Buddy V's Ristorante

Doing the trifecta of Buddy Valastro's restaurants, we hit up Buddy V's in the Venetian for their buffet Sunday Brunch.  We all know that buffets are still the thing in Vegas despite a bunch of them closing up shop in recent years.  Unlike the main hotel buffets, the one found at Buddy V's is in a proper sit-down restaurant and features an American Italian menu.  The selection is more focused and hence, in theory, the food should be composed and delicious.  I guess we were about to find out as we went in with hungry appetites.

As mentioned, Buddy V's is an actual full-service restaurant, so the buffet is only available during Sunday brunch.  We found several stations throughout the restaurant including a selection of Antipasto.  There was a delicious Tomato Soup with croutons and cheese.  It was smooth, tangy and sweet.  Also found nearby was a large platter of Smoked Salmon, Meats, Cheeses, Salads, Crudites and Cocktail Shrimp.  Loved the selection of meats and cheeses as they were a cut above the standard stuff.

Onto some hot food including typical Breakfast items including Scrambled Eggs, Roasted Potato Hash and Applewood Bacon.  Beyond that, we found Italian Sausage, Frittata, Sausage & Broccolini Orecchiette and Roasted Mushroom & Truffle Pizza (the last 2 are in the picture 2 below).   I really enjoyed the frittata as it was fluffy, cheesy and well-seasoned with a slightly crispy top.  The orecchiette was excellent being al dente and full of impact from the meaty sausage.  Pizza was on point too with a thin crispy crust while exhibiting the umaminess of mushroom and truffle.

The next section of hot food included Hot Food with Chicken Parmesan, Mac 'n Cheese Carbonara, Meatballs and Hoboken Wings.  Once again, the eats were solid as the chicken parm featured a breaded tender and moist chicken breast with a tangy tomato sauce and plenty of cheese on top.  The mac 'n cheese was definitely cheesy and moist while the tubes of penne were still fairly firm.   Of course Buddy's bacon didn't hurt the dish either.  Meatballs were also solid being meaty yet still airy and not dense.  Tomato sauce was tangy with a balancing amount of sweetness.  Just like the Hoboken wings at Jersey Eats, these were tangy and a bit spicy.

There was also a Carving Station featuring Roasted Maple-glazed Ham and Grilled Peppercorn-crusted steak with all the condiments including chimichurri, horseradish crema and whole grain mustard.  Ham was good being tender with a good amount of sweetness from the glaze to counteract the saltiness.  As for the steak, it was cooked to medium to medium-rare.  I could pick which piece I wanted based on my preference.  The steak was super tender and well-seasoned.

In addition to the buffet stations, there was also made-to-order Omelettes.  We had 4 choices including the Jersey Boy, The Lisa, My Cuz Vinny and Fredo's Kiss.  First off, the eggs were still fluffy and a bit runny on the inside despite the sear on the outside.  My favorite of the bunch was the Jersey Boy due to being meat focused with ham, sausage, peperonata, cheddar and mozzarella.  A close sedon was Fredo's Kiss with ham, mozzarella, parm and truffle Alfredo.  This was aromatic and creamy.

Also, we had fresh off the griddle Ciabatta French Toast and Lemon-Blueberry Pancakes.  Being made-to-order, these were at their optimal state and I enjoyed these greatly.  Properly soaked with egg, the French toast was moist and fluffy while sporting a well-seared exterior.  As for the pancakes, they were surprisingly crispy on the outside while fluffy on the inside.  These, including the omelettes, were limited to one order a per person.

The selection of Desserts was quite substantial.  For one, the Croissants and Pain au Chocolate were good having a crispy exterior that shattered.  They had a St. Patrick's Day-themed Donut that was pretty sweet.  I scooped up a portion of fruit salad to stay somewhat healthy.  Onto the real desserts, the Cannolis were familiar (since we had the one from PizzaCake), but these had chocolate chips and pistachio on each end.  Loved the Lemon Tart as it featured a crispy shell with tangy lemon curd inside.  The Tiramisu was semi-sweet with hits of chocolate and espresso.  The small piece of Banana Bread (or cake) was moist and aromatic.

The last batch of sweets consisted of Donut Holes, Cookies, Chocolate-Covered Strawberries, Cheesecake and a selection of packaged candy.   Of course these were sweet, but I did enjoy the creamy cheesecake that was not too heavy.  I really liked the packaged candy as we took some to go.  Overall, the Sunday brunch at Buddy V's was solid with composed dishes, even though they were served as a buffet.  It really helped that the omelettes and pancakes/French toast were made to order as they were delicious and served in their optimal state.  Buffet wasn't cheap per se, but the quality was there and since it was an actual restaurant, the food selection was good while the crowds were minimal.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:

- Well-prepared food

- Focused theme of American-Italian

- Made-to-order items

The Bad:

- Maybe lacking in seafood options for the price

Notch (Hotel Vancouver Sunday Brunch)

Back in 2017, we made it out to try Notch8's Mother's Day Brunch in the Hotel Vancouver.  Of course it was extravagant since it was a special event.  We haven't been back to Notch8 since then due to many reasons including the biggest - the pandemic.  Well, it wasn't as if they were running the brunch anyways.  Fast forward to the present and we decided to hit up the brunch buffet that they serve every Sunday.  Naturally it is costs less than Mother's Day and subsequently, the offerings are more simplified.

As such, there was a much smaller footprint for the buffet where the dessert room (in the chess room) has been eliminated.  Those desserts are housed in cabinets adjacent to the carving station.  So we find a modest selection of salads including quinoa, Greek pasta, noodle, spring mix, arugula and romaine.  The fruit included cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, watermelon, orange, grapefruit and prunes.  There was also a small variety of meats and cheeses.

Right next to this station, we found warm banana pudding along with some baked goods.  These included various danish, 2 types of croissant, chocolate pastries and muffins. I didn't actually try any of these because they would've filled me up before I even got to the main dishes.  However, my son did try the croissant and it was flaky and buttery.  It didn't shatter quite like the ones at French patisseries in town, but they were still decent.

The seafood table was limited to 4 main items including Tuna Tartare, Prawns, Baby Shrimp Salad and a selection of salmon (Gravlax, Candied Salmon and Smoked Salmon).  As much as this was not a huge selection, the quality was high though.  The tuna was buttery and fresh while lightly seasoned.  There was some acidity present.  Prawns were cold-water crunchy and also marinated.  The star of the show was the trio of salmon.  Both the gravlax and smoked salmon were buttery and flavourful.  Loved the candied salmon, it was such a treat being intensely sweet with an appealing chew.

Onto the mains, we found the usual breakfast items like thick-cut Bacon, Chicken Sausage, Potatoes, Eggs and Eggs Benedict.  Complimenting these, there was a pasta as well as veggies.  At the carving station, we found a Striploin Roast and a Lamb Roast.  I thought the striploin was overdone, hence being a bit dry.  The lamb was fantastic though being succulent and juicy.  Too bad they didn't toast the English muffin as it was cold and mealy.  The rest of the Eggs Benny was good though with runny egg and creamy Hollandaise.

I also gave the Omelette Station a go and asked for baby shrimp, ham and cheese.  The chef was busy preparing omelettes for others so I went back to my table and waited for mine.  It took no more than 10 minutes and it was delivered by the chef himself.  Egg was nice and fluffy but there was an extra ingredient I didn't ask for (which was red & green peppers).  Honest mistake and it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the omelette.

I didn't end up getting all of the desserts as the selection was quite good.  I decided on the Peach Flan, Cheesecake, Fruit Tart and Crème Brûlée.  I missed out on things like cookies, brownies and several other cakes.  I think other than the seafood, this is where the buffet shone.  Each dessert would've been good on its own as if we ordered them separately after a meal.  I particularly enjoyed the flan.  Overall, the brunch was pleasant with few surprises.  For $60.00 per person, I would say the selection could've been better, yet at the same time, most things were prepared properly.  Furthermore, being at the Hotel Vancouver in Downtown, you would expect to pay that or even more.

The Good:
- Nice setting
- Most food was prepared properly
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Once it got busier, they struggled to keep food stocked

Sunday Brunch @ Cafe Pacifica (Pan Pacific Hotel)

Okay, we've finally come full circle.  My first Sunday brunch post was at Cafe Pacifica (at the Pan Pacific) a good 4 years ago.  Since then, I've meandered my way through most of the other Sunday brunch offerings in town.  Hence, it was about time I did a re-visit to see if my initial thoughts were on the money or completely off-base.  Being the priciest in town, at $50.00 per person and add in parking costing almost $20.00 (depending how long you stay for), one would have heightened expectations.

One of the main draws is the location of Cafe Pacifica.  Being right on the water affords lots of natural light and somewhat of a view depending on where you are sitting. Like deja vu, we sat roughly in the same seat as last time and the spread looked identical as well.  Like any good Asian, I attacked the seafood first including the same big bowl of large Cocktail Shrimp and Snow Crab Legs.  For a buffet, these were pretty good since the cocktail shrimp were gigantic and exhibited a great snap.  As for the crab legs, I liked how they weren't salty and the meat was relatively fluffy.  Included in this Cold Appetizer Section was also a Cheese Plate, Breads, Sushi Platter, Smoked Salmon, Grilled Vegetables, Fresh Fruit and various Salads.  Moving onto the hot food, there was a Carving Station consisting of Prime Rib and Salmon Wellington.  The prime rib was really moist and super tender, although cooked a bit too much for our liking.  The wellington was great with flaky salmon and puffed pastry.

Next to the carving station, there was the obligatory Omelet Bar and then directly in front was the Hot Food Section.  This included the usual items being Bacon & Sausage, Eggs Benny, Veggies & Potatoes.  Nothing much to comment on these items as they were pretty typical. Now the next 2 items were not only not typical, they were prepared very well considering this was a buffet.  The Seafood Trio consisting of Salmon, Ling Cod and Prawns in an orange & mango beurre blanc was fantastic.  With a nice snap and natural sweetness, the prawns were barely cooked. The fish were cooked just right with the ling cod being the highlight which was buttery and soft.  However, no one (during the time we were there) was really able to sample the ling cod because some moron picked it clean each and every time they put out a new tray. Anyways, we had no problem helping ourselves to the next dish as he didn't seem to fancy it.  The Pan Seared Duck Breast with port & sour cherry jus was also a fantastically prepared item.  The duck was buttery soft with only a bit of resistance while the skin was rendered nicely.  The tart and sweet jus was a natural compliment. 

Completing the hot food section were some Asian dishes that were pretty forgettable including the Singapore Fried Noodles and Black Bean Chicken Stir-Fry.  The noodles were pretty weak in flavour and predictably soft since it had been sitting in a chaffing tray.  As for the stir-fry, it suffered from far too much moisture and lack of flavour.  Also pretty typical was the Haw Gow and Sui Mai, as they did not exhibit the bouncy texture we would normally see.  But this was to be expected from a non-Asian restaurant. The individual components were okay though. Onto Dessert, there was a good selection of items including Bread Pudding, Cheesecake, Creme Caramel and Creme Brulee.  Most were pretty good especially the Creme Caramel.  In fact, the majority of the food was above average, even for a non-buffet setting.  Of course the Asian food was forgettable, but if we ignored that, the Sunday Brunch at Cafe Pacifica is probably still one of the better ones in town.  With that being said, it is also the most expensive too.  Whether it is worth it or not would be based on each individual's threshold for spending money.

The Good:
- For a buffet, the proteins were done nicely
- Not a whole lot of seafood, but for the ones available, they were good
- Nice ambiance and location

The Bad:
- Expensive
- Service was not attentive enough to justify the price
- Parking is expensive

Fresh Restaurant and Lounge (Sheraton Guildford)

When one thinks of Sunday brunch, especially the buffet kind, Surrey doesn't normally come to mind. The usual Downtown hotels seem to be the most popular destinations. Well, that is pretty normal since we have several choices including the Pan Pacific, Hotel Vancouver, Sutton Place and Waterfront to choose from. Move into Burnaby and we have EBO at the Delta Burnaby and Metrotown Hilton. However, many may not know that the Sheraton Guildford offers up their Sunday Brunch at Fresh Restaurant. Since I live in the burbs myself and believe good food can be found outside of Vancouver proper, it was my duty to try this place out. Well, not really my duty, but it sounded a whole lot better than, "I heard of this place in Surrey and decided to try it...". *Yawn*.

So the whole family including the grandparents made our way across the soon-to-be-demolished Port Mann Bridge into Guildford. I foolishly parked on the street not knowing there was validated parking. So that is my public service announcement for everyone who intends to eat at Fresh. After we were seated, I attacked the spread with my camera. Yes, while everyone was getting food, I was getting photos. There was a decent selection of eats including various Salads: Mesclun Greens, Caesar Salad, Greek Salad, Crystal Noodle Salad with baby shrimp and peanut dressing, Potato Salad, Corn & Manitoba Rice Salad with white beans & basil pesto dressing, Field Tomato & Red Onion Salad with balsamic dressing and Spinach & Frisee Salad with stilton, walnuts & blueberry dressing. There was also the usual cold cut platter consisting of Roasted Tom Turkey, Black Forest Ham, Roast Beef and Genoa Salami. Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to this section.

What I really wanted to eat was the Seafood which included Green Lip Mussels with salsa fresca, Atlantic Red Crab, 3 types of Indian Candy, Oriental-style Salmon Gravlax, Absolut Vodka-cured Salmon Gravlax, Smoked Salmon and Peel & Eat Shrimp. Of all the items here, I liked the 2 types of gravlax. Although they were quite salty, I just enjoyed the different flavours. I really didn't like the crab as it was naturally the frozen variety. Hence the meat had a strange texture. Moving onto the Hot Food section, there was the usual Bacon & Sausages, a strange textured Scrambled Eggs (probably from a carton), Eggs Benedict, Xiao Long Bao, Haw Gow, Spring Rolls, Veggies and Roast Potatoes. There were 4 specific dishes in this section as well (which I will discuss later). As mentioned, the scrambled eggs were strange while the Eggs Benny was actually not bad. The eggs were poached beautifully runny while the thick Hollandaise was a bit too mild. It could've benefited from more lemon. The Dim Sum selection was most likely the frozen stuff where the filling of the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumpling) was rubbery and loose. The dumpling skin was dry and thick. The XLBs were actually not too bad considering everything. The dumpling skin wasn't overly thick and the filling was moist. There was a modest amount of soup in the dumplings. It tasted mostly like the meat filling,

Now onto the "dishes" in the same section, I tried the Butter Poached Pollack with olive & sundried tomato ragout and basil polenta. As with most buffets, the fish was overcooked. I'll cut them some slack because it is a real challenge to keep fish moist in a buffet setting. The flavours were nice though, especially the olives since they provided a distinct saltiness to the dish. I love polenta. Unfortunately, the polenta in this dish was too gritty. Next up was the Tequilla & Lime Grilled Chicken with chipotle honey butter and Spanish Rice. This was actually a pretty good dish, due in part that chicken keeps pretty well in buffets (especially dark meat). I'm not sure if I tasted any Tequilla, but I definitely got a whiff of lime. When I lifted the cover off the Whiskey & Demerara Rubbed Top Round with Au Jus, I knew it wasn't going to be pretty. Pre-sliced roast beef sitting in a chaffing serving tray... says it all. I realize that to have a hand-carved roast would be more trouble and cost, however, the result of having the beef served this way was pretty much disastrous. The meat was really dry and chewy. Even the au jus, which was still had a bit of alcohol taste, couldn't save it.

The last hot entree was the Grilled Pork Medallions with herb spatzel and calvados jus. The pork had appealing grill marks which resulted in a nice charred flavour. Surprisingly, the pork wasn't dry. The sauce was flavourful and benefited from the lardons. As for the spatzel, it was fluffy and we thought it was done quite well. There was also an option to request a made-to-order omelet from the kitchen as well. The last section, naturally, was a table full of various Desserts. These included fresh fruit, several cakes, cheese and waffles. I sampled one of the cheesecakes as well as the strawberry shortcake. They were pretty standard and did the job. In fact, the buffet here at Fresh essentially did the job, no more, no less. Nothing really stood out nor did anything really stink either (well, except for the beef). Considering the price is south of $30.00 per person, it is definitely an option for those who don't want to travel all-the-way into Downtown for Sunday brunch.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Very good service
- Comfortable digs

The Bad:
- No freshly-carved roast

Oru

I'll admit it. When I received an invite to try out Oru's new revamped menu, I was slightly hesitant. After all, the place had some pretty dubious reviews strewn all over the internet. In fact, Whipping Girl had told me about her experience there and let's just say it didn't make me want to visit the place anytime soon. C'mon, there was an $18.00 Banh Mi on the menu! Sounds like fusion gone wrong (and overpriced). Enough said. Little did I know that Executive Chef David Wong had left to open his own restaurant on the Island. Replacing him is well-traveled and experienced chef Darren Brown, who redid the menu and refreshed the layout of the restaurant.

We were first treated to some appies from the Skybar and then moved onto a tour of the facilities. To say that the food services in the Fairmont Pacific is impressive would be an understatement. It is refreshing to see Darren Brown's influence on the operation. Most of the ingredients are made in-house, right down to the sausages and cured meats. Oh and I can't ignore the BLT we sampled beforehand. This was made with their house-cured bacon and let's just say I could've eaten more than what was offered on the plate. We finally made it back to Oru and were seated with a nice view of the open kitchen. Arriving first was the Sunchoke Soup which was a pure veloute of roasted sunchokes (no onions) with truffle foamed milk. Immediately, there was a big hit of truffle oil. The soup was flavourful, creamy and rich without relying on salt. I liked how it was smooth while retaining some texture. Next up was the Notch Hills Beet Salad consisting of pickled and poached baby Sorrento beets, beet chutney, chimichurri vinaigrette and Cabrales blue cheese. I'm not normally a huge cilantro fan, but there was just enough in the chimichurri to brighten the flavours without making it taste pungent. A beet salad is usually, well, a beet salad. However, the shaved blue cheese on top really made it pop with an Earthy saltiness.

Continuing on, we were presented with the Qualicum Island Diver Scallops which were seared beautifully and served with sesame sweet peas, smoked salmon lardon, preserved lemon condiment all atop a cauliflower puree. The scallops were pretty small, but packed a sweet punch. There was a multitude of flavours going on the plate including the nutty sesame peas, sweet, tangy lemon and the smooth flavourful puree. The small piece of salmon added a salty smokiness which capped off the flavourfest. Then the dish we'd all been waiting for showed up - the Kalua Pork Belly (Fraser Valley pork belly, pineapple, maple-mustard glaze, fried sage, pork cracklings and lotus root puree). Okay, let me get this out of the way first - the pork belly was not as melt-in-my-mouth as I would've liked. However, I'm not sure if that was the intention or not. It was cooked so slowly that the fat had pretty much rendered down leaving mostly meat. For me at least, I like my pork belly fatty and melty. With that being said, there was a lot to like about this dish. The cracklings were crispy and light while the bak choy was crunchy albeit salty. The sweet glaze went well with the pork belly, yet the lotus root puree looked odd in colour. It did taste good though with a nice balance of flavours.

Before the meal, I had pegged the pork belly to be my potential favourite. It turned out that the Sake Cured Haida Gwaii Sablefish took the honours. When curing sablefish with sake, one needs to be careful as it can turn the fish to mush if not careful (like the one I had at NFA). No problems here as was flaky and moist with a beautiful sear. It was served atop an Alaskan salt cod brandade with roasted sunchoke, melted leeks, fennel, chorizo in a tomato-mirin broth. All these ingredients provided all the flavour needed and therefore, the fish was not aggressively seasoned. The salt cod emulated the texture of crab and offered up saltiness (of course). With the mildness of the broth and the conservative amount of chorizo, the sablefish was able to stand on its own.

Moving onto dessert, we were presented with the Strawberry Rhubarb Vacherin with buttermilk ice cream. This ended up to be very refreshing, like a palate-cleanser to a degree. A palate cleanser for what you might ask. Well, we had one more sweet dish which was the Textures of Chocolate. Starting from the top left corner clockwise, we had the Carmella Mousse with textures of puffed rice and praline and Alpaco Consomme with hints of fresh mint. Both of these were made with Valrhona chocolate. On the bottom right, we had the Mi Amare chocolate cremuex mille fieulle made with Michel Cluizel chocolate and on the bottom left, the Mangaro Lait Chocolate Bar with cocoa nib nougatine made with Cocoa Barry. Of these, my favourite was the Carmella. It was essentially a rich and deluxe version of a Crunch bar. Loved the textures and smooth chocolate. This was a sweet end to a solid tasting menu. On this experience alone, it is quite obvious that Darren Brown wanted a more classic approach incorporating housemade ingredients which represent Westcoast cuisine and then some. *Note - this meal was comped*

The Good:
- From this tasting, it appears the food has a direction
- Dining space is simple yet elegant

The Bad:
- Prices are pretty high