Review: Brunch at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach

Disclaimer: Our brunch was hosted by SHOR for the purpose of a review. I was not compensated in any way for the review, was not obligated to give the restaurant a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Holidays are a wonderful time to enjoy a special meal together as a family. As a mom, I always look forward to that one special holiday during the year where my family spoils me. My biggest weakness is Mother’s Day Brunch. I love the variety, quality, and elegance of a fabulous buffet.

To my delight I was recently invited to dine at.SHOR Seafood Grill in Newport Beach. This gem is housed inside the beautiful Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, where lush grounds and an ocean breeze set the landscape.

The look inside SHOR is contemporary and spacious. There is an outside patio where guests can dine comfortably in the sun or the shade. The inside seating offers booths, tables, and semi-private dining where guests can close the curtains.

Service began very attentively. Mauricimo, our waiter immediately brought us fresh squeezed orange juice and Mimosas. He even made sure to bring plastic cups with lids for our kids. Then we were invited to help ourselves to the elaborate buffet which sprawled into the lobby as well as an extra room overlooking the back patio. There were so many choices that we had to tour all of the stations to decide on a starting point. We were cautious not to get overwhelmed by the dessert selections knowing this would be our last indulgence of the day. One thing I noticed while walking around was that all of the dishes and the silverware were spotless.

Every station was impeccably organized and there were cute little chalk boards with bold writing explaining all of the food that was being served. There were also gorgeous flower arrangements in the center of each station reminding me that mothers day is a day to make moms feel beautiful.

I always start off with seafood at buffets. And after seeing these plump juicy jumbo shrimp I knew I made the right choice. All the seafood was very fresh and the variety was just what we had hoped for. Next to these flavorful delights was an ice cold tray of…….

CRABLEGS…..Open faced,  meaty leg joints just waiting to be dunked in cocktail sauce. I could barely contain my excitement when I noticed the one thing I love to indulge on once a year…Caviar. It was next to the smoked salmon (lox) and there was a nice selection of crackers, capers, cream cheese, lemons and other condiments that would pair well with these items.

Let’s not forget the oysters either. There were big oysters and someone was shucking them for all of the guests. Everything was always on ice so the seafood was never warm or room temperature. If you are a novice at trying seafood they also had a sushi bar.  A sushi chef was making California rolls and spicy tuna rolls.

After all that seafood I wanted to try some something a little lighter so I opted for the salad bar. Everything there looked so healthy and fresh.

The lettuce was bright green, crisp and full of flavor.  They had a nice choice of several side salads including ceviche. The dressings were light and plentiful and they even had a whole bowl full of blue cheese crumbles and crunchy bacon bits. Anytime something started to get low a server was there to replenish it  seconds later.

Next came the Omelette bar. If I ever wanted to try a new style of omelette then this was my chance. They had eight different toppings to choose from as well as the option for scrambled eggs or any variety of a fried egg.

Bacon, sausage and potatoes were also beckoning my call. But I barely had room for it because I had to try the big Belgian waffles with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries on top.

While I sat down to attack my plate Ben the manager came over to check on us and see if we needed anything. Meanwhile my husband was making a plate for the kids. Little ones with a limited palate had their own smorgasbord to chose from.

Pizza, chicken tenders, hot dogs and gourmet pasta were on a low table which was the perfect height for little ones to be able to serve themselves. I love that they thought of this ahead of time. My older son wanted something a little more substantial so I walked him over to the carving station.

Here they had prime rib and ham. The gentleman behind the table was very accommodating and served us a perfectly thin sliced piece of meat. Next to it was a pasta bar with lobster and four cheese raviolis.

On our way back to our table I noticed they also had a granola bar where You could build your own blueberry Greek yogurt parfait..

Finally it was time for dessert. I have no words to explain the decadence that consumed me. A chocolate fountain was running with silky milk chocolate and they had homemade rice crispy treats, marshmallows, graham crackers, fruit and skewers for you to assemble all of this.

There was also a stand alone gelato bar with many different flavors that was served to you fresh from the cart.

Cookies, bars, cakes and pies  also played a part of this divine spread. The red velvet cake really grabbed my attention as did the mint french macaroons. The fruit slices were big and juicy and sliced thin, exactly how I like them.

So let’s recap the stations:

• Seafood station
• Carving station
• pasta bar
• granola/yogurt bar
• salad bar
• omelette/egg bar
• sushi/oyster bar
• dessert bar (gelato bar)
• cheese/crackers station
• Belgian Waffle Bar
• Deli Meat bar
• Bread station (rolls, bagels, etc)

SHOR seafood Grill offers this buffet two times a year. Once on Easter and once on Mothers day. Prices do vary so you would need to call ahead when making a reservation.

I have to say this is by far the best buffet I have ever had and I highly recommend this to anyone wanting a fine dining experience. Just be prepared for a food coma after it’s all said and done.