I love a good buffet. Not any old buffet mind you – it HAS to be something a little bit gourmet – that’s the food snob in me! Years ago, The Pines at Rendezvous Scarborough (Ob City) was one of the busiest buffets in Perth. Since it’s reincarnation as the Straits Café it hadn’t featured a buffet… till now!
Fast forward a few years and Rendezvous is all shiny and new. Its muti-million dollar refurb has injected new life into the 1980s hotel. The Rendezvous is an absolute knock out. Hardly recognisable from a few years ago. It would be great to treat yourself to a date night or overnight stay. Scarborough as a whole is enjoying a big resurgence, with a new café or bar seemingly opening every other week. In another year or two Scarborough should be back to its bustling heyday.
Recently the three of us were kindly invited to try the newly launched winter buffet menu at the Straits Cafe. I’d been to Rendezvous for a bloggers night when the Straits Café was newly opened. The Straights features a buffet every Friday and Saturday night. There is a wide selection of cold foods, hot foods and desserts to choose from, that should satisfy even the fussiest of eaters.
We were greeted by Denis, the Restaurant Manager, ordered a couple of drinks and quickly got stuck into the buffet. To start we made our way to the table full of cold foods. It’s a seafood lovers delight, there are different morsels to try – including crab, prawns, oysters, sushi, cold meats, salads and more. I enjoyed the freshly made coleslaw and make-your-own Caesar salad.
I chatted to Executive Chef, Wendelin Ulrich over the buffet station. He explained that the winter buffet menu was made up of simple comfort food, with earthy flavours.
As I lifted the lids of the bain-maries I found curry, beautifully cheesy potatoes, slow cooked meats, roasted potatoes and even more hearty, warming food.
There’s a carvery too, so I got a couple of slices of roast beef. With roast beef it’s simply a crime not to have Yorkshire Puddings, so I was happy to see that they had some tasty Yorkshires too – unfortunately the beef was a little dry – other than that everything was cooked very well , fresh and piping hot. By the time I got to the end of the hot food station, my plate was fully loaded!
I really enjoyed the mildly spicy Singapore chicken curry, roasted lamb and the grilled salmon salsa Verde was tasty too.
It was the first buffet experience for our 6 year old Little Chef and he was chomping at the bit to get to the dessert buffet – a great bargaining tool to get him to eat his veggies. The notoriously fussy eater was also more open to trying different food in this environment. So it was a very enjoyable family dinner for us all!
We loved the petite desserts and being so little, you could try a few different things – I enjoyed the berry cheesecake and trifle.
If you don’t have a sweet tooth, there’s a selection of cheese and crackers too. Little chef got stuck into the house made gelato and had lots of fun decorating his scoops with lollies.
Chef and I would like to thank Dan, Wendelin, Denis and their teams for a wonderful night. The Straights buffet caters to all tastes and such fantastic value – where else can you get a good quality three course meal for $59! Our tip is to make sure you arrive with a good appetite, as you won’t know which tasty dish to try first.
WIN A BUFFET DINNER FOR TWO!!
To celebrate Christmas in July, Rendezvous Hotel Scarborough’s Straits Café has a festive weekend dinner buffet. Feast on a sumptuous array of Christmas classics made from WA’s freshest produce. Indulge in buffet favourites with a festive twist overlooking the stunning Indian Ocean.
Adults $59 / Kids $20 (5-12 years old) Only available on Friday and Saturday.
** Enter on my Facebook Page to win!**
Great write up – great seeing you here 🙂
Lovely to see you too Sandy – it was well overdue! 🙂 🙂