Wagyu Sunday Brunch & French Oysters

French fine de lune oysters; over a dozen different caviars; and a bar of chilled, designer foie gras morsels; a sushi and sashimi chef; not to mention rare roast wagyu beef and freshly grilled Maine lobster. Flowing Jeanne D’Arcx Blanc de Blancs sparkly; delectable works of dessert art; and mouthfuls of ice-cold nitro poached cocktails which taste like frozen meringues. Cocktail foam is deep fried in liquid nitrogen at the table which adds a playful sparkle to the occasion.

Published on 13/09/2011

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Sunday Brunch at the Plaza Athénée's, A Royal Méridien Hotel, Rain Tree Café is like going to sleep on a Saturday night and waking up to a delicious dream in foodie paradise. For 3,040 thb net per person and 800 thb for children, with 50% off for under 12s, the dream unfolds to a bejeweled buffet reality. A feast of fabulous flavors and delectable delicacies is essentially what the buffet brunch is all about.

This is classic 5-star eating, but there is something special about this high-ranking hotel where there is an elegance and extravagance to every well-thought out and presented dish. The Plaza Athenee Sunday Brunch is luxurious without being overly decadent and indulgent without being debauched. There is a confidence and natural, high-quality ease about the menu which is impressive beyond compare, managing to be both over the top and completely understated at the same time.

No dish has been added for the sake of it, in order to bump up the buffet menu and every last mouthful has been prepared with a love and kindness that makes the whole dining experience almost a spiritual one. The quality of much of the food will certainly have you falling to your knees in praise of such magnificent morsels.

The sashimi is incredibly succulent, and the chilled foie gras mousse with port wine aspic and foie gras crème brulee are creative and quirky. Green wasabi caviar is one of a rainbow of colorful blini, caviar toppings. The wagyu is ravishingly rare and a rare treat, even more so offered as a roasted joint and it inevitably disappears and is replenished as quickly as it melts in the mouth.

The lamb is soft and robust. Even the less showy dishes are cooked to perfection, such as the braised beef cheek and steamed snowfish with saffron sauce. Little Thai appetizers with a twist include spicy pommelo salad with seared tuna and beef bresaola with cream cheese and Asian herbs. The buffet beauties of succulent shrimps, Alaskan crab and Parma ham sliced at the buffet table add to the classic appeal of the Plaza Athenee’s brunch whilst allowing the oyster and wagyu, the stars in this lunchtime constellation, to shine, along with the cheeseboard which includes the most wonderful cheese on the planet, epoisses.

Whilst the room itself takes time to warm up with a coldish interior that is far from cozy, the staff make all the difference. They seem proud to be working amongst such food finery and are as inviting as the silver platters of sumptuousness.

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