Seafood Buffets
Published 10.06.2009
Seafood is one of my favourite food indulgences. The thought of a freshly shucked oyster with a balance of sweet and salty notes, a succulent lobster, or a piece of flaky, yet firm fish simply cooked, make my mouth water. Seafood for me is what chocolate is to chocaholics, and like those addicted to that edible gift from the cocao tree I too must satiate my needs on a regular basis.
In the third article of our series on buffets I look at a few places that seafood lovers like me can go when looking for a variety of quality seafood. I also asked the chefs in charge to tell me more about the source and integrity of the produce. If your favourite place for seafood is not here please add your comments below as I am always looking for new places to try.
Weekend Seafood Indulgence
Getting its seafood in fresh and still kicking everyday (except for the crab legs, which arrive chilled) and cooking it the same morning is JW's California. One way to experience the selection is at the restaurant's Seafood Weekend Lunch Buffet. Regularly on offer are spiny lobsters, Alaskan king crab legs, New Zealand green lip mussels, tiger prawns, freshly shucked oysters, spanner crabs and red crabs. Christopher Smith, the restaurant's chef de cuisine says that the seafood is sourced from a number of places including Australia, France and the US.
Oysters are always a favourite for me and at JW's California the oysters being served are Canterac and Fine de Bretagne, both from France. Smith says, "We chose these oysters through a long process of tasting oysters from many different regions of different countries until we found the two regions producing what we believed to be the best flavour and highest quality. The oysters also come in live every morning and our professional oyster shucker opens them last minute as they go on to the buffet."
There is also a large selection of sashimi, including tuna, salmon, kingfish, snapper, yellowtail, scallop and surf clam, plus sushi rolls. "The fish in the sashimi and sushi are all from sustainable sources. Also the king crab legs are sustainably fished in Alaska," notes Smith.
Hot seafood choices include the ever popular prawn tempura, crispy skinned sea bass, garlic butter lobster, chilli shrimp skewers, and miso soup with snow crab, to name just a few.
Smith believes that seafood lovers should definitely give the buffet a try because of the integrity of the produce and the selection on offer, especially at the price point. "We have a large selection of the highest quality and high end seafood on offer at a very reasonable price. Myself and my team of chefs take a lot of pride in the food we serve at the buffet."
He also believes a point of difference is the hot items. "The hot food items don't sit on a buffet and become dry and over cooked, they are chosen by the guest on a tick menu and cooked to order to ensure the guest receives the highest quality hot food."
The buffet is priced at $380 per adult and $210 per child, and is available Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays, from 12 noon to 3pm.
Seafood Focus
The buffet at Yamm has been popular since it first opened, and according to Daniel Chan, executive sous chef, this is partly to do with the variety of seafood on offer. This includes popular choices such as oysters (from the US or Australia depending on the season), yabbies, Alaskan king crab, whelks from the arctic, prawns, lobster, clams and mussels. All seafood served at the buffet is imported and is delivered chilled every day.
Chan says that the oysters at Yamm are a real treat because of the way they are served. "The first sip of sea water in an oyster is very salty and not good for eating. That's why we drain it out first when shucking the oyster. Then about one or two minutes later when the second sip comes from the oyster meat itself, it is really fabulous!"
Yamm also has a dedicated Japanese station that features Tokyo-style sushi, prepared using home-made sushi vinegar. "The volume of rice in each piece of sushi is relatively small, allowing diners to sample a wider variety of offerings. To be exact, about 120-140 grains of rice is the ideal amount to bring out the full flavour," says chef Yukio Kimijima. The restaurant also uses fresh wasabi and home-made soy sauce.
A la minute dishes are also prepared at the station with ingredients flown in daily from Japan. There is also a choice of tempura, teppanyaki and yakitori seafood items. Diners may also be tempted by the hand-tossed Caesar salad that is made using dill smoked salmon.
Other hot dishes that include seafood are the green curry with prawns, shrimp dumplings and seafood minestrone; items change on a regular basis.
A definite highlight of the buffet is the confit-style dishes and if diners are lucky enough to be dining on the right week they will enjoy the Salmon Confit with Caviar Champagne Foam. A dish I can personally recommend. "The result is an unforgettable after-taste and soft texture like sashimi," comments Chan.
The dinner buffet is available every night and is priced at $498 (M-T) and $550 (F-S).
A Touch of Magic
One thing that sets the buffet at L'Eclipse apart is the resident magician, who performs a range of magic tricks tableside during the dinner service. The other is the choice of seafood given the smallish buffet area. Each night around eight varieties of seafood is selected and could include Boston lobster, prawns, langoustine, yabbies, clams, whelks, Alaskan crab claws, slipper crabs, and green-lipped mussels. There is also inhouse smoked salmon that is carved for each customer.
Executive chef, Mark Bannon says that the fish is delivered live daily and cooked for that day, while the rest of the seafood arrives chilled and is flown in daily from around the world depending on what is in season in that country.
There is also a choice of at least three oysters, which are shucked in front of the customer and could be from the US, Scotland, Ireland, France and Australia, again depending on the season. The restaurant is in the same hotel as The Bostonian, which always has an extensive selection of premium oysters, which practically guarantees the quality of the oysters at the buffet.
There is also sushi freshly made "any-way-you-like-it" in rolls, cones and nigiri, while tuna, salmon, Kingfish, hokkigai, scallop and prawn sashimi is cut to order.
Hot seafood items include made-to-order tempura, made-to-order pasta, made-to-order wok fried dishes, plus a range of items featuring seafood that change on a regular basis.
"You will be impressed by the variety and quantity of seafood here at L'Eclipse," says a confident Bannon.
The dinner buffet is priced at $468 adults and $268 children Monday through Thursday, and $488 and $288 Friday through Sunday.
Is it Fresh?
While all of the seafood served at the above places is assuredly fresh, I wanted to know if you could tell just by looking at the seafood if it is fresh, especially oysters.
Smith says, "To look at seafood and determine its freshness it should still have a vibrant colour for fish such as salmon, and tuna. Generally fresh seafood will have a shine to it and not be dull in appearance, aside from this of course the smell should not have any pungent aromas."
Bannon says that a fresh lobster will have a hard, shiny shell, with firm flesh that has a certain chewiness when eaten and should not be mushy. Crabs should have a crispy shell with flesh that is slightly sweet and mildly salty. Both should not smell of ammonia.
When it comes to oysters Chan says to beware of oysters that are not freshly shucked, and ideally they should be freshly shucked in front of the guests, which Yamm does.
Bannon says, "When the oysters are opened, there should be a fresh sea-like smell. The oyster shouldn't be dry when opened; it should have a fresh shine not dull."
What's Next
Next month I take a look at value-for-money buffets and let you know where you can enjoy good food at great prices. If you have any suggestions add your comments below, thanks.
Image Credit: JW's California: 1,2; Yamm: 3, 4,5: L'Eclipse: Homepage, 6, 7
Thanks
A big thanks for letting readers know the origins of the seafood.