Radisson: Atrium Cafe
I bought a deal voucher for a 2-course dinner for two ($39) at Atrium Cafe and decided to bring my parents there to celebrate my dad's birthday. The restaurant is located in Radisson Hotel, and in all honesty I was rather disappointed when I saw how old and shabby the hotel was. The building was a chunky block of unappealing brown with no architectural finesse whatsoever. So imagine my surprise when I walked in to find a 4-storey-high lobby complete with water fountain, greenery and decorative street lights on a spacious indoor plaza.
The meal started off well as the hostess greeted us graciously and led us to a table under a wooden arbour in the shade. I decided on my order quickly and spent my time taking in the surroundings. My appetizer of tuna cucumber salad came quickly, and I was immediately put off by the sloppy appearance. I had expected fresh seared tuna, but what I got instead was what tasted like canned tuna flakes. The cucumber slices were slimy and the greens were limp and didn't taste very fresh. In short, it was one of the worst salads I've had.
Since the salad was so bad, I didn't get my hopes up for the beef tenderloin. But surprisingly the meat was quite tender, though not as rare as I would've liked. The meat was a good hearty portion, but the vegetable accompaniment was inadequate.
My dad decided to go with the prime rib and seafood buffet ($34.95/person) which was pricy and didn't offer a very large variety of food. The seafood spread included mussels, shrimp and crab legs. I'm a fan of raw seafood, so this wouldn't really appeal to me.
The prime rib was apparently quite good, so the buffet would be worth it if you have several slices of the cut along with a couple plates of seafood.
The other meat available was turkey served with stuffing and cranberry sauce. I'm not sure if it was a Christmas thing (since we went in December) or a regular part of the buffet. My dad said the meat was dry and the texture was rubbery, so I think the prime rib is a safer bet.
And of course the buffet featured a salad bar...
And a variety of desserts including cheesecake, chocolate mousse, creme caramel, cheese and crackers. There were also fresh fruits and sweets for the chocolate fountain.
At the end of the meal, our server presented us with a stamp card for the buffet and Sunday brunch. Every 6th buffet and brunch is free, and both meals are complimentary on birthdays. So my dad actually had his dinner comped. That is a very generous birthday promotion because a lot of other restaurants just offer a free dessert or comp your meal only if you bring several friends. This is the only place I've been to so far that offers a $40 birthday meal for free with no conditions. Although the food wasn't spectacular, it's definitely worth checking out on your birthday.
The hours of the buffet and brunch are as follows:
Prime Rib and Seafood Buffet: Saturdays 5 pm - 9:30 pm
Sunday Brunch: Sundays 9:30 am - 2 pm
The meal started off well as the hostess greeted us graciously and led us to a table under a wooden arbour in the shade. I decided on my order quickly and spent my time taking in the surroundings. My appetizer of tuna cucumber salad came quickly, and I was immediately put off by the sloppy appearance. I had expected fresh seared tuna, but what I got instead was what tasted like canned tuna flakes. The cucumber slices were slimy and the greens were limp and didn't taste very fresh. In short, it was one of the worst salads I've had.
Since the salad was so bad, I didn't get my hopes up for the beef tenderloin. But surprisingly the meat was quite tender, though not as rare as I would've liked. The meat was a good hearty portion, but the vegetable accompaniment was inadequate.
My dad decided to go with the prime rib and seafood buffet ($34.95/person) which was pricy and didn't offer a very large variety of food. The seafood spread included mussels, shrimp and crab legs. I'm a fan of raw seafood, so this wouldn't really appeal to me.
The prime rib was apparently quite good, so the buffet would be worth it if you have several slices of the cut along with a couple plates of seafood.
The other meat available was turkey served with stuffing and cranberry sauce. I'm not sure if it was a Christmas thing (since we went in December) or a regular part of the buffet. My dad said the meat was dry and the texture was rubbery, so I think the prime rib is a safer bet.
And of course the buffet featured a salad bar...
And a variety of desserts including cheesecake, chocolate mousse, creme caramel, cheese and crackers. There were also fresh fruits and sweets for the chocolate fountain.
At the end of the meal, our server presented us with a stamp card for the buffet and Sunday brunch. Every 6th buffet and brunch is free, and both meals are complimentary on birthdays. So my dad actually had his dinner comped. That is a very generous birthday promotion because a lot of other restaurants just offer a free dessert or comp your meal only if you bring several friends. This is the only place I've been to so far that offers a $40 birthday meal for free with no conditions. Although the food wasn't spectacular, it's definitely worth checking out on your birthday.
The hours of the buffet and brunch are as follows:
Prime Rib and Seafood Buffet: Saturdays 5 pm - 9:30 pm
Sunday Brunch: Sundays 9:30 am - 2 pm
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