Save room for dessert. Pic: M T Davis

FAR from the gaze of the passing public, the Traders Hotel poolside is the latest dining venue to offer a lavish BBQ buffet for the hungry masses this summer.

The balmy evenings currently enjoyed in Yangon are ideal for outdoor dining and if you can’t be by the seaside while enjoying a BBQ, then poolside must be about the next best option.

There is strong competition in this dining category, particularly among the large hotels, with different interpretations of what a BBQ is. Traders Hotel has genuinely lifted the bar, at least in terms of the variety of food on offer for diners.

Priced at US$18 per person, the American-sized feast presents a selection of over thirty dishes, ranging from mouth-watering seafood and standard BBQ fare through to fresh vegetables, salad and a variety of soups and quasi-Asian concoctions.

Three rounds of sampling was almost too much food for one to take in – but our dining team was up to the challenge and particularly enjoyed the marinated calamari.

With my dining companion’s eye on the prize, we were careful to keep a little space for the dessert menu. On top of the large selection of food already mentioned, the immaculately presented desserts are a sight to behold.

Not usually much of a sweet tooth, my arm was twisted to sample something from the aesthetically-pleasing stash of cakes – incredibly, the main item on display was the same as my dinng companion’s wedding cake.

The tiered-cake, covered from top to bottom in tantalising toffee, dominated from a distance but I was sold on the smaller options. These included chocolate éclairs, strawberry tarts, cream puffs and apple strudel (all served with ice cream), which presented a more formidable dining challenge than I first thought. There are just too many choices – not that one should complain about this, of course.

With unlimited beer and soft drink to help wash down the courses also included in the deal, guests at the Traders Hotel BBQ banquet could be forgiven for losing a significant chunk of their night to this lavish dining experience.

Traders Hotel provides a great BBQ experience, combining the essential elements of summer – good food, drink and weather.