The desserts at the Westin Hotel's recently renovated East West Buffet Restaurant are the sensitive creations of Robert Hope, a New Zealand-born chef who used to work at the Savoy in London. Chocolate and fruit were the main ingredients, and everything on the table was tasteful and light, but also flavorful and highly satisfying.
We were not there strictly for the desserts, but each of us probably ate more tarts, tiramisu-style cake, and chocolate-covered fruit than we did ``real'' food -- which was a little disappointing.
It's not that the food at the East West Buffet Restaurant was bad -- it often had a hearty quality and was undeniably a decent meal. But it wasn't good enough to be in the bowels of a five-star hotel, or to justify the NT$800 lunchtime admission. Many of the dishes crossed the line between heartiness and greasiness.
There was a variety of food: a salad bar stocked with real greens (but don't expect to be knocked out by the dressing), a few types of sushi and sashimi, marinated vegetables, several types of Chinese and Western-style meats, a choice of several soups, and a section of hot meat-based appetizers. But other than the desserts and a particularly good herb-marinated lamb chop, there was nothing at the East West Buffet Restaurant that couldn't be found elsewhere -- as good or better -- for a small fraction of the price.
The chefs who came over to talk to us seemed open to suggestions. Considering the press release listed "Healthy Dining" and "Fresh Seafood" as two of the "four major theme[s]" of the restaurant, they would do well to heed the advice they got from most of the critics: less grease, more fresh, healthy-feeling food.
To be fair, it may be the staff, having just been moved down to the basement from the second floor, is still adapting to a new kitchen and a new environment. The Westin claims to have invested more than NT$10 million in the creation of what it calls a "tranquil dining atmosphere of resplendent graciousness."
Whether or not they hit their mark is debatable. With all free-standing tables, minimal partitioning, and abundant windows that look out only onto the underground hallways of the Westin, I would argue that the formality of the design feels somewhat directionless. It's not bad -- it may even be pretty, and the staff is friendly, attentive, and largely bilingual -- but like most of the food, the ambience alone isn't a good reason to go.
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