Spectrum — Restaurant in Jakarta

Spectrum at Fairmont is often touted as one of the premier buffet destinations, and I was eager to see if it could deliver a unique and refreshing dining experience. As someone who has visited countless hotel buffets, I entered with high expectations, particularly regarding food quality and service. Price wasn’t a concern, as long as it was justified by the experience. (sorry for lack of good photos. I'm too hungry to take a nice one)

Food

At first glance, the spread seemed promising, offering the usual suspects: noodles, dim sum, sushi, pasta, satay, and more. However, upon closer inspection, a few glaring shortcomings became evident:

Sushi & Dim Sum: Disappointingly sparse. The dim sum section had only three options (siu mai, bao, and bean curd), and the sushi selection was limited to three types of nigiri, a couple of makis, and a soggy, cold tempura.

Main Dishes: The highlights were mixed. The lamb stood out—tender, flavorful, and devoid of any unpleasant aroma. The steamed fish was excellent, probably the best dish of the evening. However, the beef dishes had some tough parts, and the chicken, while acceptable, didn’t wow. The soy pork was well-seasoned but leaned heavily on the salty side, making it better suited for pairing with rice (which I’d already had twice by then).

Desserts: A good variety, but the quality varied. Some were enjoyable, while others were forgettable.

Service

Service is where Spectrum fell notably short:

Positive: My water glass was consistently refilled without needing to ask, which was a big plus as I tend to drink a lot during meals.

Negative: One of the waitstaff bumped my chair six times (yes, I kept count) while patrolling the area. It became increasingly irritating and felt avoidable, especially given the frequency.

Unforgivable: The billing process was an absolute disaster. It took half an hour to receive my bill, during which I had to request it three times. The excuse? A queue at the payment counter. Having dined at larger, busier restaurants, this is entirely unacceptable. To make matters worse, there wasn’t even an apology for the delay.

Final Verdict

While Spectrum’s buffet initially seemed promising, the lack of variety, inconsistent food quality, and subpar service made for a disappointing experience. The painfully long wait for the bill sealed the deal, leaving me unable to recommend this establishment. For a venue with such a high price tag, I expected far better execution...

*This review is strictly for the Spectrum restaurant, not the hotel.

Fairmont is a notorious place for its luxury with very strategic location near Gelora Bung Karno. The food in this five star hotel here should be good right? Dead wrong....

Came here during a Ramadhan breakfasting event last year with colleagues. My first impression of the restaurant was very nice, the staffs welcomed me warmly. My expectation for the food here was also high (obviously since this is a 5 star hotel). I remember trying out pretty much everything they are serving in the buffet, but here where it goes wrong.

The fish doesn't taste good nor fresh, and yes it was fishy then i ordered a couple of grilled meats on the grilling station. I remember i ordered some slices of beef, some mutton satay and some chicken satay.

The beef was bland, and its hard for me to chew, felt like eating rubber for a moment there. The mutton was also chewy and it was so gamey, the chicken was okay if i am not mistaken

The foods they serve here mostly taste bland The only thing i could enjoy was the chicken skewers, the noodles and the desserts.

Clearly i was disappointed that night, the price was expensive (around 480 - 500k++ per person) and the food was not good, to top it all off, the following day i got a very bad stomachache and diarrhea, this makes me more sure that the food i ate last night at spectrum was either not properly prepared, or it was not fresh and safe to eat. A friend of mine also experienced the same thing with the diarrhea and stomach pains.

I will not return to this place...

I came back here during the pandemic and I still enjoy their top notch services in delicious food.

Before, I truly enjoy the amazing set of breakfast choices here in this restaurant. They have almost everything we have in mind for powerful, healthy and delicious breakfast. They have American breakfast, delicious bread and pastries(I love the plain and cheese croissants they have), omelette, hash brown, sausages and more. Not to mention sushi, sashimi, miso soup dan all Japanese food we can also enjoy here. Salads with various dressings, Noodles and soups are also available. While fresh fruits, juices, and fresh plates are ready for you. They also have Indian food! Those biryani chickens are to die for. For sure Indonesian food is abundant and I can’t get enough of them.

During the pandemic, we have the set menu you can enjoy and everything is carefully prepared following the health protocol. My hubby and I tried the egg Benedict, mine with hot smoked salmon and my hubby with beef sirloin. We enjoyed hash brown, sautéed mushrooms and grilled tomatoes, with tons of green salad with tangy, lemon sauce I love! Well, I can go on and on with the food LOL...

The service is undoubtedly perfect and I fell comfy enjoying my brekky even during the pandemic.

One thing for sure, I am happy to be back here again! Highly...