KMK: Shilla Parkview Buffet

The Shilla Seoul : The Parkview Buffet

Having only visited your standard buffets in Seoul, I had no idea what was in store for me when invited by Brian to dine at The Shilla Seoul’s premium buffet, The Parkview. I expected good quality, especially considering the price tag that comes on this buffet, and my expectations were met and then some.

Let’s start from the beginning. The Parkview is located on the 1st floor of the hotel, which makes it easy to access. I was initially worried about the two hour time limit imposed, but it ended being more than enough time for me to eat until pants were unbuttoned to allow for more gluttony. I believe there are a couple of allotted time slots for diners to choose from. Ours was from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. I recommend getting there a bit before 6:30, because the line to be seated grows very quickly. To be in the front of the line, means to get your pick of untouched, freshly-made food first.

The seating arrangement was comfortable, but in very close proximity to other customers. The dining space was a decent size, so I would say the atmosphere did get a little noisy at times, but it did not significantly affect our dining experience. Nearly all of the tables offered a nice view of the hotel’s park. Hence the name of the establishment, I suppose. The lighting was also warm and not too institutional.

Now on to the best part : the grub. There were a lot of different options and the buffet seemed to be organized into different categories. Some included Korean, Chinese, Japanese, seafood, Western, and desserts.

● I’m not really a connoisseur of a lot of these categories, but I was pleased with the Korean food selection. Ingredients seemed of good quality and fresh. I like to have some kind of kimchi with every meal, Korean food or not, so I was happy to see a decent variety of side dishes as well as main dishes. For me, the highlight of the Korean food was the L.A. marinated galbi.

The Chinese table was dimsum on dimsum on dimsum. I was really impressed by the array of their dumplings. There were some other Chinese dishes including proper Peking duck featured in another section with the sauce, wraps, and all the fixins.

● I know next to nothing about Japanese food. There was a lot of sushi and sashimi, but I’m not really a fan and I didn’t get very much feedback about that. It would have been nice to see some other Japanese foods apart from the usual suspects. Perhaps some teppanyaki-style meat or noodles.

● The seafood portion was highlighted by the crab legs. There was mountain of them and it seemed like every plate in the dining area had them piled on. While a task to eat, they were succulent and loaded with lots of tender crab meat.

● The Western section was one really long table jam-packed with a lot of stuff. I use the term “Western” very loosely as there was a lot of representation on that table. There were a lot of cuisines from different Western countries. My personal favorite was the seared beef sirloin with roasted garlic. Another focal point was the wurst with sauerkraut.

● Last, but not least was the dessert. Maybe because all of the other fare was so bountiful and great in variety, but the dessert table seemed minuscule in comparison. There were macaroons, fresh fruits, various cakes as well as tea and coffee beverages offered. The star of the dessert table was definitely the chocolate fondant fresh out of the oven.

My overall take : It’s not a budget buffet. At about 100,000 KRW a person, it’ll definitely put a dent in your wallet. However, The Shilla Parkview’s buffet most certainly did not scrape on quality and the platters were always promptly filled. The staff was also very attentive and professional. The entire experience was well worth while and if you hit it big at the casino one night, why not treat yourself to this gourmet experience?

P.S. Check out the bathrooms. They’re magnificent!