Cafe TOO  

We came here for a celebratory dinner and ate little for the meals preceding this one - ie. lunch (cheung fun) and breakfast (chewed gum). I do NOT necessarily recommend this, by the way.

I think almost everyone has a soft spot for buffets these days, but after visiting Las Vegas several years ago, where I tried 6 different buffets - including the Wynn, Bellagio, Paris Paris, Harrahs to name a few.Firstly, the lobster. The taste is just okay. The lobster is cold, and cooked. You get a few sauces - cocktail sauce (which is really just ketchup with chillis), vinegar, and lemon. I had 4 halves and that was enough. So, it's good if you like lobster, it's there but at the same time it was a bit of a shame as such an ingredient was made to taste just okay.

The sui meats was good, the suckling pig was a delight. On the whole, the taste of the savoury was good. We arrived at 615 - it starts at 630 - and it never got too busy. Even though, q busy. The foie gras you need to queue for, with scallop. And that can take 15 mins. But it was a good taste. Seriously, service was hit and miss, but they did try. I spilt the vinegar onto my shirt and they said I had to walk all the way to the toilet to clean it(a bit of a walk, esp when you have a plate full of food) but then they found a clean warm cloth for me.

I didn't eat a lot of dessert, as I'm lactose intolerant but it seemed fairly disappointing in the choice.

Rather nice service: The reservations which were made had vanished, but we were none-the-less promptly seated. Offering freshly prepared gourmet versions of many local and international foods, the selection is quite impressive. This comes at a price - if for no other reason than in a high-class hotel. Like most buffet meals, the portions were kept down in order to enjoy and sample the greatest variety of foodstuffs. The first remove was an assortment bits from the counter closest to the entrance. All the BBQ meats tasted fine. The BBQ pork (sha siu) was very nicely done with a honey-like taste. However, the duck was a poor cut: Mostly bones - not a fragment of breast meat about (or drumbs). The pork slices with dressing in the middle were quite well done with both the pork and dressing flavours complimenting one-another. The rice (a variant of Yeung Chow) was not quite as striking as it could have been -- there was little difference between this and the same dish served by most Chan Tings. The Hoi Nam Gai was quite. A great cut of meat without tough fibrous connective tissue (ie tendons and the like). It was very lightly flavoured; as was the rice. The soup (which, presumably) flavoured both of them was impressively non-salty and very rich; but not to the extent of being overpowering. The three dipping sauces were well done, but could have done with being a bit more powerful as they were dim echoes of other establishments condiments (for hoi nam gai). The black dipping sauce was in liquid form (whereas it is usually sort of a thick syrup). The difference in consistency is not bothersome; but the lack of boldness in the taste was.

The steamed soup was VERY rich indeed. Not overpowering, but simply bold and elegant. And this is one of the few places where you can find it made (apparently). It really brought out the richness of the black-chicken flavour. This place is renowned for such and as soon as it is ready, a queue immediately forms. If you miss your chance, it will be necessary to wait at least 30 minutes for the next wave.

next came a remove from the counter furthest from the entrance. This was less than stellar. The dal curry was too 'loose' - lacking the proper consistency. It was also bland in terms of taste. Similarly for the chicken curry. Bit of a let down here as I rather like Indian cuisine. The naan was fine (could sort through several to find one without burn marks). The samosa lacked the spiciness which I am used to in samosas. Come to think of it, so, too did the sauces. However, given the expected clientelle this criticism of taste may not be appropriate (I am used to authentic Indian meals - with the inherent spiciness). My opinion of the lack of proper consistency/texture of the dishes remains. Even the brianni was a bit dry. The kebobs (both tandoori chicken and lamb) were quite well done by comparison.

Now for some desserts: The shredded candies ginger atop the creme brulee was inspired! Absolutely brilliant as the two tastes complimented each other perfectly: The zinnyness of the ginger offsetting the placidity of the brulee. The white fungus soup was reasonable -- but did not differ significantly from the same fare available outside this establishment. The glass of pina cotta was quite well done with the lemon gell atop adding some zest to the creamy bit below. The crepes are suitable for those who like chocolate. I don't. And the absence of berry sauce (but did have strawberries) to compliment the strawberries was mystifying (given the location of the establishment). This is one thing that would take little effort to improve upon. The creme being on the outside was a bit reflective of a low skill level in preparing a crepe (at least compared to other establishments).

The layer cake was interesting - if only for the think layer of freshly baked meringue atop. Quite nice in terms of culinary skill and texture, helping to offset the relative blandness of the cake itself.

Cafe TOO is located in the grand and reowned Island Shangri-La. A quiet yet remarkable coffee house that has long lived the excellent servicing, quality of food and diversity of selections throughout the years. It has therefore always been the favourite dinner buffet venue for my Aunt and I. We have been paying visits for its dinner buffet for the past 10 years or so.

These years, my Aunt and I have not been paying regular visits for dinner buffet due to personal matters. But once we get the chance to do so, we couldn't hold our excitements. Since both of us are experts and addicts in buffet, we have been enjoying each other's company for all these time. Not only would we be able to enjoy the buffet for 3 full hours or more, the amount of food we eat were endless.

This time, both my Aunt and I arrived early for our dinner buffet. In prior to the start of the buffet, we sat quietly and to observe the preparation of the food. It is always important to arrive early so you can get the freshest quality of food out of their kitchen, also the biggest portion of course (the best comes the first in the logic of buffet)! And it was an amazement to witness the preparation. The tidiness of the tables, the organization of the arrangement of dishes and the amount of food and its diversity were all factors that could stunned you in your toes immediately.

Went to Cafe TOO for afternoon tea. It was actually our 4th option because all the other places we wanted to go (sevva / MO / robuchon) are full.

Long story short:
A very big range of food from sashimi to dimsum to noodles to scones to desserts .. .etc etc.
My frd was hungry, so in that sense, it was good. But the food in general is normal tasting. Nothing special other than the scone.
For myself, I was actually craving for some sweets so this place didn't make an impression at all. The dessert pretty much sucks. The chocolate warm cake was just a chocolate muffin with a solid inside, the little tarts and cakes aren't especially tasty or anything. I'd only ate one bite or so for most of the desserts and thats about it.

I am not sure if i'd come back in a short while. Maybe only when I am feeling exceptionally hungry and doesn't mind the noisy / busy ambiance that I'd consider coming back...

I was looking forward to the buffet at Café TOO, but it turned out to be a disappointment.

It seems that the Brunch and Dinner sessions had a better variety according to the reviews.

Quite a number of dishes were not labelled, so unless they were blatantly obvious or you are a local from HK, you wouldn’t know what it was.

The dim-sum was quite nice, and the fruit salad was the best, it was finely chopped pineapples, sweet strawberries, melons in orange juice.

The appetiser crystal noodle in sesame sauce was interesting, because the crystal noodles were thinner than the usual types.

In the hot section, there were some delicious things looking like green larvae, made of flour and green vegetables, but again they were not labelled.

The dessert section didn’t do very well, they were not very popular with the diners, and no one really took them.

There was some taro paste thing, which was pretty, but tasted too sweet, the red discs on it were Hawthorn cakes.

The chocolate éclair, which I thought was good, was a bit too sickly, the chocolate cream inside was a bit too sweet.

Me and my boyfriend went to cafe TOO for the first time as his 18th birthday
it took me quite a long time to decide where to bring him as guys are such big eaters, buffets the way to go
so Conrad hotel in admiralty used to be my favorite place when it comes to buffets but I want to try something new this time so I decided on this one.
I booked the table around 2 weeks before hand so I didnt have to wait

The cafe itselfs HUGE and i like the lighting, very warm and welcoming
there is a lot of food to choose from, makes it very daunting to decide what to eat first
but anyways, theres so much food to go though
the best, however, will be their chinese dessert
I was impressed how they had chinese desserts as for other hotels, normally are only like cheesecakes, souffle, chocolate cake, ice cream etc etc
so that was gooood
my boyfriend very much enjoyed this place too
will definitely come again with family and friends again!

I am a big fan of HK Shangri-la's Cafe TOO!

I go there around once every two months or so. When I read in a magazine that they changed some of their food from what they use to have I was extremely eager to try it.

I went with my family on a Saturday night. When entering I noticed that they have furnished the food areas with loads of accessories and that the desserts especially have changed alot.

Appetizer

The salad sectio is around the same as before. Not too many changes here but still is good. I recommend their thai salad if one likes spicy. If not one can try their caesar salad or even create your own salad with the vegetables and sauce of your choice!

What is newly added is the soup in which they steam for a long time. When I was there it was the black chicken with ginseng. Quite good as it is fresh and hot when received. However this is not always available, I heard there are around 80 bowls of these soup every 20-30 minutes but they will hit a gong when the soup is ready so people can go get it. Though one may have to line up around 5 minute but it is not too bad of a wait for what you get.

Seafood

To be honest the seafood was not too great. They were very unfresh and way too frozen. Particular the shrimps. I had 5 shrimps and usually fresh shrimps would have some juice in the head when you rip it off, however of the 5 shrimps I had not one of them had juice inside. And also when you eat it there is not flavor apart from the sauce so it was quite disappointing.

Noodles

What is new in this section is the ramen that is freshly produced. I tried it with a pork base soup and it was only average. But maybe my expectations for it was a bit high!

The soup noodles and fried noodles were still as good as before.

Teppanyaki

This is newly added to the buffet. It is right beside the curry section and with this here now the curry section is now reduced. The teppanyaki has fried scallops and foie gras. I did not try this as I'm not a big fan of foie gras but if one likes this they should definitely give it a try by the looks of it.

Main Course

The main course. There are two dishes which I highly recommend to any people who goes here. First is their Hainan Chicken Rice. It is small to allow someone to not get too full from the buffet but at the same time the quantity will make a person want to go for seconds. The dish is beautifully decorated. One downside of this is that the plate is black in color and one of the sauce is black as well, so I was not able to see that there was a sauce there until the end HAHAHAH

Anyways, the second dish that I strongly recommend that everyone must try is their shanghainese dumpling, siu loong bao!

They were served individually in bamboo caskets and they were absolutely delicious. The outter later was thin but did not break too easily. The texture was a bit stretchy and the meat inside was fresh and there was so many juice inside and it was very hot! ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! I strongly recommend this dish to everyone who goes to Cafe TOO even to people who may not like this type of food because this is the one that may change your mind!!!

Dessert

Finally for dessert. The desserts were greatly improved from previous. They now have more selection, firstly with the gelatos there were around 8 flavours. I tried the cookies and cream, and baileys. Not as good as I expected but nonetheless I think it is acceptable. What could be improved is the smoothness and it definitely needs to be richer in flavor.

The western desserts were still as good as before. To me I think what they can improve here is putting signs with the desserts so people know what they are.

The addition of chinese desserts I think is a good way to bring out varieties and attract people of all taste. Not all people enjoy western desserts and some prefer asian desserts and I think Cafe TOO has done a great job with including this. The sweet tea was very good in flavor not too sweet. A perfect way to finish out a fantastic meal.

This was a top choice in Hong Kong for buffet and I think it still maintains

It's been a few years since I last had the lunch buffet here. So I decided to go and revisit the experience.

The service was good. The food variety was average. From memory, there were more seafood choices e.g. oysters. I ordered some sashimi and they were quite large cut, a bit too much for a mouthful. Surprisingly, the laksa soup base was pretty good and the 馬拉糕 was delicious. The dessert variety was good but the quality was mediocre.

Overall, it was nice to be back but I was a little disappointed with the experience...

I originally wanted to go to the restaurant in the Marriott Hotel, however I heard that they have food poisoning in the news so I went here instead. I've been there before and I love their desserts. I wanted to come here for a long time but just didn't bothered to, I almost forgot this place! The first picture is the beef, It was good because it's very tender inside. The small apple crumble is very sour, one of the worst apple crumble in hong kong I think.
But no worries! The banana pancake I ate next was fantastic, even without any extra topping - chocolate sauce. Their homemade ice cream was not bad as well, however I would still prefer haagen dazs simply because the quality is much better. The last photo was the cranberry tart, I liked the base but the cranberry filling had many seeds in it. I also want to warn you that the buffet here was very very expensive, however delivers high quality desserts.

As soon as I read about the Singapore Festival promotion in Cafe Too, I called in for a buffet booking and can't wait for the time to come. My experience on last Sunday was dreadful. I would say "Singapore Festival" was an empty promise of great Singaporean food to be offered and available in the buffet. Very disappointing. The sashimi was disappointing. Except for the mushroom soup, my experience was NOT happy. Buffet of no return.

I come here pretty often as my family likes it (and I like it as well), I never bothered to review buffets though as there is so much to write about. cafe too however is really good so i decided to take up this challenge to do so.

they are currently having a Singapore promotion. but then again it is shangrila, they always have sing/malay/thai influenced dishes - plus they always have the indian counter which is their specialty.

appetizers:

4 choices of cold seafood: whole lobster, snow crab legs, conch in shells and whole medium sized shrimps. a variety of condiments are served alongside. lobsters are very fresh and cooked just right - but the tips of the claws feel a bit overcooked. crabmeat is very fleshy and tender. conch is however a bit tough but otherwise very fresh. did not try the shrimps.

sushi counter - 3 types of rolls and nigri sushi. sashimi counter very crowded as usual.

salad bar is impressive - the extensive assortment of condiments is worth mentioning - there are anchovies and other dried seafood, many sauces as well. I don't really like the Singaporean salads though - I found the rojak a bit salty, and the pickled vegetables could have been sweeter. I can't say it was bad though, just not my cup of tea.

Hot entrees: at the international counter there's beef, poultry, choices of seafood, soups, chinese BBQ, vegetables and dim sum.

There's an indian counter that's always there. I especially like their tandoori chicken.

They usually have a pasta counter but it's currently an Indian kema counter, making Indian pizzas.

The noodle station is permanent. good variety of noodles, meats, vegetables and condiments. and 3 choices of soups.

Desserts is impressive, as usual. Shaved ice is their current promotion. my favorite though is their souffle. crepes are made to order as well, with mix-ins laid out in front.

another very pleasant dinner indeed! I daresay cafe too is still one of the best buffets in town, if not the best. I grew up coming here and have fond memories of it. this is certainly one of my personal favorites. good for family, gatherings, celebrations, or just a relaxing dinner.

Note: The Smiley Face here is not entirely given to the food, which did not follow through to earn that.

There is a time when family reunion struck me as something no less than chaotic situations. For instance, getting everyone to agree on dinner plans, or getting the agreed individuals to get going -- it's harder than herding sheep to all go in the same direction. There are always last minute calls about where to eat and when. This night here we were at Cafe TOO, just about an hour after we received the call. Good thing we were all available, and out there at the "adults" table everyone was merry and happy while next to them at the 'kids' table (seating all the adults' children, most of us over 18), conversations were flowing, and it's not just about food.

Cafe TOO is a place I have always wanted to come but didn't avail myself into going. The venue is a display of delayed gratification. You get on the elevators, get out, through one long corridor after another, passing flower arrangements and dim lights and at the end of the hallway spits you out into the restaurant, as if you have entered an unworldly paradise on its own. Here, the magic realm was filled with happy diners sharing food on communal tables, with walls after walls of stacked olive oil bottles, wine bottles, or patterns made entirely of pulses, nuts, and vegetables. The open codified kitchen was equal drama as it was for practical use, and the tables we got made sure we have the actions on the side.

The buffet tables are spread on one side of the restaurant, starting with salads, appetizers, sushi and a cold seafood corner on one side, while dimsum, steak, noodle parlour, and Pan Asian cuisine on the other side. The middle square island is the dessert station. I browsed through the selections at the dessert station -- amazed at the artful creations of tarts and cakes all in miniature sizes -- just about perfect for buffets.

The cold dishes are clear favorites for everyone. The salads are light meal openers for us, followed by a good selection of sushi and sashimi as well. The seafood corner remains the popular choices. Crabs and lobsters are fresh and served with the shells cracked. There are staff designated to refill the seafood items on the spot to ensure that the station is always full, and that include the conches too!!

The hot dishes such as Dimsum and Chinese fare were just satisfactory. There aren'/t really maany varieties or room for surprises. The steak station was ok too, except the Spanish Spaetzles were surprisingly good!! Indian Curries were on the milder side, even the supposedly fiery lamb vindaloo went down a few notches. Tom-Yum Soup which was made to order was especially delicious. You can see how it's made from the station, as the chef briefly started the soup with a claw of a lobster, tiger prawns and mussels, followed by a blend of chilies and spices and herbs, together with chicken broth, kaffir lime leaves and galangal and simmered a few minutes with lime juice and fish sauce to yield the sensational soup! It's scumptious in every bite indeed.

Then it's dessert time, The kids have had fantastic time at the crepe station -- where they are made to order with either strawberries or banana as filling, followed by toppings of choice. The crepe was eggy and feathery light. I found myself having seconds, much like the anticipated souffle -- tasted pleasantly light with vanilla. I've had better souffles before, but presented dainty and light and fluffy. I think this one passed the test easily. Ice creams are also of good quality, but by then all our attention has turned to the artistic creation of pastries...

Cakes, however, was a major disappointment. Among the desserts shown here in the pictures, only the Double Chocolate mousse was remotely considered "good". What may have looked like a millefeuille was in fact strawberries in custard cream sandwiched between two layers of cracker crumbed crusts. The Mango-topped tartlets looked ok, only did I realize that the mango was not very ripe and the tart crust was soggy. The raspberry at the top may just be the best in show! Desserts presented in shot glasses looked much like a pousse cafe, but the taste was nothing like it. In fact, it tasted faintly of canned fruit with the syrup jellied, topped with a softly whipped cream.

The cakes may have taken on different disguises, but under the artistic foil of designs, you'll realized that they are just variations on a same theme -- sponge cake with fruits -- and even this was not executed to perfection. The sponge cake was bland and the fruit selections held no surprises. I expected highly of this famed joint to raise the ante for hopes in buffets, only to be disappointed by a slightly better than ordinary selection and quality. The meal wasn't exactly a great one, only to be rounded out with a remarkable coffee at the end.

Is it that bad? No not at all. Cafe TOO is a visual galore, where each dish was held in Le Creuset vessels of different colours, as if you have just stepped into a Le Creusel catalogue -- Curries in Tagine, Soups in Stockpots of different colours, oh not to mention the condiments were presented in miniature cast iron pots matching the stockpots. It's like enjoying a meal with kitche haute couture, only if I could have the perfect foodstuff to go with such stunning beauties in the kitchen!!

The food belonged to an upper "ok" but barely touched the "smiley face", which I gave for everything else -- the decor, the service, the quality (despite conservative choices) of food served.

on Sun nite 6 of us went to Cafe Too for a Buffet Dinner. At such a large dining room they have a big corner for Salad, Seafood Cold Plate, Sushi, Sashimi... a long Table for Hot Dishes, and noodle/ congee Stall, a Curry Corner and a Dessert Centre...
and surprised to notice that there is no Craving station for something like roast Beef which you usually at a Hotel runs coffee shop....
The combination is actualy very Asian, if you like Asian cusine you will like it here as you can taste majority of Asian taste. e.g. the noodle stall can make you either a Sichuan Chilly noodle or a Laksa from Sinagpore or a simple Cantonese noodle...
The Servers are soo effecient that once you put down your knife and fork, your plate will disappear even before you notice it.....
Maybe I am getting older and cannot eat that much which lead me not to appreciate Buffet anymore?

It was a girls' afternoon tea gathering just before Chinese New Year.

With 10% service charge, it came to about HK$220 for each person's afternoon tea buffet.

Featuring:
- Chinese dim sums
- Chinese sweet soup
- Made-to-order noodles (impressive with lots of veges, meat balls, mushrooms to choose from)
- Crepes and waffles
- Cheesecake and fruit tarts
- Fruit salad with fruit punch base (yummy!)

Excellent seating (big table) and great service. Ordered a pot of Earl Grey tea and very fragrant.

A slight disappointment for some was that they didn't have any salad, which usually afternoon tea buffets would have.

I went here with my aunt and boyfriend on boxing day night. Before going to the buffet, I have watched a few comments, and many of them are quite poor. However, I really think that the dinner buffet here was not very bad. I didn't have any seafood, but my aunt said that the little lobsters and crab legs were quite good. And overall there were quite a lot of choices, cold seafood, sushi bar.. for the salad and antipasto, both were surprisingly good, little salmon cup, fresh cherry tomato(which were in round shape, obviously not came from mainland or Thailand)and I saw huge scallops everywhere.
Besides, there were also pasta and Chinese noodles corners. For the desserts, many varieties of cakes, souffle, crepe and icecream as usual, the cakes were ok, but the icecream were pretty poor, although they had seasame, tofu and redbean.
All in all, it was a very wonderful night and thanks for my aunt!