http://sparklette.net/food/buffet-town/ http://sparklette.net/food/buffet-town/#comments Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:00:56 +0000 Jasper Aston Lim http://sparklette.net/?p=1228

Buffet Town is the new kid on the block of buffet restaurants. Located at Raffles City where Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar used to sit, the restaurant aims to be the ultimate international buffet venue with an offering of over 300 food items.

Buffet
Lunch (Mon-Fri): Adult $23.80++; Child $16.80++
Lunch (Sat-Sun, Eve of and PH): Adult $28.80++; Child $16.80++
Dinner (Mon-Thu): Adult $33.80++; Child $19.80++
Dinner (Fri-Sun, Eve of and PH): Adult $38.80++; Child $19.80++
Buffet rating:

Priced very reasonably for a buffet conveniently located at the heart of Singapore, it’s no wonder that the 450-seat restaurant is bustling with activity even on a weekday evening!

Mussels

As with all buffets these days, the seafood counter is a big hit and always crowded. Many diners can be seen piling up their plates with seafood. Look out for the big and juicy freshly shucked oysters.

Chilled crayfish and prawns

Maki

At the Japanese counter, the food is replenished quickly, ensuring that the freshest quality is always made available to diners. Check out the large assortment of maki rolls, ranging from the usual California rolls to asparagus. Hand-rolls are also prepared à la minute by the chefs on duty.

Assorted maki and sashimi

Grilled chicken

The hot food section is one of the largest I’ve seen, stretching around almost the whole of the restaurant interior. You will not be disappointed with the variety of items, ranging from grilled to deep-fried, and even curries!

Western stews and curries

Forrest pizza

Boasting a thin crust and a generous serving of ingredients and mozzarella cheese, it’s no surprise that the pizzas are snatched up almost as quickly as they are replenished!

Fish and chips

One of the most important components to a good fish and chips is the breading. The fish and chips served here have just the right crispiness — a pleasant surprise for this commonly overlooked dish.

Pasta station

A highlight of Buffet Town is the pasta station where you get to create your very own pasta. Simply choose the ingredients you fancy from choices like seafood, mushrooms and even bacon, then select your preferred pasta and sauce.

Penne aglio olio

While my penne aglio olio is packed with yummy ingredients, too much black pepper has been used, hence overpowering the dish. I also try a bowl of creamy spaghetti, in which the cream sauce is lacking and prawns are undercooked.

Roast beef

The restaurant has a few main dishes that are refreshed on a regular basis, namely the carving of the day and Chinese herbal soup. I enjoy the roast beef, which is tender and nicely cooked to pink.

Old cucumber soup

Tempura

Go for the tempura, which is executed to a crisp delight. The sweet potato and ladyfingers are unanimous favourites.

Teppanyaki

Fill your plates with the meats and greens from the teppanyaki station. The chefs are friendly and ever ready to cook up a storm with your selected items. A pity that there is no alert system to inform you when your order is done, which sometimes results in collecting a plate of food that has already gone cold.

You would also find chefs hard at work grilling Japanese and local items.

Grilled pineapple

These skewers of grilled pineapple provide an interesting combination of textures and flavours, and complement the sweet satay meats.

Grilled skewers

The scallops and mussel mentai are highlights from the Japanese grilled section, cooked to perfection and still retaining the fresh seafood goodness. Best enjoyed when they are fresh off the grill!

Mussel mentai

And we’re still not done with this review yet! Buffet Town also has quite a few booths — like the adorable mini rojak stall — dedicated to serving Singapore local favourites.

Rojak station

Carrot cake

The carrot cake is just the way I like it — chunky, slightly sweet and savoury.

Laksa

While my dining companion enjoys the laksa, I feel it could have used more spices and chilli.

Hainanese chicken rice

The chicken rice may be a bit dry, while the meat is just the right oiliness and very flavourful.

Chilli crab

Sinful, but oh-so good, the scrumptious chilli crab gravy is finger-licking good and couples well with the deep-fried mantou.

Coffee and tea station

Having a ‘kopitiam’ right within the restaurant is a stroke of genius! After a heavy meal, there’s nothing better than to kick back and unwind with your favourite kopi-O or teh-si!

For those who prefer something else, there are also drinks machines, and even soy milk.

Soy milk

Mini cakes and éclairs

Not to be left out is the desserts selection. Aside from the usual cakes and tarts, you can also opt for green bean soup, cheng tng or even make your own ice kachang!

Ice cream

While the goreng pisang and waffles are nothing out of the ordinary, I find the ice cream flavours surprisingly tasty and appealing. Do try the rich chocolate as well as macadamia, which has a smooth, subtle sweetness.

Buffet Town has its share of hits and misses. While it is not on par with the high-end buffet establishments, it offers diners a very good range of items at an affordable price. As it is still relatively new, I expect improvements and better things to come.

Have Your Say!

Where can you enjoy the best value buffet in Singapore? Share with us in the comments!

Buffet Town
Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road #B1-44E
Singapore 179103
Tel: +65 6837 3793 | Website

Opening hours:
Lunch: 11:30am to 3pm daily
Dinner: 6pm to 10:30pm daily

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As much as I love the daily themed set meals that were available at the restaurant from day one, the new menu boasts a far better variety in terms of cuisines and dishes. Whether you’re in the mood for a hearty steak, a healthful salad or a satisfying hor fun, you will have no problem finding a dish that suits your palate.

And boy, are the portions generous.

Nasi Goreng “Istimewa”
S$13.80++

The Nasi Goreng “Istimewa” would appeal to anyone that loves nasi lemak or satay — it gives you the best of both worlds! The impressive food galore of Indonesian spicy fried rice with a fried chicken wing, fried egg, roasted peanuts, prawn crackers, ikan bills and chicken satay is served with a shot-glass of peanut gravy.

Crispy tempura soft shell crab
S$11.80++

Another satisfying number is the crispy tempura soft shell crab. On paper, the mishmash combo of shredded mango, green papaya and carrot with two deep fried soft shell crabs seems like an unlikely pairing. Fusion may be a dirty word, but it all tastes pretty good together, especially with the Thai sweet chilli sauce.

Abalone seafood laksa
S$18.80++

One of the best-selling items here is the abalone seafood laksa, and it’s not hard to see why. The laksa arrives in a huge bowl, chock-full of abalone, prawns, scallops and rice noodles. The 1-for-1 laksa promotion with certain credit cards doesn’t hurt either. My only gripe is that the gravy isn’t as thick and fragrant as I would like, especially having grown accustomed to what I personally find is the best laksa in town.

Black glutinous rice dessert
S$4.80++

The Asian dessert of the day offers a touch of nostalgia. On this day, black glutinous rice dessert is served, prettily drizzled with coconut milk. The natural sweetness and pandan fragrance is heavenly.

Know any other hidden gems? Share with us in the comments!

Re!Fill
Hotel Re! @ Pearl’s Hill
175A Chin Swee Road
Singapore 169879
Tel: +65 6827 8226 | Website
Service:

Opening hours: 7am – 11pm daily

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Having satay without a decent peanut gravy would be incomplete. I can never understand why some people would choose to eat it without a dip. It’s like eating barbecued stingray without the sambal!

Some satay sellers even go the extra mile of adding a dash of pineapple sauce to the peanut gravy! Very few sellers do this though; I’ve only had it at Old Punggol Satay before. But recently I came across another stall — dong li cooked food at the recently reopened Chinatown Complex Market — that does the gravy the same way!

Satay (pork/chicken/mutton)
S$0.50 a stick
Rating:

Some may argue that satay gravy should be eaten the way it is, without the fusion with pineapple sauce. But that little bit of pineapple really spices things up, or should I say, zests things up! It adds a whole new layer of flavour to your usual sweet peanut gravy.

The peanuts here are ground extra fine, so the gravy is extremely smooth (but certainly not watered down) and slides down the throat easily.

The satay — pork, chicken or mutton — costs 50 cents a stick and a minimum order of ten sticks is required. (remember the good old times when satay cost just 30 or 40 cents?) top it up with the lontong (rice cakes) if you wish, also at 50 cents each.

I was so impressed when the satay came within 5 minutes. That has got to be the shortest time anyone took to deliver my satay! Having said that, I found the meat to be slightly tough. But the excellent gravy and quick service really cannot be faulted.

So the food isn’t halal. But to my Muslim readers, fret not. I sure know where you can treat yourself to the best halal satay in town!

Shui Jing Bao (crystal dumpling)
3 for $2
Rating:

In addition to satay, the other item that the stall sells is the shui jing bao (crystal dumplings). The vegetable filling is delicious, and goes great with the sweet-tasting sambal chilli.

My only gripe is that the dumpling skin is rather thick. So you somewhat get the feeling that you are eating more of the skin than the filling. The sambal chilli is really awesome, but a delicate translucent skin like how they do it at tiong Bahru lien fa shui jing bao would have made it perfect.

In any case, the food here is great-tasting and service is lightning fast. Whether you’re looking for a full meal or just some nice after-meal snacks, dong li cooked food is well worth checking out.

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Food on a stick is always fun to eat! That’s why satay is one of my most favourite food. Most of the time I would satisfy my satay cravings at stalls #7 and #8 in Lau Pa Sat, which I have raved about over and over again. In my opinion, that particular stall is where you would find the best satay in Singapore.

But today, I highlight a different satay stall that is slightly away from town. Old Punggol Satay is run by Chinese folks. The food is strictly non-halal, with pork being offered as well. Muslims would have to sit this one out, sorry!

Satay
S$0.50 per stick
Rating:

For 50 cents a stick, you get a good-sized portion of diced meat on the skewer, with options of chicken, mutton or pork. The tender meat slides off the stick easily, so you need not overwork those jaw muscles. Most importantly, the meat is nicely marinaded and perfectly grilled — neither too burned nor too underdone.

Even the ketupat (rice cake, also 50 cents each) is beautifully wrapped in pandan leaves, with the sweet fragrance permeating through.

The one key factor that distinguishes Old Punggol Satay from your run of the mill satay stalls is the peanut gravy dip. The special gravy is served with a large dollop of mashed pineapple sauce atop, resulting in an additional and much welcomed layer of flavour.

Very shiok!

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Do you know that there’s another satay place in town that shares a very similar open-air dining concept? In fact it’s very near Lau Pa Sat, at the aged but still functioning Malaysia-owned Tanjong Pagar Railway Station!

How often do I ride the railway? Almost never! Only very recently have I heard of the dining area within the railway station. This part of the station is not exactly visible from the main road. If someone hadn’t told me about it, I would never have known that it existed!

Photo by scyll24

There are a few canteens and food courts within the station with mostly Muslim stalls. After all, this whole place, as well as the land it sits on, is owned by Malaysia.

Like Lau Pa Sat, a street by the side of the station is catered for outdoor dining. Indoor seating is available too, but personally I find greater enjoyment in dining under the stars!

I spot the lone satay man plying his trade in one corner, and excitedly order a few sticks from him (a few just in case the food isn’t too yummy). I don’t have to wait long.

Satay (meat skewers)
S$0.50 per stick
Rating:

The food sure seems promising! The glazed chicken meat looks extra juicy, too! But alas, both the meat and peanut gravy turn out to be really bland! You can probably tell from the picture that the gravy is extremely watered down. Argh!

What a shame. After hearing a couple of people proclaiming this to be the best satay in town, I am rather disappointed!

In the end, I got my yummy satay after all — back at Lau Pa Sat!

Nonetheless, I must say that dining in such a casual alfresco setting is pretty cool. It makes you feel like you’re right in Malaysia (without having to actually be there)!

(Update on September 4, 2009: after paying another visit to this railway station, it seems that the outdoor seating is no longer available!)

Satay stall (no name) ( Halal certified)
Tanjong Pagar Railway Station
30 Keppel Road
Singapore 089059

Bus services: 10, 30, 57, 80, 97, 100, 131, 145, 97E
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar

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]]> 11 http://sparklette.net/food/best-satay/ http://sparklette.net/food/best-satay/#comments Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:43:35 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/archives/best-satay-literally-the-best-satay/ One of my favourite local delights is chicken satay (meat skewers), and it has to be the Muslim version. Somehow satay made by the Chinese just don’t seem to taste as good, perhaps due to a different use of spices.

The best place to get good satay is probably Lau Pa Sat, where there is an entire street dedicated to satay stalls! Competition is fierce; satay sellers from the various stalls would actively approach potential customers. There are more than a dozen satay stalls. So which is the best one?

For the past 5 years (at least), I have been a die-hard fan of stalls 7 and 8. They call themselves Best Satay, and I totally agree with them! In fact, an old blog post that I wrote years ago praising their satay is still being displayed prominently on their stall front!

Being an avid satay eater, I have honed my skills in sifting out the good satay from the bad. In my opinion, good satay should have the following:

- tender and moist meat
- decent-sized meat
- rich marinade that penetrates the meat
- meat that slides off the skewer easily
- grilled to perfection
- tasty peanut gravy that is neither too oily nor watered down
- fresh onion and cucumber

Satay (Meat Skewers)
60 cents per stick
Rating:

Stalls 7 and 8 exceed all my above expectations! And that’s not all. The sellers are always friendly and obliging, even going the extra mile to provide water and paper napkins for customers to wash their hands afterwards!

In my opinion, they really are the best satay stall around. I try to visit them at least once a week! Look out for the friendly lady boss, Ainon. She knows me by my Chinese name “Wan Ting”. The next time you go there, do help me say hi!

Best Satay (Stalls 7 & 8) ( Halal certified)
Lau Pa Sat
18 Raffles Quay
Singapore 048582
Tel: +65 6741 3109

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