaweed, and ... random toppings and sauces drizzled around.  Course #2? A very large bread pudding, with far more custard, gelato, and whipped cream than usual.

Ok, maybe I wasn't more reasonable, I just took bigger portions to start.  Still, this was a all around delicious day.

Day 7: Back at it! (March 2019).

What happened to days 4, 5, and 6?  Yeah, work happened.  Early mornings of all day work summits meant I didn't have time for an elaborate breakfast.  Grab and go on the way in to the office was my only option.  I'll admit, it broke my heart a little bit every morning as I walked by the restaurant on my way out.

But after 3 days of not feasting for breakfast, I was back at it.  My favorite eggs benny (with flair!), and of course, fully loaded (danish!) bread pudding.

Day 8: Rainy morning 4 course. (March 2019).

I'd like to say I was really hungry, had eaten lightly the day before, or some other excuse, since at this point I certainly couldn't blame jetlag but ... reality is that it was raining, it was Saturday, I was worn out from the very loooong work week, and ... I was avoiding making decisions for the rest of the day.

So I dined.  For 1.5 hours (!).  I finally had the time to just sit and enjoy.  I went slowly, starting with the made to order soup bowl.  Then, when I watched strategically for fresh eggs benny to emerge, and had a benny.  Halfway through, I was full.  But ... dessert! I couldn't forgo dessert!

So I sipped coffee, watched the rain, read my e-mail on my phone.  And then dug into the bread pudding, with full toppings, of course.  I loved it.  And ... for reasons unknown to me, I went back for "just one more perfect portion".  Gulp.  But I loved it all.

The Best Breakfast I Ever Had @ Feast:
Asian Flair Ham Eggs Benny / Requisite Greens /
Epic Cinnamon Streusel Bread Pudding. March 2019

Nearing the end of my time in March 2019, I had really perfected my meals.  This was the best breakfast I ever had at Feast.

And it was a day I wasn't really hungry (had feasted large and late the night before), and was planning to just have some muesli and fruit, maybe a few bites of something else.

But the egg was actual perfection, and the bread pudding ... the best they ever served.

Asian Flair Smoked Salmon Eggs Benny / Coffee
  Cinnamon Streusel Bread Pudding. (March 2019)

After the success the day before, I went for nearly the same creations the next day, although I jazzed up my 'asian flair' eggs benny even more (and it was smoked salmon rather than ham this time), and skipped the greens on the side (but had more under the benny), and worked a bit harder on my plating, lol.

Asian Flair Smoked Salmon Eggs Benny / Coffee
Mixed Danish Bread Pudding / Special Italian Cornetto. (March 2019)

Final morning in March, I attempted to replicate my previous two successful breakfasts, but, both the egg and bread pudding let me down (egg wasn't poached as well, the bread pudding was a base I didn't like, and half my favorite toppings were not available).

All was saved though by discovering the very special, passed at the tables by the Pastry Chef, Italian Cornetto!  Read on below for more on that.

Salad / Noodle Bowl / Eggs Florentine
 Muffins / Donuts. October 2019.

And then it was October.

It was 7 months since my last visit to Sydney.  During that time ... a few things changed.  Yes, my stable little reliable world at Feast changed slightly!

The eggs benedict still was the best thing ever, the made to order noodles were still the most amazing thing ever at 6:30 am my first morning (whee, jetlag!), but ... but ... the bread pudding, my precious bread pudding, was no more.  Instead, they now offer made to order waffles, along with pre-made french toast and pancakes, and an expanded topping lineup, but ... no more bread pudding.  At least they still have gelato?

The other change ... the muffins.  They got bigger.

My lineup stayed about the same my first morning.  Confused jetlag body really wanted a warm savory soup bowl and some fresh greens, ravenous me ADORED the eggs benny, and, sad me made due with some gelato, toppings, and mini donuts in lieu of bread pudding.

Carving Station / Asian Eggs Benny / Made-to-order Waffles
Gelato / Donuts.

The next day, I tried out the final new stations: the carving station (ham) and the made-to-order waffles (meh).

Of course, I crafted my perfect eggs benny loaded with asian toppings, and made a huge gelato sundae.  It was good, but, just not the same.

Decor

The decor did not change often, it was fairly generic hotel restaurant style normally, but sometimes they jazzed it up.

Decked out for ... Christmas in July!

No, this was not a December visit, but rather, July.

The entire property was celebrating Christmas in July.  I was happy to join in the celebrations, (particularly in the themed desserts)!

Seating and Buffets.

The buffets run the entire length of the restaurant, culminating at the chef's action station.

Seating is available on both sides, in a variety of table sizes, ranging from small tables for one or two, usually occupied by "the regulars", business travelers or cute older couples on holiday, to larger tables for four (always families, always with some kids running around with their minds blown at the buffet offerings), to very large tables filled with conference attendees for events being held in the hotel.

It made me laugh how consistent the patron experience was, and, in particular, how I started to recognize the same regulars every morning.  The staff quickly recognized us regulars and routinely tried to give us the coveted small window seats, away from the action.

More Seating.

The back end of the restaurant had the bigger tables, and the wine cellar, likely more of a focal point during dinner service.

Stations

To give an overview, here are the individual stations.  I'll review each in more detail below.  But, first, take it all in, just like a first time visitor does to the buffet, walking through to see just what abundance is on offer.

Station 1: Fruit, yogurt, cereal, juice.

Healthy basic start with fruits, yogurts, cereals, and juices.

Station 2: Cheese, charcuterie, smoked seafood, pastries, breads, gluten-free.

European style cheese, charcuterie, and smoked seafood come next, along with all the pastries, including a special gluten-free section.

Station 3: Hot (Mostly) Western Breakfast.

Then the hot line, mostly the full Western / English lineup.

Station 4: Hot Asian Breakfast & Chef's Action Station.

And then the final hot items, including the hot asian buffet and the made-to-order chef's stations.

Drinks

As part of the buffet, coffee drinks and tea are included, along with water and juice found at the buffet for self-service.  Additional beverages, such as sparkling water, are a extra charge.

Coffee beverages are ordered from servers, who also circulate to clear dirty plates.  The staff are fairly remarkable in how attentive they are to drink orders, and remember your order from day to day, year to year.  I literally had staff remember my precise order, which wasn't just a generic drink (I was usually getting decaf by the time I was down in the restaurant, having my regular coffee first thing in my room or the lounge already).

Unfortunately, the coffee here was pretty bad.  I recommend brewing some in your room, and just bringing it with you, tacky as that is.

Long Black (July).

The first day, I arrived at 6:30am on the dot when they opened, fresh off my not-so-awesome jetlag.  I quickly ordered a long black.

It wasn't very good.  Too strong in a strange way.

Long Black (November).

I tried again my first day in November, and it was again really quite undrinkable.  Strong but not in a good way.  I couldn't finish it.

Regular Drip Coffee (July).

The next morning, I opted for just regular drip coffee.  Maybe I was trying to be too fancy with espresso beverage?

It was worse.  Really, really harsh, bitter, acidic.  I was there again right at opening time, so it wasn't old.  I was fairly surprised, because the quality of most things was high, the coffee was just truly horrible.  And this is a country generally good at coffee!

Decaf Long Black (July).

I moved on to decaf.  The first day I tried a decaf long black, and it was equally not great.

I returned to it a few days later after giving up on other options, and again, eh.

Decaf Plunger (July).

I asked for a decaf plunger pot the second day, since I had quasi-success with those in the lounge before.

The problem though?  They clearly aren't used to making these, and pressed it way too early, and it came already pressed.  It was ... lightly colored coffee water.  Very weak.  Sadness.

Decaf Plunger #2 (July).

I tried again the next day, to greater success.  This time it was brought without being pressed in advance, so I was able to let it brew completely.  It was much better.

Mmmm, coffee grounds. (July)

The day after? Disaster again.

It came pressed and looked like sludge.  As it was set down in front of me, just a minute after I had ordered, and I saw the plunger down, I asked, "Was that able to brew long enough? It looks pressed already?".  The server looked very confused and said it was ready to drink.  As I poured, it was pure thick sludge.  "This ... isn't right, I'm sorry.", I said.  She shrugged.  I asked if she could do another, and explained that the grounds should go *under* the plunger, and it shouldn't be pressed for several minutes.  She said she'd go talk to the barista, but left the sludge on my table.

I tried to drink it, but, ahh, it was clear they just put coffee grounds on top in the plunger.  No, no, no.

Decaf Plunger #4 (July).

The final morning, I tried again (hey, why not?), and my perseverance was rewarded.

This one was actually quite good.  Not pressed in advance.  Not full of grinds.  Nicely dark.  Decent flavor.

Finally.  But wow, consistency on these is not their strength, and I think the staff are not trained on plunger pots.  They also used a different style plunger pot this time.

Decaf Plunger #1 (November).

When I returned in November, the hostess said, "Do you still bring your own regular and want just a decaf plunger?"  I looked up soooo surprised.  She ... remembered me from months before, and remembered my order??!

I said yes, and was rewarded with a half-decent plunger pot!  Not pressed in advance.  The same thing happened the next day, and it was even better, I let it brew longer, and got a decently strong cup.

Decaf Plunger #7 (November).

The same thing the next day.  Same hostess, she really made this right.

But the next day?  And the one after? Different hostess or server, and pre-pressed, watery pot.  Sightastic.  Finally, my last day, good hostess, great brew.

I wish they could get this consistent.  It isn't ever amazing, but it can be quite drinkable.

Decaf Plunger (January 2019).

Most days in January, my plunger was actually decent.  Not amazing, but drinkable.  It usually came not plunged.

But this day, it came quickly, plunged, and was acidic, bitter, and horrible.  It tasted like stale old coffee, which I know it wasn't, but it was horrible.  I could barely take a second sip.

Decaf Plunger (January 2019).

Another decent one, this time served in a large plunger, the size they use for regular coffee.  I was wired as I left, and rather worry this was not decaf.

Decaf Plunger (March 2019).

In general, the coffee was fairly horrible. I stopped reviewing it daily. I even tried to stop actually drinking it daily, but, I really love hot coffee with my meal.  I usually brewed alternate coffee in my room for my first cup of regular, and dealt with this decaf, but wow, sometimes it was truly horrible.

Milks, Juice (2018).

The other beverages were self-serve at the end of the first buffet station, with an assortment of fruit juices, milks, and spa water.

I didn't try any of this.

Juice (January 2019).

When I returned in January, the juice station moved off to a side of the dining room, rather than up at the central buffet.  The juices were also more attractively displayed. 

Juicing Station! (New in 2019).

Why were they moved?  Because a fresh juicing station took their place!

They had whole veggies (carrots, celery, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc), a cutting board, and a juicer.  For those who somehow really were feeling healthy ... at the buffet?

I saw one person use it, ever.

This station mostly caused confusion.  I loved the folks next to me one morning, an older lady who came back with some of the fruit intended for the juicer, huge, huge slices, and her husband.  The server saw her giant chunks of fruit and explained that she could juice them.  She declined, but as he walked away, she turned to her husband, and said, "That explains the full size carrots, celery, and beets!  I thought it was 'bring your rabbit to breakfast day'!"

Food

The main attraction is the food, arranged in two islands of chilled / room temperature selections, two islands of hot selections, and a chef's action station, as previewed above.  I'll dive into each in detail.

Station 1: Fruit, yogurt, cereal, juice.

The first station is the simple continental healthy offerings.  It didn't really change day to day, and provided all your basics.  I mostly didn't head for this area.

Yogurt, Stewed & Whole Fruit.

First up, tart plain yogurt, tart berry yogurt, mixed berry compote, stewed apricots, and whole green apples.

These were all the same that I've had up in the lounge before, so I mostly skipped, not my style, besides a little of the apricot goo which I love to add to my bircher muesli.

I did try the berry yogurt one morning, but it was just generic berry yogurt, not much to say there.

Greek Yogurt, Bircher Muesli, Stewed & Whole Fruit.

Next up, thicker greek yogurt, the housemade bircher muesli, stewed prunes, and whole oranges.

The greek yogurt is decent, very creamy and rich, and I do sometimes like it drizzled with stewed fruit juice.

I tried to resist the bircher muesli since I've had it so many times and there were so many more exciting options, but, I do like it most of the time.  Great mix-ins (dried fruits, needs, etc are all already in there), and when you top it with a little stewed apricot or stewed prune goo, it is magic.

Unless it is a day where its totally unbalanced, way too yogurt-y, or way too apple-y, which, sadly totally happens.  It is highly inconsistent.

Most days, I had a tiny serve of it, because I just couldn't resist.  I'd say ... 50% of the time it was great, 50% I didn't like, so, really hard to predict.  Just too much yogurt, too much apple some of the time.  Don't they ... follow a recipe?

Yogurt Pot. (January)

Some days, the yogurt came pre-potted, topped with granola.

The granola was horribly soggy and off putting.  The yogurt creamy, fine, but tart, not what I remember.

I added a little bircher muesli to try it out, but it too was too tart.  I was sad.

Fresh Fruit.

Next was cut fresh fruits, fruit salad, watermelon, papaya.

I love papaya, but, it was right next to watermelon which I'm highly allergic to, and it looked dried out anyway, so I didn't risk it.

In November, the watermelon was gone, so I was able to try the papaya.  It was good, ripe, flavorful, and something a bit different from what I get in the US most of the time.

More Fresh Fruit.

The fruit continues with melon, passionfruit, pineapple, and kiwi, all cut, plus whole red apples up on top.

I do love kiwi, so often get it.  In July, it wasn't very ripe, quite hard, but by November it was much better, softer, ripe, sweet.  In March it too was really quite enjoyable.

The passion fruit was very bitter in July, not featured in November or March, but fantastic in January.

July just wasn't the time of year for tropical fruits.

Lychee (November).

I was a bit sad that during my entire stay in November, there was never any passion fruit.  But on my final day, I was rewarded with lychee!

Except, well, it didn't seem fresh.  I think this was likely canned.  Boo.

Fruit Mush!

I only ever saw this fruit mush once, in all my visits, and I took some out of fascination.  I had no idea what kind of stewed fruit mush it was, and I still don't.  It tasted mildly like some kind of stone fruit?

It was nice on top of bread pudding, likely good mixed into yogurt, or, um, for your baby?

Cereals.

This station concludes with assorted cereals, standard offerings of corn flakes, bran flakes, rice puffs, toasted muesli, cocoa puffs, Weet-Bix.

I didn't have, although sometimes I really do enjoy Weet-Bix topped with tons of sugar!

GF Cereals.

A separate gluten-free station had 3 more cereals, plus my absolute favorite granola, on the end of the next island.  They really take gluten-free so seriously here, it is impressive.  Always clearly separate, and generous offerings.

These were Farmer Jo brand, fun varieties like "Treat yo’ self", with cacao nibs raw whole hazelnuts with shards of dried orange, or "All your friends will love me", with dried granny smith green apple with whole roasted almonds.  The granola is a wholesale only product from Madhouse Bakehouse, and I absolutely adore it, which you've read about before.

Station 2: Cheese, charcuterie, smoked seafood, pastries, breads, gluten-free.

The next cold continental station is an impressive cheese/charcuterie station on one side, bakery items on the other, and gluten-free on the end.  It is the station I skipped most often however.

Fresh Cheese, Honeycomb, Swiss.

The fresh cheese behind the honeycomb here was really fantastic.  It might have been feta, but didn't seem as strong as feta normally is.  It was drizzled with olive oil and herbs, and was just really fantastic, particularly added to salads.

Gouda / Brie / Blue Cheese, Preserved Things, Spreads.

Hiding behind the cheeses were some unlabeled jars which I explored.  I really liked the items inside, although I had no idea what they really were.

One seemed to be confit garlic, mmm, garlic.  Another, confit onions?  Mmm, onions.  Another was kinda ... ginger?  Not my thing.

I have no idea what the dark paste is, but I had it many times, and always liked the flavor.  I couldn't describe it though.  It might have been date paste?  I think it was a fruit.  Maybe a dark apricot? Quince would actually be my guess, but it was too dark.  Regardless, I really did like it.  Sadly, it was gone in November.

One day there was a white substance in the jar. I asked what it was, and was told, goat cheese (!!!).  Good thing I asked rather than try, as I hate goat cheese.

I tried the gouda one day when I wanted cheese with my eggs, it was unremarkable.  Same with the brie.

This section also had crackers and regular cream cheese.  Or sometimes creme fraiche.  Or sometimes very small curd cottage cheese.  Sometimes fresh ricotta.  Or sometimes ... goat cheese.  It was funny because the lineup usually had 3 things that looked very similar, always in different places on the line, none labelled, and it was never clear which was cream cheese vs creme fraiche vs the dreaded goat cheese.  Can you tell that I'm scarred by my repeated mistaken goat cheese incidents?

The creme fraiche however was fantastic, smooth, creamy, and, as I later discovered, awesome folded into scrambled eggs!  A dollop of fresh ricotta on eggs was also a welcome addition.

I quickly discovered it was worth risking the goat cheese given how much I loved the luxurious other creams, and the fresh ricotta, opting for a little on the side nearly every day.

Charcuterie / Pickles.

Next came some cold cuts and pickles, the same varieties we had in the lounge at night.

Pate (January 2019).

In January, they did have sliced charcuterie, but a new meat spread also made an appearance.  I was never able to figure out what the spread was, it was never labelled.  I think I kinda liked it though.

Mmmm, mushed meat spread ...

Smoked Sausage? (Feb 2019).

I'm not sure what this was, as it was unlabeled, but I was excited to see, and try, something new.

It wasn't really my style though, too strong of a skin, kinda mealy interior.

Sliced Meat Mush. (March 2019)/

Mmm, how appetizing does this look?

Clearly I had to try it.

I can't say I've actually tried cat food before, but this was exactly what I imagine cat food to taste like.  Wowzer.  Did not like.

Tomato Chutney.

The sauces changed all the time, and I didn't particularly like the tomato chutney, but I think that is just personal preference.

More Charcuterie / Smoked Mackerel / Garnish.

After that came more charcuterie, the same smoked mackerel from the lounge, and garnishes like red onion and caperberries.  Again, all things I had in the lounge at night many times.

On my last morning, I wondered why there was another cream cheese here.  Wasn't that cream cheese just a few sections down?  I worried it was goat cheese, but still braved it.

I was rewarded with a delicious horseradish creme fraiche.  I wish I had discovered it sooner!  Great flavor and texture.  That horseradish cream never came back in November, but it did on later visits.  As I previously mentioned, there were always 3 different white cream things, I just never knew which was which.

Smoked Salmon.

And of course, smoked salmon too, plus lemon wedges.

I tried the smoked salmon, and it was good, nicely smoky, but smoked salmon isn't really my goto these days.

Smoked White Fish.

I'm not sure what kind of fish this was.  It was labelled "smoked mackerel", but it clearly wasn't, and they just had the old sign out.

It was a moist white fish, flaky, mild.  I'm not sure what made it orange.  I appreciated having something besides the mackerel and salmon.

Smoked Cod (March).

The orange hued white fish didn't make another appearance for quite a while, but this time, it was labelled as smoked cod.

I tried it, still wondering what made it orange, but I couldn't detect any particular flavor.  The fish was mild, not very smoked, and kinda slimy.  Not very interesting.

Toasts, Muffins, Mini Donuts.

Along the other side was a toaster, and toast of all varieties, plus english muffins.

I was impressed with the range of bread available.  I did really like the white bread, it was slightly sweet, fluffy, and great with some peanut butter and nutella.

The muffins were the same from the lounge that I never liked, so I skipped them.  The mini ones, prior to October 2019, I never liked.  The larger ones that were introduced sometime in winter 2019 were certainly better, but still pretty generic, and the lounge and buffet always had the same ones.

The mini donuts are generally good.  Given the other amazing things in the buffet in the sweet carbs department (spoiler: bread pudding!), I couldn't really pick these as my main sweet, but, um, I usually grabbed one to go.  If you care, the mini beignets are Les Délices des 7 Vallées brand, and the ring are Bard, distributed wholesale and frozen, just simply defrosted, but, well, I really do like them.

Full Size Donut.

"Delicious large ring donuts topped with dark chocolate coating and milk chocolate splits. "

And then one day, the donuts were full size. And coated with chocolate.  I couldn't resist.

I'll admit, I kinda like these things, but they are *not* fresh donuts in any sense.  They arrive frozen and are simply defrosted.  They remind me, 100%, of the chocolate frosted Entenmann's packaged donuts we sometime got as a treat when I was growing up.

The "donut" is a fluffy sweet bread, I guess yeasted style donut, but again, not a regular fried donut.  The chocolate glaze is crisp but tasty enough.

They taste processed, they taste fake, and sometimes, I like them.  Particularly alongside a cup of coffee.  Judge away.

I had a mini one in November, and I again kinda liked it.  In the "just bought this from a gas station" sort of way.  Very processed, but, I liked the chocolate on top, and how light it actually seemed.  Same thing in October.  Don't judge, I just do like these things.

Mini Red Fruit Beignet (November).

"Our mini beignets originate in a traditional know-how from the North of France. They are the historical products of the company and reflect a real culinary family heritage using noble ingredients and meticulously selected for “high-end” products.

They combine the softness of an egg-and-butter dough and the smoothness of a generous filling (24%).

Based on baker’s yeast, the beignets undergo a rising process that helps them to obtain this well-rounded shape and to give them a light and airy texture.

A Mini size and a one-of-a-kind softness give these beignets the taste of home cooking for the utmost enjoyment!"

After the success of the ring donuts in July, I tried the mini powdered in November, assuming it would be filled with something, not sure what.

It too was really quite enjoyable.  Soft, sweet fluffy dough, slight crust on the outside, sweet powdered sugar coating.

Red Fruit Donut: Inside.

Inside was berry filling, sweet and fruity, goo, but tasty goo.

I really enjoyed these.  They became an essential part of my daily line up.  Perfect little treat as I headed out the door.  Nearly every day.  <3 these.

I wish I had taken a photo, but one day, my donut had literally a dot of jam.  Just a dot.  Clearly it *was* intended to be a red fruit donut, but alas, it was not.

Interestingly, in March, I tried these several times and never cared for them.  The donuts were a bit soggy, the goo just goo ... which is what I'd expect.  This makes me question everything!

Caramel Donut!

One day, I was in for a surprise.  I could tell the donut didn't look like a jelly donut, but I was shocked to find it was stuffed with ... salted caramel!

Sweet, runny caramel.  This was perhaps even better, a combination I haven't really had before, and quite enjoyed.  Beware though, these make quite a mess, as the caramel is soooo runny!

It turns out, these come in a slew of flavors: red fruit, strawberry, apricot, apple, passionfruit, hazelnut chocolate, caramel, and white chocolate.

Banana Walnut Muffin (October 2019).

One day, and one day only, a different muffin appeared.  It was never in the lounge, and it did not match the others in its shape, size, or look.  

I had to try it right?

I think this one was house made.  It was more moist, denser, fresher tasting.  Studded with a lot of walnut halves, and decent banana flavor base.  Banana muffins, banana bread, etc aren't really my thing these days (although, growing up, I did love my mom's banana nut bread toasted with cream cheese ...), but, this was a decent muffin, considerably better than the rest.

Pastries.

Next, pastries, the same from the lounge.  They are not good.

While you rarely see me skip the baked goods, here I did, because I had tried every single one before and never cared for them that much, but also, because there were plenty of other sweet carbs I could get my fill of.

For reference though, they had croissants, chocolate croissants, custard triangles, raspberry rolls, chocolate twists, and praline fingers.  They all come from Bridor, and are baked off in-house (says my "expert" research).

Pecan Plait. (March)

Ok, I lied.  I didn't have any, from the buffet, besides the donuts, for *years*.  And then one morning the other breakfast carbs let me down, and so I gave one a try again.

The pecan plait was ... ok.  Not great, not awful. Slightly crispy exterior, moist pecan filling.  But nothing particularly good about it.

Hot Cross Bun. (Easter Special March 2020).

In March, one day, there was a new item:hot cross buns!

Which, I realized once I took one, isn't actually very interesting.  Just a raisin roll, with some cinnamon flavors, and a cross on top. I tried warming it up, I tried adding cream, but, yeah.  Why?

Savory Puff (March 2020).

Once they had these seed covered savory puffs, which I tried, but lost my notes on.

Gluten-Free Pastries.

The gluten-free pastries, on the other hand, and strangely good.

The gluten-free pastries changed out day to day, but usually included a mix of banana bread, friands, muffins, and danishes.  I knew these from the lounge, where I tried them one day out of desperation, and discovered that I really liked some of them.  This is one case, where the gluten-free folks really "win".  I imagine because they are locally sourced rather than mass produced frozen baked off pastries?

GF Blueberry Friand.

Before in the lounge on my previous trip, I remembered finding the GF blueberry friand, and strangely enjoying it.  I was happy to see it featured at Feast! too.

I again enjoyed it.  Moist cake with coconut for texture, juicy berries.  So much better than the regular muffins (also, isn't a "friand" way more fun than a muffin?).

GF Coconut Blackberry Friand.

The blackberry one turned out to be nearly identical.  A coconut cake, with fruity berry on top, this time, blackberry.

I again liked it, it was very moist, sweet but not cake-sweet, more like a muffin, good flavor, good texture from the coconut.  I preferred the blueberry to the blackberry, just because I like blueberries more, but this was fine.

GF Apricot Danish.

The gluten-free danishes are far, far better than the regular danishes.  The base really crispy in a nice way, the filling fruity and sweet, halves of apricot, glazed.

It did have a strange flavor in the base pasty of course, but, it worked.  It was like ... mochi, hard pastry like mochi.  I know that sounds odd, and it is, but I like it.

I added a dollop of whipped cream, and really enjoyed it.

I came back to these fairly regularly, and was always shocked how I liked the crispy strange pastry.

GF Apple Cinnamon Danish.

I wasn't sure what kind this was until I tried it, but it turned out to be bits of apple.  Not the variety I would normally pick, but the pastry was again good in a strange fascinating way.  Crispy, almost rice-like (maybe it was rice flour?), and actually just something I liked. Particularly with custard and whipped cream.  Mmmm.

I had it again in November, and again was fascinated by the pastry.  Crispy, rice like, but good with whipped cream.  Can't really explain these.

In March 2020 however, it was very MEH for me, the pastry wasn't as crispy, and it offered nothing to me.

GF Chocolate Muffin.

The gluten free folks win at the muffins too.

The regular muffins are stale little mini things, the gluten free ones are full size, and quite moist.

The chocolate flavor was intense, deeply chocolately, quite good.  It did have a slightly odd flavor and texture, it was gluten-free after all, but, I enjoyed it far more than any of the regular muffins.

In particular, I'm a fan of the chocolate chips on top.

GF Blueberry Muffin.

This was the least successful of the gluten free baked goods.

It was very moist, and had quite juicy berries, so those were all good things, but the cake to it was ... clearly gluten free.  It didn't have a good crumb, texture, nor flavor at all.

I tried one again in November, not remembering this review, and again thought it was pretty bad.  My memory was that the gluten-free pastries were good, but this one certainly was not.

GF Mini Chocolate Pie.

A chocolate tart for breakfast?  Don't mind if I do!

This was actually *really* good.  I was beyond surprised.

I liked the pie crust, a blond style, soft, and it reminded me of the fairly generic but tasty pie crusts you can make from store bought refrigerated dough.

The chocolate was a thick ganache, not a pudding.  I loved it.  Dark, rich.

This was delightful as is, better with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

More charcuterie, butters.

Want a choice of butters?  You got it!  Australian style? European style? Or margarine instead?  Choices, all individual packages.

Spreads.

Speaking of choices.  The array of spreads was even more impressive.

Peanut butter, nutella, honey, vegemite.  4 types of jam (orange marmalade, apricot, raspberry, strawberry).  I knew these all from the lounge, and can vouch that they are all good quality.

I do like the super creamy peanut butter + nutella + whipped cream on just about anything.  Something about that Australian peanut butter butter, its soooo perfectly creamy ...

Station 3: Hot (Mostly) Western Breakfast.

Finally, we moved into hot foods.  The first hot buffet was mostly Western items.  This station had a similar format every day, but most items changed out daily, rotating through a slew of types of sausages, different styles of bacon, different veggies, different egg dishes.

Nearly everything here I had seen at some point in the lounge prior.  Mostly not my favorite section, except that it held my daily eggs benny, and some very good stir fried veggies from time to time.

Pancakes / Whipped Cream / Berry Sauces / Maple Syrup (Daily - July).

The pancakes were a fixture, available every day, with the same toppings.

Served alongside was classic breakfast syrup, but also whipped cream (!) and two fruit sauces (!!).  I'm not entirely sure what the fruit sauces were, but both were sweet and fruity, actually quite nice.   I think one was raspberry, one blackberry perhaps?  I used them on yogurt and muesli too.  And on gelato.  And bread pudding.  Just about anything I wanted to jazz up in the sweet department.  Very nice sauces.

The whipped cream was fine, only slightly sweetened.  I appreciated that they included toppings like these, rather than just syrup, even though for the pancakes, the syrup really was the best topping.  That didn't stop me from using the other toppings on other things.

Sauces: Mango Coulis, Pear?, Whipped Cream. (November 2018).

The fruit sauces changed out entirely in November 2018, no longer berry sauces.

The orange one was fantastic, a sweet fruity mango coulis, really quite flavorful.  Nice drizzled on the sorbet.  I bet it would be great over sweet rice pudding or tapioca.  I really loved it, but never found the perfect thing to pair it with at breakfast.

The other one I think was a pear compote, perhaps apple, basically like applesauce.  Eh, not my thing.

In March 2020 however, the mango syrup returned, and I delighted in covering my morning gelato or ice cream with it.

Raspberry Coulis / Maple Syrup / Guava Coulis (March).

In March, these turned into a guava sauce and a raspberry sauce, both of which I really liked.  After a week though, the guava turned pineapple, which I liked less.

The whipped cream was always welcome, not very sweet, just rich whipped cream.

"Whipped Cream". (March 2019).

Um ... one morning, the whipped cream very clearly had been exposed to heat (it was super close to a overhead lamp on the buffet).  It was totally melted, separating, and fairly awful looking.  It was also only 7am, so I knew this wasn't just that it was nearing the end of service.

I told a staff member, thinking I was being helpful, but she just shrugged, and then someone else just tried to stir it up.  It was never replaced.

Devon Custard.

One morning there was no whipped cream.

In its place, was a bowl of thick custard.  I was excited, but this really was exactly like vanilla Ambrosia custard from a can.  Really thick, gloopy, slight plastic taste, and way too rich to use on anything.

I was confused.  It was the same the next day.

Burnt Pancakes.

The pancakes though.  Eh.

They were just large versions of the strange pancakes we had upstairs in the lounge that I never quite liked.  Kinda gritty like cornmeal, not fluffy, not buttermilk.  Not what I think of as pancakes at all.

But even if I tried to think of them as something different, as I do like cornmeal, and warm cornmeal cakes sound good, these just never really did it for me.  They were ok, but, not remarkable.  Best when smothered with syrup.

Many days they showed up, uh, very toasty.  Left in a hot box a bit too long?

Eggs Florentine (Friday).

Ok, so I don't like eggs ... normally.  If you read my lounge reviews, you know that I adored the eggs benedict/florentine/etc served in the lounge.  Which is totally crazy, because, as I said, I don't like eggs, and really, pre-made benedict from a buffet?  How could that possibly taste ok?

And yet I loved it, every single time, in the lounge, and looked forward to the rare days it was served there.  And then I visited the restaurant.

Every day featured some version of a benedict in the restaurant.  Every day!!!  The first day: florentine, served over steamed spinach.

Smoked Salmon Benedict (Saturday).

The second day, salmon benedict instead of florentine.

These ones didn't look good at all, to be honest.  Clearly having been sitting there for a while, the smoked salmon dried out, and overcooked.  The hollandaise looked a bit dried out too, and even over cooked itself ... were they in a hot box at some point perhaps?

Yet, I took one.  I had a glimmer of hope, since they were so good in the lounge, where they sat in buffets even longer.

And ... yup.  I still love these.  I don't get it.

The egg was a lovely Australian egg, with a brilliant yellow yolk, just full of flavor.  It was more cooked than I expected, no amazing egg porn, no yolk oozing everywhere, although not fully cooked, hard poached I guess?  Still, I liked it.  The salmon was dried out, it was fully cooked, but, it worked.  I don't know why really.  But it did.  And I just love their hollandaise.  Not out of balance, never too lemony, never too eggy.  The english muffin was meh, but that is to be expected.

So yes, I loved this dried out over cooked smoked salmon, with an over poached egg, and not fresh hollandaise.  Even though I had a slew of other items to pick from, even though I was stuffed by the time I got around to having it, I still adored it, and easily finished it (minus the mediocre muffin).

Eggs Florentine (Sunday).

The third day, I couldn't resist another benedict.  It is just too good.  This time, it was back to florentine.  And this time?  The egg was perfect.

I can't get over how much I just adore these Australian poached eggs.  The flavor in the yolks ... swoon.  I even like the boring whites.  And the hollandaise here ... generously applied, and so delicious.

Egg + spinach + hollandaise made me so very happy.  The english muffin was standard, too crispy, whatever.

Classic Eggs Benedict (Monday).

The next day, classic benedict, served over ham.

Again, just dripping in that hollandaise that I adore.

The ham is my least favorite variety, as I just don't care for it, but, hard to resist the egg and hollandaise.  So much hollandaise.  Yes.

Smoked Salmon Benedict (Tuesday).

I was thrilled when the salmon version came back a few days later, and again, even though it looked dried out, I didn't care.

And again, I adored it. The smoked salmon really is good when dried out like this, in a very strange way. So smoky. And that egg yolk ... this time it oozed dramatically, and was oh-so-delicious. Hollandaise of my dreams too. <3.

Smoked Salmon Benedict (Wednesday).

Another day, another great smoked salmon benny.  Can you tell I selected the one with the most hollandaise?  I just adore that hollandaise.  It is good for my health that they *don't* just have this on the side for us to add on, because, I'd do some harm.

This egg was not as perfect as others.  It was not overcooked, phew, so it did have a lovely yolk that oozed out, but the white was not fully set.  The only time I ever had a not set white in the 6 straight days of benedicts.

Did it matter though?  Nah.  That yolk.  That hollandaise.  <3 <3

Benedicts - November 2018

I was soo excited for my eggs benny the first day back a few months later in November, I worried my expectations were too high.  I mean, buffet benedict, right?  Was I just going through a phase my previous visits?

Eggs Benedict (Thursday, November).

I didn't need to fear.  It was again just perfection.  I loved every bite.

The egg perfectly poached.  Whites perfectly set, no runny edges, but not too firm.  Egg porn perfection.  Incredible cook on the egg.

And that hollandaise.  It doesn't get better than this.  Creamy, balanced, perfect.

I even liked the flavorful ham.

Eh to the english muffin, but it did soak up all the juices nicely.

These eggs.  Swoon.

Eggs Florentine, Friday (November).

This batch was very good, and if I didn't have comparison points, I'd say it was fantastic.

But, it wasn't quite as good as others, clearly had been sitting a bit longer.  The egg itself was a bit hard on the edges, and the hollandaise a bit cooked.

Still, the egg oozed perfectly, and the flavor was there.  I just can't stop eating these eggs.

Eggs Florentine #1, Saturday (November).

 And then, one day, the eggs ... did disappoint.

The spinach under it was hard and dried out.  The egg was kinda dried out.  The hollandaise cooked off, turned into scrambled eggs.  It was like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for way too long (which, probably was true).

I was sad.  Very sad, until, as I took my second bite, I saw them walk by with a fresh tray.  I felt bad wasting, but I quickly discarded my sad egg.

Eggs Florentine #2: Saturday (November).

The fresh one was better, the spinach soft, the hollandaise more generously applied and not baked.  The hollandaise still didn't seem to have as much flavor as usual though, and the egg wasn't awesome, but, it was good.

I was also inspired to use my favorite toppings from the Asian bar to jazz it up: crispy garlic and onions.  And a drizzle of maple syrup for a sweet and salty combo.

Perhaps I was getting sick of eggs and hollandaise *every* morning?

Eggs Benedict, Sunday. (November).

The next day, worried I was getting sick of eggs benny and ruining a good thing, I went for made to order scrambled eggs instead.  I hated them.  I just wanted my benny.  So when a fresh batch was put out, I went running.

The reward?  Yup, I loved them again.

Perfectly poached egg, amazing creamy hollandaise.  I know I sound like a broken record by now, but, seriously, these things are good.  The ham was boring to me this time, but the english muffin was better than normal, I think it had been freshly assembled and wasn't soggy nor dried out.

Eggs Benedict, Monday (November).

This one came from a tray that was brought out fresh.  However ... fresh it was not.

The english muffin was very very soggy on the top side, and too crispy on the bottom.  The egg was flavorless.  The hollandaise was flavorless.

I was a bit devastated, and even adding all the crunchy toppings did not help it out.  I went to order fresh eggs instead.

Eggs Benedict, Tuesday. (November).

On this day, I went to serve my eggs benedict with the silly spatula they had out, and ... it flipped over, the english muffin falling on the counter.  No worries, I didn't want that anyway.

And of course the top looked awful, the hollandaise all smeared, but, really, who cares?  It was another well poached egg, but the hollandaise was a bit too ... creamy?  Not sure what I didn't like about it this day.

#eggPorn

Most days, the eggs really were perfection.  I'm not one to care about Instagram porn, egg porn, etc, but, geeze, these yolks are soooo delicious, and when you cut in and it just comes oozing out like this ... such joy.  Most of the time they just absolutely nail these.

Buffet benedict should not be this good!  I don't understand.

Benedicts - January 2019

When I returned in January, I was relieved to see the eggs benny remained a staple.

Eggs Benedict (Friday, January).

The first morning, my eggs came with a very generous amount of hollandaise, which of course, was an intentional pick on my part.  Sadly though, the hollandaise was out of balance, too much lemon, and rather thick.  It was considerably darker yellow than my previous visits.

I was pretty sad.

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict (Saturday, January 2019).

The next morning, I tried again.

The hollandaise was back to its glory, but ... this is the first time I had an egg that was really, truly way way way over cooked.  No soft center at all!

That said, I actually liked it.  It didn't ooze, and it didn't soak into my bread and salmon, but the yolk flavor was even more concentrated this way.  I really didn't mind, it turned out.

Poached Egg with Hollandaise on English Muffin (January 2019).

My third morning in January I showed up to find a tray of classic eggs benny, looking ... fairly awful.  Very dried out.  After the previous two days of lackluster eggs benedict (unbalanced hollandaise the first day, over poached the second), I wasn't going to take a gamble on the ones that looked clearly old.

So I asked for one "without the ham", knowing this is a dietary constraint they accommodate without additional fee, and that results in a freshly prepared one.

It did take longer than I expected, probably close to 15 minutes.  But the result was an egg delivered to my table, on a freshly toasted english muffin, with plenty of hollandaise.

#perfectlyPoached

And inside?  Yup, perfectly poached.  And hot and fresh.  Pro move, if I do say so myself, although, again, it meant I had to wait.

Smoked Salmon Benedict. (January 2019).

I think this was the best one I ever had.  And the bar was already high!

Everything about this one was perfect.  Tons of hollandaise, I mean, really, so much hollandaise.  Of course I picked it on purpose!  The hollandaise was rich, creamy, perfectly balanced.

The smoked salmon is always a bit of a funny thing on these, as it is left in a hot box/under heat lamps and fully cooks, and I don't normally like fully cooked regular salmon, but for smoked salmon, it actually totally works for me.  Not sure why, but, i really like it.

The english muffin was even perfect, toasted so just crispy, not dried out, not mushy where it touched the smoked salmon.  Fluffy interior.  I found myself devouring even the english muffin, which I usually mostly skip, and just gut to get some of the egg yolks.

But the real perfection?  Of course, the #eggporn.

#lava

I mean, really.

It was like an eruption of yolky goodness.  I wished I had a video of it flowing out.  I almost wanted to lick the plate to get every last delicious drop.  Instead I was civilized and used my english muffin.

Smoked Salmon Benedict. (January 2019).

The next morning, I almost didn't take a benny.  After *such* a good one the day before, I was worried the bar was just too high, and I'd never love the eggs as much again.  Plus, I could tell they had been sitting out a while.

But I couldn't resist, and picked the one with the most perfectly round dome of an egg, and a good mound of hollandaise on top.

#moarLava

I had no need for concern.  This one was as good as all others.  The egg oozed beautifully, the hollandaise nicely balanced, and the smoked salmon strangely addicting in this weird cooked form.

I again found myself eating most of the english muffin, I loved how crispy it was on the outside, fluffy inside, and such a great vessel for the juices.

Eggs Benny - February 2019

Another visit, and yes, phew, still #eggsBenny.

#weak.

On this day, the chef was out checking on the food, and I enthusiastically told him how much I enjoy the eggs, and how impressed I am by them.

And then, this.

All were fairly meager looking, just tiny pieces of salmon, eggs not as robust as normal, not as much hollandaise.  But I had faith.

And ... meh.

The yolk was runny, but not nearly as much, and the flavor seemed muted.  The english muffin was hard and stale.  The smoked salmon dried out.  The hollandaise thick and eggy.

I think these were a really old batch?  Sadness.

Smoked Salmon Benny. #allTheHollandaise. (Feb 2019).

I took this one the same day I ordered a noodle bowl.  The eggs benny didn't look fresh, the hollandaise slightly crusted, the english muffins soggy.  And after the prior day, I was ready to be disappointed.

And ... I LOVED THIS ONE.

The salmon was smoky, lightly cooked, and quite enjoyable.  Even though the hollandaise looked funny, it tasted great, and there was plenty of it.

#thatYolk.

The yolk was perfection, oozing everywhere, rich.  The egg white was perfectly cooked.  I loved the egg.

The muffin was crispy on the outside, soft inside, but as it filled with the runny yolk, this didn't matter.  I devoured it too.

Probably the second best benny of the 10 days.

Eggs Benny - March 2019

When I returned in March, I actually skipped the eggs the first day, but was ready for one the second morning.

Smoked Salmon Benny. (March).

The first day ... let me down.

The hollandaise was still fabulous as always, and the egg had a decent yolk, but, the whites seemed dried out and tough, the english muffin was hard and almost stale on the bottom and edges, but soggy on top, and the fish was really dried out.  Clearly this one suffered in sitting, as you'd expect from a buffet, actually.

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benny Gone Asian and Salad-like?

Some days, I added some ... flair?

Really, it was indecision, kinda wanting salad, kinda wanting an asian bowl, but not really.  So I just combined it all.

I perched the benny on top of a mix of my favorite greens from the salad bar, including tons of pea shoots, and then headed to the noodle bar to really jazz it up, adding seaweed, Japanese pickles, green onion, fried shallots, fried garlic, and sesame seeds, and drizzled it with asian vinegar, soy sauce, and a touch of hoisin.  Yes, all on top of a smoked salmon eggs benedict with hollandaise.

I really enjoyed this creation.  I moved the egg off the muffin, so when the yolk oozed, it flowed onto the greens, and when mixed with the soy/vinegar/hoisin it created a luxurious dressing.  The other goodies added crunch, and the end result was a very, very satisfying salad with smoked salmon and poached egg.

Just oozy enough ...

Are you sick of these shots yet? #sorryNotSorry.

Not perfect!

This was a very, very rare sight!  A poached egg gone awry.  So rarely seen in the buffet, where they usually plate them all fairly perfectly.

I've noticed ... that Saturdays in particular are when things go awry, I think there must be someone else doing front of house that day?  Busier day in general so they are rushing?

Classic Ham Eggs Benny ... too much hollandaise!

I picked this one for the generous amount of hollandaise, but ... it actually turned out to be too much for me!  Yes, really.  That happens!

Or maybe I just didn't care for this particular hollandaise.  It was very thick, very rich, and had a bit too much lemon.  The english muffin was far too crispy as well.

The egg though was nicely poached, and the ham was a nice change from the smoked salmon that I had every other day.

Perfect Ham Eggs Benny + Asian Flair.

The next day, all was redeemed.

I believe this was the best egg benny I had at Feast.  Ever.

The hollandaise was perfectly balanced, smooth, creamy, rich, slight lemon flavor but not too much.  The ham was smoky.

I added a little Asian flair (soy sauce, vinegar, chili sauce, sesame seeds, green onion, toasted garlic), before I tasted it, and I loved my toppings, although I'm not sure they were needed.

#perfection

And of course, your lava shot, of that perfect egg.  The yolk was absolute perfection, so rich and luxurious.

Even the english muffin on this one was good, crispy on bottom, fluffy on top, and it soaked up all that amazing yolk.

#nailedIt

Asian Flair Smoked Salmon Benedict.

Once I grew sick of the soup bowls, but still wanted the Asian flavors in my breakfast, I embraced the eggs benny as a palette for my creations.  At first the soup chef was confused, "no, ma'am, those are for the noodle bowls, see, you take a bowl, add your ingredients, and I cook for you", but I explained that I knew exactly what I was doing ...

And that I did.  I loved this creation!!!

Under the english muffin I had fresh pea shoots and mung bean sprouts, which, once the egg was oozing everywhere, soaked up the incredible yolk.  The pea shoots gave some freshness, and the mung bean sprouts gave crunch.  Loved these elements.

Around the edges, seaweed and Japanese pickles, great intense flavors, and obviously not what you expect with eggs benny.

On top, soy, vinegar, hoisin, and chilli sauce, sesame seeds, green onion, fried garlic.  These all really did accent the egg, and the greens under it, and even the english muffin quite well.

Oh, the egg?  It was perfect, luxurious yolk, good temperature.  The hollandaise was applied with a heavy hand, but once spread out into my other ingredients, and into the english muffin, turned out not to be too much.  It was a bit thicker and richer than usual though.  And the muffin, fluffy on top, soaked up all the juices and sauces so well.

Certainly a very satisfying winning egg dish.  And come on, isn't my plating getting nice? (Just ignore the stuff in the back, that was me experimenting with the different white creams/cheeses).

Asian Flair Smoked Salmon Benedict.

I excitedly made another very similar version my final day in March but ... it let me down.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't nearly as good as most.

The egg was slightly underdone, with some slime to the whites, and the yolk just too liquid, not capturing the flavor as well.  The salmon was fine, but just a tiny piece.

My toppings helped, and the muffin was nice, not over toasted, but ... yeah.  Not remarkable.

Eggs Benny - October 2019

Another visit, and #moarEggsBenny.

Eggs Florentine. (October 2019).

First day eggs benny perfection.

The muffin I didn't each much of, but I liked the soft part where it absorbed much of the juices from the runny egg and hollandaise.

The egg, perfectly poached, perfect ooze, wonderful flavor.  The hollandaise, generously applied, perfectly balanced and creamy.

This version was florentine, with some steamed spinach, which I really enjoyed with the hollandaise.

This pleased me very much.

Eggs Florentine + Toppings. (October 2019).

The next day, same florentine.

Again, well poached eggs, perfect ooze, plenty of nicely balanced creamy hollandaise. So much love.

I went for two servings this day, one classic style, but the next one I went back to jazzing up, with toppings from the noodle and congee bar.  A drizzle of hoisin and soy sauces, sesame seeds, fried onions, pork floss, pickled things ...

<3.  That is all.  <3 <3 <3

Eggs Benny - February/March 2020

My first visit of 2020 was met with one slight change that made my heart stop when I first walked in.  The eggs benedict ... MOVED.  Heh. It was not in its signature space at the end of the hot food buffet, and I was broken hearted that it was gone.

I need not fear - they simply moved it to the end of the cook to order noodle bowl and egg station, likely for better quality control?  Now kept under a heat lamp, which, actually, I think was a mixed success - I had more cold eggs from this section, and more overcooked eggs too, than from the old style.

Day 1, egg 1: No Lava.

My first day, I eagerly broke into my first egg.

And ... no lava.  No runny yolk.  The hollandaise was still great, the egg was still nicely cooked, but, no lava.

I was sad, but just set about watching for a fresh batch.  As soon as it was put out, and ran (er, walked with purpose!) up to get another.

Day 1, egg #2: PERFECT!

I was rewarded with perfection.

Perfectly gooey yolk, warm egg, tons of delicious hollandaise.  When these are good, oh they are good.  I adored this.

Day 2, Egg 1: STONE COLD.

Day 2, I grabbed a beautiful looking egg.

It was ... stone cold.  Stone, stone cold.  Yes, it had lovely yolk, yes it had plenty of hollandaise, but it was cold.  So cold.

I don't normally bother complain at a buffet, but this was sadness, so I did tell the egg chef standing right there.  She pulled the tray, told me it would be 5-7 minutes, and called the kitchen for replacements.

Day 2, Egg2: Warm at least.

The replacements came out 7 minutes later as promised.  They were warm.  The cook on the egg was fine.

But ... the hollandaise was ... off.  There was plenty, but it just didn't taste good.  It was strangely yellow.  I think they make this from a mix, and perhaps they rushed this batch?  It just wasn't tasty.

My final day I failed to get a photo, but the egg was not runny, and only lukewarm, but it was actually very delicious, the hollandaise back to fabulous.  Thank goodness.

Day 3. Goodness.

I didn't visit the rest of the week, as I was always rushing to the office in the morning, but, on my final Saturday morning, I made it down to breakfast.

I was rewarded with a fresh platter of benedict, that was standard great.  The egg perfectly poached, hollandaise spot on and plenty of it, it soaked into the english muffin as I love, and full congee bar was out, so I was able to give it lots of flair.  <3.

I stopped writing daily reviews, but, I kept eating them ...

Most frequently they had really perfect runny yolks, but alas, sometimes a bit just soft, not runny.

The hollandaise changed from darker yellow to more pale, but generally stayed pretty tasty, regardless of color.

And my toppings were always key.

Hot Buffet

Next up, the rest of the Western hot buffet, mostly a bunch of vegetarian side dishes, meats, and sometimes grains.

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables / Farro (Friday).

The next area had a hot breakfast vegetarian protein and mixed veggies, changed out daily.

The day was just labelled "farro", but it also had onion, peppers, mushrooms, and kale, and seemingly some kind of sauce.

Why on earth did I try it?  #jetlag.  I don't know, I really don't know.  When do I ever want grains and veggies?  At 6:30am, or any time of day, really.  Particularly when I have full platter(s) of other goodies.  I dine at buffets so often that you'd think I'd be immune to the "trying all the things" syndrome, and know to just take what I actually like, but ... I took a tiny serving of it.

And, um, I liked it.  The farro was slightly al dente, with a nice chew to it.  I liked the kale.  It all was well seasoned, and the slight sauce on it flavorful.  Don't ask me more about this, it was satisfying, and healthy, and somehow what I kinda wanted I guess.

Even more strange?  The stir fried mixed veggies.  I really liked them.  Mostly green beans, which I actually didn't take many of, but also juicy succulent asian greens, well cooked, soaked in some kind of sauce, and topped with crispy things.  I added even more toppings, and sauces, from the noodle bar (keep reading).

Surprise hits for me, I guess I was feeling healthy?  (Says the girl who literally had 4 platters of food, most of which were most certainly not healthy).

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables with Tofu / Baked Beans (Saturday, Sunday, Monday).

The next day, the farro was replaced with vegetarian baked beans, which I didn't try on Saturday, but did the next day when they were there again.  They were ... baked beans.  Fairly classic, nothing much to say here. No better than canned.

On Saturday, the veggies were still labelled just stir fried mixed vegetables, but this time were a much larger assortment of veggies: green beans, green peppers, red peppers, red onions, squash, green onions, carrots, plus lots of large cubes of tofu.  Again cooked with some kind of sauce, and topped with crispy toppings.  I loved the onions, carrots, asian greens, and whatnot from here.

On Sunday, the sign changed out to say "Tofu with Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables", so someone clearly noticed the error the day before.  I again loved the veggies from here, just perfectly cooked, great sauce, and even better topped with noodle bar crunch.

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables with Tofu / Baked Beans. (Tuesday).

Every day I loved the onions, cabbage, and greens in the veggies.  I always wished I was eating them at lunch or dinner instead, but, they were perfectly cooked and sauced, and best with crispy bits on top.

One day, the tofu got more interesting, fried puffy cubes instead of just stir fry firm tofu.

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables with Fried Tofu / Farro (Wednesday).

The farro came back my final morning, along with the fried tofu version of the mixed veggies.

And again, I kinda liked the farro.  Great chew and texture, heartiness.  Satisfying in a strange way for me.

White Bean with Vegetables, Bacon, and Sausages. (March).

I'm really not sure why I tried this one morning in March.  I think I was just surprised to see a new item after so many visits.

I had a full plate, I don't actually like beans nor flabby bacon, and I plans to go out to a big dinner with ambitions to *not* stuff myself all day, but ... I wanted to try it.  I can't explain why.

I'm glad I did though, because, I really liked it, oddly.  I didn't care for the sausage (too mealy), but the flavor in the base was fantastic, expertly seasoned and well developed.  The beans were soft but not mushy, as were the cubes of carrots and celery, and I even liked the bacon.  Just lovely flavors and textures, all around.

Broccoli / Pumpkin (Thursday, Sunday, Monday).

Simple steamed veggies followed, broccoli and pumpkin.

I didn't have the broccoli, but I do like squash, so randomly tried it a few times.

The squash was fine, simple roast seasoned squash.  Not what I want for breakfast though, and just not interesting given the other options.

Bacon / Frankfurter Sausages (Friday, Monday).

Next came breakfast meats, flabby style bacon and frankfurters, both of which I had seen in the lounge before.

The frankfurters came back on Sunday, so I tried one, because, uh, sometimes I just really love hot dogs.  And this was a good little hot dog.  Well cooked, nice snap to the casing, juicy, no strange meat inside.  Great with a little ketchup.  You know, for breakfast.

Thuringian Sausage / Bacon (Saturday).

The next day, crispy American style bacon took the flabby bacon's place, and a different style of sausage, this one seared and more dried out looking, took the frank's place.

Chicken Sausages / Scrambled Eggs (Friday, Sunday).

Each day featured several types of sausages, and also scrambled eggs.

Veal Sausage (Wednesday, Sunday)

Only one day featured "Veal Sausage", which looked a lot like those frankfurters ...

I tried one eventually.  It was ... a very boring, very mild, inoffensive but not interesting in any way sausage.

Scrambled Eggs / Cheese Kransky Sausages (Saturday).

I had almost tried the cheese kransky up in the lounge, and almost did again here, but, I had to use some restraint!

Scrambled Eggs (Daily). (July).

I finally tried the scrambled eggs out of pure horror and curiosity.  The texture looked odd, like powdered egg style.  They had a strange dried out top.  So unappealing.  But I loved the other eggs so much, I wanted to at least give it a try?  I dunno.  Not sure why I did, to be honest.

They were exactly as they looked, so strange, not fresh, not good.

Scrambled Eggs (November).

And then, in November, on the one day where my precious eggs benedict disappointed me, I tried the scrambled eggs again.  They didn't look bad this time, they looked creamy.

And ... I liked them.  They were creamy, rich, not dried out.

I had a little scoop the next day too.  Again, actually good.   And then the next day?  Eh, back to flavorless and dried out.  But then, back to creamy.  Timing is everything.

The other problem? A bit plain.  I wanted stuff mixed in, or, uh, at least some hollandaise ...

So I tried the sauces and crunchy things from the Asian noodle bar.  It was kinda fun to have "Asian eggs".  I tried cheese from the cheese and charcuterie station.  And then ... I added creme fraiche.  YES!!!  The creme fraiche melted in and created such luxurious eggs.  OMG.

Scrambled Eggs with Creme Fraiche.

Newfound love?  Creamy scrambled eggs with creme fraiche folded in.  So good.

I was glad to discover this with two days left!

Sweet Potato / Chicken Sausage (Sunday).

The roast pumpkin changed out to sweet potato one day, which I didn't try.

Roasted Tomatoes / Roasted Chat Potatoes (Daily).

Finally, roasted tomatoes and roasted chat potatoes.

The tomatoes were soft and mushy, not my thing, but the melted cheese on top (tasty cheese?) I did actually quite like.  I wanted that on my scrambled eggs.

I expected hash browns to rotate through, but they didn't.

Station 4: Hot Asian Breakfast & Chef's Action Station.

At the back of the room was a final hot buffet with mostly Asian items, a Chef's Special egg dish of the day, warm pastries and waffles, and the main attraction: a chef's action station, where you could order either Western dishes (eggs made to order, omelets made to order, etc) or Asian noodles.

I never expected to care about this area, but it turned out to hold some new favorites.

Miso Soup (Friday).

First up, the hot foods bar.

Mostly hot comfort foods of the asian variety.  Day one featured miso soup.

Miso Soup Toppings (Friday).

To go with the miso soup, cubes of tofu, seaweed, daikon, and eggs.

Plain Congee (Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday).

The next day, congee replaced the miso soup.

The first few days I skipped this, but eventually it made it to the top of the "next to try" list.  It was ... very simple, plain congee.  Exactly as advertised.  Comfort food for some, and intended to be savory, but, I turned it into sweet rice porridge, with syrup, brown sugar, coconut flakes, custard, berry sauces, nuts, and, uh, gelato.

Don't mind me.

Congee Toppings (Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 2018).

The toppings changed out accordingly as well.  No more tofu/seaweed/etc, but in their place was pickled things, pork floss, crispy shallots, and chunks of chinese donut.

Of course I had the toppings, even when not having congee.

The pickled cabbage was an odd taste at first for me, but I quickly grew to crave it. The pork floss I became absolutely addicted to. The Chinese donut chunks were great when thrown into my noodle bowl to soak up the flavorful broth - also tasty when drizzled with berry sauces, syrup, nutella, or whatever else you found along the other stations.

On Sunday, the toppings were mostly the same, but, no donuts (!).  They came back the next day, no fear.

Congee Toppings (January 2019).

During my visits in January, the congee station really seemed to have expanded, with many more toppings, and all were consistently stocked: Chinese donuts, peanuts, fried garlic, fried shallots, pork floss, green onion, seaweed, and sesame seeds.

Stir Fried Noodles.

I immediately recognized the stir fried noodles.  A frequent member of the evening canape rotation in the lounge that I adored back in July.

And here, they were even better, as I could add toppings.

The stir fried noodles, particularly when topped with the toppings from the noodle bar, were my hand's down favorite savory item.  Arriving at 6:30am on the dot when things are fresh has its benefits, as the noodles were fairly fresh tasting, nicely stir fried with assorted veggies, well cooked and slightly chewy, good asian veggies mixed in.

I added all sorts of crispy toppings, sauces, and veggies from the other hot station, and truly enjoyed this, even though a very strange breakfast for me.

When they finally came back a few days later I was eager to feast on noodles, but alas, they were just kinda oily, not well flavored, not very fresh.  Oh well.  I didn't really want noodle stir fry at 6:30am anyway.  I didn't try them the final day that second visit.

By October 2019 though, these disappointed every time, both here, and in the lounge.  The noodles never had a good chew, and the flavor was virtually non-existent.  Did they change, or did I?

Vegetable Fried Rice (Saturday, Sunday, Monday).

I was fairly sad when the noodles didn't exist the next day, and instead there was veggie fried rice.

I tried it, and it was fine, topped with lots of garlic chips, and infused with garlic flavor, but, meh, fried rice isn't my thing.

Pork Buns (Daily).

The pork buns I skipped as they were a frequent item in the lounge, for both breakfast and evening canapes.  Always fine, but, no reason to have here.

"Fried" Eggs (Daily).

We had these eggs in  the lounge as well, so I was familiar with the "fried" eggs, but it was funny listening to the table next to me talk about these.

"They aren't fried eggs, there is no color on them at all", said one diner.  "No, look, turn it over, it isn't fried."  "They must be baked!"  They discussed the non-fried fried eggs for easily 10 minutes.

Chef's Special Station / Carving Station

In 2018, there was a special area close to the kitchen at the end of the omelette/noodle bar, with a daily "Chef's Special" signature egg dish.  Later in 2019 this was replaced with a roast carving station.

Chef's Special: Baked Eggs in Bacon Cups with Hollandaise (Friday, Monday, Tuesday - July 2018).

Back in 2018, every day had a "Chef's Special" dish, something different every day, usually egg based.

The first time, the chef's special of the day was cooked eggs in bacon cups, with a drizzle of hollandaise.

I had to have one, only because they are the sort of thing my mom *loves* to make.  She does something like this every single Christmas for brunch.  Eggs baked in muffin tins, with some kind of mix-ins or toppings, is so her thing.  In her honor, I had to try one.

The thing is, I never care for hers, and I also didn't really care for this.  The bacon was crispy enough, but the egg was just a hard cooked egg, and there wasn't much hollandaise, so for me, this was rather boring.

Chef's Special: Frittata with Hollandaise (Saturday, Sunday 2018).

The next two days, the Chef's Special was another item I could see my mom making, mini frittatas.  I didn't try one since I really dislike frittata, but I applaud the use of hollandaise on top of everything.  Chef's special touch!

Chef's Special: Baked Eggs in Puff Pastry with Hollandaise (Wednesday 2018).

They saved the best for last.  Same concept of a baked egg in a cup in a muffin tin topped with hollandaise, but, this time, puff pastry was the wrapper.

I really enjoyed the puff pastry, clearly freshly baked, flaky, buttery, great.

The egg though I didn't like, hard cooked, no runny yolk at all.  The hollandaise was obviously great.

I deconstructed this, taking half the puff pastry and using it with my regular benedict (since I don't care for the english muffin), and that was fabulous.  The other half I made sweet, filled with peanut butter and nutella, and, well, I adored it.

So, besides the baked egg itself, this was a big success.

Sadly, the daily chef's special were removed from the lineup after that year.

Carving Station. (October 2019).

In October, the chef's special was replaced by a pretty fantastic looking (self-serve) carving station.  It was ham all days I was there.

I kinda loved getting to slice my meat to order, and, swoon, look at that crispy crust!

Ham. (October 2019).

I can't say the ham was actually remarkable, but, I am not really a ham person anyway.  It was juicy though, and the crust had a lovely sweet glaze, the fat nicely rendered.

Some days there was a green pepper jelly on the side that I quite liked.

Salmon (February 2020).

The carving station had a lovely side of salmon my first morning in February, served with roasted lemons and fresh pea tendrils.

It was nicely done, moist.  The fish clearly better than the kinda dried out salmon on the benedicts.  I wasn't really wanting lovely salmon at 6:30am though, so, although I appreciated it in theory, it was lost on me at the time.

Ham (March 2020).

 Ham was back the next day, and yup, it was ham.  Not my thing.

Ham (March 2020).

The next day too, ham, and I couldn't resist carving off just a tiny chunk of the crust.  Because, seriously, look at that crispy, fatty top!!!  Still, it was just ham.

I did like the green jelly with it.

Warm Croissants / Waffles / Whipped Cream / Duo of Berry Sauce / Syrup. (July 2019).

The other end of this station held warm croissants and waffles.

I wasn't really sure why the plain croissants were here, when all other bakery items were room temperature, and several islands back.  Why did only the plain croissants get the warming treatment?

I finally tried a croissant, just curious if they were dramatically different being in the warm area, but, they were just really boring croissants.  Not buttery, not flaky, kinda just a warm roll.  At least not oily?

The waffles in this location were also a bit odd, why not near the pancakes, again, several islands back?

Anyway.  The waffles were thin, crispy, and not very good.  Like Eggo waffles.  A totally different style from the awesome liege waffles upstairs.  While every other item I saw upstairs appeared somewhere in the buffet, the liege waffles were the one exception.  They never came down to the restaurant.  Super curious why the lounge got the good waffles!

I tried these waffles again on my second trip, and was again disappointed.  Just thin, flavorless Eggo waffles.  Boo hiss.

In October, this station changed yet again.  Croissants were back with the other pastries, not warmed, and this area now held pre-made pancakes and french toast.  This made more sense to me.

Waffles were also now made by the chef to order.  He really encouraged me to do so, so, finally I did, although I had little hope.

Made To Order Waffle (& Stuffs). (October 2019).

The waffles were totally not what I expected.  Even though I had seen the previous thin, limp, boring waffles, I still somehow imagined that they would be the Belgian style with larger pockets when ordered directly.

The made to order waffle was no better than what was there before.  Maybe a bit crispier, but the flavor was boring, and the waffle still kinda soft.  No amount of toppings saved it.  I just gladly ate my fruit, syrups, and cream.

Mango Sauce / Maple Syrup / Berry Sauce / Fresh Blueberries. (October 2019).

The toppings line up was always pretty good though, for use with pancakes, waffles, french toast, gelato ... yogurt ... whatever you wanted, although it was always near the warm breakfast carbs.

The mango and berry sauces were always sweet and fruity, the maple syrup standard.

Fresh blueberries and strawberries were a new addition in October, which I really appreciated, although the quality, particularly of the strawberries, varied a lot from day to day, sometimes extremely unripe.  These fruits were not available in the large fruit station.

Milk and Dark Chocolate Drops / Crumble
Whipped Cream / Sliced Almonds. (October 2019).

Toppings always included whipped cream (thick style, not very sweetened, but still quite tasty), and sliced almonds, but in October two new items were added: crumble, and chocolate drops (both milk and dark).

I still wished the warm bread pudding or fruit crumbles were available, but these toppings helped me at least create some nice ice cream sundaes.  The chocolate drops were fairly creamy, decent enough quality.  The crumble seemed to be very similar to what was used on the breakfast crumbles before, not particularly flavorful, but good sized chunks.

Tuesday Special: Italian Cornetto (Ricotta, Hazelnut). (March).

After many, many visits, I learned something new.  On Tuesday mornings only, the pastry team circulates the dining room with special treats!  I had no idea.  I think the service starts later than I normally dine, and, I often miss Tuesday's because of morning work meetings.

I found out about this through Instagram (yes, I know how silly that is), but I found the exec Pastry Chef's account, and saw his beautiful creations, and started following him.  He reached out, and personally came to my table to offer me goodies my final morning: Italian Cornetto, in 4 varieties: Nutella, marmalade, ricotta custard, and hazelnut.

I greedily took two, my top two choices (hazelnut, ricotta), although he did say I could try all four :)

These were clearly higher quality than the regular pastries in the lineup, I think actually made in house?  They were warm, and clearly more fresh.  The dough was reasonably well laminated, flaky on the outside, moist inside, great buttery richness.

The hazelnut one was my favorite, like a twice baked almond croissant, but, hazelnut, with big chunks of crunchy toasted hazelnuts on the outside, and a frangipane like filling of ground hazelnut.  I loved where it spilled out and got crispy.  Great flavors and textures in this one.

The ricotta cream filled one was more of a standard decent croissant, with filling. 

I need to remember these Tuesday specials in the future, and plan accordingly!

Chef's Action Station.

From the main chef's station, most people were ordering omelets, with a variety of fillings available to choose from.  You could also order eggs however you wanted (fried, scrambled, etc).  But the masses definitely seemed to go for omelets.

You could also get noodles here.  For the noodles, first, you had some work to do.  For the noodles, first you had to pick everything to get cooked with them.  Unlike an omelet where you just said what you wanted and the chef had them behind the counter, for the noodles, you fill a bowl with your ingredients, and then hand it over.  The chef will cook the noodles and veggies, then add broth, and give it back to you to finish with sauces and toppings.

Noodle Bar Ingredients.

4 styles of noodle are available: "fine noodle", singapore, egg noodle, and rice noodle.  The egg noodles looked like classic ramen.  The singapore were the same used in the stir fries that I enjoyed in the lounge.

The veggies weren't labelled, but were onions, cabbage, and asian greens.  This section also had what I think was pulled chicken.  The bottom row was fried tofu cubes, seaweed, and 4 sauces (hoisin, chinese vinegar, chili sauce, and soy sauce).  The veggies and proteins available changed slightly from day to day.

The first few days, I actually just used the sauces and garnishes on other things, adding crispy things on top of the stir fried noodles and veggies from the hot bars, dipping assorted other dishes in the sauces.

I also used some of the raw ingredients alongside the salad bar, filling a bowl with seaweed, cabbage, sauces, crispies, and more, and the chef looked at me in horror as he saw me approach his area. I think he thought that I was about to hand it over for him to cook, with the sauces in it and all.  I told him that I was using it as a salad base, and he relaxed, and told me about how the day before someone had made one all full of chili sauce on the bottom, and he didn't realize, and put it into the water to cook the noodles/veggies, and thus contaminated the whole pot of water that all the patron's baskets go into.  It happened at the start of the day.  He had to empty it and fix everything mid-service on a Saturday morning.  Ooph.  I see why he was concerned, but, I'm a #professional!

Garnishes & Condiments.

Around the end was crunchy toppings, including sesame seeds, fried garlic chips, and fried shallots, along with bottles of classic condiments like Worcestershire, HP sauce, tabasco, ketchup, and standard soy sauce.  

I literally used the crunchy toppings every single day to augment my other savory foods.  I adore those crispies!

I was quite pleased with my use of this station just for ingredients, but eventually I made a noodle bowl to try the station in action.  

Made to Order Noodles! (July)

I mostly made a noodle bowl out of novelty.  Or to "complete" the blog post.  Or just because I was too jet lagged to think straight.  I'm not sure.  I didn't think I'd actually want a noodle bowl.  I can't remember the last time I wanted something like this, regardless of time of day.  Even in Tokyo, I wasn't into the ramen.  I just ... don't go for things like this.

I half heartedly put a tiny serve of noodles (Singapore) and veggies (everything available - cabbage, onion, asian greens, seaweed) into a bowl, and handed it over, uncertain.  I ventured off to acquire other goodies, like, dessert, duh.

I returned to be handed my bowl, now cooked and brothed (pretend this is a real word.  It should be!).  The chef pointed at the sauces and toppings. As if I needed encouragement!  I added ... all the sauces (hoisin, soy, vinegar, and chili).  I added ... all the garnishes, and a very generous amount of them.

And ... well, huh.  I loved it.

The veggies were all nicely cooked, not too soggy nor soft, but not too al dente either.  Same with the noodles, they had a nice chew.  The broth was wonderful, chicken stock, very flavorful and developed.  My ridiculous pile of sauces added to that of course, the only one I didn't really want there was the chili sauce, just too intense and overwhelming.  And of course, crunch.  Oh, and later, I threw in chinese donut chunks from the congee bar.

Noodles (November).

In November, on my first morning, my body was sooooo confused.  It was 6:30am, on the dot, and I was there when they opened, because I was awake long before.

I made a huge platter, with salad, with pastries, and eggs benedict, and I planned on a big dessert course too.  But for some reason, I really wanted to make noodles again.

So I did.  A fairly simple base of just the singapore noodles, seaweed, cabbage, and asian greens, cooked to order with the broth, and then with some hoisin, soy, and vinegar added in, plus sesame seeds, crispy garlic, and crispy onion sprinkles on top.

It was FANTASTIC.  I adored it.  I could care less about the noodles actually, but the broth was just such an incredible flavor, comforting and warm and rich and spicy and sweet and ... just everything.  With all my crunchy elements added on, and the vegetables for nourishment, it was really shockingly enjoyable and satisfying.

And I say this as someone who doesn't like soups, broths, noodles, or anything like this normally at any time of day, let alone 6:30am.

Noodles (February 2019).

I'm not sure why it took me 10 days into my Jan/Feb visit to get noodles.  I think I was just loving my eggs benny and bread pudding combo so much, and leaving soooo full, I couldn't imagine getting more, and I couldn't imagine skipping my precious eggs and bread pudding.

But with only two days left in my stay, I got a bowl of noodles, not even craving them, but really wondering if they were as good as I remembered.  That far into my stay, jetlag couldn't really be why I'd enjoy something.

I made basically the same bowl as always:  Singapore noodles, seaweed, cabbage, lettuce, and asian greens, cooked to order with the broth, topped with chili, hoisin, soy, and vinegar, plus sesame seeds, crispy garlic, crispy onion, Chinese donut on top.

I adored it.  So much.  The veggies were perfectly juicy, not mushy, so ... nourishing.  The broth, just incredible flavor.  I'm not sure if it was the base broth, or my combo of sauces I threw in, but it was incredible, so much depth and complexity.  And, just spicy enough (that was certainly my doing with the chili, go me for getting the right amount!).  And then of course the crunchy toppings.  The chinese donut in particular was great, soaking up all the sauce.

I still wasn't particularly excited about the noodles themselves, and I honestly think next time I'll just get greens in broth.  I loved this so much, even for breakfast.  And after a week of such heavy foods, this just felt good on my body.  Although, um, I still had an eggs benny and a small bowl of custard.

Veggie + Broth Bowl (Feb 2019).

I can't really call this a noodle bowl, since I left out the noodles.  I didn't care for them very much anyway, and I would rather stuff myself with carbs like bread pudding instead.

The chef gave me a bit of a look as I handed over my bowl of vegetables, but I didn't really care.  He cooked them quickly, added broth, and handed over my creation, which I loaded up with sauces and toppings, all of them.

It was ... ok.  I missed having bok choy, not available that day.  I think my sauce balance was off too.  I still appreciated having juicy vegetables, and feeling like I was eating something that was somewhat nourishing, but, this wasn't nearly as successful as others.

Noodle Bowl. (March),

My first day in March, I didn't forget the noodles.  In fact, I woke up, ready for them.  So the moment the restaurant opened at 6:30am, my jetlagged self was there, ready for noodz.

Well, except I don't really like the noodles ... I did decide to try a different noodle, I forget which one, but I didn't care for it either.

But everything else was a success: cabbage, white onion, seaweed, pickled stuffs, asian greens that the chef cooked and added broth too, all the sauces (hot, hoisin, soy, vinegar), and a pile of crunchy toppings: sesame seeds, garlic chips, onion chips, green onion.

I loved this batch, it was so very satisfying at the time.

Veggie Broth Bowl. (March).

The next day I dropped the noodles, going back to a veggie bowl, and was happy to see additional greens available, like iceberg lettuce.  I really, really love lightly cooked juicy lettuce.

I added all the same other things, the cooked veggies, the sauces, the toppings, but for some reason, this one didn't do it for me.  Maybe I got the sauce mix wrong? Maybe the broth was different?  maybe I was just having an off day?  I'm not sure, but the result was that I wasn't into this, besides the lettuce, no matter how hard I tried.

Veggie Broth Bowl. (March).

After a few days of skipping the bowl, one morning the eggs benny looked old, so I went back to veggie soup bowl, a bit half-heartedly.

The good news though?  I loved it!  My mix was same as always, seaweed, pickles, cabbage, onions, asian greens as the base (and, since I realized how much I liked the iceberg, even though it wasn't available this day, I added little gem lettuce from salad bar), plus a mix of chili sauce + hoisin + soy + vinegar, and all the crunchy toppings.

Crunchy, juicy veggies, flavorful broth, nourishing, satisfying, delicious.

Veggie Broth Bowl. (October 2019).

Another few months, another broth bowl my first morning.

I did the same mix as always, a selection of juicy asian greens, all the crunch on top, a mix of sauces.  I threw in a few chunks of chinese donut from the congee bar, which was nice to absorb some broth.

It was cooked longer than I like though, the veggies really soft, I like them to retain some crunch.  Good, but not great.

Scrambled Eggs with Spinach, Mushroom, Onion, Cheese (November).

I'm not one for eggs, particularly omelettes or scrambled eggs, but, since I adored the eggs benny, and even liked the buffet scrambled eggs, I decided to get fresh scrambled eggs with some mix-ins on day, with spinach, mushroom, onions, and cheese.

They ... were exactly what I don't like.  Just kinda dry, flavorless, chewy, uninteresting.  Not creamy, really, just eggs and the mix-ins, cooked too hard and fast.  Meh.

Fried Egg Over Medium with Cheese.

On a day with disappointing eggs benedict, I again went for the made to order egg station, this time opting for a fried egg.  I asked for it over medium.  And with cheese on top.

I appreciated that the chef seasoned it, visible black pepper on top.  I appreciated that the cheese was melted on, a good portion.

It was ... questionably over-medium, more like over medium-hard.  The whites were really fried.  I didn't care for the style, but, moreover, it didn't really have flavor.

Fried Egg Over Medium with Cheese & Toppings.

So I tried to jazz it up, adding on toppings from the noodle bar.  Sesame seeds, fried garlic, fried onions, a drizzle of hoisin, a drizzle of chinese vinegar.

It was still pretty eh.  I won't be getting made to order eggs again.

Poached Egg.

My last day, I still wanted a precious poached egg, but the benny looked old, and I was already planning one last noodle bowl, and one last bread pudding creation, so I decided to keep it lighter, and opt for just a fresh poached egg rather than a benny.

The egg / noodle chef poached it to order in a water bath.  It took slightly longer than my noodle bowl, but that was fine, I was able to add all my toppings to the noodle bowl, bring it back to my table, and then come fetch my egg.

I did end up adding some cheese and creme fraiche, as it turns out, um, I really did still want the hollandaise ...

Poached Egg: Insides.

The egg was nicely poached, yolk runny, deep rich color and flavor.

"Eggs Benedict" (October 2019).

One ill-fated day, I splurged for the buffet, as my cravings for eggs benedict having reached epic levels, after 9 days of staying at the Sheraton Grand, but *not* going to breakfast in the restaurant.  My work schedule just didn't allow for a longer breakfast, and I was dashing into the lounge quickly instead in the morning.

I eagerly marched straight to the eggs benedict slot in the buffet, bypassing everything else, not even caring about anything else, and ... it was ... fried eggs??!!! Alas, no more buffet eggs benny.

I asked about eggs benedict, and was told they could be made to order, but it would take time.  That was fine.  I would wait.  Since I didn't actually care about the ham or salmon, just really the perfectly poached eggs and hollandaise, I said I didn't want either, when asked my preference.  I stated that I really just wanted runny poached eggs and hollandaise.

When my eggs came, eventually, well, they were poached eggs, on english muffins.  No hollandaise.  I asked for it again.  Many, many excruciating minutes later, my hollandaise came.

I wish I could say this was worth all my "suffering".  But ... the eggs were cooked far more than I liked, one was cooked all the way through, no runny yolk at all.  The other had a *tiny* bit of run to it.  Sadness.  And, by the time I got my hollandaise, the eggs were cold.  As was the hollandaise.

On the plus side, I had a bunch of hollandaise to now do what I pleased with.  I scooped it into my disposable coffee cup (I know I couldn't walk out with the ceramic bowl, and I knew they'd throw it out, and I wanted it!  I know taking from the buffet isn't allowed, but this felt fairly innocent ...), and put it in my fridge in my room, immediately dreaming of what I'd do with it next (and yes, I had a microwave, so I was able to warm it later to drizzle over things).

Station 5: Salad Bar, Porridge, Dessert, Gelato.

The final section of the buffet was ... a hodgepodge. A large salad bar (salad for breakfast?), a hot "breakfast dessert", porridge, and ... gelato.  Yup, ice cream for breakfast too.

This station was basically the most boring, and the most exciting, mixed into one.  It is also the first place I headed to see what had changed each day as it had regular variance.

Salad Bar

DIY Guacamole.

Oh, but first?

Yes, a DIY guacamole station.  And yes, people used it.  Mortar, pestle, and all.

So ... random.

If you wanted to just be trendy, imagine the artisanal toast you could make!  Smashed avocado on your choice of breads, and imagine all the other toppings you could throw on ...

This station was removed in 2019.

Salad Station: Part 1.

The salad station was arranged slightly differently from day to day, but generally contained the same types of items. Baby greens, radicchio, oils and vinegars, two types of dressing, pumpkin seeds, and dates filled this area.

It honestly made me want to want salad.  I really do like a lot of these ingredients, but, just not at 6:30am.

Salad Station: Part 2.

The salad area continued with tomatoes, sprouts, carrots, peppers, dried pineapple, pinenuts, almonds, two more dressings.

It was a bit of an odd assortment of vegetables, dried fruits, and nuts, but, hey, something for everyone, and many of the toppings could be used on things other than salad too.

Not that I saw anyone use this area at all.

Salad Station: Part 3.

Continuing along we had full leaves of romaine, rocket/arugula, more oils , sunflower seeds, and dried papaya.

Again, the layout order was a bit odd.

Composed Salad (October 2019).

A new menu addition in October was a daily composed salad.

I didn't try this one, pearl cous cous and veggies, it looked undressed, but the previous day had a very tasty potato and slaw salad, all mixed together, with TONS of creamy dressing.  Just how I like.

Shockingly Satisfying Salad (July).

I eventually decided to make a salad.

Um, I loved it?  Although the entire time, I just kept thinking how badly I wanted it later in the day, not for breakfast.

I tried every type of greens, and they were all fabulous, really fresh, crisp. Some of the baby greens were my favorites, although the peppery arugula was also great.  Oh, and the sprouts.  I love sprouts.

I added every type of dressing too, each in its own section, to try them. They were all good, flavorful creamy dressings.

I also had a base from the noodle bar, with crunchy raw cabbage, seaweed, fried shallots, fried onions, fried garlic.  Mmm, fried stuff.

And lastly, a little of the fresh cheese and strange dark paste spread from the cheese section.

It was weird, it wasn't actually what I wanted at 6:30am when I was eating it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, and felt proud of myself for having some veggies, before I moved on to stuffing myself full of hollandaise and bread pudding.

Silly Salad (November).

My first couple mornings in November were no different.  Confused body.  Wanted #allTheThings.  Ate 3-4 course feasts.  Generally including some kind of salad.  By mid-week though, I was over salad for breakfast, as my body slowly adjusted to somewhat normal cravings.

This one was a base made from greens from the salad bar, and raw ingredients from the noodle bar, intended to be cooked into the soup, but, I wanted the seaweed and crispy fresh cabbage in my salad.  And of course, all the crispy toppings too.

It hit the spot, although I haven't found a dressing from the salad bar that I really enjoy, and usually opt to top my "salad" with sauces from the noodle bar, a drizzle of soy, hoisin, and vinegar ..

Salad (October 2019).

Yup, first day "omg, I need some fresh veggies at 6:30 am" hit again.  I was delighted by this mix of interesting greens and sprouts.  I added a bunch more goodies, including sauces and crunch from the asian station, and quite enjoyed.

Hot Dessert Station (Gone as of 2019)

And then, the glorious dessert station.  This section wasn't just dessert items masquerading as breakfast (pancakes, waffles, danishes, I'm looking at you!), no, this was proper dessert.  Hot dessert.

Banana Crisp / Porridge (Friday, July).

If you can have salad and noodles for breakfast, why not dessert, right?

The banana crumble set up the scene moving into dessert for breakfast.  I don't love banana, but I was happy to see a hot fruit crisp for breakfast.  Except ... I didn't like it.  The bananas were just mush on the bottom, and the crumble hard, stale, bitter.

I took some porridge too, hoping it would be more like rice pudding, but alas, it was just simple oat based porridge, and it was actually not warm at all, even though in a hot well.

Both very sad items for me.

Banana Crumble (November).

The crumble came back in November, and it was much improved, although still not amazing.

The base was slices of mushy bananas, stewed in brown sugar and some mild spices.  Soft, sweet, fine.  I did wish there was some caramel to go with though.

The crumble was good size chunks, hard, slightly sweet.  Decent.  The surfaces that touched the bananas were softer, more like oatmeal.

With some caramel, or, in retrospect, maybe just some maple syrup from the waffles or pancakes station, I think this could be a hit.

Banana Crumble / Fresh Fruit / Whipped Cream / Gelato (November).

Of course, I can't just have plain crumble.  Even without caramel I was able to find some toppings.  I added sorbet, whipped cream, and fresh fruit.

The fruit was a nice addition, since just banana isn't very exciting.  And of course, I love my whipped cream.

Still, it needed something a bit more.

In March, when I returned, one day had the banana crumble again.  And this time, I was ready to jazz it up.  I got my portion of crumble, and headed for the whipped cream station next.  After adding my generous dollop of whipped cream, I was ready to add a drizzle of fruity coulis.

However, on crumble day, an amazing thing happened.  One of the fruity flavors of coulis was replaced with … custard!  Just a big thing of the custard!!!  I had full access to just the custard, my favorite part of the bread pudding.  This was a fabulous thing.

I was in a rush and failed to photo, but my creation turned out to be glorious.  Well spiced, gooey and soft bananas as the base, this time, I even liked the flavor of the bananas, and appreciated the warmth.  I made sure to get plenty of crumble topping, and then I smothered it in custard and whipped cream, and added extra shredded coconut and sliced almonds on top for additional crunch too.  I generally prefer the bread and butter pudding, but, it was nice to have a change actually, and I was very happy with this creation.

Porridge (July, Daily).

The porridge was a daily feature, and I eventually gave it another try.

The next time it was at least warm, but it was really just kinda awful mushy soggy oatmeal.  Brown sugar, berries, even sorbet on top didn't help it.

Mixed Danish Custard Bread & Butter Pudding (Saturday, July).

The second day, the banana crumble was replaced by hot danish bread pudding.  With custard.  Oh yes.

This was actually quite hot, and quite the looker.

Made from chunks of leftover danishes, mostly raspberry but I'm pretty sure there were some chocolate ones in there too.  The chunks were huge, it was crispy on top, but crazy moist inside.  Exactly how I like my bread pudding.

But, the best part?  The custard.  Or creme anglaise I think. Whatever it was. O.M.G.  It was bathed in this sweet sauce.  Vanilla cream sauce.  So much vanilla cream sauce.  You know I spooned up #allTheSauce.

It was randomly sprinkled on top with brown sugar, that wasn't baked in, and didn't make any sense.

This was very good.  Warm bread pudding, warm moist bread pudding, warm moist bread pudding with tons of custard sauce ... yes.  For breakfast.  Yes, yes.

Somehow I was alone in wanting this.  The photo I took after I took out my massive portion.  No one else touched it the whole time I was there!  #people.

Bread & Butter Pudding (Sunday, July).

The next day, another version of that bread pudding.  Danger, danger.  Seriously, look at this thing in all its untouched glory!  Sitting in a vat of that sauce.  Why was no one else going for this?

Yes, yes, yes.

This version came out even better.  Soooo moist and custardy.  Again made with mixed danishes, I mostly avoided the raspberry ones this time, and liked it more.

This bread pudding, with the custard, would honestly make for a satisfying later morning brunch on its own.  You don't need anything else from this incredible buffet.  Particularly if you add whipped cream and berry sauces from the pancakes/waffles.  Or gelato.  Just cuz.  You can.

Bread & Butter Pudding (Monday, July).

Ok, three days in a row of the bread and butter pudding?  I was really hoping for a bit of variety before my last day.  And again, no one else touched it!  I went to breakfast much later this day, and still, no one got to it before me, even though the place was packed.

This time, there were even fewer fruit danishes, which was great, since I discovered I prefer the bits without.

It was again good, very moist, and zomg that custard, best when drizzled with berry sauces or syrup.  But ... I was getting sick of it at this point.  Time for a new selection!

Bread & Butter Pudding, Chocolate and Apple Danish Base (Wed, November).

When I returned in November, the first three days we had the bread and butter pudding again, this time mostly made with chocolate croissants as the base, and the first day, a bunch of apple danishes too.

The first day, it was great, really moist, and I liked the moisture from the apples.

And that custard.  Swoon that custard.  I was glad no one else went for this, because I could just steal all the custard.  Yes, I'm that person.

I adored this, and had way, way too much the first day.

Bread & Butter Pudding, Chocolate Danish Base. (Thurs, Fri). (November).

The next two days also featured the bread pudding, both times exclusively made with chocolate croissants.  I liked the chocolate addition, but, both days were kinda lackluster.  Not as moist, very dried out and hard on top.  I like a crisp top, but, not like this.

The custard had great flavor, but, was kinda cooked off, as you can see here.  Still warm, creamy, and delightful, but, not as great as the previous days.

Bread & Butter Pudding, Chocolate Danish Base, Monday. (November).

By my 5th day, I actually was able to sleep in a bit, and didn't arrive right at 6:30am on the dot when they opened.  My "reward" ... bread pudding that was not fresh!  It looked horrible, really, dried out, and the custard was all cooked, but, I tried it anyway.

It actually was fine, moist inside, not too crisp, and I do love that custard, even in cooked form.

Bread & Butter Pudding, Chocolate Danish Base, Tuesday. (November).

It looked just as bad the next day, again, when I arrived later in the morning, 8am this time, a new record for me (ok, ha, like I slept in that late, I was up at 6:30 and went to the gym before breakfast, lol).

It looked dried out, the custard was all cooked through again, but ... I again really liked it, when loaded up with custard and a bit of whipped cream, and, my newest discovery: drizzled with maple syrup!

So, latest invention: bread pudding, drizzle of maple syrup, and as much custard as I can possibly scoop up.

Bread and Butter Pudding, Croissant Base (Wednesday, November).

My final day I was back on the early schedule, there at breakfast before 7am, and the bread pudding looked decent.

However, this one was pretty eh.  Just croissants as the base, and they seemed like they had been toasted before being added to the bread pudding? The result was rather dry.

The custard was great as always though, and I gladly scooped it over my lychee and added granola crumble on top.

Bread & Butter Pudding, Mixed Danish & Sliced Breads (Saturday, Jan 2019).

The first day I was back in January, the bread pudding was made with all berry danishes.  It was perfect: sooo moist, and I loved the goo from all those danishes.  I failed to get a photo, but I assure you, it was fantastic.

The next day, it was made with a mix of breads.  Some was just sliced white bread, others sliced grain bread, and one little section had more berry danishes.  I took scoops from all sides.

None of it was very good.  It was very dense, not moist.

The custard however was of course great, warm, comforting, and fantastic drizzled over the frozen blueberries and topped with the amazing new gelato flavor that showed up.  More on that soon.

Bread & Butter Pudding, Mixed Danish, Croissant, Breads Base (Sunday, Jan 2019)

The next day was another mix, this time mostly croissants, fluffy brioche, and more fruit danishes (several types).  It was moist, fluffy, and fantastic again.  So much variance though!

Bread & Butter Pudding, Croissant Base (Monday, Jan 2019).

And then, back to croissants only, and, not nearly as good, more dried out.

Perhaps croissants only is the times I don't like it as much?  They don't soak up the moisture as well?

And yes, most days it is pristine when I get to it, no one else eats it for breakfast that early! #noShame

Bread & Butter Pudding, Croissant Base (Tuesday, Jan 2019)

Another day with croissants only.  It was moist, but I didn't actually care for it, it was moist but dry at the same time if that makes sense.  And rather eggy.

I still love that custard though, particularly with some gelato, whipped cream, and fruit.

Bread & Butter Pudding, Berry Danish & Croissant Base
(Wednesday, Jan 2019).

This one featured different sections, mostly berry danish, but the back side was I believe just croissants, or perhaps pecan danishes.  I took a chunk from each section.

This was an excellent bread pudding.  Crispy top, custardy and moist inside.  I liked the berry goo in the mix, but I *loved* the back layer, either it was in the danishes they used, or they sprinkled it on top, but there was certainly more sugar-y goodness in there, sorta caramelized, crispy.  I think cinnamon too.

One of the best bread puddings we had.

Bread & Butter Pudding, Croissant Base.
 (Thursday, Jan 2019).

I reached a point where even though I loved the bread pudding, I wondered why it was the only item I ever saw.  I was a full week in at this point, and during past stays, they usually rotated in other items eventually (read on!).  And when I saw this one was croissant base, I almost skipped ...

But I'm glad I didn't.  It was a bit dry, but I got plenty from the base, and added as much custard as I could scoop up, and loved it just the same.  And I went back for "just a bit more'.  Shhh, don't judge.

Bread & Butter Pudding, Danish Base
(Friday, Jan 2019).

Well, meh.  Finally, after days in a row of amazing bread pudding, this happened.

It was dry, it was eggy.  I didn't care for it at all.

The custard was still good, but very cooked down, a film on top, and hard to scoop out.  I am fairly certain this was on too high of a heat setting.

Bread & Butter Pudding, Danish Base.
(Saturday, Feb 2019).

Another eggy version that I didn't really care for.

But tons of custard this time, I was able to tip the serving vessel to get a big bowl of custard, to top with other things.  Who needed the bread pudding anyway?

Bread & Butter Pudding, Bread Base.
 (Sunday, Feb 2019).

Well this one was boring.  Just a bread base.  Eggy.  Custard very cooked down.  Meh.

Mixed Danish Bread and Butter Pudding. (March).

My first day in March, everything was ... as expected.

A decent version of a mixed danish bread pudding, moist enough on bottom, crispy enough on top, and plenty of custard.  I was quite pleased, pleased enough to return for seconds.

The Worst Bread & Butter Pudding. (March).

The next day though ... something went very wrong.  This was, hands down, the worst I'd ever seen.

Sure, I wasn't a fan of the left hand side using the whole wheat base, but the right hand side was mixed danish.  It was very very dry.

But the real problem?  The custard!!!  Look at it.  There 1) wasn't much, 2) it was incredibly thin and watery, and 3) it was broken.

I tried it, and it was ... well, watery.  I told a staff member that normally there is more, and it is usually thicker, and she told someone else, who also looked, and they didn't seem bothered.  This was the same day as the melted whipped cream.  I later saw one of the chefs, and I told him, and he ... fixed it?  Later on, I found it with a bunch more thin watery custard poured over it.

Mixed Danish Bread Pudding / Plenty of Custard. (March).

The next day, all was well.

In fact, when I walked in, the restaurant manager rushed to my side, and told me there was plenty of custard today, and he spoke with the head chef, and all was fixed.  I was a bit embarrassed that he even knew I had said something!  It really had seemed like no one cared the day before!

But he was right.  All was redeemed.  And, um, there was more custard than ever before, and it was not watery nor broken.  Phew.

The bread pudding was also a good version, mixed danishes, moist inside, slightly crisp on top, and soaked up all the lovely custard.  One of the best, actually.

Blueberry Danish Bread & Butter Pudding. (March).

After a couple days of no bread pudding (banana crisp instead), it came back, and, gasp, for the first time, I was not the first to dig in!

This one was entirely made with berry danishes.

It really was one of the worst.  The base was spongy and oily, the berry filling congealed, and even though there was plenty of custard, I just couldn't get the base to soak up any moisture, it just rolled off with all the oil.

Boo hiss.

Blueberry Danish / Cinnamon Danish / Whole Wheat Bread & Butter Pudding.
(March).

At first, glance, the next morning, the bread pudding looked the same.  Blueberry danishes.  Meh.  Then I saw the back left corner looked different.  I wasn't quite sure what it was, but I figured it was worth trying.

The answer? Cinnamon danishes!  And they were flaky, buttery, and crispy.  Full of cinnamon flavor.  This section really confused me, as I never saw these danishes on the line anywhere in the pastry section.  But it really was one of the best sections of bread pudding, the crisp texture was great, and there was tons of cinnamon flavor.  I was quite surprised, and happy.

I was also surprised by why lie under it.  I scooped some from the base of the bread pudding to get the more moist section, and ... it was dark brown?  As you can see in the lower picture, the bottom layer was actually whole wheat bread!  Really mushy whole wheat bread.  But the top was fantastic.

 Cinnamon Danish Bread & Butter Pudding. (March).

The next day was the ultimate bread pudding.

The best I ever had.  And, I had a *lot* of versions of this!

Made entirely with croissants and cinnamon danishes.  I almost think the cinnamon may be added separately?  Again, I never saw cinnamon danishes on the pastry line.  The cinnamon was more like a streusel, crumbly sweetened chunks.

The cinnamon streusel just amped it all up, this one was perfectly moist and custardy throughout, and crispy on top.

Hands down amazing, and they best they ever served.

Blueberry Danish / Cinnamon Danish Bread & Butter Pudding.
(March).

The next morning, the majority of the bread pudding was those berry danishes, but, the front right corner was the cinnamon streusel stuff, and thus, clearly, is where I went.

It was again very good, so crispy on top, great flavor from the cinnamon streusel, moist and custardy inside.

And speaking of custard, this one was swimming in it!  The custard was just right too, not too thick, not too watery.

Berry & Custard Danish Bread &Butter Pudding (March). 

And then ... the mixed danish version came back (berry, custard), no streusel in sight.  There was also sliced wholemeal bread on the bottom.

This was crispy on top, and moist inside, and had a good amount of custard around the edges, but the base just really didn't do it for me.  These danishes always come out spongy, oily, and truly not enjoyable.

I missed the streusel version.

Apple & Raisin Dumplings (Tuesday, Wednesday, July).

On Tuesday, I was happy to see a new option.  I was getting a bit sick of the bread pudding.  But ... my heart kinda sank when I saw the dumplings.  Eh to apples and raisins.

Still, I tried one.  They were kinda like apple fritters, as in the donuts I know and adore, just without glaze.  But, they also just weren't good.  Sure, a bit warm from the tray, but spongy, too dense, chewy, and not well flavored.

I tried dunking in syrup, in berry sauce, in whipped cream, but there was no saving these.

I didn't bother trying them the final day, opting for other sweets instead.

Ice Cream / Gelato / Sorbet

I obviously have a thing for ice cream, as there is a label for it on my blog, and I generally have it at least once a day, if not twice, but I'll admit, even for me, gelato at breakfast is not a normal part of my lineup.

Yogurt Gelato with Granola / Frozen Berries / Berry Sorbet (Daily, July).

Around the corner, along with the toppings for porridge (brown sugar, syrup, raisins), was ... the gelato/sorbet station they have at dinner.  With, gelato and sorbet, plus fruit.  The varieties never changed in July, and they were unlabeled.

I actually really liked the frozen blueberries topped with whipped cream from the pancakes area, and granola from the cereal area, a snack I used to make all the time for myself at home.  Slightly frozen blueberries are great!

The next visit, I discovered that I could even improve on that creation, adding in custard from the bread pudding as well.  ZOMG.  Frozen berries, hot custard, whipped cream, crunchy granola ... fantastic.

The sorbet was berry, and just sweet, although nicely soft.  I never like sorbet though, so don't take my lack of recommendation as anything.

The gelato was just a plain tart yogurt flavor, with granola on top.  I guess they were trying to be breakfast-like?  Regardless, it wasn't anything special.  A bit icy, not very smooth nor rich, and not interesting.  Better when jazzed up with sauces from the pancakes/waffles, but still, not really worth being excited about.  Which, for me, was quite sad.

Yogurt Gelato with Granola / Frozen Berries / Lemon Sorbet (November).

In November, the gelato and sorbet lineup was the same the first few times I visited, but, halfway through my stay, they changed out the sorbet.  Now, lemon sorbet, topped with slices of lime and some little crumbles.

I tried the lemon sorbet, just for completeness, knowing I don't like sorbet nor lemon flavors.  It was sweet, it was tart, the texture was actually great, but, eh, sorbet.  What *was* amazing though?  Whatever those little crumbles were!!!  I have no idea what they were, some kind of white chocolate caramel something, but I loved them.  If only I could get them without the sorbet.

Yogurt Gelato with Granola / Frozen Blueberries / Apricot Gelato
(Jan 2019).

In January, everything changed.  

Ok, the boring yogurt flavor with granola was still there, always topped with a different garnish: shards of dark chocolate, white chocolate, sweet honeycomb ... which I always plucked from the top to garnish my creations.

And I did still like the frozen blueberries, but, the big change ... *finally* not a sorbet.  Fruit gelato.  Perfect, creamy fruit gelato. 

In the sorbet's place was ... apricot gelato, topped with little bits of apricot, to help identify it.

It was fantastic.  Smooth, creamy, just perfect consistency.  The fruity nature was beautiful, not too sweet, but clearly apricot.  

I adored that gelato.  By the scoop, alone even, it was fantastic.  But of course I added toppings and pairings.

Apricot Gelato / Frozen Blueberries / Yogurt Gelato with Granola.
(January 2019).

I was so thrilled that apricot gelato remained for many days in a row.  The texture is just perfect, and the flavor lovely. 

It did come garnished with chunks of citrus this time, which was totally odd, as it looked like it might be citrus gelato (it wasn't), and the citrus had rind on, so it wasn't actually edible like this.

Peach Gelato / Frozen Blueberries / Yogurt Gelato with Granola.
(January 2019).

Eventually it changed, but still fruit gelato, not sorbet.

I didn't like the peach nearly as much, it was icier, not as creamy.

And the garnish on the frozen yogurt was just granola, no chocolate to be found!

Apricot Gelato / Frozen Raspberries / Yogurt Gelato with Granola.
(January 2019).

The gelato was restored to its glory the next day, back to the perfectly creamy apricot flavor.  I again adored it.

Another change though was the frozen fruit, now raspberries.  I had actually started to grow tired of blueberries, so this was a nice change for me.

Apricot Gelato / Frozen Raspberries / Yogurt Gelato with Granola.
(January 2019).

The raspberries remained the next day, the garnish turned into sweet dark chocolate shards, but everything else was standard the next day.

Apricot Gelato / Frozen Raspberries / Yogurt Gelato with Granola.
(January 2019).

Another day, same lineup, different toppings.

The gelato came topped with sliced strawberries and glace cherries.  I loved the sweet candied cherries.

Yogurt Gelato with Granola  / Frozen Raspberries / Mixed Berry Gelato.
(February 2019).

February 1, and ... gelato change!

The fruit gelato was replaced with ... mixed berry.  The texture was still great, so smooth and creamy, but it was too fruity for me.

Finally, I stopped having gelato every morning.  This is probably a good thing.

Mixed Berry Gelato / Frozen Yogurt with Granola (Feb 2019).

My final morning, the gelato and frozen berries were not in their normal home.  I looked around a bit frantically, to see a little side cart set up.  Clearly, the regular freezer was acting up.

No berries were available this time, only the fruity berry gelato and basic yogurt.  A sad end to my gelato-fest, but, I did end up going out for, um, 3 other ice cream / gelato / froyo that day, so all was good.

Raspberries / Raspberry Sorbet / Frozen Yogurt with Granola.
(March 2019).

Not much changed in the few weeks I was away, although my first morning, everything was particularly ... frosty.

I never like the frozen raspberries as much as the blueberries, and the berry sorbet and frozen yogurt were the same as always, ok, but not great.

Frozen Yogurt with Granola / Raspberry Sorbet / Blueberries & Raspberries (March 2019).

The next day everything was back to a less frosty state, and I was happy to see the frozen blueberries back.

Frozen Yogurt with Granola / Raspberry Sorbet / Blueberries & Raspberries (March 2019).

I was pretty saddened by the ice cream / gelato / sorbet station in March. The flavors *never* changed, and they *never* had any kind of chocolate garnish, only the same sliced nuts already available in the buffet, and the same frozen berries. Boo.

Frozen Yogurt with Granola / Raspberry Sorbet / Blueberries & Raspberries.
(March 2019).

I stopped taking photos of the ice cream / gelato / sorbet station, as it was identical every day, the only thing changing was the frozen berries.  On lucky days, there were blueberries, but usually it was the mushy raspberries.

Raspberry Sorbet / Frozen Blueberries / Frozen Yogurt with Granola. (October 2019).

When I returned 7 months later I was hopeful to see some changes to the gelato/sorbet station but ... the flavors never deviated from this lineup, always raspberry sorbet, always yogurt gelato.

Bread & Butter Pudding / Custard / Whipped Cream (November).

Most days I made a third or fourth dessert course, once I had my fill of savories.  It always featured whatever hot breakfast carb special there was, plus sorbet/gelato/whipped cream, and whatever extra sauces I decided to add.

On this day, the bread pudding was fantastic, so I made a rather generous serve, topped with *tons* of the amazing custard, and a little whipped cream.

This was my first day in Sydney, 6:45am, and jetlag was in full force.  I LOVED it.

Then I waddled out, and collapsed into food coma, sugar crash, and full on jetlag.  But I regretted nothing.

Bread & Butter Pudding / Custard / Yogurt Gelato / Berry Sorbet (November).

On the next day ... the bread pudding was lackluster, so I just made a custard bowl with gelato and sorbet.  It worked, the warm creamy custard serving as pudding, the cold gelato melting in.

Still not really a full dessert course though, so I moved on to the pastries

Bread Pudding + Frozen Berries + Custard + Gelato + Whipped Cream + Mango Coulis + Granola. (November).

By the middle of my trip in November, I created something magical.

A little moist, soft, bread pudding as the base.  A scoop of gelato, ALL the custard I could possibly steal from the tray, a scoop of frozen berries, a dollop of whipped cream, and a drizzle of mango coulis.

ZOMG.  This was good.  Very, very, good.  Hot bread pudding and custard, cold berries and sorbet, crunchy granola, sweet mango coulis.  It had everything going on.  I loved it.  Best creation so far.

Bread Pudding + Frozen Berries + Custard + Whipped Cream + Maple Syrup + Granola.
(November).

The next day I was even more excited when I saw a better line up of frozen berries, strawberries and blackberries and raspberries, in addition to the blueberries.  But ... the berries really weren't great.  Rather soggy, actually.  I did not care for them at all.

I did love the bread pudding though, particularly with the drizzle of maple syrup (my latest new creation), and all the custard and granola for crunch, so I quickly went back to make dessert #2: big bowl of bread pudding, tons of custard, sprinkle of granola on top, and drizzle of maple syrup. #breakfastOfChampions.  So good, that I failed to photo.

Bread Pudding + Berries + Custard (November).

This batch of bread pudding wasn't very good, even when smothered in custard.  And the berries were very mushy.

I saved this though, adding more fresh fruit, and granola crumble, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Bread Pudding + Frozen Blueberries + Custard + Apricot Gelato + Whipped Cream + Mango Coulis + White Chocolate Shreds. (January)

Was this the best one yet?  It might have been.

There was bread pudding hiding in there, but really, this was all about the fantastic apricot gelato, with the warm custard, fluffy whipped cream, frozen berries, and mango coulis to increase the tropical nature, and then some shards of white chocolate, just because.

Flavors, textures, temperatures .... this had everything.  I love, love, loved it.

Mixed Danish/Bread Pudding + Frozen Blueberries + Custard + Apricot Gelato + Whipped Cream + Mango Coulis  + Berry Coulis + White Chocolate Honeycomb + Nutella. (January).

The next day, I made another similar creation, this one featuring more bread pudding as it was fantastic that day, but again topped with gelato + custard + whipped cream (who can pick just one?), plus fruit + coulis (two kinds this time), plus a bit of nutella for fun, and, huge shards of the garnish of the day, a white chocolate honeycomb.

This had everything going on.  Bread pudding that I loved, hot custard, cold creamy gelato, fluffy whipped cream, fruity flavors, sweet white chocolate ... swoon.

Croissant Bread Pudding + Frozen Blueberries + Custard + Apricot Gelato
+ Whipped Cream + Berry Coulis + White Chocolate Shards. (January).

On this day, I didn't really care for the bread pudding, but the rest was glorious.  I feel broken record, but the creamy fruity gelato, warm custard, whipped cream, and extra sweetness from the white chocolate shards is just really incredible, you know, for breakfast dessert.

Croissant Bread Pudding + Frozen Blueberries + Custard + Peach Gelato + Whipped Cream + Berry Coulis + Sliced Almonds. (January).

Was I getting sick of this every morning?  Or was this just a day with less good ingredients?  I was not in love with this one.

The bread pudding was a style I didn't care for, the gelato more icing, and no chocolate garnish was available.

I did add sliced almonds this time, which I really did like, for the crunch.

Mixed Danish Bread Pudding + Frozen Raspberries + Custard + Apricot Gelato
+ Whipped Cream + Berry Coulis + Sliced Almonds
+ White Chocolate Honeycomb. (January).

The next morning I declared my creation the best so far.  So, clearly, I wasn't sick of it.  It really just matters what you use as a base.

This had a perfect bread pudding as the base (berry danish and regular caramelized croissant), then tons of warm custard, a generous scoop of perfectly creamy apricot gelato, a dollop of fresh whipped cream, a drizzle of berry coulis, some frozen raspberries (change up!), and then my newfound discovery of sliced almonds for crunch, and white chocolate honeycomb sweet garnish.

It was just perfect in every way.  Warm and cold, textures from the almonds, complimentary fruity flavors from the gelato, coulis, berries, and danish filling ... just, perfect.

I devoured this big bowl, *after* having a full serving of smoked salmon benedict, and planning a big lunch not long after.  It was too good not too.

Croissant Bread Pudding + Frozen Blueberries + Frozen Raspberries + Custard
+ Apricot Gelato + Whipped Cream + Berry Coulis + Sliced Almonds
+ Dark Chocolate Shards. (January).

This one surprised me.  The bread pudding was croissant only, and didn't look great, so I only took a little.  I added plenty of gelato, and tons of dark chocolate shards.

And then I went back for more bread pudding and custard, and actually didn't finish the gelato, the first time ever!

The warm moist bread pudding just smothered in custard, with a bit of berry coulis and crunchy sliced almonds really hit the spot this day, with a bit of whipped cream to balance it out.  I'm not sure why I wasn't excited by the gelato or frozen berries.

The dark chocolate was very sweet, not really what I was into.

So mixed success on this first round, but when I added more bread pudding and custard, I left very pleased.

Danish Bread Pudding + Custard + Apricot Gelato + Whipped Cream
+ Berry Coulis + Sliced Almonds + Milk Chocolate Shards
+ Glace Cherries. (January).

This one wasn't as successful.

The bread pudding was too eggy.  I was sick of frozen berries, so I left them out.  I was sick of the gelato, but still added a little, and felt pretty "meh" to it.

I still liked the custard and whipped cream, the crunchy nuts, and the drizzle of the berry coulis, plus the addition of the glace cherries, but I found myself needing to get something else after this (I went for stewed peaches and whipped cream - eh, and then bircher muesli - double eh, and finally, a chocolate mini pie - yay!)

Danish Bread Pudding + Custard + Mixed Berry Gelato + Whipped Cream + Berry Coulis + Sliced Almonds + Dark Chocolate Shards. (February).

Not a winning dish.  The bread pudding was eggy, and I didn't like the berry gelato.

The custard was great though, and I loved it with the coulis, sliced nuts,whip, and chocolate.  So I just went back for more of that.  Not a problem.

Bread Pudding + Custard + Mixed Berry Gelato + Whipped Cream
+ Berry Coulis + Sliced Almonds + Dark Chocolate Shards. (February).

 My last morning, with mediocre bread pudding, the gelato I don't like very much, custard that was too cooked down ... not a great finale.  But I still finished it.

Bread Pudding + Custard + Mixed Berry Gelato + Whipped Cream + Guava Coulis
+ Raspberry Coulis + Sliced Almonds + Frozen Blueberries
+ Frozen Raspberries. (March).

My first morning in March I was in full on toppings mode, opting for gelato, frozen yogurt, as much custard as I could scoop up, and plenty of whipped cream, plus both the new sauces, plus frozen fruit (I also added fresh kiwi later), and of course almonds for crunch.

I was pretty pleased with my creation, and went back for more ... you know, just "one more bite".

Mixed Bread Pudding + Custard + Melted Whipped Cream + Guava Coulis + Raspberry Coulis + Sliced Almonds + Toasted Coconut + Waffle (March).

The next morning was the day of the doomed watery custard, the melted whipped cream, and the dried out whole wheat bread pudding.  Yet I tried.

I don't have a photo of my first batch, but it was pretty awful, dry bread pudding, and I couldn't get enough custard to save it.  Once the chef added more custard I tried again and made this, and augmented with even more toppings (tons of toasted coconut and almonds, and even a sliver of waffle), but ... there wasn't much saving this.  I still drank it up, but ... yeah.  Not great.

Mixed Danish Bread Pudding + Custard + Yogurt Granola Ice Cream
+ Raspberry Gelato + Whipped Cream + Guava Coulis + Sliced Almonds
+ Toasted Coconut (March).

After that "disaster" day, all was well the next day.  One of the best bread puddings ever, more custard than ever before.  I still added other toppings, and loved how the little bit of sorbet and ice cream melted into the bread pudding.  It didn't need the whipped cream, nor that much custard actually, but ... #sorryNotSorry.  As always, I loved the crunch from the sliced almonds and toasted coconut, and the fruity guava puree.

A true winning creation.

Berry Danish Bread Pudding + Custard + Yogurt Granola Ice Cream
+ Raspberry Gelato + Whipped Cream + Guava Coulis + Sliced Almonds
+ Toasted Coconut (March).

This base wasn't a winner, spongy, oily, and only blueberry danishes, so it needed ... more toppings.  But I didn't really just want a bowl of ice cream, custard, and whipped cream, I wanted more substance, so I ended up adding a lot more toasted coconut and sliced almonds, and more coulis, after a few bites.  And some fresh fruit.  

But ... it still was one of my least favorites.

Cinnamon Streusel & Whole Wheat Bread Pudding + Custard
+ Yogurt Granola Ice Cream + Whipped Cream + Pineapple Coulis + Sliced Almonds
+ Toasted Coconut + Creme Fraiche + Fresh Ricotta (March).

This was my surprise success, the day with the crispy cinnamon danishes.  I had loaded it up with custard, ice cream, whipped cream, coulis (boo, pineapple that day), slivered almonds, toasted coconut ... and a dollop of creme fraiche and a dollop of fresh ricotta (just for fun!), but I ended up being thrilled with the crispy pastry itself, and I was glad I left some unburied.

#oneMoreBite

I liked it so much that ... I went back for ... just one more "perfect" bite(s).  I got a full layer of crispy cinnamon danish, added warm custard around the edges, whipped cream on the side, toasted coconut, and sliced almonds on top, and loved every last bite.  Ok, it was more than one bite.

Cinnamon Streusel Bread Pudding + Custard + Yogurt Granola Ice Cream
+ Devon Custard + Pineapple Coulis + Guava Coulis + Sliced Almonds
+ Toasted Coconut. (March).

The next day was actually the best I ever had.

The base was custardy, rich, and entirely made with the cinnamon danishes.  I of course scooped up as much warm custard as possible, foiled slightly be the use of a slotted spoon to serve it that day, and a touch of gelato to melt in and lighten it up.  There was no whipped cream available that day (!), and instead just thick gloopy devon custard (like, from a can), which I put on the edge, and I'm glad I did.  It was good, kinda, but really too rich, too thick, and not what I needed on here.

A little of each fruit coulis of the day (pineapple and guava) and little crunch from sliced almonds and toasted coconut, and, this was ready to go.

Perfection.  It didn't matter how full I was from my prior courses, how grumpy I was, anything.  I enjoyed every bite of this bowl.

And yes, I went back for more.

Cinnamon Streusel Bread Pudding + Custard + Yogurt Granola Ice Cream
+ Berry Sorbet + Devon Custard + Pineapple Coulis + Guava Coulis + Sliced Almonds
+ Toasted Coconut + Frozen Blueberries. (March).

I'm not sure why I decided to load it up even more the next day, particularly given that the base looked just as good (yes to that cinnamon streusel!), but this was a nice creation.

Under the bread pudding, I put the frozen blueberries.  This meant they slightly warmed from the pudding and warm custard, which was a really nice semi-frozen experience.  I was glad to have them back in my lineup.

The bread pudding was a fantastic version, and I made sure to get plenty of both the custardy base and the crunchy top.  And then ... yes, tons of warm custard around it, as it was easy to come by that day.  I put just a small scoop of each gelato, the berry one just gave strong berry flavors as it melted into that side, which worked, since I had the blueberries too, and the yogurt one was necessary because there was no whipped cream, and I needed something to lighten it a bit.  The dollop of devon cream on top was the only thing I'd skip, as it really was just too much.  I missed my whipped cream.  And, as always, I loved the crunch from my sliced almonds and toasted coconut.

Delicious, again.

Berry & Custard Danish Bread Pudding + Custard + Yogurt Granola Ice Cream
+ Pear Coulis + Sliced Almonds + Frozen Blueberries
+ Whipped Cream. (March).

My final bread pudding was a sad one.

There was no toasted coconut available.  There was no guava or berry coulis, only the pear (?) one I didn't like.  And the base was spongy and not one I liked.  

At least there was custard, whip, and blueberries, but, overall, even toppings didn't make this final one enjoyable.  Sadness.

2 Scoops Frozen Yogurt / Mini Scoop Raspberry Sorbet
Whipped Cream / Milk & Dark Chocolate Drops / Crumble / Fresh Blueberries. (October 2019).

In October, as I said ... no more bread pudding.  Devastated.  Really.

That said, I did still enjoy the tart froyo, a tiny bit of super fruity sorbet, and plenty of toppings.

The balance of mostly just plain frozen yogurt with a tiny tiny scoop of sorbet, then plenty of fruit (I usually added kiwi, strawberry, blueberries, and whatever else was tasty), sometimes a drizzle of sauce, and then, fun things like crumble and chocolate for crunch, made for some pretty great sundaes.

I still really, really, really missed the bread pudding.

Read More...

Pretzelized Snacks

Regular readers of my blog know that I love snack foods.  I'm always eager to try new brands and products, which lead me to a fairly new company, Pretzelized Snacks.

"Pretzels are one of the oldest snacks in the world: they’re classic, tried-and-true, and, if we’re being honest, in dire need of an update.  Sure, they’ve been flavored with salts and seasonings, but other than that, there’s been no real shake up to the salty, golden, beloved pantry staple. The same story applies to most classic snacks, too: that’s where we come in."

Their process is to start with a classic snack (crackers or pita chips), soak them in pretzel brine, then bake them, and finally, sprinkle with salt.  Basically, yes, "pretzelize" them.   Although they have two product lines, pretzel pita chips and pretzel crackers.  I tried only the later.

Pretzel Crackers

"They’re more than just a pretzel…they’re two favorite snacks in one! Made with a crunchy pretzel outside and real cracker inside, these bite-sized snackers are ideal for enjoying on the go, at home, and everywhere in between."

The pretzel crackers come in 3 flavors: sea salt, cheddar, and honey mustard.  I had a variety pack with boxes of all three flavors, but my parents got to the sea salt before me, and they were, well, gone instantly, so I was only able to try the other two.

The form factor of all was the same: bite size (or two bite, if you bite small), very crispy, very munchable.

Cheddar.

"You cheddar believe it: these Cheddar Pretzel Crackers are made with real, robust, bold cheddar for a reimagined spin on a tried-and-true classic."

Since I couldn't try the plain sea salt, I started with the cheddar.  

I was pretty instantly drawn to the form factor.  They were sooo crispy, and I loved how some of them had puffy blistered bits.  Single bite, just, so easy to keep popping into your mouth.  I think it would be very easy to accidentally eat an entire box of these, or at least a half box, without realizing it.  I thought they were plenty tasty just on their own, but I suspect they'd work great with a dip.

They trended far more on the cracker side of the spectrum, and surprisingly, I really liked that (I don't usually get that excited for crackers, and would pick most pretzels over most crackers).  The pretzel taste only really came through on the finish, otherwise, the cracker dominated.  The flavor was very savory, complex savory, with a great hit of salt too from the large crystals.  They were far less cheesy than something like a Cheez-It, but you could tell they were cheesy.  The seasoning had cheddar cheese of course, but also buttermilk, parmesan and blue cheeses, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and a bit of sugar.  Very complex and something that kept drawing me in.

Overall, I quite enjoyed these, but I don't think I'd order them again, as I prefer other sorts of snacks most of the time.  3.5/5.  

Honey Mustard.

"These Honey Mustard Pretzel Crackers balance the perfect amount of tanginess and zest, making them a flavor-packed crowd-pleaser."

Honey mustard is a natural pairing for pretzels, so I was looking forward to these.  

The form factor was the same, although I felt that I tasted far more pretzel and less cracker in these, which made them less appealing to me.  The seasoning was present, savory and slightly complex, but it wasn't particularly strong.  I definitely wanted to taste more honey mustard.

Basically, an interesting shaped, mildly honey mustard flavored, mild pretzel ... not very compelling to me.  2.5/5.

Read More...

Miette Patisserie & Confiserie

Update Review, 2025

When I first moved to San Francisco, I visited Miette fairly regularly for the cupcakes, but somehow they fell off my rotation until last year.  It had been probably 10 or so years since I last had goodies from there, when I had a few cakes and cupcakes at my office and found them acceptable, but not memorable (as you read about then, below).  But another year has gone by, and I found myself drawn back to Miete one more time.

Rose Macaron. $3.25.

"This delightful little cookie is what put Miette on the map. Although macarons have enjoyed popularity in France for decades, they were virtually unknown in the States until we brought them back from a trip to Paris. Since then, they’ve become our most beloved treat.  Our macarons have a unique density and chewy texture that melts in your mouth. Crafted with coarsely ground almonds, we take pride in using no food coloring or processed flavorings, allowing the natural flavors to shine through.  We believe our macarons are among the finest in the world—fresh, natural, and distinctively Californian."

I'll never be super excited about a macaron, definitely just not my sweet treat of choice, but, I have to admit,  Miette makes a pretty exceptional macaron.  The shells are perfectly smooth and shiny, are slightly chewy inside, and have truly a unique texture that isn't quite soft nor crisp.  Reasonable almond flavor.  Pretty textbook.  Clearly fresh. 4/5 for execution, although again, not really the item I get excited for, so more like a 3.5/5 for me.

The fillings are another strong point for Miette.  The rose one blows me away every time I have it.  It is just such a lovely, complex, sweet but not too sweet, and definitely not too floral flavor.  My favorite flavor, always.  4/5.

[ No Photo ]

Dulce de leche Macaron. $3.25.

The dulce de leche is less successful.  Chewy, sticky, sweet, pretty basic dulce de leche, but I felt it overpowered the delicate nature of the macaron.  I wouldn't get this again.  2/5 filling.

Yellow Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream. $5.25.

"Indulge in our classic yellow cupcake, made with rich butter and egg yolks for a moist yet light texture. Topped with velvety vanilla buttercream frosting, this delightful cupcake offers a perfect balance of sweetness and buttery goodness, making it an all-time favorite for any celebration."

It had been a while since I had a Miette cupcake.  

At first I was a little surprised by how relatively unassuming it was.  Just a standard, smaller size cupcake.  No elaborate decoration, no overly abundant frosting.  Just, a simple cupcake.  It looked almost like one that a really good home baker could make, or like you'd find in a grocery store.

It tasted however better than a home baker or grocery store cupcake.  It wasn't earth shattering, but a very enjoyable cupcake.  The cake was moist enough, well baked.  The yellow cake was a simple, basic flavor, no interesting tang, nothing particularly unique, just, classic yellow cake, done well.  The frosting was definitely my favorite part, and the reason I always did enjoy Miette cupcakes in the past, super smooth, sweet but not cloying, buttery, just, pretty fantastic buttercream.  

What amazed me the most was that even though I had not had a Miette cupcake, literally, in close to 10 years, I instantly felt compelled to rip the cake in half horizontally, and sandwich the frosting with it.  That is how I always used to eat these cupcakes, and it just felt ... right that way.  I think the ratios of frosting to cake are just ideal for sandwich style.

Anyway, I enjoyed this, and would get it again.  A classic, not too sweet, done well.  3.5/5, maybe 4/5.

Update Review, Late 2023/Early 2024 Tastings

Chocolate & Mocha Cupcake. $4.

"Double Chocolate Cake with a swirl of coffee buttercream."

It had been years since I last had a Miette cupcake, which is surprising given the proximity to my office.

This is a pretty good bakery quality cupcake.  The cake is moist and fairly light.  Not remarkable, not a super deep rich chocolate, nor any tang to it, but, better than a grocery store cupcake.  Average decent bakery quality.  ***.

I did love the fluffy sweet buttercream, sweet but not cloying, and no overly strong butter element.  Only mild coffee flavor however.  **** for consistency, *** for flavor.

Overall, a satisfying cupcake, but not one to go out of my way for. ***.

French Vanilla Birthday Cake.

"Of course this cake can be served at any occasion, but we wanted to offer a quintessential birthday cake, perfect with candles and an inscription. This cake is three layers of our tender Hot Milk Cake and frosted on all sides with French vanilla buttercream, made with organic egg yolks and pure Bourbon vanilla. And we know it will pair extraordinarily well with a chorus of Happy Birthday to You...!"

Hot Milk Cake sounds more interesting than this was for me.  For me, it was just, well, fairly plain cake.  Reasonable crumb structure, reasonable density, reasonable moistness, but, nothing really remarkable nor interesting about it.  The frosting was similarly a bit boring, although it was a nicely made buttercream, well balanced in sweetness and butteriness.  

Overall, just boring, but not bad.  ***.

Milk Chocolate Birthday Cake.

"Of course this cake can be served at any occasion, but we wanted to offer a quintessential birthday cake, perfect with candles and an inscription. This cake is three layers of our tender Hot Milk Cake and frosted on all sides with milk chocolate buttercream, made with organic egg yolks. We know it will pair extraordinarily well with a chorus of Happy Birthday to You...!"

The milk chocolate birthday cake is the same cake, just, different buttercream.  The cake was again fine, but not noteworthy.  Fairly plain cake.  The buttercream was very mild chocolate flavor, not particularly interesting.  Overall, just, boring.  Better than a grocery store cake, but, not special in any way.  ***.

Scharffen Berger Cake.

"This cake gets its name from Scharffen Berger Chocolate, the small-batch chocolate makers who were our original neighbors in the Ferry Building. We developed this cake using their raw cocoa powder because it delivers a huge chocolatey flavor. The cake itself is dense and moist, and we glaze it with two coats of smooth-as-silk bittersweet chocolate ganache. It's a lot of chocolate, yes, but it's never overwhelming because of the surprising variation in textures and flavors."

This cake was indeed very chocolate heavy.  The cake was dense and rich.  The ganache was thick and richer.  Definitely paired best with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  But I still didn't find it particularly compelling.  ***.

Original Review

Miete is one of the first bakeries I ever discovered in San Francisco.  Er, patisserie & confiserie that is.  Even better.  Baked goods AND great candy.  My kind of place.

"San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop including macarons, made-to-order cakes, licorice, candy, and artisanal chocolate."

Miette has a shop right in the Ferry Building that I used to frequent, and, given the proximity to my office, their macarons regularly showed up when co-workers brought in treats.  The macrons are their most famous item, but I was always drawn towards the cupcakes, and candy, which features a very pricey but well curated range from many other countries (not housemade).  They have the best salty licorice collection I've found around town.  The main location in Hayes Valley carries even more candy, and is really quite adorably decorated.

The baked goods all use high quality local ingredients when possible, like Straus cream and butter and Scharffen Berger chocolate

As more and more cupcake shops have opened I visit Miette less frequently, but it still holds a special place in my heart for all those early visits when I moved to the area.

Cakes & Cupcakes. 

Cupcakes are the main draw to Miete for me.  The lineup always has their famous gingerbread cupcake, along with basic chocolate and yellow cakes, and a carrot cake.  No other wacky flavors, besides sometimes seasonal icing.  $4 each.  Some are available as full size cakes as well.

The full size cake lineup also has a lovely Princess Cake and crowd pleasing chocolate forward Scharffen Berger cake, along with layered versions of basic cakes.

The chocolate cake base is "double chocolate", made from both unsweetened Scharffen Berger Cocoa Powder and 70% Guittard Chocolate, an interesting choice to mix and match, but, clearly, they found what they like!

Old Fashioned Cupcake.

"Double Chocolate Cake with a puff of sweet marshmallow icing and topped with a candy-coated peanut."

The old fashioned cupcake is my strongest memory of Miette.  My partner absolutely loved this thing.  He doesn't care for buttercream ever really, but adores the glossy boiled icing on this.  When we used to go to Miette as a large group, it was always a point of contention to see what style others would like - would they fall in his camp and love the Old Fashioned, or mine, and go for buttercream? (The answer?  Generally, split!).

Not that I don't like the Old Fashioned, don't get me wrong.  It uses the same chocolate base as the rest of the lineup.  The marshmallow-like topping is quite delicious, and I love the candied peanut, I just like the buttercream more.  I have to admit the boiled icing does look really, really tempting, so in the looks department, this one does win.  The icing is pretty sweet, so not a good choice if you are going for something less sweet.

This flavor is also available as a full size cake, which I of course got for his birthday one year.  That one has a cherry rather than a tiny candy coated peanut though, which is a better size, but, I missed the crunchy candied nut!

A great cupcake if you aren't craving buttercream.  ***+.

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake. $3.25.

"Our double-chocolate cupcake with a swirl of vibrant raspberry buttercream made from fresh, organic berries."

I have had a lot of Miette cupcakes in my day, but I've never really been that excited by their chocolate ones.  Sometimes I get a chocolate base as part of the Old Fashioned, since they only put the boiled icing on the chocolate cake, but given the choice, I always pick Miette's yellow cake over the chocolate.

I'm not sure quite what it is about the chocolate cake that doesn't do it for me.  The cake is chocolately, very consistent, not quite moist nor dry, just somewhere in between.  Unremarkable to me, as I prefer moister, or a crispy top.  The vanilla cake is the same in that way, but has a rich vanilla flavor.

For buttercream frostings, Miette makes classic vanilla, chocolate, and a seasonal flavor, often raspberry or strawberry.  This one had a sweet fluffy raspberry buttercream.  Again, not that remarkable.  It wasn't too sweet, had good raspberry flavor, but overall, it was just there.   That said, the frosting to cupcake ratio on these is perfect for my liking.

I probably would not get this again, as I prefer the yellow cake.  ***.

Chocolate Chocolate Cupcake.

"Double Chocolate Cake with a swirl of chocolate buttercream. ".

I picked this up for my partner one day when they were out of Old Fashioned, but of course I snuck a bite.

The same base chocolate cupcake as the Chocolate Raspberry and the Old Fashioned, but this time with chocolate buttercream.

The buttercream was pretty tasty, slightly sweet, nice milk chocolate flavor.   Again, great amount of frosting for the amount of cake.  But I still just rarely go for their chocolate cupcakes.

***.

[ No Photo ]

Yellow Vanilla Cupcake

"Golden yellow cake with vanilla buttercream."

As boring as it sounds, the vanilla is, hands down, my favorite.  The cake is still a bit dry for my taste, just like the chocolate cake, but the flavor is buttery and rich.  A really great flavor in that base.

I love their vanilla buttercream.  Sweet, simple, creamy.

Yes, my absolute favorite cupcake there is the yellow cake with vanilla buttercream, by far the most basic one they make, and I always enjoy it.

****.

Gingerbread Cupcakes (back row). Carrot Cupcakes (front row)

Gingerbread: 

"Our all-time best selling cupcake.  Made with a dark stout beer, molasses, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom then topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting." 

Now, I know people who go nuts for this cupcake.  Food Network dubbed it the "Best Cupcake in America".  I could care less about it.  

The cake flavor is rather mediocre, the frosting a bit sour.  I've tried it several times, and still haven't ever liked it.  To each his own right?  I still love the Yellow Vanilla!  This one is also available as a cake.

**+.

Carrot:

"A little cupcake chock-full of carrots, walnuts, & currants, topped with a creamy, tangy cream cheese frosting."

So, I have strong opinion on carrot cake (I LOVE my great aunt's recipe), so I didn't expect to love Miette's version.  I avoided it for years, until I was at an event with only gingerbread or carrot to choose from.  Since I hadn't cared for the gingerbread before, I figured it was worth trying the carrot.

It was a very boring carrot cake.  Yes, it had shredded carrot, some little bits of walnut, and little currants in it, but, the flavors didn't pop.  It wasn't dry, it wasn't moist, it just was what it was.  Homogenous, a bit oily, and boring.  

I did like the cream cheese frosting though, very, very rich, thick, and tasty.  This one is also available in cake form.

***.

[ No Photos ]

Princess Cake: 

“White chocolate fondant drapes over a sponge cake soaked in eau de vie syrup, layered with homemade raspberry jam, pastry cream and a mound of lightly sweetened Straus whipped cream.” 

I was excited when someone brought a Princess Cake in for a birthday at my office.  I had wanted to try it for a long time, but since only available as a full size cake, I wasn't ever able.

It was a nice buttery moist cake (super moist from the syrup), with layer of flavorful raspberry jam, subtle layer of pastry cream, and tons of whipped cream. These things all combine together beautifully.  The outer fondant shell was just sweet and gross though.  I understand that it is part of a traditional princess cake, but meh.  

***+ overall, only the outer layer brought it down.

$60 for a 6 inch cake.

Cookies

By now you probably know how I feel about cookies.  They are "ok", but generally more of a snack than a "real dessert", in my world.  I don't seek them out often, but I've still managed to try many of Miette's offerings, as they show up at my office frequently.  Miette's cookies are all a crisp style, not soft fresh baked cookies.  They make several flavors of shortbread, sablés, and snap.

Chocolate Wafers. $8.50.

"This cookie is based on the chocolate wafer cookie that is used to make the famous Icebox Cake. The Miette version is crisp and buttery, with an intense cocoa flavor that is highlighted with both sweet and salty accents. We use brut cocoa powder, a type that is especially dark, and it makes the cookie almost black. Each cookie is cut by hand, sprinkled with sugar, and baked to crispy perfection."

You may have noticed that I often review chocolate.  That is partially because I run a very informal chocolate tasting at work, where I bring in different chocolate, and make everyone try it with me.  I enjoy hearing other's reviews of the chocolate, and it also enables me to get through many more bars than I normally would on my own.  Anyway, one friend knew I was into chocolate tasting, so she brought me a container of Miette's Chocolate Wafers to feature at my next chocolate tasting.

These had a very rich dark chocolate flavor.  They were crispy, buttery, and sprinkled with sugar. Really quite good, and everyone enjoyed them.  They were actually a bit bitter, but so buttery that it cut the bitter nicely.  And then hold up for quite a few days if you keep them sealed.

****, and a nice surprise as I tend to go for softer style cookies.

[ No Photos ]

Chocolate Sablés: 

"Pierre Hermé of Paris is the inspiration behind this cookie. The Miette version replicates the same experience of biting into a crisp, sandy cookie with bits of pure, soft chocolate. This recipe calls for both cocoa and chocolate. When you bring these two ingredients together, you get a resounding chocolate taste, much more complex than if you were to use just one or the other. Each bite-sized cookie is carefully packaged by hand into our signature polka-dot bag."  

The sablés are thicker and less crispy than the wafers, but also have a deep chocolate flavor.  Basically a chocolate shortbread.  Not really my thing, but my mom loves them, and brought a package home after her last visit to San Francisco.

***.

Chocolate Chip:

"There are so many great versions of this all-American favorite, and here's ours: petite chocolate chips, crushed toasted walnuts and coarsely-ground oatmeal incorporated into a crisp, buttery cookie. Each bite-sized cookie is carefully packaged by hand into our signature polka-dot bag."

Eh. This was just a dry boring cookie, hard style.  I think fairly shelf stable, which just isn't a selling point for cookies for me.  Also, beware, it is oatmeal based, no traditional chocolate chip here.  **+.

Lemon Shortbread: 

"This cookie takes the tart, fresh flavor of lemons and contrasts it beautifully with the richness of butter. The zest for these cookies comes from the year-round supply of organic lemons we have in California. Each bite-sized cookie is carefully packaged by hand into our signature polka-dot bag."

Decently buttery, but I didn't really taste the lemon.  An ok shortbread, but not likely something I'd go back for.  **+.

Lavender Shortbread:

"Bite-sized and delicate, this buttery shortbread cookie has a restrained floral taste that will remind you of summer. The lavender is picked from the fields at Eatwell Farms in Dixon, California. Each bite-sized cookie is carefully packaged by hand into our signature polka-dot bag."

Like the lemon, decently buttery, crispy.  The lavender was subtle and nice.  But still, just a shortbread, not really my thing.  Would probably be very nice with a cup of tea! **+.

Macarons

A category of their own, the macarons.  Displayed in glass jars atop the pastry counter at Miette.  A centerpiece of the store, no question.

"This unusual little cookie put Miette on the map. Although it's been popular in France for decades, they were virtually unknown in the states. After a trip to Paris, we decided to start making them at Miette and they've been our most popular item ever since. Our macarons are dense, chewy, and meltingly light. They are made with coarsely ground almonds with the skins intact. We do not add any food coloring or processed flavorings, so they are distinctly rustic and natural."

The macarons are all assorted colors, available in a slew of flavors: chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut, pistachio, dulce de leche, rose geranium, raspberry, chocolate orange, lemon, and more.  I've had these many times over the years, but seem to have lost most of my other tasting notes.  

The macarons are fairly classic: the cookie part has a nice give to it, shiny on the outside, a little texture from the almonds inside.  The fillings are creamy and infused with flavor.  Yet somehow they never wow me.  Maybe that is because macarons in general are just not all that interesting to me (well, unless they it is a black sesame and foie gras mouse macaron!)  The only sweet macarons I've really enjoyed are from Sugarie, although La Boulange makes a few decent ones, and everyone's are leagues above the ones from Tout Sweet.  Even the famous ones from Confiserie Sprüngli in Zürich did not impress me. 

That said, if someone brings a box of Miette macarons, and there is a rose geranium one, I'll still go for it, my favorite.

Macarons!

One of my co-workers decided to randomly bring in macarons from Miette.  I tried a few:

• Raspberry: Classic almond cookie with raspberry buttercream filling. The filling had a really nice raspberry flavor if you had just the buttercream, but it was too easily lost when eating a whole macaron, the flavor masked by the cookie. ***.
• Rose Geranium: Same basic cookie, rosewater and geranium infused buttercream.  This is always my favorite!  Everyone else seemed to hate this flavor, saying they tasted like soap.  I continue to love the subtle flavor and the sweetness from the rosewater. ***+.

Other

The rest of the baked goods lineup at Miette is varied, with some tea cakes, puddings, tarts and tartlettes.  This lineup seems to have really dwindled in the Covid days, now I rarely see these available.

[ No Photos ]

Banana Cream Tartlette:

"A buttery pâte sucrée crust filled with chocolate ganache and ripe banana slices and topped with pastry cream." 

Wow! This was a pâte sucrée tart shell, covered with a layer of chocolate ganache, then a layer of fresh banana, a layer of pastry cream, whipped cream, and topped off with chocolate shavings.  It far exceeded expectations. 

The tart shell had a nice flavor, perfectly buttery.   To be honest, I expected to throw out some of the crust, since tart shells are always fairly boring, but this was just too good.  Perhaps the best tart shell I've ever had.  

The fresh banana had great taste, the pudding was super banana-y, the chocolate layer was subtle but added a nice chocolate component, and whipped cream was good.  This came together far better than I imagined! $6.50 for a tartlette, $27 for a full tart.

****+.

Lemon Tea Cake: 

“Our buttery, lemon pound cake is glazed with zesty lemon icing.” 

This had decent lemon flavor, was fairly moist, and was good for what it was, not something I'd normally pick, but someone brought it in, and I had a slice with a cup of tea.  There was lots of very sweet icing on top.  I wouldn't get it myself, but I'd eat another slice if if showed up in front of me.  $7.50 per mini loaf.

***.

Pumpkin Walnut Bunt Cake: 

Pretty standard and generic.  It was moist, good chunks of walnut, but nothing standout.  Then again, how exciting is bunt cake?

***.

Read More...