Review of PARKROYAL COLLECTION KL's high-tea buffet menu

Hearing the words “high tea buffet,” I imagine a few things.

One, a bright, floral inspired space, tables lined with lace and fine china crockery.

Two, a spread of dainty desserts and bite-sized savoury pastries and snacks.

Three, tea being put front and centre, perhaps even with multiple varieties for one to choose from.

But PARKROYAL COLLECTION Kuala Lumpur’s high tea buffet at Thyme, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, was none of that.

Yet, it still impressed us.

It did away with the frills, the bells and whistles, the intricate trays and doilies to just focus on good food.

Over the span of 2.5 hours, here’s what stood out to us about the hotel’s high-tea buffet.

1. So. Many. Live. Stations.

What I immediately noticed was the number of live stations at the buffet. Noodle stations, pasta stations, ais kacang stations? Basic. Expected.

Of course, PARKROYAL COLLECTION KL had those, but they took it to the next level with a Vietnamese spring roll station and taco station, to name a few. In total, there are seven of these live stations, or open kitchens.

These stations aren’t flashy, but they do add a zhuzh to the buffet experience when you can see your food freshly cooked or assembled in front of you.

2. “Really good protein options”

That’s something my carnivorous boss, Sarah, repeated throughout our buffet. She takes her protein super seriously, so you know her approval was legit.

I’m not a big meat-eater, and even I approved of the buffet’s meat options, because not only was there a variety, they were all good—delicious, in fact.

I’ve been burnt by too many a cold or tough buffet meat (especially when it comes to lamb or beef), but here, a majority of the protein-heavy dishes were juicy, tender, and flavourful.

Must-trys include the Cajun chicken breast with cream sauce, which Sarah simply couldn’t get enough of, and probably what has been one of the best chicken satays I’ve ever tasted.

Even though the beef and lamb dishes ran on the leaner side of things, they were cooked to the right amount of tenderness.

3. A focus on quality, not quantity

Some buffets try to impress by overwhelming guests with a spread of dishes as far as the eye can see, but fall short in the tastiness of each one.

With PARKROYAL COLLECTION KL’s high-tea buffet, I’m glad to say that that’s not the case.

There was still a good variety of cuisines, from homey Malay and Chinese dishes to fresh-out-the-tandoor Indian dishes, and even fresh sashimi and sushi.

Every dish felt thoughtfully put together, and if we had the stomach space, we would definitely have gone for seconds on many more dishes.

What’s high tea about all of that?

From the above, you might be thinking, “Well, that sounds like a good buffet, but what makes it high tea?”

We were wondering the same too, even as we enjoyed the food. It seemed to us like it was more of a pretty good lunch buffet (since it runs from 12.30PM to 3PM).

But quick history lesson:

While the concept of high tea originated among the wealthier classes of England as a way to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner, the tradition was later observed by middle and lower classes.

And contrary to what I personally believed high tea to be—a snack and dessert-focused break—it’s actually considered to be a substantial meal.

Therefore, high tea is 1) not necessarily fancy, and 2) can actually be filling.

The more fashionable, dainty “high tea” we often observe being served in Malaysia would be classed as “afternoon tea” (also called low tea) elsewhere. That’s when indulgent desserts and pastries and finger sandwiches along with good tea are served on beautiful crockery.

So, all things considered, I’d say PARKROYAL COLLECTION KL’s high-tea buffet does actually live up to its name.

Plus, it does have desserts and teas too.

For dessert there was tiramisu (which we got a bit too greedy with), black forest cake, an assortment of local kuih, and other fun-sized desserts.

We were told that a chef recommendation is the durian teppanyaki ice cream made at the buffet’s live ice cream station, but neither of us was feeling up to it that day, so try it in our stead if you visit!

For teas, you could pick from various Dilmah teas or opt for a sweet, decently kaw teh tarik.

Available every Saturday and Sunday, adults eat for RM148 per person, and children (6 to 11 years old) eat for RM74 per pax.

Having tried quite a number of buffets across KL, we find PARKROYAL COLLECTION KL’s high-tea buffet to be worth it for such a price.