Harvest Buffet — Restaurant in Sydney

Harvest Buffet at star city: Halal food with customer service experience beyond expectations, Is it worth it?

Being random and going with the flow has never been so interesting for me, especially When it comes to service standards in Australia, I rarely get impressed, but on the night of Friday 24th of march the experience at harvest buffet in star city casino has given me different perspective.

Super hungry and thirsty, after Halal food, I rocked up the harvest buffet “see photos of harvest buffet and my quick video tour”, without booking at around 8:45 PM, knowing that walk in is not my best strategy, I was acknowledged on arrival the entry by a gentleman called Deepak, who appears to be very friendly and alert with extreme attention to customer service, and I was not wrong, he exceeded all expectations, after paying $189 for two people, I was taken to a table by Ferdi an Indonesian gentleman with all the wide meaning of what a gentleman can be or is, I will tell why later ! I thought paying about $95 per person is not cheap, however, given that it is an open buffet, eat all you want, I was informed that they close at 10 pm, so I get just under two hours to satisfy my hunger and quinch my thirst. I told my partner let us indulge and dive in action.

The buffet is diverse, with multi-cultural cuisines, starting from the left up on entry with Asian and ending with Seafood (Centered), in the middle of other cuisines like Italian, Indian and south American. There were so many dishes and hard choices to make, so I ended up deciding to try a little sample from everything and making few visits in due course, during my visits, Ferdi (the Indonesian dude) noticed that we did not buy any soft drinks from the bar at the entry, he came offering me a jug with coke at no charge, he took that initiative without any insinuation. He did not know that I had visited before many times, however, never without a booking and never decided to write a review about it, but this time things were different, the service standards impressed me biiiiiig time. I was looking for some tissue, who noticed? Of course, Ferdi was the spotter, he rushed in with multiple tissues folded nicely, before I even get to express that I was looking for some, that is what I call reading non-verbal communication, which Ferdi modelled brilliantly. I ended it all with a huge selection of desserts that were both healthy from fruits to get ready to go to the gym kind of cakes and the ultimate crème brûlée “see photos of harvest buffet and my quick video tour”.

I had to lock this experience with coffee to check that I was not dreaming, that is when I met Isabella (Filipina who has been both helpful and outstanding in her service), Isabella came to inform me that they close at 10 pm which I was aware of, after a little joke, I told her that if she wants me to leave on time, she has got to make me the coffee and bring it to me, knowing that the coffee is actually self-service, Isabella did not even blink and instantly welcomed the move and asked my partner what she would like to have. Two minutes later, she was back with two amazingly served Mochas. “see photos of harvest buffet and my quick video tour”.

The details of how we were treated were so inspirational, which intrigued me to try it again and see whether this experience will be consistent or was it one off!!. So, I returned Sunday 26th of March at about 7:15 PM with 3 people. Interestingly, we bumped into the same staff members Deepak and Ferdi, while Ferdi was busy at the entry, Deepak jumped in and took the payment $380. Interestingly, the same experience (Impressive). During this visit, Ferdi even assisted me with a place to pray for a few minutes, which was a huge move with excellent customer service orientation. Now, you know why, I said he is a true gentleman. “See photos of harvest buffet and my quick video tour”.

Halal food except anything with pork (Pig oriented) good for an outing with family or business partners to enjoy a cultural event like Ramadan. For more tips...

Updated Review

The food was terrible it is usually good or average at best. This time, it wasn't. Most of the menu consisted of potato dishes. I understand potatoes are cheap, but having four potato dishes to take up space in the hot buffet area is a little much. There was mash, wedges, curried potatoes, chaat potatoes, etc. Then we got roast beef and it was purple in the centre. This was quite disgusting.

The dessert section where the fruit was had no watermelon and consisted of rock melon and pineapple. For a multimillion or billion dollar casino, your buffet is serving cheaper and poor quality foods. At $60, a head and $5 for drinks. I left unsatisfied and hungry.

Work on your food and bring it up to par for a 4-5 star rating casino. ........

This review is based on the lunch buffet. Price: $49 plus $5 for drinks; if you are a member you get 10% off buffet price! Membership is free! (An FYI: if one person at the table orders drinks everyone else has to buy a drink.)

Customer service - friendly and courteous.

Now for the food… Let me start by saying, I have gone to this buffet numerous times since 2019 to present and it has definitely gotten better. I believe the people in charge must have listened to customer feedback and have included a bit of everything in their buffet. At first there was barely any chicken options and most items were fillers of 4 different types of potatoes and a ton of vegetables. However - I went last week Thursday and the buffet had definitely IMPROVED! It had items like roasted lamb, chicken and potatoes. Not to mention a delicious cheesy cauliflower dish and a ton of other goodies. I absolutely loved the beef bourguignon but unfortunately it wasn’t there on this occasion and it was replaced with a very tasty lamb dish.

In all honesty - I am not much of a seafood person, so I relied heavily on the other dishes and this buffet does offer something for everyone. There is plenty of veggie dishes, curries, meats for those meat eaters and of course the dessert for those of us with a sweet tooth. I loved that they had pastries at lunch time and offered more fruit! I do wish they would offer small cakes instead of the large serve yourself cakes. All those small jelly cakes or whatever those small desserts are, just aren’t my or my families cup of tea. They’re all similar variations of the same thing. Some ideas could be mini cheesecakes, tiramisu, Black Forest, opera cake, carrot cake etc. These would definitely go a long mile, or even a decent chocolate cake that doesn’t have that jelly consistency on the top.

Harvest buffet you’ve definitely lifted your game with the main food. Now focus on better desserts and you’ll definitely earn...

Had dinner at Harvest Buffet on a Saturday night in August 2023. Although there was fresh seafood, including prawns, mussels, and crab, the overall food range was ordinary at best. It felt more like the kind of food you would expect to find at a local club's mediocre buffet rather than an establishment like the renowned Star. Disappointment loomed as we looked forward to a delightful gastronomic experience, especially with the hefty price tag of $110 per head. Regrettably, it was hard to justify any value in what we experienced that evening.

The evening began with excitement as we entered the upscale restaurant, hoping to indulge in a luxurious spread of delectable dishes. The fresh seafood station did show promise with its variety, but upon further exploration, the other stations fell short of expectations. The main courses were limited and lacked creativity, leaving us craving for more diversity and innovative flavors. Even the dessert selection, often a highlight at buffets, failed to impress, with only a handful of uninspiring options.

Unfortunately, the disappointment did not end with the food. The service was utterly disheartening, contributing to the overall unsatisfying experience. It felt strange and disheartening that at precisely 9:45 PM, the staff rushed us to finish our meals and leave. Surprisingly, nearly 80% of the tables around us remained empty, and there were no additional guests waiting for a table. It was as though they were eager to close for the night, and we were an inconvenience rather than valued patrons.

To make matters worse, we still had plenty of food left on our plates when we were told to vacate the table. It felt rude and disrespectful, as if our money was only welcome until a specific time, regardless of the amount we had spent on the lackluster dinner. The service staff displayed a lack of attentiveness throughout the meal, rarely checking on us or refilling our water glasses, leaving us feeling neglected and frustrated.

Overall, the evening at Harvest Buffet left us with a sour taste in our mouths, both literally and metaphorically. The unimpressive food selection and disappointing service dampened what should have been a delightful dining experience. At $110 per person, we expected a memorable and enjoyable evening, but sadly, it fell short of our expectations. Unless significant improvements are made, we cannot fathom returning to Harvest Buffet...