Strong lunch at the heritage E&O Hotel sounds spot on before exploring the historic streets of George Town. Maybe the exploring plan will change after you’ll see the abundant food options and you’ll rather end up relaxing by the coast. Following whatever feels right is a way to go and at E&O buffet your taste buds will feel in bliss. E&O stands for Eastern and Oriental, is this buffet same style as a name? Let’s check in our review.
The Ambiance at the Sarkies
E&O Buffet is served daily at Sarkies, E&O Hotel, Penang. Modernized Sarkies presents a contrast between colonial charm and contemporary ease. One part of the Sarkies features the dark wooden furniture while the rest includes some lighter colonial style chairs. It is easy to navigate around the self-service zone from everywhere. In the center of Sarkies, all the dishes are neatly displayed on the countertop.
Sarkies were actually brothers who established this majestic hotel and many others. The most famous one is the Raffles Hotel, Singapore. In a word, Sarkies brothers are the most famous hoteliers in the world
Actually, the majority of food is right in front of the open kitchen action. In case you want to keep an eye on the chef’s work, you have many tables that enable you to do so. But if you’d rather enjoy the ocean view, you should sit next to the large windows. In general, we can say the Sarkies is a bright and acoustic space.
The Food at the E&O Buffet
When we enjoyed our midweek Sarkies buffet lunch, we were able to choose from different local and international classics. On display, we found different soups, meat dishes with condiments, and vegetable dishes. If you are a huge fan of seafood, you can enjoy some of those as well. Before you get too excited about the all-you-can-eat luxury food, know that the focus of Sarkies buffet lunch is on homemade dishes.
Soups
If you have a thing for soups, then you are in luck. On the Sarkies Buffet menu is even the local pride and joy; the Assam laksa! It was delicious, just as expected. We were hoping to revive the tasty memory from the Sarkies Corner. Here is a review of our lunch there from our first visit. Besides Laksa, we found another spicy soup with chili kiss. This sweet and sour soup is South Indian nutritious gold, the Rasam Soup.
What we liked the most about it, was its refreshing aroma coming from fresh curry leaves. Equally irresistible was also the thick tomato soup that screamed of real and well ripe tomatoes. Both of us loved it, especially with the fresh dose of crunchy bread croutons and a drop of cream. In addition to that, you can stop at the noodle station and pick your favorite noodles, vegetables, seafood, tofu…
Proteins
We loved the Asian Spiced beef with some extra black pepper sauce on the side. Although mushrooms with lamb also tasted delightful. However, the biggest demand seemed to be for the chicken tempura. Not surprisingly, since everyone loves fried food, especially kids.
In case you like a piece of meat, you can choose among the roasted duck, with roasted duck sauce next to it. On the other hand, you can also seize the opportunity for some omega intake. On one side of the open kitchen, you’ll find grilled Saba fish, Salmon, and Japanese Long Fish. But tuna and salmon sashimi are right next to four sushi varieties.
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Condiments
You really shouldn’t skip the crisp Peranakan style pickles at the E&O buffet. They are sweeter and more flavorful than the ones we know in Europe. Adding some fermented young mango or papaya fruit to all you can eat a meal is always a good idea. In case you want to stick with a healthy diet, you can choose among a few infused oils instead of dressings. Adding some sun-dried tomato to your salad also shouldn’t hurt. After all, some freestyling will only make your Eastern & Oriental buffet lunch memorable.
Vegetables
Meat-free dishes are scattered around the Sarkies buffet. You’ll find some at every corner of the buffet area. Besides the already mentioned soups, we also suggest a bit of tasty potato salad and delectable samosas. Walking around the Sarkies buffet will give you a few ideas to customize your Gado Gado. I tell you, the peanut dressing is to die for!
Desserts
Expect a beaming “sweet tooth” by the end of your lunch buffet at E&O Hotel. Really, it doesn’t matter whether you are after the shaved-ice or western treats. We returned to the table a few times, and every time we discovered something new. Here are our favorites that we warmly recommend.
Chocolate brownies deliver a proper choco bomb. If you feel the need to dilute the intense flavor, you have warm vanilla sauce right next to it. Still warm was also mixed fruit crumble filled with incredibly juicy pineapple and peaches. Combining it with coconut ice cream was mouth-watering. Our favorite pie had to be the nut pie with the pecan nuts being in abundance. It was perfect in between the unsweetened coffee sips. Yes, the pie was sweet, but what else should we expect from its caramel topping.
Critique
The first huge minus goes to the most annoying factor; the guests. Seriously where on earth are manners??? It’s not the first time we were disgusted on behalf of our neighbors. No wonder large dining rooms need buffer zones to catch the noise. Maybe this will be part of the E&O Hotel renovation as well, even though it would be better to look for the more important issue here. Naturally, behavioral problems aren’t in the hotel’s domain, but as individuals, we should think about our actions. We’ll write about a general lack of respect, some other time. Maybe that is why we prefer afternoon tea indulgence for its peaceful atmosphere.
It goes without saying that when meat is prepared in advance it becomes dry. Add to that the taste preferences of local people that favor the overbaked meat, and you’ll find yourself missing the juicy meat. To avoid that, we suggest you express your wish to the chef and return for your piece when it is ready.
Conclusion
Through the food, you can find yourself feeling home away from home and we’re not surprised that through the history Eastern and Oriental Hotel has been called just that. All the food we had was freshly prepared and comforting with mouth-watering sweets. Luckily the position of the E&O Hotel is right on the Coast of Pinang Island. We appreciated the open sea view and light breeze while resting our overly stuffed bellies. I hope you enjoyed our E&O Hotel buffet lunch review. See you next time.
E&O Buffet Review Card
- ATMOSPHERE – 9/109/10
- FOOD OFFER – 9.4/109.4/10
- PRESENTATION – 9.1/109.1/10
- SERVICE – 9.5/109.5/10
- FOOD TASTE – 9.2/109.2/10
- VALUE – 9.5/109.5/10
Price and Location
E&O hotel buffet price lunch 2020 (Monday to Friday at 12:00 pm -2:30 pm) costs a little above 20 USD, while the E&O weekend buffet lunch is only 22 USD. Daily E&O buffet dinner (6:30 pm-10:00 pm) costs about 33 USD, but if you want to include wine, you can add an extra 24 USD. Honestly, it is a fair price for what you get! Here is a link to the location, for easier navigation.
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