Paul and I were staying at the 4 star hotel, Novotel Citygate Hotel near Hong Kong Aiport. And as part of the benefit of being a Platinum member with Le Club Accor Hotels… we had complimentary breakfast included.
So, we had the choice of having breakfast in the Premier Lounge on the 21st floor… Otherwise we could have a buffet breakfast in Essence Restaurant on the ground floor.
While we knew our dietary requirements would be looked after in the Premier Lounge… we thought it’d be interesting to see what was on offer at Essence.
CLICK HERE to see our review of the Novotel Citygate Premier Lounge.
Once we were inside Essence, we liked the ambience of the restaurant. It felt relaxed and comfortable, with contemporary décor. Plus, the warm colors and lighting of the restaurant gave it a warm feeling too.
So to get to our table, we walked up a few steps. And it felt like we were in special seats, where we had prime view of the buffet area and people watching!
Let’s Take A Look At The Breakfast Buffet At Novotel Citygate Hotel
While our coffee order was being processed, we thought that it looked like a big variety of food was on offer. So we wandered around to see what we could fill our bellies with!
So to the left of the entrance was a corner dedicated to bakery items. And boy, was the range extensive!
Plus, there were lots of different spreads, pastries, pre-sliced bread from loaves… and even gluten free items.
Then, next to these were a range of bread loaves, baguettes and even tarts.
And beside that were some muffins, variety of cereals, milk, dried fruits and nuts.
Then, opposite this section was a kids area, which would make breakfast fun for the little ones. There were hash browns in the shape of faces, mini muffins, fruit skewers, mini sausages, and more.
Then, next to the kiddies corner the hot food section snaked around a long area. There was rice, noodles, an egg station, samosas, tomatoes, bacon, hash browns and more…
Then moving along, there was a pre-made salad or we could make our own salad. And the range of ingredients was extensive to suit many tastes. Plus, there were a couple of cheeses and tubs of yogurts.
But wait, if that wasn’t enough there was more hot food in the next section! Plus, in the centre of the restaurant were chopped fruits as well as whole fruits… and congee with condiments.
And the photos we took here to show you the breakfast buffet… it wasn’t everything that was on offer!
All Show And No Go At The Novotel Citygate Hotel Breakfast Buffet?
As we’ve described to you, the range and variety of food was extensive, right?
Yet, what was the quality like? Unfortunately, we tasted a few types of the bread and to us… it didn’t taste fresh.
Plus, when we put the butter on the bread we thought it would add more flavor. But we discovered that the butter was unsalted.
The other let down was much of the hot food we tried. Now, considering there was a big range at this breakfast buffet, we couldn’t try anything otherwise we’d be sick!
So, the hot food items like hash browns, made to order omelette, and noodles lacked a lot of seasoning. To us, it seemed like little salt if any was used.
The best hot food we had were the samosas. So that’s why we had many of those as well as making our own salads.
So, if we were to stay again at the Novotel Citygate Hotel… we’d try the breakfast at the Premier Lounge to compare.
While some of the food didn’t tantalise our tastebuds, the service was excellent. And the great service was mirrored throughout the hotel.
Have you been to Essence Restaurant for their breakfast buffet? What did you think?
You can check out our review of the Novotel Citygate Hotel HERE.
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Note: All of our reviews and comments are our opinions and no-one else’s. Even if we receive complimentary goods or services we share our opinions honestly.
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