Breakfast at Westin Hotel Chongqing

I was expecting the typical fare for my breakfast at The Westin Liberation Square Hotel in Chongqing so it was kind of surprising that I ended up enjoying my meals there. Now there are four restaurants at the hotel but it was only Seasonal Tastes that had a breakfast buffet. So what can you expect from Westin’s signature restaurant? Well, read on further as I detail the things that I liked and some things that could have been better.

Westin Chongqing Liberation Square Hotel Booking

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👉 Expedia.com: https://expedia.tpx.lv/k2Agmi41

Breakfast at Westin Hotel Chongqing: Seasonal Tastes Offers a Lot of Healthy Options

As you get inside the restaurant, the first thing you’ll probably notice is the modern interiors that feature plenty of glass. I was rather early (at least for my standards) when I got there so there weren’t that many people. That said, the buffet was already set up and I learned that they actually start at around 6 in the morning.

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When I did get to sit down I noticed guests were already trickling in. This wasn’t a bad thing though as people were just really keeping to themselves and enjoying their meals. The restaurant just had this vibe of being really laid back which is possibly thanks in part to the views of Chongqing that you get to see from here.

The first section I visited featured these drinks that I’m sure the health conscious would be interested in. This Spinach, Celery, Cilantro, and Cucumber Juice was especially popular among the guests at the time I took this picture. I asked someone who had taken some of it and they said it was actually quite refreshing though still sweet.

Now if you’re not too keen on trying out newer flavors then you should probably just get the Red Grapefruit Juice or the Orange Juice that are also found in this section. I personally am not a fan of sweet drinks in the morning so I decided to just skip these. Don’t worry if you’re not too keen on these though as there are other drinks here that might be more to your liking.

Moving on from the juice section, I came across these bowls. The kumquats in the bottom bowl looked like they were ripe while I initially thought that the fruits in the bowl behind it were longsat or longkong. Turns out those were longan which I was told were entirely different from longsat/longkong though still equally delicious and healthy.

As for why those bowls were here, apparently, they were part of the restaurant’s Grab and Go section. What this basically means is that guests can take the food items in this section with them if they decide to not eat their breakfast at the restaurant. According to the sign, the items you’re allowed to take are limited to just the fruits, boiled eggs, coffee/tea, and bread.

Here you’ll find all the containers you’ll need for the Grab and Go service. The paper cups here were particularly thick which means you’ll get to keep your drinks warmer for longer. I also liked that they included paper bags here for the other items. If I was in a hurry I think I’d probably make use of these for some breakfast on the go.

So here are some of the bread that are available for both dining in as well as the Grab and Go service. Pictured above are Original Sesame Soft Breads and some Cheese Pois. Both actually looked tasty and more importantly, they were still warm which means that they were baked just recently.

This is a closer look at the Cheese Poi Bread which was surprisingly popular. If I remember correctly, the original Brazilian Cheese Poi is supposed to be made mainly from tapioca starch with some cheese and other ingredients. I guess the ones you see here are a bread variation of that.

Whether it’s in Japan or Chongqing, I’ve noticed that anything with pork floss tends to be popular among guests. This was the case with this Pork Floss Danish that was even more popular than the Cheese Poi beside it. If I was to Grab and Go then this would have been the first food item I would’ve gotten.

In this section, you’ll find another set of breads that you can take away through the Grab and Go service. I actually liked the look of the muffins here as they looked smaller than the ones I was used to seeing. Much like the other bread here, these were also relatively fresh and still warm when I took this specific picture.

Want something healthy? If yes then you’d probably enjoy this Whole Wheat Bread which was just behind the muffins pictured earlier. Much like the muffins, these were in bite-sized pieces and sprinkled with sesame and some other seeds.

Now this was kind of confusing as I’d never really heard of bread called “Wind and Milk and Bread” before. Using the translation app on my phone, I scanned the Chinese characters on the sign and it seems like it’s supposed to translate to Japanese-style Milk Bread. Regardless of what it’s called, the bread did seem like it was tasty as I did see some guests go for it when they passed by this section.

In this image we have what is left of a loaf of Banana Almond Bread. Even though I know how tasty it is, it still honestly surprised me how the guests here loved this. Whether dine in or via Grab and Go, it seemed like there was no shortage of people taking this on their plates or paper bags.

If there was one bread that I was really eyeing, it would have to be this Spicy Sausage Bread (which was just beside the Japanese-style Milk Bread). The red color on it looked really appetizing for some reason and more than anything, I really wanted to taste how spicy it was. I’m not quite sure, but I think they probably used Sichuan chilies for this bread.

Now to balance out the spiciness of the Spicy Sausage Bread, you might want to pair it with this Fruit Danish. Come to think of it, you’ve probably got close to a complete meal with that pairing. All you really then need is some vegetables and your breakfast should be good to go.

In this section you’ll find the hard hitters of any hotel breakfast buffet. Bookended by waffles and croissants are some of the most sumptuous looking egg tarts I’d seen here in Chongqing. I’ve also been told that the croissants not only looked good but tasted great as well.

Of course, bread wouldn’t be complete without butter which the section also conveniently has on display. You get to choose from packets of both unsalted and regular butter which are all placed on a tray with ice to ensure they don’t melt.

Just right next to the tray with the waffles, egg tarts, and croissants were these baskets/containers filled with baguettes and whole wheat multi-grain bread. These looked absolutely massive and while it might be tempting to get a whole piece, I think you’re actually limited to just a couple of slices (I might be wrong).

Speaking of slices, there’s a cutting board just right next to the breads featured in the previous image. Use the bread knife here to then cut the slices you’ll need for your plate or paper bag. There’s also some cloth provided so that your hands won’t get into contact with the bread.

Here you’ll find rye and white bread already sliced and ready for toasting. The rye toast slices were unsurprisingly gone by the time I got here but there were still some slices of white toast available. Remember the packets of butter earlier? Just get one or two and pair those with a slice of either rye or white bread and your breakfast is set.

This is a conveyor toaster that’s, as its name implies, used mainly for making toast in batches. If you’re not familiar with using this then you can have the staff here assist you. While the toasting process is relatively quick, I personally didn’t get toast as I really didn’t want to wait.

Here you’ll find a number of spreads and sauces that you can slather on to your bread and or cereal to add some sweetness. Some of these I really liked growing up like the Cherry and Blueberry Jams. If you’ve never tried it yet, Dried Mangoes are also great especially if you add them to your cereal or even if you just eat them as is.

Now if you want healthier carbs then ditch the bread and go with these fruits instead. This section has sliced Dragon Fruit, Chinese Honeydew, and regular Watermelon. The whole fruits in the top row were equally nice but I felt like they were a little too much work peeling them (especially the oranges) so I decided to go on my way to other sections.

So this Blueberry Pancake with Whipped Vanilla Coconut Yogurt Cream was probably one of the cutest items that I saw at Seasonal Tastes. I mean just look at how small the pancake is compared to the Blueberries. In all seriousness, I think these bite-sized pancakes would be perfect for those on a diet but still want to get their sweet fix in the morning.

I was initially eyeing this Bean Curd, Tomato, and Black Olive salad because I thought the bean curds were cheese. Turns out they weren’t. That being said, I was told that the dish was still delicious. And to be fair, I did see a number of people putting some on their plates when I was there.

Now this Celery and Apple Salad honestly wasn’t the most appetizing dish that I saw here. I’m not really sure what it was about this that didn’t sit well with me. Looking back, the dressing probably wasn’t the best looking. Still, the celery did give it such a fresh fragrance that I can overlook its appearance.

These dressings and spreads are the first items here in the Westin Eat Well Menu section. You can choose from Numbing Pepper Mayonnaise, Tune with Corn Juice Sauce, and what looked to be just regular coleslaw. Of the three in this image, the one that I really wanted to try was the Numbing Pepper Mayonnaise. I’d already tried plenty of dishes with Sichuan peppercorns but none had any mayonnaise on them.

Next in the Eat Well section are these cold cuts. If you’ve been following me these past couple of months, you’d know how I enjoy eating meat. Featured here are cold cuts of ham and pepperoni. If you’re the kind who enjoys making sandwiches then these are great for those.

Aside from the ham and pepperoni, there’s also cold cuts of smoked chicken and duck breast. I’m not going to lie, I actually got hungry just looking at these slices of meat. Much like the ham and pepperoni earlier, you’re also going to love these in your sandwiches.

If sandwiches aren’t your thing but you still want to enjoy the cold cuts earlier then you might want to check out this cheese platter. Deli meat and cheese really go well together with the latter adding a lot of creamy textures as well as adding even more umami flavor to the former. Unfortunately, the restaurant’s staff were a little busy when I took this picture so I wasn’t able to ask them about the cheeses in this image.

Here’s another set of spreads and condiments that you can use for your sandwich. Much like the cheeses, the Cocktail Onions and Capers compliment the cold cuts with their saltiness while also adding flavors of their own. I especially like just a small amount of Capers on my own sandwiches for its tanginess.

Right next to the cheese platter and condiments is this basket that has Shanchen Milk Powder Brioche and Chenkou Walnut Whole Wheat Bread. Now I wasn’t entirely sure what Shanchen and Chenkou meant so I searched these up. Apparently, Shanchen or Shancheng is a nickname for Chongqing while Chenkou or Chengkou is a county in the municipality.

In the same section as the cold cuts, you’ll find this area which has all the salad ingredients you’ll ever need. Here you get to choose from a variety of lettuces as well as cherry tomatoes. There are also salad staples such as olives, red bell peppers, radish, and cucumber.

Other salad staples you can find here include chickpeas, millet, wild rice, okra, beets, and kidney beans. Honestly, this was an impressive selection and was arguably one of the most complete that I’ve seen in my travels. Interestingly enough though, there didn’t seem to be that many people lining up and mixing their own salads when I was here.

Just next to the salad ingredients you’ll find these bowls containing salad dressings. At the time I took this picture, they only had Balsamic and Olive Oil, Japanese Sesame, Caesar’s, and Thousand Islands. Of these, I’d probably go with Balsamic and Olive Oil as I’m not really a big fan of the mayo in the other three.

Once you’re done mixing your salad then you can opt to finish it off with either bread or bacon toppings. As you can see, people really loved the bacon here. Not surprising though as bacon really seems to be just a transcendent ingredient and just goes well with almost any type of food.

Here’s the sign explaining what the Westin Eat Well Menu is all about. It’s actually pretty straightforward though it is honestly (in my opinion), just marketing speak for a buffet with a lot more healthy options. Take note though that I’m not saying this is a bad thing. For me what’s really important is having more quality options and Seasonal Tastes does it really well with this menu.

This is another look at the basket containing the brioche and whole wheat bread earlier. You’ll notice that it’s right in between the area with the cold cuts and cheese platters and the salad ingredients. There’s also a sign in the background with the words DIY Sandwich in both Chinese and English (with some cute drawings that unfortunately were covered by the objects in the foreground).

I’m now at the Western breakfast section and here you’ll find a number of granola and sliced fruits (both fresh and dried) that you can mix and match for your fruit parfait or for your breakfast cereal. In the image you’ll notice the small bowls of dried cranberries, raisins, air dried bananas, dragon fruit, and melons (regular and Hami).

Other ingredients you can mix to yoghurt that you’ll find here include walnuts, cashew nuts, and pumpkin seeds. I personally love these on their own or as part of fruit parfait (and even on salads) because of their crunchy texture. Moreover, they’re relatively healthy and packed with vitamins.

If you’re thinking of making a fruit parfait then you obviously would want yoghurt. Here you’ll get to choose from Strawberry and Yellow Peach Yoghurt. There’s also Bircher Muesli here which is a mixture of milk, oats, lemon juice, and apple juice that was left in a refrigerator overnight. For added sweetness, there are also small bowls here of peach, pineapple, and mixed fruits in syrup.

This picture shows a bowl of plain yoghurt right next to the strawberry yoghurt that we saw in the previous picture. I’m not really a big fan of flavored yoghurt but if I were to choose, I’d just go with plain. This is especially true if I’m making fruit parfait since there are already tons of flavors in the form of the granola and other fruits that I’m adding to it.

Of course what Western breakfast would be complete without cereals. Here you’ll find some good old corn flakes and bran flakes. Man, seeing these totally brings me back to early morning breakfasts when I was younger. These were really great for that much needed energy boost in the morning.

I’m not too sure since there weren’t any indications/signs but this do look like Wheaties. Personally not a fan of these but I do know of some people who also enjoyed this growing up (some even up until now). While I may not be a fan of it, its inclusion as part of this buffet’s menu is still highly appreciated.

Perhaps my favorite of the cereals available here are these Coco and Rice Crispies. Like bacon, they go well on just about any dessert. And on a fruit parfait? They just elevate it with their crispy and crunchy texture while also adding a little sweetness.

Last but not the least of the cereals available here were these Cheerios. Again, not a big fan of these but having some on display here is a good thing. After all, I’m not the only guest in this restaurant. Having more options will always be a win for the guests.

Now, this one was a whoozy. I wasn’t quite sure what these were for nor did I ask. It seemed like you could have the ground meat here cooked and then wrap them in the lettuce. You could then add some enoki mushrooms and some diced tomatoes for a little more flavor? The staff were a little busy at this point so I didn’t bother to ask and just went on ahead to the next .

These also seem to be ingredients that you can add in a wrap with the ground meat from earlier. Better yet, you can actually add these as toppings to congee or porridge (I’ll be talking about these later on). I know peanut, spring onion, and coriander are especially popular congee/porridge toppings.

Speaking of porridge, this section is where they cook this rather popular and warming dish. The large pot has plain porridge while the smaller ones are flavored. I didn’t really see any other guests cooking here so I don’t think you can come up with your own flavors.

Rather, the staff usually cooks and they then place the porridge in this area once ready. When I got there, they already had several bowls of beef porridge ready for guests to pick. If you want to add toppings to your porridge then it might be better to just ask the available staff for help.

Right next to the porridge is another rice-based dish that I think a lot of people are going to like. In case the image hasn’t loaded on your screen yet, the dish I’m talking about is sushi. Though the ones here use mixed vegetables instead of fish, guests still seemed to have liked them. I’m not going to lie, these do look really nice especially the ones in the middle that used shredded carrot as a replacement for ikura.

Here you can get your sauce for use on your sushi. I’m a purist so I typically just go with soy sauce mixed with wasabi. Some people also enjoy adding lemon to their sushi which I think is just not appetizing. Lemon zest/juice is a little too strong and acidic for my tastes. Though I do enjoy some lemon juice on my salad, I just can’t enjoy it on my sushi.

Now if you want some Asian side dishes then this section is where you want to be. You can get Kimchi, Pickled Cucumbers, and Marinated Seaweed here. If you want to be a little adventurous, you can also try out the Natto. I’m not going to lie, this fermented soybean dish isn’t for everybody. Once you get used to its smell and texture though, you’ll find yourself enjoying it.

Aside from the juices earlier, you can also opt for a cup of Americano or Black Tea through these dispensers. This was surprising since most restaurants just give guests instant coffee packets and/or tea bags and a kettle with hot water then just call it a day. That said, it’s also not bad to have instant coffee or tea. Like I said earlier, the more options the better.

If tea or coffee isn’t your thing then you could go with either skimmed or whole milk. Both of these are guaranteed to be bubbling hot (check the image) though so be careful when ladling these on to your glass. Conversely, you can also add these to your tea or coffee.

Not used to warm drinks in the morning? The restaurant also provides cold skimmed and whole milk. If you’re the kind who enjoys milk on their cereal then this is where you go after getting your bowl from the cereals and granola section that we saw earlier.

Want something that’s more Chinese? This section has dumplings as well as rice congee which are both warm and filling. As its sign says, the dumplings have a filling of pork and cabbage though I wasn’t sure what kind of broth it was cooked in.

As you’ve probably noticed with the dishes in the previous image, this section mainly features Chinese cuisine. The image above shows toppings and sauces typically used for what I think is Chongqing noodles (xiaomian)the I remember Ascott Raffles City’s SHAN Restaurant had something similar for its breakfast buffet but it also included instructions and ratios for ingredients so that guests could mix the noodles themselves.

Just after the noodle ingredients, you’ll find these tubs for mixed and plain congee. Now I’d always wondered how porridge and congee differed so I asked around and some of the staff were generous enough to spend some time answering my question. Basically, congee is rice porridge while porridge can be made from rice or other grains like wheat, or oats.

I’m not going to lie, these vegetables looked really fresh and I initially thought that you could just get a few and have the staff cook it for you. Turns out though, these are just for display purposes. The restaurant doesn’t have any breakfast dish that makes use of these vegetables.

Here’s another look at the vegetables with the sign indicating that they’re only for display. You might also notice the hand pulled noodles that the sign is sitting on top off. Similar to the vegetables, those are also for display purposes only.

What isn’t for display are these dim sum dishes placed in bamboo steamers. In addition to the steamed buns though, there are pumpkins, shiitake mushrooms, corn, and potatoes included. My guess (and I might be wrong) is that these are going to be used as ingredients for other dishes.

Here you’ll find other notable Chinese breakfast items. If you’ve yet to try it then I’d recommend giving Hot Soya Milk (doujiang) and Youtiao (the deep-fried twisted dough) a try. This combination is a beloved breakfast pairing in China and is one of the most comforting meals you can have in the morning.

Here are some other Chinese breakfast staples that you might want to try out as well. The left-most are turnip cakes or lo bak go and they’re typically made from daikon radish that’s been grated mixed with rice flour. To its right is something labeled as Twinkies in English but is, I think, a type of fluffy cake that (if I’m not mistaken) is called Shan Jiao.

Rounding out this section are these Sesame Balls and some fried spring rolls. The sesame balls or matuan are, in my opinion, another must-try. I really like contrast when it comes to food and these provide just that with their crispy exterior while being soft and chewy on the inside.

So there’s a sign here featuring the ingredients for a dish called Leshan Doufu Nao. As its name implies, this is a popular snack in Leshan which is relatively close to Chongqing and has a similar food culture. It’s essentially tofu served in a broth that is then topped with chili oil, peanuts, shredded chicken, and many more.

Before we see the Leshan Doufu Nao, let’s check out the other notable dishes near the sign. On the left is a Bean Paste Cake that’s usually prepared during celebrations. As for the dish on the right, it’s called a Chinese Beef Pancake that’s apparently quite popular here in China. Both these dishes are sitting on top of stones inside a serving bowl.

To the right of the Bean Paste Cake and Chinese Beef Pancake are these steamers containing Ye’erba and Shaomai. Considered a traditional Chinese snack, Ye’erba is basically glutinous rice cake that’s been wrapped in leaves. As for shaomai, I don’t think it needs any more introductions as it’s a staple of dim sum places.

Now here’s the ingredients for Leshan Doufu Nao. If you read the sign earlier, you’ll find that the majority of these were mentioned there. Now, knowing the ingredients is admittedly different from preparing the finished dish. If you’d rather eat than figure things out then there are bowls of already prepared Leshan Doufu Nao just behind the ingredients.

You’ll also notice that there are ceramic bowls at the back that have the tofu and broth. As for the yellow looking liquid, I think that’s actually beaten eggs. From what I understand, these then help to stabilize the tofu pudding and make it firmer and less prone to crumbling/breaking.

I finally reached another Western breakfast section featuring some real heavy hitters. The first two items I saw here are the quintessential sunny side up and scrambled eggs. Both of these looked delicious but the sunny side up eggs were really what made me feel hungry.

Aside from the fried eggs, this section also had ones that were boiled in addition to everyone’s favorite bacon. Now I’m not sure if the bacon here was similar to the ones in Japan. It’s cut thicker and it lacked the typical curling of the lardons that you’d find in Western/American bacon.

Another Western breakfast staple that you’ll find here are these sausages. Now I’m not really sure why these were placed on top of the slices of bread. It’s possible they wanted the bread to absorb the oil and juices from the sausages? Regardless, these looked like they would partner well with the sunny side up eggs from earlier.

Surprisingly, the best seller in this section wasn’t the eggs or the bacon and sausages. Instead, it was the pan fried tuna sandwich that also had scrambled eggs as a filling that was the first to go. It was also interesting to see the sauteed vegetables getting some attention from the guests as well.

Speaking of vegetables, I also came across these bowls containing sauteed cauliflower, cabbages, and mushrooms. Of the three, the mushrooms honestly looked the most appealing. That said, the cauliflower seemed like it was the more popular option for the guests when I took the picture.

The fried rice here was a sight for sore eyes. In the time I’d been moving around from section to section and taking pictures, I noticed that I’d never seen a bowl of rice or even a rice cooker on display. Though I would have preferred plain white rice, the fried rice here was still better than none at all. On another note, the wok fried noodles right next to the rice was noticeably almost all gone when I took this picture.

So here’s another perplexing sign that just says Cashew Nut. Using Google Lens’ translation feature though, the Chinese characters translate to Shrimp and Winter Melon which I think is a popular type of soup in Cantonese cuisine. My guess is that this was just an error by whoever was in charge of the signs for that day.

So this is another section that features Chongqing noodles or xiaomian. Take note though that this is quite different from the other area that also had similar ingredients and set up earlier. This area had staff preparing the bowls of xiaomian and really all that you’d need to do is get one and start eating.

Breakfast at The Westin Liberation Square Hotel was honestly not bad (by the way, you can also read my article about the gym, swimming pool & sauna of Westin Hotel Chongqing). What I liked the most was the plethora of healthy options while not compromising on taste. That said, I would have wanted even more options especially for drinks. There were also some issues with the signs for the food but these were really understandable considering English might not be a language that a lot of the staff have mastery in. Still, I think Seasonal Tastes was worth it (considering it was complimentary).

Ever been to Seasonal Tastes’ breakfast buffet when you stayed at The Westin Hotel Liberation Square in Chongqing? If yes then we’d be delighted to hear about your experiences down in the comments section!