Sunday Brunch In Shangri-La Hotel

For the past 5 - 6 months since I move back to Surabaya, I have been looking for the best way to take my husband and my son to eat in restaurant. For your information, "R" doesn't like Indonesian food, he prefer Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, French, and even Thai food. Basically anything that has nothing to do with Indonesian food or Indian food. He hates curry. Can't even stand the smell of it. My son, "KK" was raised with Gerber food, his favorite flavour were Spaghetti and macaroni and cheese. Even until now, he still loves Italian food the most. Everything else is just so-so to him he said. Now, where can a mommy took her family with this kind of taste buds to eat in Surabaya?

After some trial and error, I found the best way to please them both. The answer to this is by taking them to eat at 5 stars hotels on Sunday! Why Sunday? Because on Sunday, those 5 stars hotels always offers all-you-can-eat buffet for a pretty good price. For "KK" they even cut the price to half the price of adult. When I say a good price, I am talking around Rp. 125.000 ( more or less ) for Japanese and western food. So it's about US $ 13 for adult, and US $ 6 for a child. I think that's quite reasonable, don't you think so too?

There is something else that you need to know to see why I think that price range is reasonably low. Okay, I love to eat Prosciutto ham for example. If I buy from grocery store, for Rp. 60.000 ( US $ 6 ) I get only few slices, no more than 6 slices. But here at Portovino in Shangri-La Hotel, I can eat as much as I want too because on Sunday Brunch there, the antipasto and dessert are all-you-can-eat! With only US $ 12, I can eat as many prosciutto, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, tiramisu as much as my stomach can take and that's not including the one main course yet. And for you out there who loves to drink Martini, well... their Sunday brunch price is already include a free flow Martini!!!! You can drink as many Martini as you like!!! For me though, one is more than enough but for "R", he ordered 2, and for "K", I ordered him 3 non-alcoholic Martini ! For the main course, I ordered lasagna and it was fabulous. "R" ordered steak, and for "KK", I ordered him pizza with 6 toppings! Don't forget also that with eating buffet, the golden rule is you can eat as much as you want there, but you can't bring the left overs home.

Pic: My choices on the antipasto, they offered more choices than what's on my plate. Behind my plate is the Martini list.

Pic: 3 Different Martinis, "R", "KK"(crantini) , and mine ( honeydew)

Pic: I really loves these type of antipasto, the grilled vegetables are awesome!

Pic: As good as the main entree was that day ( lasagna with fresh tomato sauce ), I couldn't finished it.

Pic: "R" the carnivore chose this steak dish for his main entree.

At the same hotel, we also tried the Japanese buffet. Again everything here is all-you-can-eat. You can eat sashimi salmon till you drop!

Pic: Even "KK" who think Japanese food is just so-so, still able to enjoy the Japanese buffet, I think the best place to take children to eat is buffet restaurant.

Pic: I always love cold soba, and my salmon sashimi.

Pic: "KK" doesn't like cold noodle, he prefers hot tempura udon and teriyaki salmon.

From what I heard, the most popular eating spot in Shangri-La is Jamoo an all-you-can-eat Buffet Restaurant. I am not sure if they have any special price for Sunday. I took these movies on different occasion when we went there to eat. I tasted their French food and I think it taste pretty authentic. I was just thinking that it's amazing that they can make an authentic French food when the French chef just walked right by me! No wonder huh? Last time they invited Indian chef to cook authentic Indian food too. At the outside they place really big baskets brimming with Indian spices. That's when R made a sharp U-turn to go to a different restaurant since he hates Indian cuisine. But this time when we went there to eat, those big spices basket is gone and that's why R dared to enter Jamoo.

From Monday till Thursday or Friday, you can also eat all-you-can-eat dim sum buffet for only Rp. 56.000 or US $ 6. I have been there once but did not take a picture of the buffet. The only thing I can show you right now is this video clip of "KK" sang a Happy Birthday To You to his favorite aunt in the whole world, Tante Lusia, or Tante Uci for those people who are closest to her . We treated her to a nice dim sum at Shangri-La on Sunday, after the church service ended.



Video: "KK" sang a happy birthday song for aunt Lusia

If all this makes you want to go there to eat right away, give me a minute first here to tell you how to make that price go down even further!

For maybe 2 times in a year, Shangri-La hotels offer you to buy their membership for Rp. 1.300.000 / year or US $ 130. With that membership, you can get one day free to stay in their hotel, 50% off for eating there for 2 people, and other benefit. Since my church happen to be in Shangri-La hotel, I can see that we will eat Sunday brunch there a lot. With that membership card, you can imagine how much I can save when ever I eat there!!! If I can save $ 6 for each time I eat there, multiply that number with, let say, the 40 weeks that I will go to church, that will bring my total saving to US $ 240/year. Not bad huh? The next time they offer to sell their membership I will try to be the first one in line, move aside everybody!!!