A Tasty Tour: Five Reasons to Feast at 360° Casual Dining
A warmly inviting aroma tantalizes your nostrils and you breathe in deeply as your stomach rumbles. You’ve just lifted the cover of one of the bamboo steamers at the Hilton Beijing Capital Airport’s 360° Casual Dining buffet restaurant, but the tempting scents take you back to the coziest Beijing dumpling shops, where each morsel of dough is carefully folded by hand.
Edison Dong, the restaurant’s manager, notices your expression of anticipation and approaches to greet you. “The Noodle station and dim sum steamer are the key elements in the Pacific-Rim section of the restaurant,” he says. “You’ll find a great variety of authentic, traditional Chinese food in this section, including different types of dim sum covered in steamers made of bamboo.”
He then gestures at the restaurant’s other buffet stations, featuring cuisines from around the globe. From there, Dong takes you on a tour of 360’s top five features, all of which are as tempting to the eyes as they are the palate.
1. Net the Freshest Catch
Dong begins the tour by guiding you to one of 360’s most visually striking stations: the seafood section. Your eyes are drawn to the platefuls of colorful ocean fare laid out by the chefs, as well as the nautical motifs: green fishing nets are strewn alongside a small lobster trap, making you feel like a landlubber who happened upon a pirate’s treasure.
Shellfish and oysters are arranged carefully on the counter, but Dong says this section’s top attraction is its assortment of plump pink shrimp.
“The shrimp are the most popular in this section, because we use renewable water with them,” he says of the practice that not only ensures the shrimp’s freshness, but also reflects the Hilton’s eco-friendly values. “By using renewable water and seafood we are focusing on future development and showing our care for the environment.”
2. A Golden Harvest
From there, Dong leads you to the bread counter, which is adorned with containers loaded with golden stalks of wheat. Beneath that decoration rests numerous grain options: flaky croissants, firmly crisp baguettes, cushion soft pretzels and more, and Dong is quick to note that all those options are fresh baked everyday.
3. Cheese, Glorious Cheese!
Nearby sits the cheese counter, located next to an artfully placed arrangement of stones. Here, under a glass dome, is where you’ll find the “most delicious food known to man”: fragrant blue cheese, colorfully flecked fruit cheese, gooey soft cream cheese and gloriously pale feta, all of which are imported.
4. Showtime
You pass by the deli counters, then pause to ogle platters of roast beef, flakey tender pork, and other options. Nearby, a mother and daughter wait as a chef takes their request and pan fries a steak before their eyes. At a far counter, you notice that another chef is putting on a similar performance for teppanyaki lovers.
Dong explains: “The overall design of 360° Casual Dining creates a casual, energetic, interactive and easy to approach atmosphere that is relaxed and fun. Guests are entertained by our skilled chefs at the various show kitchen stations, which helps to liven up the atmosphere and promotes interaction between guests and the staff.”
5. Kid-Friendly Considerations
Dong then points out the kid-friendly features that help children relish their visits to 360, which also allow parents to relax and enjoy themselves as well. He mentions the facility’s adjacent kids play area, complete with a ball pit, slides and a massive swing; as well as an “exclusive buffet table for children,” made ready at every Sunday brunch, and complete with kid-friendly portions and spice and bone free fare suitable for young palates. He adds that Sunday brunches around holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day feature special events, games and activities for kids.
Dong says the next special seasonal brunch will be Thanksgiving-themed, and will feature traditional turkey and other holiday-themed treats. He also adds that there is one other special 360° feature that will delight kids of all ages, especially parents that are in touch with the inner child: the dessert section of the buffet, complete with cheese cake, French egg pancakes that can be topped with a wide range of fruits, a chocolate fountain and – best of all – the Hilton’s homemade ice cream, all which garnered 360° a tbj Reader Restaurant Award.
This assortment of sweets are a fitting way to finish a whirlwind meal complete with eye popping on site preparation, freshly prepared ingredients and, above all, a full range of choices for a variety of tastes.
As the first international business and convention hotel at the airport, Hilton Beijing Capital Airport offers five-star comfort and unique convenience for people in transit, business travelers, trade fair visitors and event organizers. With 322 luxurious guestrooms, all with 3.5-meter-high ceilings and finished to the highest standard with sound-proofed floor-to-ceiling windows and comprehensive in-room facilities, the Hilton Beijing Capital Airport is one of the largest hotels in Beijing. Guests can enjoy an extensive range of food outlets featuring the most distinctive Chinese regional cuisines as well as classic Western and Asian dishes in their choice of four stylish restaurants, with a total of 32 private dining rooms.
For more information on how to book your room, and avoid the stress and anxiety of rushing to the airport at the last minute, click here.
This post is sponsored by the Hilton Beijing Capital Airport.
Photos by Uni You and courtesy of the Hilton Beijing Capital Airport