La Vie En Rose's pink highlights

The central seafood buffet. Photo provided to China Daily

There is also a staffed play section for children, and a magician who visits tables performing sleight-of-hand card tricks with some light-hearted banter. It's all good fun and a nice breather from the formidable amount of food.

The main draw for many people, it seems, is the seafood. The central seafood buffet is by far the busiest station, and the oyster-shucking stand (all oysters are from New Zealand and France) has a steady stream of visitors.

I select a small portion of the salmon and tuna sashimi and half a crayfish. All the fish is melt-in-your-mouth fresh.

A seafood highlight however, is over at the roast stand, where a whole salmon is roasted to perfection with a delicious, sweet glaze. It's a far better option than the roast beef－which is a little dry, though when paired with that creamy mashed potato and a dollop of the excellent gravy it does the job.

With such exotic dishes on offer it felt a little silly to covet the lasagna, but it is my favorite, and a giant tray of it was left practically untouched. It was excellent, perfectly al dente sheets of pasta and a creamy béchamel sauce.