1. Just about every hotel has an all-purpose dining outlet that is expected to provide breakfast, lunch
and dinner to a wide variety of guests. These restaurants usually have what’s called an international
menu and many times are even referred to as the hotel’s coffee shop for some reason. Buffets are
sometimes offered at all three meal times as well, and the ala carte menus are usually designed to
offer a little bit of something from many different cuisines in an attempt to please everyone, but
they usually end up pleasing no one.
However, the Centara Grand Hotel is proving with its restaurant, The World, that this doesn’t
necessarily have to be the case. As the name would imply, the menu does, indeed, contain food
from many places including our own native Thai cuisine. And yes, there are lunch and dinner buffets
(11:30-3:30 and 6-10:30) daily with a Sunday brunch from 11:30-3 PM. But the difference here is in
the execution and the selection.
First, let’s look at the selection. By that we mean the dishes that the chefs have decided to include
on the menu. Instead of the same tired old dishes that are considered to be the standard bearers for
various international cuisines, the menu here contains many that you’ve probably never heard of
before. Okay, there is a French onion soup in the warm appetizer and soup section, not exactly an
unknown dish. But in that same section there’s also a Tunisian Brick described as “A subtle mix of
tuna, capers, potato and spring onions encased together with an egg in a thin crispy crust.” I’ve
never seen that on a menu before and it’s exactly what I would try.
Shrimp fricassee “Provencal” and Tawa scallops Masala highlight the fish and seafood section and
the scallops would be my choice. It’s got to be Indian with a mango chutney, Basmati rice, capsicums
and an Indian tomato curry along with the sautéed scallops. What an interesting combination. Same
with the Ayam Papes pieces of chicken wrapped in banana leaf and cooked with Balinese spices,
another dish I’ve never seen before.
The menu is full of surprises like these, along with traditional dishes, and also features sandwiches,
salads and enough other variety, not to mention the large Thai menu, to keep you coming back for
more. And the abovementioned buffets feature a great variety as well, including sushi and sashimi to
cold seafood and lots of fresh-cooked dishes, a growing trend in upper-class buffets.
As well as the great selection here there is also the execution. It’s one thing to have great dishes on
the menu but if you can’t prepare them properly and consistently then what’s the point? The World
is also strong here with good chefs and diligent management. This is one restaurant that puts to rest
the old stereotypes associated with an all-day hotel dining room (it’s open 24 hours) in a stylish and
innovative way.