Anywhere from last Thursday evening through the weekend, Americans and non-Americans alike celebrated a traditional Thanksgiving holiday with a big meal. Some made their own feast at home and others went out to a variety of restaurants with holiday menus. It’s a special holiday for Americans, full of history and with warm feelings of family, friends, and giving thanks, so it’s great to be able to mark the occasion no matter where we happen to live.
But sometimes, the best laid plans don’t quite pan out…
This year my family decided to dine in, ordering from a local restaurant to be delivered at 6:30pm. But 6:30 came and went. Then 6:45. My girls were getting hungry and cranky, and finally by 7pm I called to inquire. “You mean it hasn’t been delivered yet?” was the response, followed by a prompt apology and promise to have dinners delivered shortly. Around 30 minutes later, the delivery man came to our house and I watched him take out four dinners of food sideways. All of our meals were a mushed mess, there was no dressing for our salad, and we all had the wrong pie. It was a disappointing finish to our “traditional” evening.
However!
My girls and I tried again over the weekend, this time going to the 360° Restaurant at Hilton Capital Airport, where they have weekend brunch buffets — this one with a special Thanksgiving display of goodies.
It’s hard not to be impressed with the incredible assortment of food stations – from fresh seafood, to a noodle bar, with salads, fruits, bread/cheeses and an incredible dessert section, plus so much more! You can go up as many times as your stomach can handle and never tire of the selection and taste. For traditional Thanksgiving fare, there was roasted turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and many pumpkin flavored dishes.
The staff is incredibly attentive and you never wait for drinks, a clean plate or anything. While you can sit around literally for hours enjoying the food, you don’t ever feel rushed or crowded in the vast dining space. Kids can enjoy the wonderful play room down the hall (supervised) – young ones might like the ball pit or giant building blocks; older kids can play Wii or spin around on the rotating tree swing.
The thing is, 360° is NEARBY. It’s a great weekend brunch location, close enough to enjoy without having to head to the city. We sometimes forget airport location options for dining, but this was a sweet reminder that there are real possibilities in that area.
Prices for the Sunday buffet brunch: with juice or soft drinks, RMB 298; with wine, beer or soft drinks, RMB 338; and with free flowing champagne, RMB 368. Kids 6-12 cost RMB 149 and children 5 and under are free.
Holiday or not, 360° is very much worth the visit, and you’ll likely be back again and again. It certainly more than made up for our disappointing Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, something we Americans are quite grateful for!
Note: 360° will feature Christmas Festive Brunches on Sunday, December 23 and Tuesday, December 25 from 11:30am-3pm. Traditional Christmas specials include turkey, roasted honey glazed ham, Christmas pudding flamed with brandy, mince pies and more. Prices for the holiday buffet are slightly higher: RMB 338 with juice and soft drinks; RMB 398 with free flowing beer, wine and champagne. Call 6458 8888 ext. 8001 for reservations.
Photos provided by Hilton Capital Airport.
