The restaurant itself is quite nice, elegant and relaxing. The floor is made of a pleasant mix of hardwood and marble, creating a very cool and comfortable ambiance. The lighting is nice and appropriately dim for dinnertime. The walls have big windows from floor to ceiling, providing a pleasant view of the Corniche.

Everything I tried at the buffet was good, with at least two gems out of the bunch. The Habsburg also offered its usual buffet selection, but we decided to stick to the Pacific festivities as a stomach can only expand so much in a single night.

An especially nice touch was that each booth had a pamphlet with some brief facts of the country in question and the recipe for one of the signature national dishes. It was a lot of fun collecting these and discussing which we would try making, especially when some of the dishes seemed surprisingly simple to concoct.

As for the food, there was a good selection, including fried rice, a variety of fishes, oysters, mussels, spring rolls, beef spare ribs, soups and salads. While these may sound normal enough, each was done with its own twist that you would not normally expect during a more typical dining experience. For example, one of the fish dishes was prepared by wrapping it in banana leaves, burying it in the sand, and then lighting a fire atop so that the fish cooks very slowly over time. Even the oysters were served with their interesting mix of toppings as opposed to the usual lemon and Tabasco.

Being that I would commit a grave injustice to try and summarize all the dishes I tasted, I will stick to the highlights.

The Tom Yum soup was very delicious and spicy. The server poured the soothing liquid into a bowl for me and then proceeded to make a very interesting a flavorful mixture of toppings, from noodles and chicken to onions, cabbage and chilies. It made for a very flavorful and spicy soup that I sincerely enjoyed.

Then there was the mixture of minced chicken and duck wrapped in beef bacon that was a true delight to eat. Somehow, the taste and soft texture of the duck and chicken seemed to introduce itself first until the bacon made its appearance to my taste buds, and then it all melted together in a way that made my mouth water.

Then there was the Kokoda from Fiji. Prepared with Mahi-Mahi, they take the raw fish and marinate it in lime and salt for six to eight hours allowing the juices of the lime to infuse the fish over time. After that, they simply mix the fish with coconut cream, onions, hot peppers and tomatoes. They take all this and serve it to you in half a coconut. Although a bit intimidating at first, the dish tasted very pleasant. Given its inherent portability and refreshing flavor, I could easily imagine eating it while relaxing on some beautiful Fijian beach as the sun begins to set.

The dessert was quite good, although at that point I did have to struggle to put anything else in my mouth. Most of the dishes were made with Peruvian chocolates, but they also served some extremely sugary dulce de leche and a heart-warming arroz con leche. There was also a diverse selection of homemade ice creams with interesting flavors such as chile and lime or banana and sweet potato.

The Pacific Rim Festival was a very different and fun experience. The service was excellent with the general manager giving us a tour of all the dishes as we walked in. All the waiters seemed extremely excited and happy, constantly walking around with huge smiles on their faces. While this festival of feasts will only last a short time, I certainly look forward to any other events that the Habsburg may hold in the future.