I love Europe and visit every chance I get. The people, the culture, the shopping, the sights, the food. Ah, the food… except for breakfast. Even the best hotels are unbearable after a week.
I want to eat croissants, salami, omelettes and pancakes again. As an Asian, I crave something contrasting with the samey-similar Western breakfast.
The problem is that Asian food served in hotels in Europe and the Americas can often be bland, but in Asia it's easy to find perfectly cooked Western staples like eggs Benedict and waffles, as well as delicious, unique local dishes.
Heating a wok to make pad siu noodles at V Villa Phuket (left, courtesy of V Villa Phuket) and preparing eel benedict at Capella Bangkok (right, courtesy of Capella Bangkok).
Quiet and luxurious, Capella Bangkok offers over 30 dishes to order from its already extensive buffet. Enjoy eel benedict and grilled eel topped with a soft-boiled egg, rice balls, Korean beef short rib soup with rice and kimchi, and Thai moo pin khao niao (grilled pork skewers with sticky rice). Served on a terrace by the Chao Phraya River, there's no better way to start your day.
Across town, the Park Hyatt Bangkok offers more than 20 à la carte dishes, including Taiwanese beef noodles, full medames, broad bean stew and Middle Eastern favourites such as Khao Tom Pla with sea bass and rice – imagine having that kind of choice in a European hotel!
Soupy beef noodles at Park Hyatt Bangkok. Courtesy of Park Hyatt Bangkok
Like its Bangkok counterpart, Capella Singapore serves up authentic cuisine – the addictively crispy paratha with chicken curry and aromatic seafood laksa noodles washed down with fresh coconut are must-try dishes – while The Rise at Marina Bay Sands is home to the best buffets around: you'll stuff yourself with noodles, dim sum, Japanese, Indian and Malay dishes (order the nasi lemak rice) and still not finish half of it.
The buffet at Regent Hong Kong is no slouch either, serving up a ton of Chinese favourites, from deep-fried dumplings and turnip cakes to satay beef noodle soup and steamed chicken – and lots more besides.
In South Korea, Jeju Brunch Royale at the JW Marriott Jeju Island is perfect for a late start, as it starts at 10.30am. Even better, in addition to a hearty buffet, you can enjoy unlimited caviar and champagne, plus freshly prepared main dishes made with local ingredients.
Jeju Brunch Royale at JW Marriott Jeju features all-you-can-drink champagne and caviar. Photo by Park Jae Young, Prod Studio/JW Marriott Jeju
I've also had many memorable breakfasts in smaller Asian hotels and resorts, where quality over quantity is valued: at rustic yet luxurious Song Saa in Cambodia, the truffled scrambled eggs are to die for, but my pick is the seafood bol bol, a congee with pickled vegetables, spring onions and plenty of fresh herbs.
In Sri Lanka, at the UNESCO-listed Fort Bazaar in Galle, you can get a delicious egg hoppers – a savory, crispy bowl-shaped pancake, but even better – served with a cashew and green pea curry and sambol, you're set for the day.
In addition to the buffet, V Villa on Phuket Island serves up tempting Thai dishes cooked to order – my favourites are the pad siu rice noodles with wok-charred shrimp and the Kai Joo omelette with stir-fried morning glory that is a real treat for the taste buds.
Khmer breakfast in Song Saa, Cambodia. Courtesy of Song Saa
For wow factor, it's hard to beat Bvlgari Resort Bali, perched on the cliffs and beneath the crashing waves. Here, you might crave a taste of Europe and order the Italian breakfast, complete with sweet treats and ham and fontina cheese toast. Seriously tasty, but maybe not something you could eat every day. Perhaps the secret to the best hotel experience, breakfast or otherwise, is unconventional indulgence.
BOOK YOUR STAY AT CAPELLA BANGKOK ON AGODA.COM
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Lead and hero images courtesy of Bvlgari Resort Bali.
Notes:
The information in this article is accurate as of the publication date.
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author
Key Hoon
Born in Malaysia, raised and educated in Australia and based in Hong Kong, Kee Hoon has had the privilege of travelling to every continent. I owe my passion for travelling and love for food to my parents, who somehow managed to turn that passion into a profession, transforming the dry shackles of government and social policy into the glamour of lifestyle and travel writing.
