Dinner, Breakfast Buffets at Centara Azure on Soi 15

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

In a word, it was disappointing, even at 299 baht. There was nothing wrong with the food except the lack of variety. Only three "main courses" were offered: roast pork; roast chicken; and chicken with cashew nuts. The other four warm dishes in the chafing platters were all sides: fried rice; steamed rice; sauteed potatoes; and mixed vegetables.

The salad table was measly ...

and the small dishes and starters were almost non-existence: mini spring rolls, deep fried fish and a couple of other bits and bobs.

There was one type of soup (minced pork with tofu) and dessert was sliced watermelon and papaya.

That's it. No cheese, bread or cold cuts. It's not the type of buffet you usually see in the restaurants of big hotels, but then again, they cost more than 299 baht. My SML was 120 baht. No doubt you can eat yourself full, but one of the pleasures of a buffet is having a lot of choice, particularly when it comes to the starters. The dinner buffet at the Atlantis Restaurant in the Centara Azure fell well short in that respect.

Here's what I had:

The roast pork and chicken were both good, tender and juicy. The pork was especially flavorful through the addition of a green peppercorn sauce, but it's not a meal I'd go out of my way to have again. I got there at 7.15 p.m. and the dishes of pork and chicken were already pretty empty, but the staff seemed to partially re-fill them after diners helped themselves. It may have to do with keeping the food fresh, but perhaps also a psychological ploy to prevent diners from taking too much.

The ad for the buffet was hype, albeit a mild form. The pictures in no way correspond to the food that is actually offered on the buffet tables.

However, the Atlantis is a visually impressive restaurant, inside and out.

The eye-catching floor-to-ceiling aquarium is the main feature.

The chairs are very comfortable, which would make it easy to sit for hours in the Atlantis. The restaurant has a capacity of about 100 diners, but I didn't see more than 10.

Even the ceiling is quite striking.

It's a sad comment, though, when watching fish, rather than eating them, is the high point of the meal.

I watched the stingray swim round and round in an endless circle.

It reminded me of some posters on the punter boards, although the stingray did change course occasionally.

And just like a few of the most combative posters, it was a true bottom feeder.

I'll go back to the Atlantis to try the a la carte menu. It's a very attractive place in which to have meal, just not the buffet.

The Centara Azure has only been open a couple of weeks. It is located about halfway down the stretch of Soi 15 that runs between Soi Bukhao and The Avenue. While the hotel really stands outs, its surroundings are bleak: construction on one side and an empty lot directly across.

Evil

Edited July 30, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[Harvey 249]

Lovely report and photos, Evil.

 

As I've gotten older -- wow, I hate typing those words -- I've become less concered about food quantity and more concerned about food quality. Accordingly, buffets for the sake of being a buffet no longer interest me. I'd rather have a good, solid meal in a single portion (simple or fancy) and have it appropriately priced than try and gorge the most calories per baht that I can just because.

 

Too bad too. This place, in terms of decor, looks really nice.

[BigDUSA 71]

Lovely report and photos, Evil.

 

As I've gotten older -- wow, I hate typing those words -- I've become less concered about food quantity and more concerned about food quality. Accordingly, buffets for the sake of being a buffet no longer interest me. I'd rather have a good, solid meal in a single portion (simple or fancy) and have it appropriately priced than try and gorge the most calories per baht that I can just because.

 

Too bad too. This place, in terms of decor, looks really nice.

To quote Evil " There was nothing wrong with the food except the lack of variety." I'd be willing to give them a try at least once. The decor is interesting and over the top.

[Kev 158]

So when are you going to try it BIGDUSA?

Edited January 7, 2017 by Kev

[BigDUSA 71]

So when are you going to try it BIGDUSA?

As soon as my VA kidney transplant is completed. I'm on the transplant list.

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

I had breakfast there this morning. Review and pics coming up, but short version is, "Don't bother, much better elsewhere."

Late for this week, but Centara Azure has a Saturday Grill Buffet (399 baht), also a lunch buffet Saturday-Sunday for 299 baht.

Fror what I've seen and tasted so far, I wouldn't be too optimistic about the grill or lunch buffets.

Evil

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

 

Saturday morning, I had the breakfast buffet at the Atlantis in the Centara Azure. Bottom line: You can have as much mediocre-to-poor food as you want for 199 baht. But the surroundings are striking and comfortable. There's better available nearby at a comparable price, namely the buffet at Casa Pascal, and numerous restaurants that offer breakfast specials at 100 to 200 baht.

 

 

I got there at 9.00 a.m. (the buffet runs from 6.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.) and there were about 20 customers, or roughly 20% full. Most of the other customers seemed to be Russian families and Asian tourists.

 

 

The set-up was similar to the dinner buffet: seven chafing platters for warm dishes and a separate table for fruit, cold cuts and salad.

 

 

In addition, there were "stations" for eggs and Asian soup. The eggs were cooked to order and ingredients were added to the soup at the customer's request.

 

 

Breakfast juices/beverages were also on offer, as were cold cereals, yogurt, bread and pastries.

 

 

 

Of the seven warm dishes, four related to Western breakfast: streaky bacon, ham, sauteed potatoes and those horrible little cocktail sausages. But some people like them I saw a Russian teenager load a dozen (yes, I counted them) onto his plate, along with three fried eggs, an omelet and a heaping pile of potatoes. The other warm dishes were rice and Asian cooked vegetables.

 

Small, silver-dollar pancakes were also on offer. I tried one; it was thick, heavy and not cooked all the way through. Yuck! But at least maple syrup was available. That's often not the case.

 

Anyway, this is the plate of food I got:

 

 

As said, better breakfast plates can be had for 100 baht. Thing is, I don't want baked beans, stewed tomatoes or black pudding for breakfast, so my options are limited. That's the big advantage of a buffet- you can fill up on the things you like and skip the ones you don't. The streaky bacon was low quality- not much flavor other than salt- and not crispy at all. It seemed to have been fried in a clump rather than in individual strips. I didn't try the ham; it was of the processed kind and in slices so thin they looked micro-planed. Again, yuck! But the bread was very fresh and tasty.

 

Also note: there was no cheese of any sort and no beans, black pudding, mushrooms or stewed tomatoes.

 

I guess I got value-for-money by having a couple of salami sandwiches and a plate of fresh fruit, but overall, the buffet at Atlantis is eminently skippable. Not good, not too bad (although some low points, the bacon, ham and pancakes), mediocre in sum total.

 

The sting ray in the aquarium tank fascinates me. It was swimming much closer to the surface than it had been the night I had the dinner buffet.

 

Evil

 

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2018 by Evil Penevil