"Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle All The Way ~" so apparently November is coming to an end, which means.... Christmas is just around the corner! Have you thought of where to celebrate this meaningful holiday with your friends or family? Eastin Hotel Penang has something to offer during this festive season and I was some of the lucky food bloggers to be invited to sample some of their selected dishes.
Christmas Eve Buffet Dinner
24th December, 2012; 6:30pm to 10pm.Rm 138++ (adult); Rm 69++ (child).
*Enjoy a free glass of sparkling wine or mocktail and party pack.*
*Early Bird Special- Receive a complimentary bottle of wine with a minimum reservation of 5 person for payment made before 18th of December, 2012.*
Christmas Day Hi-Tea
25th December, 2012; 12pm to 3pm.
Rm 68++ (adult); Rm 34++ (child).
Christmas Day Buffet Dinner
25th December, 2012; 6:30pm to 10pm.
Rm 80++ (adult); Rm 40++ (child).
There will be live Christmas caroling (by Eastin Carolers) as well as the "Christmas Trio" making their appearance, the "Christmas Trio" features Candy Cane Man, Elf and Snowman, attractive lucky draw prizes such as Venessa Diamonds pearl necklace and hotel stays can be won through some of the fun games provided.
The Meet & Greet Sessions with Christmas Trio:
15, 22, 23, & 25 December 2012, 1:45pm to 2:15pm.
22, 24 & 25 December 2012, 8:15pm to 8:45pm..
We were first given some of the Cold Platters to sample (5 types in total), which includes Smoked Duck Breast, Smoked Salmon, Turkey, Salami etc... For some reasons, I find the Smoked Duck Breast was not as good as it was few months back when I was invited for their Nyonya/ Peranakan Cuisine Themed Buffet but others were decent, one of my favorites being the Salami ham.
What's a better way of starting a meal with some refreshing salad? This was their Crayfish Orange Salad which has some Pickled Olives, Capsicum, Crayfish, Onions, Orange etc... This salad was unique in its own way, with a hint of zesty flavor and extra juiciness from the orange. I reckon that the succulent meat (of Crayfish) blended well with the flavor and extra crunchiness from Capsicum, not too shabby to me.
As for the soup, we get to savor their Wild Turkey Chowder with Cream Corn. I find this soup a bit too thick and creamy to my liking, I would also prefer the Turkey to be cut into cubes instead of having it shredded. More Corns should be added as I only found a couple of them in my bowl of soup. Nothing too special about the soup.
Move on to the main course, this was their Baked Crusted Salmon with Creamy Mustard Sauce. The beautifully baked Salmon was placed on a bed of sauteed vegetables and go with some Creamy Mustard Sauce with a touch of Pink Caviar. The Salmon was flavorful and delicious on its own but I was quite disappointed with the Pink Caviar, the fishy smell was too over-powering, I would rather prefer them not to include them into this dish as the Salmon itself was good enough.
Beef Wellington was one of the palatable main course offered, Beef Wellington is a very traditional British dish, Beef Tenderloin coated with some herbs (as well as Sauteed Mushrooms and Vegetables) and baked with a layer of pastry covering it. The key to success is the tenderness and juiciness of the beef as it is not easy to keep an eye on it since it will be covered by the pastry and time management is essential. As for the Beef Wellington we've sample-d earlier, it was slightly rough on the texture (might be over-cooked) but the flavor was there and it was quite good. The pastry was not as crispy as I thought it would be, probably due to the time elapsed when we were taking pictures, I'd say it was decent (at least it was not soggy).
Sauteed Mushrooms with Green Peas and Turkey Slice was one of my favorite mains, although it was not something too unique but everything seemed to well-blended together and what I adore the most would definitely be the Mushrooms, with just some simple preparations, you can taste the best of it. Simplicity is the best.
A Christmas dinner is never called a Christmas dinner without Turkey. Since this is the main soul of the theme, the chefs at Swez Brasserie Eastin Hotel Penang had it served with some nicely Baked Vegetables (Potatoes, Carrots and Celery etc), we were told that this dish is meant to go with Yorkshire Pudding and Cranberry Sauce. I have yet to taste a Yorkshire Pudding before but the one I have tasted here, was rather rough and dry in texture. The Cranberry sauce did not stand out too much to me as I would always prefer to go for the usual Turkey Sauce.
As for desserts, we get to sample their Classical Christmas Pudding with Vanilla Sauce, Assorted Christmas Cookies and Christmas Yule Log Cake. I find the Yule Log cake too normal in my opinion, and too sweet to my liking for the cookies, especially the sugar-coated blue-colored cookie. Something interesting about the Christmas Pudding was, it has a hint of sourness, possibly from Dates/ Raisins, it tasted something similar to the Mixed Fruit Cake but they differ in terms of texture, this Pudding has a much softer texture.
A big thanks to Chef Daniel whom in charge of most of the dishes served today.
Additional Information:
Address: Swez Brasserie, Eastin Hotel, 1 Solok Bayan Indah, Queensbay, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang.
Contact Number: 04- 612 1111 (general inquiries); 04- 612 1128 (for reservations).
Website: www.eastin.com
Email: info.pg@eastin.com
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