Buffet Dinner at the Alpine Restaurant in Hermitage Hotel Mount Cook: Lots of Fresh and Delicious Options
Since I was staying at the Hermitage Hotel Mount Cook and I knew that they served a buffet dinner at the Alpine Restaurant, I decided to try it one night.
The restaurant was already full of guests when I arrived.
As you can see above, there was a cocktail menu that I could order from, with some signature cocktails and mocktails.
But there were also non-alcoholic drinks like juice, soda, coffee and hot chocolate.
I then went to look at the food options.
I first found the cold meats section, with sliced ham, pastrami and salami. There was a seasonal garden salad next to the meats.
The buffet also had lots of cheese.
Some of the options were Blue Cheese, Gouda, Maasadam cheese and Gran Spiced Cheese.
There was a counter where I could make my own salad.
I could choose lettuce or different kinds of greens.
Toppings like artichoke heart, pickled onions and croutons were available.
There were even assorted crackers to choose from.
The restaurant had provided different kinds of relishes in case I wanted something tart.
I found a basket of assorted bread next to the salad.
There were small, individual portions of butter next to the bread. Guests could pick up one or two or however many portions they wanted.
If anyone wanted nuts in their salad, they could add pecans, almonds, peanuts, walnuts or any other kind that they wanted. There were even dried fruits like dried apricots and sultanas.
Other bowls held pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and cashews.
The buffet also had condiments like tomato sauce, BBQ sauce and sweet chili sauce that you could eat with any of the dishes.
The salad dressings were a little limited. There was only seafood dressing, some lemon wedges and Worcestershire sauce.
Next, I went to see what vegetables they had. There were sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and olives. There were also some readymade salads that I could choose from along with my made to order salad.
Some of the salads that the hotel was offering were Russian salad, a fruity coleslaw salad and a garden potato salad.
Other toppings like boiled egg and crumbled cheese were also available.
Finally, there was a fresh tomato, cucumber, red onion and black olive salad that looked very good.
Once I had decided on my salad, I went to the dessert section. There was bread and butter pudding. But there was also a coffee and tea section at the end with different kinds of milk like soy, almond or whole cream.
Guests could finish the meal with a nice, warm cup of coffee or herbal tea.
One of the most interesting things was all the ice cream toppings that guests could choose from. There were different kinds of sauces, sprinkles, candies and chocolates.
There was even a soft serve machine that guests could operate themselves. There were instructions about how to use it. I had never used a soft serve machine before.
I checked out all the other desserts before looking at the mains. There was fruit salad, chocolate mousse tarts, mini tiramisus, mixed berry lamingtons, Snicker slices and many other kinds of cakes and pastries.
There were many options in the main course section. There were vegetarian options like pasta as well as meat and fish dishes.
I went to see what was available among the meat and fish dishes first.
Oven baked dill and lemon basa, beef brisket BBQ curry and Texas style BBQ pork ribs were some of the things I could choose from.
There were also two coffee machines that I could use to make coffee. I could make an espresso or a cappuccino or even hot chocolate or mocha.
When I went to see if the buffet had any rice, I found cinnamon spiced rice. The rice looked fluffy and had a lot of flavor.
The rice was served with some butter chicken. The gravy looked thick and very rich. I was sure it would be delicious.
The soup of the day was a cauliflower and coconut soup. I served myself a small bowl of soup. It would feel nice on a cold day.
The buffet also had sides like fried potatoes, potato wedges, chicken nuggets and other small bites.
The vegetarian mains were penne pasta with lots of vegetables, cauliflower gratin and a vegan mushroom risotto.
I found a sushi section on one side with sides like wasabi and pickled ginger. The chicken rolls were almost over but there were quite a few of the vegetable rolls left.
Another counter had roast pork loin, roast lamb, gravy and jus and grilled sausage.
The Asian inspired stir fried vegetables and rice noodles had a nice chili garlic and soy sauce dressing.
And finally, there was a vegan lentil and green bean curry that looked really tasty.
