The latest offering from InterContinental Bangkok looks to cut out a niche among seafood lovers, specifically those who love to gorge themselves on heaping portions of crab caught from oceans around the world. The buffet also boasts many of the Sunday brunch staples you have come to expect, like pan-seared foie gras, a carvery station, fresh-made pasta, sushi, and desserts, but the main selling point here is the wealth of crab to munch on. 

 

 

We’re not exaggerating when we say, confidently, that this is Bangkok’s most crab-rich Sunday brunch. The highlight zone here is a large table in the center of the room with a huge selection of locally caught and imported types of crab—here served cold on ice in a seafood display. Think varieties like golden king crab, Chilean king crab, snow crab, and swimmer blue crab. Here is where you’ll also find six types of relish to lather on the thick slabs of crab meat that you pluck from the ice trays and pile high on your plate.   

 

 

It’s not just crab on ice here, though. As you wander the stations at Espresso during brunch, crab takes center stage as the event’s star ingredient. Many of the cooking stations, from Thai to Chinese and Japanese, use crab meat in their recipes—often elevating known favorites with chunks of silky crab meat. In the Thai corner, you’ll find crab meat in the classic khao soi and in cold salads mixed with an assortment of herbs. In the Indian corner, the ingredient takes the form of paneer crab curries and malai kofta with crab. Just a few steps over at the Chinese corner, you’ll find it in fried rice, egg noodles with creamy crab curry, and Cantonese-style crab and pork wonton soup. Over in the Japanese corner close to the entrance, you can pile your plate high with soft-shell crab maki rolls and chirashi bowls with tuna, scallops, and blue crab (just get them while you can, as on a recent visit they were among the most popular dishes in the section and got snagged up quickly). Even the fresh pasta station, another crowd favorite, offers a special spaghetti with meat sauce made out of spicy nduja sausage and crab meat. 

 

 

 

It’s not all crab at the buffet, however. The venue offers a wealth of made-to-order main dishes that diners can order to compliment the experience—and they come in full-sized portions. On a recent visit, the grilled Australian lamb chops with fresh herbs came out a perfect medium and with plenty of meat on the bone to dip into the accompanying black pepper sauce. There are five more options to choose from, including Caribbean rock lobster meat sauce, grilled Hokkaido scallop with lobster sauce, cheesy thermidor gratin Caribbean rock lobster, Australian wagyu sirloin beef steak with garlic fresh herbs and red wine sauce, and grilled tiger prawns with lemon and caper butter sauce.

 

 

If your stomach can even handle it at this point, head over to the international station and grab yourself a slice of pan-seared foie gras—pretty much a must for any Sunday brunch visit—soaked in a rich vinaigrette sauce with accompanying mango and arugula to add a bit of texture. You can also score heaps of more meat at the carving station, including roasted Australian prime rib and Iberico ham sliced and served to order. Pile some mashed potatoes and gravy on the plate and you have a full meal right there. 

 

 

You will be bursting at the seams at this point, but take some time to fill up on dessert. There are a range of pre-made desserts, like cheesecake, panna cotta, and fresh mango sticky rice with coconut milk. If you are an ice cream lover, the dessert zone also has about six different ice cream flavors. Ask the chef nearby to grab you a scoop. 

 

Rounding out the experience each Sunday is a great jazz performance from the Bangkok legend herself, Coco Lashaun, which really adds a nice bit of warmth to the dining room. 

 

 

You can catch the Sunday brunch at Espresso on the Mezzanine level of InterContinental Bangkok (just a short walk up the stairs by the main entrance) every Sunday from noon to 3pm. 

 

The base package costs B2,900/person, and for B160 extra you can score unlimited soft drinks. If you want to get boozy, free flow is available from B1,200/person, B1,600/person with sparkling wine, and B3,200/person if you want to get real fancy with Champagne. 

 

For reservations, email [email protected] or call +66 (0) 2 656 0444.