Kempinski Relaunches Their All-Day Signature Buffet Restaurant Simply As Signature's Restaurant

Liangmaqiao 's Kempinski Hotel has relaunched what once was their East-meets-West Kranzler's buffet as the easy-to-remember, potentially confusing to explain Signature's Restaurant. The overhaul includes a sprucing-up of the decor, maintaining some of the old white and red elements, the marble tables, and the outdoor terrace while doing away with the salad bar island – affording plenty of space for the mixture of high and low seating – as well as some nifty grid-like light fixtures above the main dining area.

Now positioned as an all-day dining restaurant, the menu incorporates the skills of the hotel's seven chefs, each hailing from different part of the globe, lending Signature's an expansive buffet (RMB 288, RMB 388 with alcohol) and à la carte menu. Highlights from the former include a legit salad bar, various sushi, rotating hot mains, and a decent dessert spread. Each of the dishes is laid out in smaller portions so that you can guarantee their freshness while at the same time eat to excess without the guilt of knowing much of the rest will go to waste.

Another fun feature: if you opt for the buffet you also have access to a daily set menu, which you order from continuously as long as you finish each preceding dish, making for a potentially dangerous game of gustatory roulette.

From the à la carte menu we particularly enjoyed the Pretzel Burger (RMB 108) for its surprisingly light and soft pretzel bun packed with a juicy wagyu beef patty. The Salmon Coconut (RMB 188) was another highlight. It consists of a generous slab of well-prepared and flaky fish coupled with Chinese egg noodles drizzled in a sweet coconut frothed foam. Otherwise, there's a good mix of order-ready salads, various fish and cuts of meat, "straightforward" sandwiches, French classics (coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon and stroganoff, and Chateaubriand), and assorted beverages.

For the price, quality, and range, Signature's is sure to get a fair amount of foot traffic from nearby businesses and Kempinski clientele. Its polished look and room to spare also make it suitable for the occasional brunch retreat, though it still certainly feels like a business-centric setting. However, the semi-buffet feature is alluring enough to have patrons coming back to browse what's available on the daily set menu.

Signature's Restaurant is currently offering a 10-course RMB 288 tasting menu, spanning highlights of the à la carte menu, to celebrate its launch. 

Photos courtesy of Kempinski Hotel