It has been a while since we last dined at the Hard Rock Hotel in their Starz Diner. Perhaps slipped from our memory, but certainly not slipped from theirs. We walked to the entrance of Starz and were immediately greeted like long lost cousins. OK, they knew the reviewing team from the Pattaya Mail was coming but we didn’t have “Press” tattooed on our foreheads. That welcome, and the bright smiles from all the waiters and waitresses were so inviting we didn’t need to eat anything to have a good time. But we did, up to the edge of gluttony. It was a fabulous evening.
We had come to try their “Great Charcoal BBQ Buffet” held nightly in Starz, and the venue itself was an eye-opener. From what had always reminded me of a canteen, the diner was completely changed. It was now up-market and live cooking stations were dotted around the perimeter, and what choices!
Claire, the Marketing Communications Manager did her job by filling me in on what was on offer. “Fresh charcoal grilled prime meats and seafood with a special themed dinner buffet every night. A wide selection of delicious meats – beef, pork, chicken, lamb, seafood – prawn, fish, squid, crab, vegetables – peppers, mushrooms, corn-on-the-cob and mixed skewers straight from our Old Hickory Churrasco grill, all served directly and continuously to our table. Enjoy this with a rotating schedule of freshly made teppanyaki dishes, or fresh fried tempura, pasta dishes of your choosing, choose-your-own salads, sushi and sashimi, freshly made crepes or waffle, ice creams and cakes, or freshly baked breads and pastries, fresh off the baking tray and to your table, and much, much more …”
With such great choices, it becomes even more necessary to walk around and decide what your favorites are, but for the Junior Tasters they would have happily camped beside the chocolate fountain. For the adults it was a case of sitting back and sampling the house wines, red and white Italian. (B. 199) with the white coming out best, but that was my palate only, before exploratory trips around the cooking stations.
On my first sight-seeing tour I noticed a very busy chap cooking a Mongolian ‘omelet’ where you choose the vegetables and the meat and he cooks your choice and wraps it up in an egg ‘crepe’. For me, this was the dish of the evening.
Junior taster number two found the lamb chops among the chafing dishes, while Madame made a couple of trips to the Sushi bar amongst others, including the cheese board. While all this was happening, a charming young lady was inviting me to try the Churrasco, beef, pork or chicken. How could I refuse? For Junior taster number 1, it was the huge choice of ice creams and other sweet tooth offerings.
The range of items is fantastic, both quantity and quality, and is a fun place for any family dinner.
The pricing for the Great Charcoal BBQ Buffet is quite amazing. B. 1,299 per person Saturday, but kids under 12 eat free, 12 to 18 years old 50 percent off and 65+ years old 25 percent off, Sunday to Friday B. 788 per person, but obviously a restricted range of items. At those prices you can afford to take the entire family, plus the grandma’s. And those prices are net, not the usual ++.
The Great Charcoal BBQ Buffet, Hard Rock Hotel, Starz Diner, 6:30-9:30 p.m. daily, secure parking within the hotel grounds, tel 038-428755-9 ext. 8323 or e-mail: secfb.pty@hardrockhotels , www.facebook.com/HardRockHotelPattaya.
Incidentally, Hard Rock International owns the world’s greatest collection of music memorabilia, starting with an Eric Clapton guitar, and updating continuously, and I did say goodnight to Madonna and Elvis on my way out.
