We had never eaten at Fresh before this breakfast in December. A couple of reasons: (1) we’re rarely at this resort in the mornings and (2) it’s a buffet with an a la carte option [much like Garden Grove]… However, we’ve decided that we should give eateries at the Swan and Dolphin resorts that AREN’T bluezoo a chance 🙂
So, a few words about the restaurant.
It was very easy to get a table on Sunday morning (9 ish).
The buffet was unimpressive and the lines were huge. There were a lot of kids in here, kids who hadn’t been taught much of anything about hygiene or manners (grabbing food off the buffet with their bare hands and eating as they walk back to their parents who were busy on their cell phones not busy parenting)… Needless to say, we were very glad that we didn’t get the buffet.
Our server, Zakia, was great. Very attentive without being intrusive. Great guest recovery (our first pot of decaf coffee was very bitter – no questions, no arguments, just a fresh pot of coffee right away). And the manager Josie, was also very nice, she checked by with us twice to make sure that we were doing okay.
On to the food…
I ordered the smoked turkey hash with spinach, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce
NIck ordered a traditional breakfast – eggs over medium, Cib’s smoked turkey sausage, potatoes, and an English muffin
small English muffin
housemade jam – mixed berry, strawberry, and peach
I thought my dish was very good (although after getting it, I was glad that it was my breakfast and not Nick’s – loads of black pepper). The edges of the hash were crispy (it was like it had been deep fried), the interior was moist. The spinach was a nice sized portion. The eggs were smooth. And the hollandaise was tart and lemony. I was pleased with my choice, but I won’t be running back to have it again… which is a bit of a shame because the server and the manager were both quite nice.
interior of my hash
Nick’s turkey sausage was smoky, tasty, and good but there was some herb that didn’t really agree with him.
Cib’s smoked turkey sausage
Overall, his breakfast was a bust. He actually said that it was a $15 joke.
The a la carte menu was very limited (especially compared to Garden Grove) and the buffet is in the dining area (whereas Garden Grove’s is off to the side, you don’t have to look at it all the time).
So, it was a $50 breakfast (overpriced) and not too tasty.
Breakfast at Fresh Mediterranean is not a repeatable experience as it exists now. Maybe we’ll have better luck with lunch?
@extrawdwmagic It’s been forever since I’ve eaten there. The breakfast was actually not bad at all!
I was disappointed with Fresh for breakfast too. The food was fine on our visit, but the service and price were disappointing. Danny and I dislike buffets, so we were miffed when our waiter plopped the a la carte menus on our table, then indicated where the buffet was and disappeared. Since he never came back to take our orders, we made do with the buffet, but weren’t happy about it. It too was an expensive joke.
We’d heard such good things about Fresh for breakfast that we had high hopes. Like you said, too costly and poor quality. Not what we’ve come to expect from The Swan and Dolphin.