When I received an invitation from ever effervescent Amanda Pearl of Novotel Hotel Yangon for Sunday Brunch, I could not help but wonder if it would be as good as Traders or Park Royal affairs.
I was pleasantly surprised
The weather was kind enough on the last weekend of June and the traffic was ender kinder to me on that particular Sunday. I arrived effortlessly from our head office in San Chaung to Novotel very quickly.
Even though I have been to Novotel for couple of wedding events, I actually did not venture further than the large event hall and the Chinese restaurant. Amanda was kind enough to guide me patiently around prior to heading for the Brunch.
In addition to the large event hall that usu- ally caters for weddings there is another
sizeable one behind that can hold about 10+ tables. We went up to the rooftop thereafter. I saw a couple of well maintained tennis courts, sizable adult and kids pools and a large Jacuzzi that can accommodate at least twenty people. The view from the top is amazing too, with a perfect view of the famous Shwe Da Gon pagoda. This alone is the reason to visit the pool bar. Coming down from the rooftop, I was shown the Novotel spa and a well-equipped gym. From there on, we head to the SQUARE, the restaurant that is serving the famous Sunday Brunch.
After greetings from the restaurant person- nel, the first thing I noticed when I entered the restaurant was the spaciousness and the sound of music. Some kids were playful- ly running around, yet it does not seem to cause inconvenience to other diners. There is a live music band performing for the din- ners.
The restaurant is divided into different sec- tions/counters, serving different kinds of food. One would appreciate the bar count- er towards the middle of the room, serving at least two variety of cocktails, champagne and wines. For this occasion and the next one I went, the cocktails remain the same. A change of cocktails on offer would be like adding a feather to the cap. Champagne and wines are of reasonable quality, wetting my appetite prior to heading out to different food sections.
The seafood section has good variety. I no- ticed some raw oysters on one of the occasions. Salmon fans will be delighted to see raw salmon with beetroot. The salads bar was also good, with sufficient variety of dressings and rainbow vegetables.
I am especially delighted with the cheese choices. With a cheesy look on my face, I cannot help but try out all the variety being laid out, together with some walnuts and ex- pensive pine nuts.
After this starter, you can try the Italian, the Burmese or Western dishes, all arranged in a row. Out of these, I would definitely recommend all to try out the Burmese dishes – extremely tasty, Dahl soup included.
The Sunday Brunch is for the whole family, so the children must also be well taken care of. There are ice cream and pancake counters for the little ones.
The only possible suggestion for improve- ment would be the variety of desserts on offer. A lot of items on offer are the same on both sides of the dessert table and better selections of fruits and more creativity on desserts would put the SQUARE well above other hotel buffets.
Besides the live music, I cannot help but mention the live magic show, going around the tables, entertaining the diners with eye-catching tricks. Everyone was laughing and enjoying the good magic show on Sun- day.
For those of you who want to try your luck, I urge you to stay until like 2pm, by which time; there will be a lucky draw for the din- ers. Three good prices are given out to three lucky diners.
I was delighted with the service too. Empty glasses plates are removed quickly and staffs were polite at all times. In fact I was quite impressed that I was back to SQUARE two weeks later, eating the same Sun- day Brunch. I would bring my family and friends to SQUARE without hesitation and for USD30++, you get the most value for money for eating to your heart’s content.
