Their buffet breakfast is not worth the price unless you eat like a bear in the morning. I didn't see anything exciting or out of the ordinary, and way below other buffet breakfasts I have experienced in hotels overseas. I think most people would be better off ordering a la carte.
The chia pudding was absolutely yummy. Very fresh and creamy, crunchy flavoursome nuts, sago pudding sort of texture, and the berry compote at the bottom was delicious, and not too sweet. I ordered a soft boiled egg as side. Two were served to me, and when I said I had asked just for one, the explanation was that they serve the eggs in pairs. Nevertheless, the eggs were perfectly cooked.
The muesli breakfast should be called something else because there wasn't any muesli in my muesli. It was carrot "muesli". To be honest, the breakfast was yummy and it didn't taste of carrot, it has great colour, textures and flavours, so I loved it, but I was expecting a proper muesli. Carrot is not a muesli, pardon me. I ordered a soft boiled egg on the side. There were only three tables with people, but it took the kitchen an eternity for my breakfast to be served, and the two things came apart despite being ordered at the same time. This time they got the number of eggs right but it wasn't a soft boiled egg, it was a slow-cooked egg that had gotten cold by the time I ate it.
Thee zucchini lasagne tasted great thanks to a olive-and-tomato pesto that enhanced the flavours of the raw zucchini. However, despite this being a late lunch and the restaurant having three tables with people, and only one to serve (mine), the food took a while to come, and when it came the lasagne was mostly cold, a bit tepid on some parts. I get that the raw zucchini is going to be cold if it is raw but, if the rest of the ingredients were hot, one would not get the whole dish cold. This was a bit of put of, really, because it was not summer when I visited and one expects any lasagne to be hot.
The Moroccan carrots were wonderful in their simplicity with a very soft dressing, mint, crunchy almonds, some sultanas and quandons.
The pork belly was really lovely, regarding textures, quality of the meat, and flavours, however, the puree there was less than a spoonful of pure on my dish, the sauce was like a few drops and the pork belly was quite solid, not juicy or grassy, so once the sauce and puree ended, that is, in a second, the dish turned into a very dry thing to eat.
The kale side was really good. Kale is a fussy vegetable to cook, not easy to get right regarding coction and texture. This was perfect and the sauce added really complemented the Kale.
Heirloom is a hotel restaurant. Although pleasant and comfortable, it lacks character and doesn't feel like a proper restaurant. At night the ambience improves considerably, yet, nothing that would bring me there unless I wasn't staying in the hotel. They use paper napkins in the morning but fabric ones at lunch and dinner, something I really appreciate.
The waitresses are lovely, but the service at the kitchen is slow, something I found inexcusable because they charge you top buck and there were very few people on any of my visits. Moreover, in one of my visits, a lady who arrived way after I did was served before I did and given the royal treatment, something I always consider unprofessional. The service was mostly slow, the food seemed to take quite forever to come out despite the very few people in the restaurant, they were getting the orders wrong and there was a clear lack of communication between the kitchen and the rest of the staff or vice versa. The same lack of communication existed between the reception desk and the restaurant reception as they didn't communicate much either; I was told that the first breakfast was included in my booking and I didn't sign any receipt, but then I was told at reception that no way and was treated as I was trying to cheat a meal.
The food is overpriced in most cases because, except for the meat and fish mains courses, the ingredients used are very cheap and the portions quite small.
OVERALL
Worth a visit! Good healthy food, great if you love Paleo, but also expensive. Lovely stuff but chaotic service. That is always the manager's fault.
