Rating: ★★★★☆

Address: 27/F, The Park Lane Hong Kong, 310 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay 銅鑼灣告士打道310號柏寧酒店27樓

Telephone: 2839 3327

www.parklane.com.hk/riva-and-the-deck.html

As I mentioned in my review of Ebb & Flow last time, The Park Lane Hong Kong has been going through renovations for a while now and some of the newly refurbished parts of the hotel are looking as stylish as ever!

One of the areas of the hotel that have not been renovated yet is Riva and The Deck, the 27-th floor restaurant of the hotel which overlooks the stunning Victoria Harbour and has a beautiful outdoor terrace. The restaurant will be renovated this summer, so a group of us gather for brunch on a Sunday before the renovations begin.

It is worth noting that the brunch menu here offers absolutely fantastic value. The price is $598 per head, but this Riva Weekend Brunch includes an appetiser, seafood and dessert buffet, 1 choice of breakfast, 1 choice of main course and unlimited soft drinks, juices, and white, red and sparkling wines. This is most definitely a great venue for birthday celebrations!

(1) The appetiser buffet certainly does not disappoint. There is a great selection at the salad bar, and even though this is a buffet, the quality of the sashimi is fantastic.

Oyster lovers will be thrilled to know that there are unlimited freshly shucked oysters at the seafood bar, and they taste gorgeous too!

Even more extravagant are these Boston lobsters. I feel like I am already getting my money’s worth just after eating all these seafood and appetisers!

(2) The brunch menu includes a choice of breakfast, and I decide to go for a simple poached egg. The portion is small, which makes perfect sense as there is so much other food being offered. The egg is nicely poached and the English muffin is thin and well toasted.

The scrambled egg croissant is very indulgent, and the smoked salmon helps lift its flavours.

One of us orders the dim sum basket, which comes with 4 pieces of piping hot dim sums.

(3) For the choice of main course, the seared Australian ocean trout is an excellent choice – the skin is startlingly crispy, while the meat underneath is still beautifully raw middled.

The US beef ribs eye is amazingly flavour-packed and tender, and completely wins me over.

(4) For desserts, I am instantly drawn to this chocolate fountain, and find myself busily dipping fresh fruits into the rich, velvety melted chocolate.

The other desserts, such as cheesecake and panna cotta, are also utterly enticing.

Lastly, I round off this wonderful meal with a scoop of Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream. What an absolutely fantastic way to start Sunday!

As the restaurant may be closed for renovations soon, please do call in advance to check before coming here. I can’t wait to see what this place will look like after the renovations!