The cheapest five-star buffet in Asia at the Sofitel Ningbo

Nothing glamorous about this weekend brunch buffet, but it is very cheap and some of the food is excellent. I suspect it is a loss leader for the hotel. The buffet for lunch is only available at weekends starting at 11.30am.

See the review of the Koko Japanese restaurant for another Sofitel dining venue in Ningbo.

The visit

The weekend brunch buffet is held in the second floor restaurant, calle Le Bistrot. Here’s a round up of what is available:

Random hot dishes (braised pork, vegetables, and so on).

Salads.
Other appetizers.
Grill corner, they prepare skewers, beef steak, some small white fish on demand.
Some of the dishes coming from the grill.
The roast meat usually features pork (never beef!).
Chinese noodles corner.
Some fruit.
Some cheese.
More hot dishes.
This is my favorite corner: fresh sushi and sashimi including tuna (the rolls have random ingredients…).
More fresh seafood, some small prawns, crabs, mussels…
Drinks.
Ice cream counter.
The dessert buffet features classics like Opera Cake and more creative sweets. It is excellent, they must have a good pastry chef.
Coffee.
Bread and soft-serve ice cream.

The check

Ok, I am cheating a little bit, I have a discount eating at this buffet and my final check is 100.8 RMB (or exactly 15 USD). It is as low as it can get for a five star buffet.

However, even the full price, 168 RMB (25 USD) is still pretty cheap.

It is not a fancy buffet, but the selection is extensive and there are actually some excellent choices. The sashimi is fresh and the dessert corner sports many great cakes.

Where in Ningbo:
Sofitel Wanda Hotel Ningbo, 2F
899 Si Ming Zhong Road Yinzhou District 
In Chinese: 四明中路899号
Tip: online booking is possible, but not necessary.

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