We recently had the pleasure of staying at the Grand Kemang in Jakarta for a four-day forum that gave us plenty of time to sample what this well-regarded hotel in one of Jakarta’s trendiest suburbs has to offer. In spirit of full disclosure, I’ll admit that we were lucky enough to benefit from an all-expenses paid visit, which may have somewhat skewed our favourable impressions!
The buffet at the Grand Kemang, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as for a special brunch service on Sundays, is without a doubt one of the most bountiful (and borderline ridiculous) that I have ever seen. Take breakfast. You are warmly greeted by the hotel staff on your way in, and promptly seated and served your choice of fresh coffee or tea. You are then free to explore the various food stations which include fruit, cereals, muesli, breads, cheese, and hot delights including mushrooms, tomatoes, sausages and potato wedges. Tucked away in corner and very clearly marked, you can even find crispy pieces of bacon and pork sausages, for those of you who have been craving a little more pig in your life. Feel like something made to order? No problem! Simply head over to the chef bar where you can design your own omelette, have a pancake or waffle cooked fresh, or even have hard boiled eggs cooked to your liking. In case you still haven’t had enough, there are a series of breakfast pastries including donuts, scrolls and even chocolate pudding.
Lunch and dinner follow in the same manner, an abundance of Indonesian and foreign foods including stir-fry, pasta, roast lamb, a gorgeous salad bar, shabo-shabo and on Fridays, a special seafood and meat BBQ. Worth a special mention is also the amazing array of desserts, where bread and butter pudding, chocolate mouse, cheesecake, ice cream and panna cotta were regular features. To put it shortly, there really isn’t anything that wouldn’t satisfy you in one way or another, no matter what your tastes.
Lucky enough as we were to spend a full four days gorging on delicious foods, coming across one of two less-delicious dishes was not much of a setback, although there were definitely nights when the food was better than others. However, with the range of food available, you only need to pick yourself a new plate and start again if you aren’t satisfied.
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