The all-new PLAYT (formerly Cafe One) at The Park Lane Hong Kong, a Pullman Hotel, boasts a large dining area filled with bright colors and modern decor, along with an impressive open ‘kitchen theatre’. You can expect a wide variety of international cuisine (think sushi, charcuterie, dim sum, pizza, Indian and the list goes on) scattered throughout the buffet area, along with a killer dessert section featuring homemade gelato and a chocolate fountain.
Vibe
Right away you’ll notice how bright and open PLAYT is, with fun decor and popping pinks throughout. One of the highlights is the four pieces of graffiti art by street artist Victoriano found throughout the restaurant (one can be seen in the photo above). The bright colours give off a welcoming atmosphere, and the friendly staff added to the pleasant experience.
Buffet: Starters & Main Courses
Before you get too overwhelmed with choice, we highly recommend taking a walk around PLAYT’s buffet counters and coming up with a strategy for how to tackle the various options available (this buffet business is serious stuff). We began at the charcuterie table, where we had delicious cured meat and cheese, and then slowly worked our way around the buffet, trying a bite or two of any dish that caught our attention. Some of our favourites were the fresh sushi, Indian curries and American Chinese food (we’re complete suckers for sweet and sour pork). Though buffets are usually not the epitome of high-quality ingredients, we thoroughly enjoyed the majority of food sampled.
Buffet: Desserts
A good buffet wouldn’t be complete without an equally plentiful dessert counter, so be sure to save a bit of room when dining at PLAYT. Aside from a variety of pastries and eclairs (which we could have done without), we loved the homemade gelato and DIY frozen yoghurt stand. Though they do offer some interesting gelato flavours – foie gras and Moutai – we went with the more classic raspberry cream cheese, which did not disappoint. There’s also a variety of fruit for those who have less of a sweet tooth.
Fuss free, plentiful and hearty dishes make PLAYT the perfect choice if you’re in the Causeway Bay neighbourhood and feeling rather ravenous.
1/F, The Park Lane Hong Kong, 310 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, 2839 3311
