Better than Hakka at Oleo!
(By the way, all restaurants at Oleo are for hotel guests only since it's All-Inclusive)
My family and I had the best dining experience at Almar. The food, service, and ambiance is the best among the other restaurants in Oleo. (We're from Los Angeles so I've eaten lots of Japanese food there and my parents lived in Tokyo for many, many years...we just didn't think Hakka was the standout as opposed to the many travelers who says otherwise. Maybe it has changed?)
By the way, make sure to reserve! You can get lucky and reserve on the same day. It's also a pity that this place is only open for dinner. They have fantastic views for the ocean and so maybe a 6 or 7pm reservation will have the sun still out. Otherwise it's pitch black outside.
Drinks are great. Seems the same as other restaurants but the pina colada w/o alcohol is actually a slushie, which was super soft to the tongue!
Now as for food...it's important to note that it's not technically a buffet BUT you can order multiple appetizers and entrees if you'd like.
Appetizers: I recommend the Tomato Cream (soup) and Skewers. They're so fabulously fresh and seasoned. But be sure to try out other appetizers! I tried beef carpaccio for the first time and I thought it was great! Not overly salty, but tasty and tender.
Entrees: I have to admit the Chef's creation of the day, which I tried on two separate days, were average. These were lasagna and Spinach Ravioli. It wasn't packed with a whole lot of flavor and seasoning. But, I could tell the pasta itself was fresh!
Do consider the fish dishes like Catch of the day or salmon. We had beautifully seared and seasoned Mahi Mahi with vegetables that weren't bland as well. I myself haven't tried the salmon but it looked awesome when the other table had it.
Desserts: Chocolate lava cake with the fruit at the bottom was amazing. The apple pie is too sweet for my taste, but it's definitely the traditional American apple pie sweetness. Though they've prepared it differently by having the apple portion showing on the top that was sitting on a thin crust at the bottom.
Lastly service is fantastic. Servers like to strike a conversation with you and it's not pushy or unnatural. Our main server was wonderful! I forgot his name but it starts with a N and I took a picture with him. Thanks lad! read more