Coming from rain soaked Julys in Belfast, summer in the Tricity is a revelation. Long sunny evenings matched by long golden beaches can’t help but put a smile on our faces and make us wonder how we will cope with the scraps of sunshine that await next year when we have returned home.

A new hobby we’ve picked up in Poland is rollerblading – a popular pastime here thanks to the long stretches of cycle paths, including a brand new strip of smooth tarmac that hugs the coast from Brzeszno to Sopot. On one sunny morning we ‘bladed’ (is that what they call it?) the 7km from central Gdansk to Jelitkowo for the annual sand sculpture display and back again – even more impressive given we still lack the ability to stop without assistance from helpful lamp posts and friendly trees.

Another summer indulgence that can’t be missed in the Tricity is the ice cream – we’ll really miss wandering into the Old Town in the evening to grab a cone of the fantastic vanilla and chocolate mieszane (’mix’) cones. I’m not sure if these are a Tricity, Polish, or even Central/Eastern European blend of icecream, but the tight swirls of rich vanilla cream and nutty chocolate make the British ‘99′ seem a bland way to cool down.

I’m yet to capture an adequate shot of the beach on the Bay of Gdansk, but the 10 mile stretch of sand that borders Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia is the Tricity’s best asset. Town planners have been smart enough to preserve a 500m strip of green belt between the sea and the city to make a trip to the beach feel like a real escape from city life – while only a few Zloty away on the tram.

The areas nearest the tram stops become crowded throngs of of bronzed young people and families, the sheer length of the beach means there is always somewhere quiet to relax and watch the boats in the bay. Take your pick as to which view you would prefer!

After reading a couple of very positive ‘reviews’ of the Sopot Sheraton Sunday brunch buffet, we decided take another trip to the seaside town and see what the fuss was about. ‘The fuss’, it turns out, is non-existent – we arrived at the Wave restaurant just after 1230 to find it deserted. It was almost embarrassing to reveal that we had actually phoned in a reservation…

To be fair, the restaurant only opened its doors at 1230 – but brunch should surely be taken before lunch? We took a table and wondered when someone would join us, to lessen the slightly awkward atmosphere evoked in a restaurant containing two customers, three chefs, four waiters and two live musicians. Ultimately we dined alone for over an hour before a trickle of a few guests (most likely from the hotel) joined us, the pleasant ‘all you can drink’ Italian white wine relaxing us and we made our trips to the vast spread of food that had seemingly been prepared just for us.

The decor in the suitably named ‘Wave’ restaurant is a lovely mix of woods, blue and white linen, adding to the subtle nautical theme. The large area is cleverly broken up with panels to make it a more intimate venue. The service (as you might expect with such a high staff to customer ratio) was excellent throughout, and soon after the waiter offered us our first glass of white wine, we were ready for all we could eat.

The food was divided into breakfast, cold starters, hot mains and a dessert cabinet. We skipped the bowls of cereal and breads and headed for the lunch end of brunch – starting with the huge cold platter was a variety of cold meats, pate and smoked salmon accompanied by rice, pasta, vegetable and garden salads and dressings. All very functional with no individual dish standing out in flavour.

The buffet hot dishes were equally pleasant, but pedestrian – pork stroganoff and salmon in a white wine sauce, served with spiced garlic potatoes, boiled vegetables and rice. The chefs also loitered at the hot food bar to provide several dishes to order. The first of these that we tried was a chicken stir fry with noodles – a bland, one note dish that was sub-student level in its execution.

However, this was balanced by the one stand out dish in the whole meal, a plate of baby pork chops grilled to order. If you do find yourself at the Sheraton, this is where to spend your all-you-can-eat points – just load up on the stuff. Perfectly cooked and full of flavour, it will make you regret wasting space on that fish pate and bread roll.

Filling up, it was time for us to move onto the dessert area. Taking up almost as much space as the hot buffet, here you will find a variety of cakes, mousses and fruits – as well as a chocolate fountain in which to dip skewers of strawberries, pineapple, melon and grape.

We tried a good selection of what was on offer but only the chocolate fountain was particularly enjoyable – the fruit skewers were fresh and chocolate smooth and plentiful.

Throughout the meal we did feel there were a few obvious things missing – where were the prawns, some beef – some apple pie and icecream? Now while you should not expect great things from a buffet, this was actually the most expensive meal we have eaten in Gdansk. That isn’t to say it was wildly expensive, but the 130 PLN (£25 at the current exchange rate) per person would have got us a perfectly cooked steak, a crayfish soup and a few beers at Hotel Gdansk which would have left us both full and satisfied.

As such it is hard to recommend – perhaps if you have a day to kill in Sopot and can make use of the inclusive wine, beer, tea and coffee then you will get your money’s worth. Otherwise, I’m sure there is better food to be had in Sopot – we look forward to finding it.

Oh and the lack of photos? The staff were so attentive that hauling the camera up to the buffet seemed a touch embarassing – and our hap hazard plating up would hardly make the food look more appealing.

2 and a half plate loads out of 5

Sheraton Sopot Buffet Lunch
Powstanców Warszawy 10,
Sopot 81-718