Calling all seafood lovers! Plan your next seafood buffet indulgence to The Square for an ocean-fresh buffet spread that would have you staggering home. This Oriental restaurant on the basement of Novotel Phuket Vintage Park ought to be the next place to bring your date — the space is cozy enough to keep a conversation going, service is impeccable and the buffet spread is as extensive as it gets. From giant lobster to king crab legs to half shell scallops and poached prawns, the extravagant seafood selection just begs that you dig in without abandon. The extremely extensive spread of high quality dishes is enough to justify the price tag.

 

Chef Tanach O-Sod, the Executive Chef of The Square, Novotel Phuket Vintage Park; is an amazing oriental Chef and yet guided by a more global sense of taste. Perhaps because of this, the typical diners at The Square’s tables include patrons from all over the world. Chef Tanach O-Sod personally prepared two dishes for us; Grilled Chicken Breast Thai style and Thai Massaman Burger in addition to the extremely widespread Grand Sea Food Buffet.

Chef Tanach O-Sod’s relationship with authentic Thai cooking tradition is evident on his cooking style. Grilled Chicken Breast Thai style served with a slightly sweetened yet spicy sauce reminiscent of Nuoc Mam, plus fine slivers of Thai chili and basil. This dish definitely can become a hallmark of the restaurant. A regular might instead draw an analogy to tapas. Every piece of tender chicken breast seasoned with onion, carrot, garlic, broccoli and pumpkin then grilled perfectly. The version here sees the chicken pieces charcoal-grilled to a succulent melt-in-the-mouth bite, served with cashew nut and chili paste and a robust Nuoc Mam sauce that elevates the Grilled Chicken Breast’s delicious smokiness.

Especially in the next dish, Thai Massaman Burger, foodies can feel it misleadingly comfortable to Thai cuisine. That’s really just a gateway effect: As you peel away the flavors in each dish, they reveal themselves to be subtly challenging, mostly because of the Chef’s fondness for Southeast Asia, incorporated in a way that doesn’t feel forced. Nearly everything about the dish evokes a sense of comfort, but at the same time those curious little differences require a moment to consider. The Thai Massaman Burger may look dry but it wasn’t at all — the patty was juicy and cooked to spot-on doneness (they prepared medium rare). With a lethal combo of two nicely charred Spanish buns that are pillowy soft but never soggy, melted gruyere cheese, onion chopped and Massaman curry, this is one satisfying burger that will keep you coming back time and time again.

 

Grand Sea Food Buffet Dinner Menu :

 

Soup – Thai Spicy Prawn Soup, Coconut Fish Soup

 

Live Station – Meat Carving, Sashimi Corner, Pasta Show cooking, Cheese Corner

 

BBQ Station – Marinated Fish Fillet, Jumbo Squid, White Prawn, River Prawn, Rock Lobster, Blue Crab, Thai Mussels and Clam, 6 Kinds of Sauce [Thai Chili & Garlic Sauce, Tamarind Sauce, Black Chili Sauce, Garlic Butter Sauce, Herbs Cream Sauce and Pepper Barbecue Sauce]

 

Starter – Thai Seafood Salad with Celery, Shrimp Cucumber and Peanut Curry Salad, Fish Cake on Cucumber, Seafood on Ice [Rock Lobster, White Prawn, Mussel and Calamari], Caesar Chicken Salad, Red Bean & Calamari Salad, Shrimps Cocktail Lemon, Fresh Salad Corner [Romaine Lettuce, Tomato, Onion Cucumber, Potato, Red Oak, Green Oak, White Cabbage and Carrot], Oyster Corner, Condiment (Vinegar Echalot) and Dressing, Selection of Bread

 

Main Course – Deep Fried Fish Fillet with Garlic Chili Sauce, Stir Fried Squid with Vegetable, Fried Crab with Yellow Curry, Fried White Prawn with Garlic and Pepper Sauce, Fried Rice Crab Meat, Jasmine Rice, Roasted Chicken Breast with Green Cream Sauce, Grilled Fish Fillet with Cherry Butter Sauce, Tenderloin Gorgonzola Sauce, Sautéed Potato

Dessert – Fruit Skewer, Chocolate Fondue, Ice cream with local condiments, Assorted Surprise cakes (Lemon Tarte Meringue, Mille-Feuille, Religieuse, Individual Apple Tarte)

 

Describing Taste and Flavor :

 

You might just get full from trying a little of everything from the huge buffet spread, so be strategic and narrow it down to the ones you love, perhaps some freshly made Shrimp Cucumber and Peanut Curry Salad, lightly torched Aburi Salmon Sushi Salad, crispy Fish cake on cucumber and well-marinated Prawn Satay? Well I started with these four as entrée followed by Thai Spicy Prawn Soup.

 

Thai-Style Prawn Satay is indeed interesting, thanks to the balance of sweet, spicy and tangy; while the Shrimp Cucumber and Peanut Curry Salad sees perfectly prepared shrimp slicked in a umami-packed Cucumber and Peanut Curry Salad, served cold.

 

For something delightfully lighter and pleasing to tongue, consider the Aburi Salmon Sushi Salad. The thin slice of Salmon Sushi makes it substantial enough for a light meal, while the cucumber, avocado and radish dressing keep it fresh.

 

Finish off the entrée with Thai Fish Cakes. Dip these flat patties into Thai sweet chilli sauce; they pack a punch of flavour with strong hints of kaffir lime, red chilli and coriander. No matter what you do, just make sure you don’t missed the spongy yet crispy and juicy Fish Cake as well as enjoy the lusciously rich taste and balanced thai herbs flavor; it goes exceedingly well with the accompanying Thai chilli dipping sauce — I guarantee you won’t stop at just one.

 

Spiciness of Thai Spicy Prawn Soup will definitely makes you addictive. It will work as medicine on a rainy days or when your mood needs a bit of a lift, the soup is extremely well-balanced, with an interesting flavor of tanginess. The cloudy, umami-packed broth is, “lip-smacking addictive”. I also love the tasty braised mushroom and the astoundingly scrumptious prawns, which soaked up all the flavour of the broth. The Thai Spicy Prawn Soup here is tangy yet subtly sweet, and will certainly kick your butt with its spiciness. If you need a drink to quell the spiciness, their fresh Coconut water will do the trick.

For the mains I wisely select few among so many options; Deep Fried Fish Fillet with Garlic Chili Sauce, Fried Crab with Yellow Curry, Fried White Prawn with Garlic and Pepper Sauce, Fried Rice with Crab Meat and Roasted Pork with Green Cream Sauce.

 

Deep Fried Fish Fillet with Garlic Chili Sauce is a crowd pleaser as well, essentially a Thai-style deep fried fish fillet – juicy and packed with umami. You won’t be able to stop munching on the Deep Fried Fish Fillet with Garlic Chili Sauce, the succulent pieces of deep fried fish fillet in mild, flavourful sauce with hints of chili and garlic, perfect for washing down with drinks. It definitely packs a punch of flavour and will leave you wanting more, add this to excellent pool views of Novotel Phuket Vintage Park – the largest pool in whole Phuket, and you’ve got yourself a treat for both the palate and the eyes.

 

Fried Crab with Yellow Curry is another mind-blowing dish. The crabs are marinated for hours in a special aromatic spice mixture and then deep fried, absolutely not for the faint hearted. Do yourself a favour, sip the curry once, before you try the fried crab, the ingredients are fresh and cooked to perfection, the gravy is aromatic and pleasantly spicy, so you can pair it with fried rice with crab meat without thinking twice. Now it’s time to enjoy the crab meat from fried crab — the sweetness of the fresh crab meat pierces through the umami of the spicy red jalapeno pepper like rays of sunshine hitting the ocean floor. Time and time again, the homey curry of Thailand mesmerizes me with its simplicity and soul. If you’re keeping to your #cleanplate routine, skip the Fried Crab and opt for the other sides instead.

 

You can’t and won’t go wrong enjoying the classic Thai Fried White Prawn with Garlic and Pepper Sauce – fried to perfection, coated by tapioca flour mixed with garlic, white pepper, fish sauce, soy sauce — is a sure win for all. Crispy soft flavourful white prawns are just melting in your mouth, you might find yourself finishing it all up before you even realize. The fried white prawn in Thai style— is so good you might just forget the accompanying dips are there.

 

Finally, leisurely bite the Roasted Pork with Green Cream Sauce, and your taste buds will respond automatically – “juicy, flavorful and tender”. The meat is light pink and moist in the middle, and incredibly juicy thanks to the well distributed marbling. It is prepared with Green Peppercorn Cream Sauce, so you can taste all its natural porkiness, elevated by a secret house made rub concocted by Chef Tanach O-Sod.

 

The Square, offers us something more inherently Thai, more traditional, more in sync with Thailand’s current cultural globalization. It’s that gentle transformation that I think also defines their food and hospitality. The Square is part of the evolution of Thai cooking toward a clear-eyed modernity, but it’s accomplishing that change in a way that’s both unassuming and unthreatening.

 

There are several live stations; wheels of cheese, salad bar and fresh seafood on ice (don’t miss out on the fresh sashimi too) including the desserts selection. There is ample of items to check out and plenty to eat, and the pleasing peaceful environs gift a cheery, relaxed vibe to the whole affair. Whether it’s feasting on quality seafood dishes, having a tête-à-tête with your loved ones over dainty treats or splurging on a luxurious seafood brunch, it’s time to gather your friends for a feast like no other. So, if you have friends or family members who love seafood, don’t hesitate to treat them to an impressive spread here!

 

Place : The Square, Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, Patong, Phuket, Thailand
Timing : 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM
Reservation : +66 76 380 555
Price : Grand Sea Food Buffet Dinner – 1299 THB

 

Grand Sea Food Buffet Dinner – The Square, Novotel Phuket Vintage Park

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