Special thanks to Evergreen Laurel Hotel Penang for extending this food review invitation.
Café Laurel is the main restaurant in Evergreen Laurel Hotel Penang. Located next to the lobby, this eatery is where in-house guests have breakfast each morning. This evening, I am reviewing Café Laurel’s newly launched Oriental BBQ Bazaar Buffet Dinner, which is served every Saturday evening.
As the name implies, the buffet centers on the grilling station. There are more than a dozen items to delight everyone’s taste buds. For instance, grilled fish choices are salmon, sea bass and stingray.
Meanwhile, grilled shellfishes are tiger prawns, slipper lobsters and black mussels. The slipper lobsters are fresh indeed, making them succulent to the last morsel!
As for meats, the grilling station produces a steady flow of chicken wings, lamb chops and beef steak. Roasted duck and roasted lamb leg are also served upon request. I am particularly impressed by the roasted duck; it goes very well with the accompanying gravy!
Chicken patties and sausages have milder flavors because they are meant to go with condiments. Dipping sauces include mushroom sauce, black pepper sauce, Thai chili sauce and more.
Today’s deep-fried items are tempura prawns, money bags and curly fries. In addition, I would personally recommend the Char Koay Teow and Chicken Satay too! On the other hand, I feel that the Oyster Omelette deserves some improvement.
Nasi Goreng (fried rice) and Fried Noodle are best enjoyed while they are hot from the wok. Be sure to check out à la minute pasta too; there are several types of pasta and sauces to select from.
Customers who fancy chilled seafood can help themselves to large prawns, mussels, scallops and flower crabs. The marine delicacies are served over ice to keep them fresh. Tabasco sauce and Thousand Island dressing are provided.
Moving to the salad bar, one’s palate is tantalized by niçoise salad, chicken salad and papaya salad. Meanwhile, cold cuts that deserve special mention are chicken slices, smoked tuna and smoked salmon.
If you crave for sashimi, you will be delighted to savor fresh slices of salmon, tuna and butterfish. Other Japanese delicacies are maki rolls and marinated baby octopuses.
Proceeding to the pastry section, I am naturally captivated by the colorful assortment of cakes like carrot cake, cheesecake, opera cake, strawberry sponge cake and Swiss rolls.
Other notable desserts are chocolate brownies, fruit jellies, fruit tartlets and daifuku. Towards the end of the meal, it is nice to cleanse the palate with fresh fruits or ice cream.
Besides Oriental BBQ Bazaar Buffet Dinner, Café Laurel also serves The Land To The Ocean Buffet Dinner on Friday evenings. For both buffets, the price is RM100.00 net per adult. Children and senior citizens enjoy a discounted price of RM65.00 net. For a limited time, Café Laurel is offering 10% discount for adults, or 15% discount for in-house guests.
Name: Café Laurel
Address: 53, Persiaran Gurney, 10250 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-222-9988
Business hours: 6:00am-10:00pm
Website: https://www.evergreenlaurelhotelpenang.com/dining
Coordinates: 5.43130 N, 100.31779 E
Directions: Evergreen Laurel Hotel Penang is located at the eastern end of Gurney Drive (Persiaran Gurney). Café Laurel is located next to the lobby. Evergreen Laurel Hotel has multi-storey parking, which is accessible from Gurney Drive and Kelawai Road (Jalan Kelawai).