Buffet at Atrium, Sunway Pyramid Tower Hotel

This scrumptious buffet totally knocked my socks off for simply being one of the absolutely best value for money buffet I’ve ever came across so far.

You know what people say about how normally quality & value don’t go hand in hand? Well, here’s a buffet to prove you wrong.
The lunch & tea buffet at the Atrium, Sunway Pyramid Tower Hotel showcases an uproaring Pan-Asian spread with almost a mind boogling variety of food from HK noodles to Indian Tandoori & Briyani, as well as continental pastas & craved roast.

Since I have a lot of pictures to share, I’ll keep my ramblings short. Here’s my 5 reasons to dine here at the Atrium.

* Buffet hours are from 12-4pm, whereas most afternoon buffets are only from 12-2.30pm. Longer hours means eating at a more relaxed pace, as well as the possibility of eating more? 😉

* Food is good at that price, not only for quantity, but quality as well. There was a huge mass of roast beef during my lunch, and the moment that finished, another came out from the kitchen.

The smoked salmon was good, fresh with firm flesh and wasn’t overly salty. There was plenty of meat selections, with lamb cutlets, beef & chicken satay, 5 different dishes for chicken alone, whole baked seabass, salmon fillets, mussels & prawns. For RM55++, there was a decent selection of cheese too! So no worries, this is not another “cheap but serves mediocre food* buffet.

The Whole Baked Seabass.

Beef Medallion.

Salmon.

Mussels.

Prawns.

* Food was consistently and very quickly replenished. And I noticed (at least for the desserts section) that new types/selections were laid out once the previous plate is nearing empty, so that means more variety than before!

* Creative dishes. Smoked seabass is something uncommon. There was a Lok-Lok station! Um Ali – Arabic bread & cream with toasted nuts was unheard of before in my below RM70++ buffet-eating experience. There is a selection of local desserts – from the standard ice kacang to the unconventional local desserts of flower tea & honeydew sago & sweet corn in coconut milk.

Lok Lok Station.

Um Ali.

Flower tea & honeydew sago.

Ice Kacang machine for our local favourite.

Sweet corn in coconut milk.

There was this unique oven baked QUAIL with prune compote too.

Then jacket potatoes with a variety of dressing. I could go on and on but you get the idea right?

* DESSERTS. OMG. None of the cakes tastes like shit. Err, I meant all the cakes were decent. Better than decent actually. Both the continental desserts as well as the local ones were really good.

Baklava.

Simple, but rich & moist. Just the way I like it.

Konafa. A type of dessert; sweet shredded pastry with cheese from the Mediterranean regions (Turkish/Arab).

And here’s my Top 5 favourite sections/food from the buffet:

1. Bread & Butter Pudding – awesome! So creamy and luxurious. I find it to be of the right balance of rich & sweetness. Texture wise, it wasn’t too doughy nor too mushy.

2. The DESSERTS. Almost everything on the table was good. I started with desserts, and I couldn’t stop. Needless to say, I didn’t manage to eat much of the savouries after that.

I adore a good Opera cake, and this was one of them.

This was intriguing, with many layers of differing textures & taste. They called it the Date Cake, but layered with almond sponge & a few other layers of which I couldn’t identify, & lastly topping it off with a nice creamy caramel layer.

Mango Cheesecake! Brownie points for presentation!

Mini cones with mango custard. Great for the kids and “the kids in you”. 😉

3. Roast beef & satay.

4. The noodle station! The dumpling that came with my noodles had a plump prawn encased with minced chicken & wood fungus. I was told the noodles are made in-house & yes, it was very good. The stock was full of flavour, the noodles springy with a bite & I’m going to ask for extra dumplings for my bowl next round!

5. The appetisers section. A selection of almost 15 different appetisers with diverse preparations – eg; Smoked cubed chicken with greens, boiled fresh prawns, grilled prawns, cold sausages, … all my favourites!

Freshly baked foccacias with cheese, ham and tuna.

More pictures from the buffet:

Fresh soups:

Plenty of fresh fruits.

Local favourites – otak-otak. It’s a Pan Asian buffet after all!

Something from the Indian regions – Briyani & Paneer.

One of the main chefs here is from Egypt. Hence the mishmash of Arabian cuisine at the buffet. Here’s the kebab section.

Need something light? The porridge station is here. Help yourself to some tummy-warming congee with its variety of toppings.

And No, they didn’t forget the all -time fav – PASTAS! Naturally, all sauces were made-in-house.

You need another reason to come here for the buffet? Well, for me COMFORT is another factor I look for when choosing a buffet venue.
Ever noticed how “bustling” a buffet can be? Everyone jostling for space at the buffet line, tables close & cramped together, food; especially the expensive items disappears as soon as they are laid out on the buffet counters hence everyone hoards as much as they could by piling on their plates. It’s a “race” instead of an enjoyable leisurely meal!

All of that was thankfully absent here at the Atrium. Though I was there on a weekend, the pace is relaxed & sitting arrangements are fabulously spacious. There are many “sections” around the buffet area so just pick the one that appeals most to you.

The mid section has comfy sofa chairs.

And the whole area has high “open” ceilings. The feeling of space was a bliss for me. I felt so comfortable & relaxed.

This section has wooden chairs.

Because each area is nicely divided, it is almost as if you have a private area to yourself if you were to come here in a group. Just choose one of the more secluded corners.

Buffet at the Atrium is not new & it’s actually a daily affair. However the menu changes according to the promotions that runs for the week. For Easter Day this year, expect hot cross buns, chocolate eggs and bunnies!

All in the spirit of EASTER!

Last but not least, what about SERVICE? Yes, I’m anal. I look into all these minor details. And I’m happy to report I’ve got no problem with the service. There were plenty of staff on the floor to clear my plates and refill my drinks. Along the buffet lines, there were staff available to handle my requests & any queries I had on the food. Even the chefs themselves were seen walking around & monitoring the food/situation.

Where: Atrium Café & Lounge, Sunway Pyramid Tower Hotel
When: On Sunday, the 24th of April 2011 – Easter Celebration Buffet
Price: RM 55++ per pax.
Time: 12.00 – 4.00pm
Contact for Reservations: +60 3 7495 1888

All pictures are: