Enjoying a dessert sampler

Typically, when people want to have a fancier western (or fusion) meal, they'll head to a buffet restaurant at one of the many hotels in the city. To be honest, I'm not a huge buffet fan because I find that with so many food options, it usually just tastes mediocre. Seafood is a very popular menu item, but I find most buffet options just can`t compete with the freshness you can get from the restaurants in Sai Kung.

So I was actually pleasantly surprised with the food (and more importantly service) at The Market at Hotel Icon in Tsim Sha Tsui.

On the way into Hotel Icon, I noticed a sign that said it is affiliated with Hong Kong Polytechnic University and is meant as a teaching and research hotel. Meaning that students studying hospitality and tourism at the local university (PolyU) get to practice what they learn in the classroom in a real-life environment. I was pretty impressed with the attention the staff paid to their customers. The first they thought of asking when getting our drink orders was if the elder folks in our party wanted something hot to drink (water or tea). This kind of service was completely different from another hotel down the street which told me to call the restaurant myself concerning my lunch reservation at the hotel (after I had walked into the hotel).

In the end the most memorable part of the food was the desserts. I think I'd tried every dessert on the menu (and finishing everything I took...)

Clockwise from the top: sesame dumplings, lychee gelatin cup, matcha sponge cake, lemon tart, chestnut puree, kaya filled puff, blackcurrent cake, apple strudel, chocolate cake, chestnut cream cake--my favourite: the blackcurrent cake (tart and fresh) (Photo: CathC)

Chestnut cream sago (Photo: CathC)

Maple walnut gelato and lemon sherbet--it's been so long since I had ice cream with toppings! (Photo: CathC)

Strawberry gelatin and creme brulee (Photo: CathC)

For a buffet lunch, this had a pretty good selection of desserts as you can see from the photos. Although, I still think the price is a bit steep for lunch. In the end considering the service and food quality I'd come back again but probably to the hotel's lounge cafe--enjoy their desserts in a contemporary environment (they had this 2 storey-tall hanging garden in the lounge).