3 Posh Hotel Buffets Under $40
Where to get a fabulous spread of good food in an atas setting at a reasonable price. (A version of this story first appeared in Issue 1394, July 6, 2017.)
This year’s Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand awards for Singapore were recently handed out. But do they really represent the best meals you can have here for under $45? These three luscious buffet spreads — that are all in five-star hotels and cost below $40 per head — beg you to reconsider.
THE LOOK: The hotel’s quietly elegant new cream, lavender, and dark wood-hued Lobby Lounge — a sprawling area that was unveiled in May after an eight-month makeover — is the very unhawker-ish setting for this meal. Not that we’re complaining. Now we can have some of our fave local fare served to us by gracious waitresses as we plonk ourselves on cushy chairs, dig our feet into gorgeous carpeting and enjoy robust air-conditioning. The centrepiece of the dining area: an impressive feature wall by celebrity landscape designer Charlie Albone, from which a mini jungle of live plants cascades.
Chilli Crab and Mantou
THE FOOD: Most of the dishes on the a la carte main course list (Prawn Noodle Soup by Beach Road Prawn Mee, Bak Chor Mee by Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle, Katong Laksa by The Original Katong Laksa, Fish Bee Hoon by Ka Soh Restaurant, Hainanese Chicken Rice by the hotel’s culinary team and Chilli Crab & Mantou by Dragon Phoenix Restaurant) are worthy, generously sized recreations of the original versions. The latter even comes with half a fat Sri Lankan crab, never mind that the gravy has a too-sour tang. But the Bak Chor Mee (see main pic) is something else — it’s a dry version topped with stewed mushrooms that’s accompanied by a rich, briny soup laden with quality fish maw, tender pork slices and a runny egg. The soup is so good, we’ve returned for it already.
Fish Bee Hoon
Note that only the main course is served to you. You help yourself to the rest of the buffet, a mix of Peranakan and Chinese dishes like Nonya Curry Chicken, Sambal Sotong, Kueh Pie Tee and Popiah that complement the mains nicely. Just remember to save room for dessert: a selection of yummy handmade kueh from popular purveyor HarriAnns, including our fave Rainbow Lapis, which looked stiff but turned out to be surprisingly soft and yielding.
BOTTOM LINE: There are those who believe that spending money on a buffet of local food is a waste of money. This levelled-up Singapore spread, with its quality ingredients and posh setting, might change their minds.
2. Dim Sum Buffet Lunch at Jade, The Fullerton Hotel
Price: $39 ($19 for children aged between 6 and 11 years)
Available: Weekends only. Two seatings: 11am-12.45pm and 1.15pm-3pm.
THE FOOD: When it launched in 2009, the buffet offered mostly dim sum dishes. Now the list of 55 items stretches far beyond dim sum — there are soups, appetisers, zi char-style main courses, congee, noodles and dessert. Even Jade classics like the popular Roasted Five-Spice & Sea Salt Pork Belly and Deep-Fried Prawn with Wasabi Mayonnaise are on the menu, though a better recommendation would be the melt-in-the-mouth Sauteed Sliced Beef with Spring Onion & Ginger, which the restaurant manager tells us is made with Japanese wagyu.
Some items, like the crisp-on-the-outside, fluffy-inside Golden Mantou Stuffed with Chilli Crab Meat and the comforting Braised Bird’s Nest with Truffles & Egg White in Superior Broth are limited to one serving per diner. But there’s plenty else to fill up with after, including typical dim sum faves such as the fairly tasty Steamed Osmanthus Char Siew Pau filled with roast pork cooked with fragrant osmanthus flower. Just don’t expect fancy presentation — many of the dishes come in individual portions (yes, even the dim sum) to minimise food wastage.
BOTTOM LINE: A formidable list of fairly tasty if not show-stopping fine Cantonese cuisine at an affordable price — and now in a more photo-worthy setting than ever.
3. Lunchtastic Buffet at Seasonal Tastes, The Westin Singapore
Price: $32 ($16 for children aged 12 and below)
Available: Weekdays, noon-2.30pm.