Last Sunday the Dining Out Team (children included) descended on the revamped Hard Rock Hotel for their new Sunday Jazz Brunch. It turned out to be an eye-opener.
The venue for the Sunday Brunch is the Hard Rock Hotel’s Starz Diner and this was our first experience since the re-fit. More than a refit – a complete transformation. While previously it featured a ‘minimalist’ décor (read chrome and plastic), it has now sumptuous alcove style seating and a completely different ambience. A huge improvement. The Sunday Jazz Brunch can also be taken on the level outside Starz Diner and incorporates the Pizzeria (reviewed a few weeks ago).
Roasted duck and crispy pork.
The charge of B. 980 ++ includes free-flow champagne cocktails, and I do strongly suggest that you settle in with your first one, and then get up and walk around to see just what is on offer. This is even more important than with a normal buffet as there is an enormous choice awaiting you, and it is spread out around the perimeter of the Starz Diner and even has Italian items outside in the Pizzeria.
Starting at one end of the salad section this has European, Thai, Korean (great Kimchi) and Japanese food.
It would need two pages to mention every item in the Brunch, so I shall list some items which took my fancy. After the different salads, including Caesar salad with dressing topped with shaved Reggiano, came hot dishes including a mignon beef wrapped in bacon with hollandaise sauce.
After the hot dishes came some wok-fried dishes such as stir fried prawns with curry powder and fried scallop with black bean sauce.
Amongst the Asian items were a roasted duck with condiments and a Chinese crispy pork.
Egg Station ready.
An egg station – of course, ready to make your omelet, eggs Benedict or even a simple fried egg sunny side up or easy over.
For those who enjoy a dim sum style lunch, the dim sum counter included BBQ pao, pao custard, shrimp dumpling (ha kau), siew miu, pan fried gyoza, and spring rolls.
I began with the double-boiled chicken soup with Chinese herbs, and this was a wonderful peppery soup. Good enough for me to go up twice! This I followed with some roasted duck with condiments, and with still a little room left, I followed the duck with the filet mignon wrapped in bacon with hollandaise sauce.
The children on the other hand (ages 7 and 6) were far from overawed and Little Miss made three trips outside to the pizzeria for three hefty pieces of Margherita pizza, while Little Mister went for some ‘sunny side up’ eggs before heading for the desserts. How could any child resist chocolate ice cream where you ladle on the hundreds and thousands by yourself? I too visited the desserts and the chocolate covered strawberries were delicious, but that was not until I had cut myself off some decent slices of cheese.
We certainly did enjoy the Sunday Brunch, both adults and children, and the addition of the good live Jazz music was very entertaining. Make sure you find everything you might like to sample before setting forth with your plate. It is difficult to fault the Hard Rock Hotel’s Sunday lunch. However, I did manage to find one item – on the cheeseboard there was no real cheese knife. That’s a pretty small complaint (so don’t take it too seriously Hard Rock).
We consider the Sunday Jazz Brunch a great event, and when looked at as ‘value for money’ it is very difficult to beat. We are very sure you will enjoy it. However, do remember that free-flow champagne cocktails can catch up with you!
Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya, 429 Moo 9, Beach Road, Pattaya, telephone 038 428 755. Secure parking within the hotel grounds. Sunday Jazz Brunch 11.45 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. (with the free-flow champagne cocktails) is B. 980++ for adults, children 4-12 (with free-flow soft drinks) B. 490 ++.
