Reflect Social Dining + Lounge

I am writing about the Sunday buffet. The price varies especially if you go during a special occasion «holiday» buffet, it can be over $ 50.00 a person. However this is cheaper than at the downtown hotels. The staff here are very good and attentive and usually run off their feet.
The food quality can also vary from week to week. I find that on the slower (non-​holiday) days the selection is smaller but the staff have time to cook smaller batches of food. I wont go on to list what is available as others have done so in their reviews here. And the selections can change as well. But I find that the dressings, sauces and buns seem to be commercially made and taste” chemically”. Maybe we expect too much? Maybe they could offer fewer choices but focus on quality? It is what it is.
The cold selections are good and the seafood is plentiful. You can build a nice salad. Usually there is a roast of some type– usually roast beef– which has ranged from moist and amazing to completely overcooked and tough. The hot dishes are good enough and there is usually an omelet/​benny station which will cook your order.
If I had only one complaint it is with the desert buffet. The cakes seem to be pre-​made sheet cakes and Costco cheesecakes. The pudding tasted like a mix you would get in a school cafeteria. There are dishes of gummy bears and candy and sometimes a chocolate fountain. But this is usually not my thing. However the coffee is great and the complimentary mimosas keep on coming and are very appreciated.
The Reflect Lounge itself is kinda stuck in 2005 and the lobby décor is very sterile. It is fun to stand just inside the glass door that opens into to the Crystal Mall food court. Suddenly you go from beige non-​descript hotel hallway to raging Hong Kong chaos. Fun! Lastly, the parking lot is a trip into hell. Not so fun… but you can walk off the 3000 or so calories you just ingested, by going for a walk around nearby Central park.

I use to come here all the time before it was «Reflect Social Lounge» forgot what it was called back then when it only cost about $ 24.00 for the Sunday Brunch, now it’s $ 32.95. For 2 people it would be $ 80 + depending on how much tip you leave.
Crystal Mall parking was insane, couldn’t even get into the entrance of the parkade, cars waiting around the street on both ends? WTF!
I decided to go to the Hilton Hotel and valet park for $ 13.50, I did not want to deal with the insane parking and Chinese drivers, I can say this because I’m Chinese :) but far from it, as you can tell by the $ 13.50 parking fee ;)
I have not been here in years, it looked the same but so very different. There use to be lineups and waits up to 45 minutes, we walk in and there were 2 tables and a party 12 – 15 in the back room. Wow I couldn’t believe it, how things have changed.
Staff has always been exceptionally nice, food in the past was amazing and fresh, I use to make my reservations and pre-​order my Crème Brûlée, they do not do this anymore, they said it would be and extra charge.
The size of there buffet has shrank to about 50% (or more) of what it use to be, all the cooked items looked over cooked and extremely dry. I did not have any, and what my daughter had was just inedible, as I tasted bits of hers.
There mini pancakes where extremely hard around edges that it was difficult to cut with the fork.
I normally enjoy sausage… my daughter gave me hers after one bite and well… I spit it out as it was like eating pure fat. P
Bacon was too salty, eggs Benny was ok at best (daughter said) it’s was runny as they have the pooched eggs pre-​done and soaked it warm water ??? Hollandaise sauce was sour… way too much lemon.
There use to be lineups and waits up to 45 minutes, we walk in and there were 2 tables and a party 12 – 15 in the back room. Wow I couldn’t believe it, how things have changed.
Smoked fish/​seafood at the front of the counter where you pay ??? looked extremely dry… can’t comment on the taste as I did not eat any.
What I ate…
Prawns with cocktail sauce, I actually enjoyed these, they seemed fresh for frozen prawns.
Artichokes seemed limp and overdressed, this did not seem freshly made.
Lettuce was fresh and crispy, parmesan cheese was nice to sprinkle on salad, but the was no labels for the 3 dressings they had ?
Tomatoes where fresh, celery and carrots where dry, meaning they had that white dry look to them, they needed to be hydrated.
Not much of a dessert section, and nothing looked fresh, I love white chocolate so I grab a white chocolate pudding… I put my spoon in and it had that film on top, you know what I mean…, when moose or pudding is so old it has that layer of film, it snaps when you put your spoon in… well I went below the layer of film for a taste, it was grainy and unappetizing.
That’s it that’s all I ate… not even fruit or the roast beef :(I was so put off I didn’t want anything else.
Finished off with a warm not hot cup of coffee.
What was good… the service, the prawns the fresh lettuce.
I mentioned to the cash lady that parking was crazy and that I valet parked, she called right away to comp my valet parking. that was nice:)
I left a 15% tip based in service only, as I said top notch service, but nothing beats the service at Le Crocodile… they (⁵⁄₆ wait staff) stood by door as we were leaving with our coats and put them on us :0 all waving goodbye as we walked out the door… simply amazing ! (Which reminds me I have to write my 5 star review for them)
I’m so sad as I use to really really love this place, I took everyone here before… raved about it, but now I feel ripped off and I’m sad to say I will never come here again, even if someone paid for me, I would suggest we go elsewhere, like T & T to buy FRESH prawns and lettuce for $ 30 :)
If I had read a review like this, I would have never gone… too bad for me… good for you.
:(:(:(:(so sad :(:(:(
PS
This is a delayed post as it was in my draft for almost 3 years :0
I read in the paper the Easter buffet is now $ 49.95 :000
One thing I must say is the the special occasion buffets like Mother’s Day/​Easter etc are amazing. They really go all out for special occasions but not for regular Sunday buffets. I will now only go to special event buffets at the Hilton.

Reflect Social Dining + Lounge is located inside the Hilton Hotel in Crystal Mall. I usually avoid that mall at all costs, but the Sunday brunch at Reflect brings me in.
For $ 37 a person (children 5 and under are free) you can get:
Cold crab, mussels, cocktail shrimp, smoked salmon, eggs benedict (the Hollandaise sauce tasted too heavy, they need to work on this) scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, bacon, ham, hash brown, pancakes, oatmeal, cereals, croissants, bagels, bread, danishes, bean salad, pasta salad, artichoke salad, mixed greens, cold cuts, salmon nigiri, tuna nigiri, ebi nigiri (shrimp), California rolls, tempura rolls, couple different types of Chinese dim sum, pasta, steamed vegetables and carving station with roast beef.
Their dessert table consists of pudding, mousse, cakes, cupcakes, cheesecake, cookies and a chocolate fountain with fruits.
Drinks include any coffee, tea, soft drinks, juices and mimosas.
On top of all this, service was wonderful. I love the different options and there’s something for everyone.

Me and a friend decided to check this place on Valentine’s day for after-​dinner drinks.
The atmsophere (once the TV was turned off), service and food would probably rate 4 out of 5 stars but I knocked an entire star off for the latter part of our visit.
First, I get that we’re more «difficult» than typical visitors because we are veggies and my friend asked for a discount on the nachos we ordered, that normally came with chicken. Our server knocked off a few dollars so we appreciated that. We both ordered wine– mine was horrific. I don’t hold this against the restaurant but if you are a shiraz lover like myself then please do yourself a favour and avoid the Hardy’s from Australia. I’ve never had an Aussie shiraz, or any shiraz for that matter not be amazing but this one was awful. I had two sips and stopped. I almost feel like it wasn’t even the right wine or it had gone bad? It was that bad.
I digress– the nachos were pretty good and came with guacamole (a major coup in my book) but the containers of salsa, sour cream and avocado were exceedingly small? why?
We asked about a mouthwatering disply of desserts but we were rejected. Apparently you had to buy an entire dinner package and we had just come from dinner so not an option but something to keep in mind in the future.
Ok why the missing star then. Well my friend asked for change because she was paying cash. She got her change and I must not have been paying attention because I didn’t ask him for the machine (and he didn’t offer a machine nor offer to bring me change). I waited for the server to return to take my payment but I swear we never saw this guy again! Finally I got up and went to pay at the desk nearby the entrance/​exit to the restaurant and he came over all huffy saying he would bring the bill. He says he thought I was paying by cash. Wha? And we tipped over 20% but I wish I could take a few bucks back now because unfortunately when it’s at the end of the evening it leaves a taste in your mouth. Perhaps had he not been huffy…
[Parking underground is covered btw when you eat here.]

The place is really nice and quite. I ordered a lamb sirloin bolognaise. It’s not too salty and the pasta was cooked perfectly. The portion was huge, I barely could finished the entire plate of pasta. My mother ordered the pacific ling cod, I had a tasted of it and it was nicely seasoned. Well cooked and had nice colourful sides. The waiter was really friendly and had a positive attitude.

This was my only Dine Out Vancouver experience this year due to my busy schedule. We ended up all picking the dine out $ 40 menu even though the regular menu was also offered.
First thing I noticed that I have not seen much in awhile is complementary bread baskets! We enjoyed 3 baskets during our meal and our server was very generous to keep offering. It was fluffy white baguette slices with crispy rosemary flatbread.
For starters, I ordered the wild mushroom tarte. It was not really a tarte but felt more of flatbread pizza experience without the tomato sauce. I really did enjoy the appetizer. I also got a bite of the the octopus capriccio salad and that was my favourite. It was an asian flavoured salad with the ponzu vinaigrette. Octopus was thinly sliced and tender.
My main course was the braised lamb shank. The portion was large. There was too much food that I gave part of it away for someone else to enjoy. The lamb was tender and fall off the bone. The pan fried gnocchi was a tasty addition. I did find the au jus to be a tad on the saltier side for my preference.
The lobster thermidor and sesame ahi tuna loin looked very tasty as well. I was told there was a lobster claw or extra lobster pieces stuffed into the tail section. No complaints there if there are extra lobster pieces. Our party also ordered sides of risotto and lobster macaroni and cheese. For the price of the sides, I was very impressed with the portion size as well. There was actually lobster pieces in the macaroni and cheese. I was half expecting lobster truffle oil. I did take a bite of the the macaroni and it was pure creamy cheese goodness.
For dessert, I ordered a cheese plate. I love trying all types of cheeses. There was Brie, blue cheese and Guinness Gouda. I really enjoyed the different cheeses with the truffle honey, orange fruit preserve and candied nuts. Everyone else picked the salted caramel cheesecake. No one could tell what flavour of macaroon other than it tasted sweet. Cheesecake was pretty good in terms of presentation. I cannot comment on the taste as I did not try it.
Service was impeccable. Our server was very prompt at refilling water, clearing plates and offering bread whenever the basket was nearing empty. Even the other staff standing around would greet us as we entered and left the restaurant.
Overall, one of the better hotel restaurants I have dined at recently. It is worth another visit to try their brunch menu.

A friend was staying at the Hilton Metrotown where this lounge is located.
I wanted a few cocktails to go with my meal so we came here rather then order room service.
The lounge itself isn’t very big, but it was nicely decorated (I just loved the black granite tables !) The candles and flowers also added to the ambiance.
Service was excellent.
Fries were excellent.
My steak sandwich was not.
I sent it back twice. The waiter was great, and totally agreed with me, that it was not as I had asked for. He explained that the grill person was new, and asked what else he could get for me.
At this point, after eating all the yummy fries, I wasn’t hungry enough to order something to eat right then.
He offered me and my friend complimentary deserts, which was very kind. We took him up on his kind offer and they both were outstanding !
My friend had the Valhrona PassionCrunch, and I had the Peanut Butter Caramel Mousse Slice.
I then decided to order the Asian chicken salad to take home with me.
When I ate my salad later that night– i was so thrilled how delicious it was ! The flavour was perfect, and there was way more then a generous amount of chicken.
This was a great example of excellent customer service. He made things right, and I not only recommend this place, but I certainly will repeat.

Had a lovely dinner here with a group of ladies last night. We sat on the patio, which was beautiful and quiet. Most people chose to sit inside because of the A/​C, I suppose. The restaurant was about half-​full from what I could tell from outside.
Two of us had the Cobb Salad, another had the prawn linguine with alfredo sauce and another had the lobster mac & cheese. Everyone was quite happy with their meal and the service was prompt and attentive.
They have a decent wine list and prices are fairly reasonable. Nothing really outstanding about the food, but nothing negative, either. Solid three stars.
Just a note about the parking — based on a Unilocal tip, I parked at the Crystal Mall. However, the signs are not very clear on how to get to the hotel once you leave the parkade. I ended up going through the mall and to my surprise, there were not many signs in English. I thought I entered the Twilight Zone! I asked for directions from one of the store employees and he didn’t even look at me, just pointed and said «that way». Even the staff at the Hilton hotel were not very good with directing me when I was going back to my car. It turned out to be much simpler than what the concierge was trying to explain. Not worth the hassle. I suggest parking elsewhere.

Best brunch ever! It was actually a combination of breakfast, lunch and dinner and had everything. All the expected breakfast items plus fruit, cheeses, eggs benedict, carved prime rib, pasta, crab legs, shrimp, mussels, sushi, dim sum, etc. Unlimited mimosas and coffee. Large selection of desserts. A bit pricey at $ 34 Canadian? Maybe. The only slip up was that they were not ready at the time they were to open, so there was a bit of a rush around by the staff. The service was excellent. If you like brunch, go there!

I made a somewhat last minute reservation for Valentine’s Day at Reflect, not enitrely sure of what to expect. Even though I live around the area, I had not yet heard of Reflect, nor had I seen it, as it is tucked away in the Hilton hotel. My date and I enjoyed our meal at Reflect and had an outstanding time.
The service was impeccable; the servers were very attentive, and they were the most polite servers I have encountered in a long time.
We enjoyed the well designed and well plated Valentine’s Day menu, and we were so stuffed, we could make only one round of the dessert buffet between the two of us.
There is so much going on around Reflect’s area (Metrotown) that I am not sure if many people know about this hidden gem. This can serve as a positive note, as my date and I enjoyed a nice, quiet dining experience.

Fast friendly service with a very nice beer selection of some local beer from the Vancouver area. They have an out door area to dine or drink at but wish this would be on the top floor of this hotel to really get the benefit of the view

It’s 17 degrees out and both I and a business associate are staying at the Hilton Metrotown in Burnaby, British Columbia. Clearly it made sense to give the Reflect Social Dining restaurant a shot.
Décor can use some help and they should turn up the heat a degree or two. Otherwise the place was comfy enough.
We both started our meal off with the seafood chowder. It was quite good and I was surprised. Never expected a chowder this good. It had clams, mussels, salmon and the list goes on. Really good.
I then had a decent Cobb salad. It was a 4 star salad and definitely hit the spot. My dining partner had a really nice salad as well.
For a hotel dining experience it was great. Hey — I would do it again with no qualms.
Fyi this is one of the better Hilton properties in North America.

Maybe, and I mean maybe 3 stars for the food if you are lucky. There were 11 of us in a group and though most dishes were okay there were also simple things, like a salad, that just did not work out well.
The thing that really drove it down to one star was service… rather the lack of it. At one point before our table could even order we were thinking about going somewhere else just because of how long it was taking and in the end we stuck it out — bad move.
I never got a salad I ordered but when others left most of it at the table saying it was not that good I did not push it any further. Everything else came out in odd spurts including the drinks. The server brought the two bottles of wine we ordered and one beer to the table and then maybe fifteen minutes later the other beer the table ordered (at the same time of everything else) magically came and that was the general pace of the night.
The other thing was that there were multiple people involved in the service so it really did not seem like you could blame the twilight zone phenomena on one odd man out. Needless to say I do not think we will be going back here.

Not a bad place in the Hilton Metrotown. Wait staff is friendly and the food is good. I really enjoy the daily breakfast only because it is included. However the retail price for the Continental Breakfast is pricey at $ 16. Only a few dollars more for the meat/​egg additions. The dinners were great but again a bit pricey, glad the companies paying for it. So 3 stars for the pricing and 4 for food and staff.

The staff were excellent, especially our waitress who was very friendly and helpful but didn’t hover around constantly (that drives me crazy). As for everything else… I guess I was just expecting more because it’s in the Hilton and all.
Food was good but I got a bit sick after and to be honest the salmon was really dry — I didn’t want to say anything and be *that* person who complains about their meal at a restaurant because I was out with family who were paying for the meal. So yeah, totally underwhelmed by the food.
I also found that the restaurant itself was really dirty. The floor looked like it hadn’t been vacuumed, the base of our table was COVERED in food bits and dust and there was a dirty, used butter knife laying under my chair. I was actually kind of grossed out and I’m not really the kind of person who is super picky about stuff like that.
I don’t think I’d go back here again.

Since the Hilton lounge was closed we got free appetizers at the restaurant in the hotel. I got the tortilla soup which tasted more like minestrone soup with tortilla strips on top. The soup was super red and tasted like tomato, so I was really confused by it. We also got the mushroom arancini which reminded me of risotto balls I got in Italy. They are basically fried balls with risotto and mushrooms inside. So the soup was icky, but the arancini was delicious, so I’m a bit torn with this place. It was nice inside and the service was good, so I just give this place an A-​OK. Maybe if I ever go back I’ll try a real meal or have their Sunday brunch which looked extremely fancy.

Okay so last year I had dinner here during the Stargate 2011 convention and the food was okay, the service was a little lousy, but the morning staff were awesome and always were willing to give me hot chocolates to go. This year, during the convention, we did a rushed dinner and gave it a second shot. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! The woman who made my hot chocolates (Cecilia) was still there, she’s awesome and I’m glad to see she’s still around. The dinner was a total opposite from last time. Great service, amazing food — the crab cakes are amazing! The crab had amazing flavour, there was herbs in the crabcake that gave it nice spice, and the sauce was perfect. They even made specialty drinks for the convention and the Atlantis and the Battle Star were unbelievable. I would go back for sure! The sunday morning brunch was pretty good but I ate so fast I’d probably have to try it again another day.