Arthur Hurwitz

Review of The Grace Hotel

This review is for the Grace Brasserie on the seco...

This review is for the Grace Brasserie on the second floor of the Grace Hotel:

FOOD TYPE
Buffet

FOOD QUALITY
Four of us took advantage of a generous Scoopon Deal where, for $22 a head, we each got the full lunch buffet, with a single glass of wine or a cold drink. For the record, the usual price of the lunch buffet is $32 per person (I assume that s without drinks) or $22 per person without dessert (wonder how they enforce that: do they have security personnel going around checking that $22 diners are not having dessert?). While there isn t a huge selection of dishes to choose from, we were quite satisfied with what we got and all enjoyed it. You won t find tables groaning under the weight of massive offerings, nor a huge variety of food, but what there was, was fresh, tasty and wholesome and nicely laid out and presented. There were a few salads, including an interesting quinoa, a beetroot and a tofu salad; and warm, crusty rolls to kick things off with. For mains, there was a delicious Indian style beef, and a butter chicken, jasmine rice, spring rolls, roasted vegetables and a turkey and ham station. I pretty much tried everything and nothing really disappointed although if I had to choose one stand-out dish it would have to be the melt-in-your-mouth tender butter chicken, perfectly complemented by the fluffy jasmine rice. For desserts, they had a nice choice of fresh fruits, a cheese and biscuit tray inc my fav blue cheese, and a delicious cherry strudel. Again, not a lot to choose from, but enough to suit most tastes. We finished with coffee.

ATMOSPHERE
The dining room at the Grace Hotel is a large space with room for about 250 people. It s stylish, elegant and very comfortable; carpeted throughout with wooden tables and upholstered chairs. Lighting is dim, but there was enough sunlight coming in through the windows to keep the place reasonably bright and cheerful. There wasn t a huge turnout, I d say it was probably only about one third full, but for us that was perfect to enjoy a relaxed and laid back meal with our friends.

SERVICE
There s not too much for the wait staff to do here, apart from showing you to your table, bringing the drinks and clearing away the dirty dishes and bringing fresh cutlery. But it was all done efficiently and politely by a bevy of pretty Asian ladies, all neatly attired in smart black and blue uniforms.

COMFORT
You could not have asked for a more comfortable venue. Chairs were firm, the table was large enough to easily fit all the dishes and the drinks. The carpeted interior and sun streaming in, made it a warm, homely and cosy venue on a chilly winter s afternoon. Tables are well spaced, giving one plenty of room to spread out and ensuring easy conversation with no acoustics issues at all.

SUMMARY
We had a pleasant lunch buffet here and everything went off smoothly. Food was fresh and tasty with a nice , but small, selection of salads, entrees, soups, meat and Indian style chicken and beef, dessert and coffee. At $22 a head, including a drink, it represented excellent value for money. Service was friendly, polite and efficient. I was a bit disappointed though, that each diner only got one glass of wine (or one soft drink), which I felt was a bit stingy. At least two glasses of wine were needed to wash down all that lovely food. I was also a bit peeved when they shut up shop at precisely 2pm. The voucher did state that the hours were 12pm - 2pm; but it would have been nice to linger awhile over coffee, and cheese and bikkies. However, when staff are cleaning up the tables, vacuuming the carpets and setting up for the next buffet, you know that it s time to leave! And just a word about the magnificent Grace Building in which this hotel and the brasserie are housed. It s been lovingly restored to its former 1920s glory and is now one of Sydney s most impressive landmarks. It s worth it to come here just to see it, and soak up its elegant, old world charm and classy, stylish ambience.