Hotel ICON’s buffet restaurant, The Market, has become a favorite among diners thanks to its signature durian desserts and fresh seafood. Not only has it won OpenRice’s “Buffet Restaurant” for thirteen consecutive years, but this year it took home the highest honor, the “Grand Award”, in the public-voted “OpenRice Best Restaurants 2025”. Executive Chef Danny Ho shares his hidden must-try picks and reveals the restaurant’s brand-new buffet themes for the new year.
Hotel ICON - The Market has simultaneously won the “Grand Award” as well as two other Cuisine Awards
Triple Award Win and Chef’s Gratitude
The Market earned triple honors this year: the Gold Award in the “Buffet Restaurant”, Gold Award in the “Hotel Restaurant”, and the “Grand Award”. The restaurant’s reputation owes much to Executive Chef Danny Ho, affectionately known as the “Durian Prince”. Danny says his team is thrilled and grateful for both customer support and the efforts of the entire culinary staff, whose innovation and hard work have made these achievements possible.
Hotel ICON's Executive Chef, Danny Ho, is delighted and inspired by the award
Secrets Behind 13 Years of Success
The Market buffet’s name was inspired by the lively diversity of traditional markets. The restaurant features seven buffet stations and open kitchens where guests can interact directly with chefs and watch dishes being prepared. The chef team hails from around the world—including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and India—so the food is both authentic and flavourful.
The buffet offers a wide variety of options, including Southeast Asian, Chinese, Japanese, and Western cuisines
Durian dishes are a hallmark, crafted by Malaysian Executive Chef Danny, whose creative use of his homeland’s durian has turned it into The Market’s star attraction. He explains that durian is usually not allowed in hotels across Southeast Asia and beyond, so their bold decision to make it the buffet’s main theme quickly earned enthusiastic praise.
Hotel ICON hosts the Malaysian Durian Festival every year, and the durian buffet and afternoon tea have become the talk of the town
The Market continually surprises with international collaborations and new flavours while always listening to customer feedback and keeping popular signature dishes on the menu.
In addition to its popular seafood and grilled meats, the hotel continues to unveil innovative collaboration themes to surprise every guest with something fresh
The Magic of Durian Ice Cream
Danny claims even durian skeptics will be converted by Hotel ICON’s high-quality durian desserts. He shares a story about a friend’s wife who, despite disliking durian, was won over after tasting The Market’s durian ice cream and became a loyal fan. This exclusive homemade ice cream is the result of intensive research and contains over ten ingredients—including durian from Malaysia, French cream, German milk, Tahitian vanilla, Thai coconut and pandan, and Korean sugar—which give it a uniquely rich and fragrant taste.
“Durian Prince” Danny highly recommends pairing durian ice cream with durian purée for a deliciously indulgent experience
The durian theme began years ago with a test batch of mini durian cheese tarts that quickly became a hit. The team was motivated by their popularity to develop more durian-themed desserts, such as durian mochi egg tarts and durian pandan rolls, each made with pure juice from Malaysian pandan leaves for natural fragrance and genuine ingredients.
The hotel uses approximately two tonnes of durians each month to satisfy the cravings of durian lovers
Hidden Buffet Highlights
This season, The Market’s buffet features an Alaskan King Crab global feast. Highlights include crowd-favourite Grilled Alaskan King Crab Legs, Stir-Fried Crab with Ginger & Spring Onion or Salted Egg and Spanish Rice with Seafood and French Spider Crab. Chef Danny’s personal hidden favourite is the Spider Crab Porridge, prepared with rich crab roe and a mix of local crab varieties for a vibrant golden color and intense flavour.
Spanish Rice with Seafood and French Spider Crab｜Stir-Fried Crab with Ginger & Spring Onion
Other buffet signatures include Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa with homemade Sambal sauce, and Coconut Chicken Soup with Snow Fungus. Not to be missed is the exclusive GODIVA chocolate ice cream, a longtime hotel crowd-pleaser available for unlimited self-service.
In addition to its renowned durian desserts, GODIVA ice cream is also a popular unlimited option at the buffet
Preview of New Buffet Themes
As Executive Chef, Danny reveals that starting January 2026, The Market’s buffet will upgrade with a pioneering new theme: Fish Maw and Black Truffle dishes! Key dishes include Fish Maw and Mushroom with Black Truffle, Fish Maw Stewed with Milk, and for Chinese New Year, festive Steamed Glutinous Rice with Fish Maw and Black Truffle.
The Steamed Glutinous Rice with Fish Maw and Black Truffle is generously portioned and visually appealing
Danny has announced that next year’s buffet will feature a theme of Fish Maw and Black Truffle, blending Eastern and Western flavours in a creative way
Looking Forward to Further Success
Danny admits the team was pleasantly surprised to win the Grand Award this time. He’s deeply grateful for continued customer support and all the hard work by hotel staff. He emphasizes the restaurant’s success is thanks to ongoing innovation and dedicated effort. Recognition from diners is the greatest motivation, and the team looks forward to unveiling even more exciting new dishes in the future.
The Hotel ICON team sincerely thanks OpenRice for awarding them the Supreme Award
The Market
Add.: 2/F, Hotel ICON, 17 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
