Come to the "Japanese Summer Festival" feast
Cafe Renaissance
M/F, Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road
Summer is approaching, and the summer festival season in Japan, a favorite tourist destination for Hong Kong people, is about to begin. Since we are still unable to travel to Japan this year, #RenaissanceCafé organized a "Summer·Japan Festival" themed buffet to comfort the hearts of Hong Kong people. To match the theme, Food Station has added Japanese-style furnishings, and the decoration style deliberately imitates the food stalls that are a must-have in summer festivals across Japan.
The first round was of course #frozenseafood, including clams, king crabs, jade snails, mussels and shrimps; the only drawback was the lack of snow crab legs and frozen lobster, but there were four dressing sauces to add flavor.
The biggest surprise continues to be the #freshlyopenedoysters. Due to food safety issues in recent years, oysters are no longer a must in the buffets of five-star hotels. It is rare to see them, so of course you can't miss it.
Another must-have delicacy in the buffet is #JapaneseSashimi, which has six types, including salmon, hamachi, tuna, octopus, conch slices and scallops. In line with the "Summer·Sun Festival" theme, there are more types of sushi and rolls than in normal buffets; plus the deliberately created Japanese-style furnishings add to the atmosphere.
#SaladBar and #FrozenMeats are placed in the same food station. There are three flavors of all-vegetarian pre-made salads; there are also two Japanese-style salads, using tuna and shabu-shabu pork belly as the main ingredients.
The most popular item is the self-service salad bar. In addition to the most basic romaine lettuce, there are also cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, corn, bread crumbs and other ingredients for you to freely mix and match.
Frozen cold cuts include air-dried beef, coppa ham and salami. The white-cured dried beef is rarely seen in buffets. It is completely lean and fat-free, and tastes salty, soft and has a strong beef flavor. Made from dry-cured pork neck loin, coppa ham has a light amount of fat and a slightly hearty texture. Salami is always salty and flavorful, with a slightly sticky texture. Other cold cuts include cured salmon and smoked salmon. Cured salmon is salmon marinated with crushed black pepper, mustard greens, tomatoes, sweet peppers and other ingredients, which not only retains the tenderness and fatness of the salmon, but also enhances the taste.
#Cheese is just a niche flavor in Hong Kong, but there are three varieties to choose from.
I remember that last time they had steamed live lobsters, each adult got one and each child got half one. Tonight it’s all-you-can-eat #baked-lobster. The giant oven was seen churning out baked lobsters non-stop, and the employee in charge of this counter brought out plates of baked lobsters every few minutes to ensure a continuous supply. The lobster is of moderate size, and is topped with two types of melted cheese. The meat is refreshing and chewy, with a light sweet taste.
There are two types of Indian curry in front of the counter of cheese baked lobster: Chicken Curry and Vegetable Curry.
In line with the Japanese theme, the original stew was transformed into #日本式茶碗蒸. A handful of crab meat is placed on the surface to enhance the flavor and texture. The taste of chawanmushi is quite good, with the aroma of egg and smooth texture, comparable to that of sushi restaurants.
The theme of the "Summer Festival" Live Kitchen is of course #JapaneseBarbecuedPorkTonkotsuRamenwithSoft-boiledEgg. The ingredients are rich and authentic, including Japanese fish rolls, corn kernels, black fungus, pickled bamboo shoots, cabbage slices, green onions, and of course, soft-boiled eggs and Japanese barbecued pork made from half-fat and half-lean pork belly rolls. The various condiments can be combined according to personal preference, and added with the hotel's own pork bone soup that has been simmered for more than 8 hours; it will be a bowl of authentic Japanese char siu ramen.
Chinese hot dishes include #Stir-fried fish balls and #Black pepper fried shrimp, which are rich in flavor. The main dish, dry-fried curry udon, also uses udon instead of fried noodles or fried rice, which fully reflects the Japanese flavor.
The #steamed eel in black bean sauce, which is rarely seen in other buffets, is definitely a surprise. The meat is smooth and sweet, and the taste is full of the fat of the eel. There is no fishy smell at all. It must be a swimming eel! #Cordyceps flower steamed vegetables are sweet, juicy and without residue, which just neutralizes the fat of the white eel.
#Western hot dishes are mainly based on the carving station, including Rotisserie Chicken, Roasted Lamb Leg and Roasted Prime Rib. The whole roast beef is juicy; the roast lamb thigh is rich in flavor.
In line with the "Summer·Sun Festival" theme, in addition to Chinese and Western hot dishes, Japanese hot dishes have been added. Basically, all of Hong Kong people's favorite Japanese cuisine and traditional street food are available. #Silver Codfish Xijingyaki The meat is oily and smooth. #Japanese skewers include pork belly, mushrooms and chicken cartilage; in order to make the flavor richer and meet the actual operation needs of the buffet, they are grilled in juice instead of salt. There are also #Salt-grilled mackerel and #Enoki beef rolls.
My favorite dishes are #JapaneseSakeClams and #JapaneseDeep-FriedPorkChop. The clam meat is sweet and fresh, and the rich flavor of the sea combined with the aroma of sake is the best combination. The more expensive half-fat and half-lean pork saddle is fried until crispy and tender. The double taste of crispy outside and tender inside is so addictive; especially the layer of loose and non-greasy fat, which makes the pork saddle more tender. The taste is comparable to that of Japanese Gillette specialty store.
At the end of the Festival Avenue, there are live cooking stations that serve a variety of traditional Japanese street food: #octopusballs, #Osaka-style assorted Japanese-style okonomiyaki and #tempura; you can choose from any of them to satisfy the appetites of Hong Kong people who are unable to visit Japan.
Among the wide variety of desserts, you can’t miss the classic Japanese dessert #redbeandaipanyaki. Made on site by a dedicated person, the soft and spicy crust is full of egg aroma, and the sweet but not greasy red bean paste filling fills the taste buds with a satisfying feeling.
There are many flavors of cakes. We recommend the #Sakura strawberry cake, which is decorated with chocolate and gold foil to create a scene of cherry blossoms in full bloom. It looks intoxicating; the sweet and smooth strawberry mousse embraces the elegant and fragrant cherry blossom jelly, the fragrance of flowers and fruits hits it off, exuding a touch of pink and elegant Japanese style.
The other cakes are also full of Japanese flavor. The Matcha Chiffon Cake is full of the aroma of green tea; the Yuzu cake, which has a balanced sweet and sour taste, is also not to be missed.
Of course, buffets cannot be without the very popular mini desserts, which not only look exquisite but also allow you to try a variety of different flavors. Three Japanese desserts are deliberately added: mochi, white peach delight and raindrop cake. The most distinctive recommendation is #水信玄饼 raindrop cake, which is as transparent as crystal and melts in your mouth. It has a light taste, and the flavor is mainly enhanced by the brown sugar syrup soaked in the raindrop cake. A petal is deliberately added inside the Xuan Bing, which looks beautiful and more like a work of art than a dessert... A typical traditional Japanese dessert style.
The "Summer Sun Festival" themed buffet dinner will only be held until the end of June, so if you want to satisfy your desire to travel to Japan, you should go early.
#foodie #staycation