Flow Kitchen at Fairmont, The Palm presents a buffet that is worthy of a few extra courses. The setting is spacious and nicely appointed and the staff are polite and attentive, as you’d expect from a hotel of this calibre.
It’s date night and we order a couple of drinks. A while after my husband’s drink arrives we ask if my glass of wine might be on its way. It must have been forgotten as the wine promptly arrives and after a taste of the Argentinian Malbec I opt for the Californian Cabernet Sauvignon instead. Our waiter accommodates my change of mind with an obliging smile.
We make our way over to browse the buffet and it takes me a while to come up with my plan of attack. I start with prawns (cold and hot) and some sushi, both of which are excellent and follow this up with some more traditional Arabic starters of dips with some fattoush thrown in for good measure. Next I move on to a more Eastern Asian inspired course of kung pao chicken, szechuan lamb and a Thai coconut prawn dish that I wish I had room to go back for.
After a pause to enjoy the bubbling fountain in the dining room, I tackle the desserts and start with some excellent strawberry ice cream while I decide where my priorities lie for the rest. After some deliberation I settle on a dark chocolate tart and tiramisu but of course I sample all of my husband’s selections as well including a very strange green doughnut that turns out to be not the least bit doughnutty but more of a layered pistachio and passion fruit mousse concoction. I’m more than satisfied.
I understand the hotel has a Kid’s Club program, a fully equipped health club, beach water sports, poolside services, other restaurants and lounges and delightful sounding treatments available at the Willow Stream Spa although I am yet to sample these offerings. The lobby and the pool certainly look very inviting but there was some very heavy bulldozing going on right next to the beach at the time of our visit which would certainly make lazing on the sand less enjoyable if the work was going on throughout the day.
Would I Return?
Yes. I’d like to assess the quality of the Kid’s Club. For myself I’m keen to check out some of the beach activities and I’m never one to give up an opportunity for lazing by a pool. See Fairmont – The Palm for more information.