cafe brio’s buffet, copthorne kings hotel

small buffet at the grand copthorne waterfront hotel along zion – this is going to be a short one, because while the buffet isn’t outstanding (pretty much at all), I thought it worth a shout-out for its quite reasonable price and decent spread.

I find buffets to be a good manifestation of the diminishing returns quandary – although there are fantastic, fantastic, large buffets that are priced equally exceptionally (by which I mean high), how much food can you really eat – and more to the point, how much do you want to pay for it?

this place is pretty much mid-priced, but I think its crowds on the weekends (especially at dinner, when there is a barbecue pit fired up serving up all sorts of meats and seafood) are testament to the fact that it feels pretty much worth its lower price (especially if you get the ala carte card, with which there is a further discount).

there isn’t much here that is fantastic, although I enjoy the roast beef when they have it, and can consume a pretty decent amount of cold prawns (usually fresh and meaty). the sashimi is more than edible, the sushi is quite lamentable, but the cooked food dishes (usually chinese and peranakan) do a good job of filling stomach space.

the dessert table is often questionable – sometimes you get a decent chinese dessert amongst the rather okay cakes, and there’s always fruit, fondue and ice cream, if you’re so inclined.

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the tldr version: cheaper than your average buffet, but decent for a family meal.

Café Brio’s Buffet
Grand Copthorne Waterfront Singapore
392 Havelock Rd, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel
Singapore 169663
tel +65 6233 1100
$$: 48++ onward (depending on lunch or dinner, weekday or -end)

the square, clarke quay

that first photo already screams buffet, does it not? and this is the hotel buffet of the novotel at clarke quay, a small one located up on level 17.

it’s a little difficult to talk about buffets, just because the format translates to far too many dishes to talk about, and very few that actually warrant that attention.

so I feel sorry about small buffets like this one – which need to go down the popular route and serve items like cold seafood (decent), sashimi (unfortunately mostly tuna) and sushi (really quite a sad selection – and also differentiate themselves.

xperience at the sofitel so, robinson road

tasty modern dining at the in-house restaurant of the new sofitel so, the boutique arm of the chain. located in the central business district, it makes sense that the restaurant does this sort of european-fusionish cooking – the clientele looks primarily business-type travelites, and it is located next to lau pa sat, which has the local thing covered.

and the cooking and flavors are pretty fantastic, though the tasting portions we were given ran a little small – it felt even smaller when I realised I actually wanted more of what was on the plate.

kilo, orchard central

I really like kilo. I don’t visit it nearly as often as I’d like, but I think very often of visiting it, which has to be the best indication of a good restaurant (cafe is more accurate here).

I’m not sure there’s a better accolade I can give it – it goes beyond the tasty food to the minimalistic, concrete-slathered space (hipster, but not irritatingly so) that’s brightly sun-filled on weekend mornings – it’s sort of what you’d expect brunch and lunch out in an (australian/ american, take your pick) town would feel like, but with air-conditioning (a definite must).

town restaurant, fullerton hotel singapore

lobsters, yes. I see I’ve got your attention.

if a photo speaks a thousand words, and we divide that by the number of lobsters and multiple it by the number of plates – we’d have an essay to rival paradise lost. plain mathematical gibberish, really.

but what I mean to say is, decent buffet, alright lobsters – and we all know that as long as lobsters are adequately edible, and free-flow, you’re going to go for it.

edge, pan pacific singapore

a singular photo for a buffet?! what blasphemy.

and yet, given it’s a photo of roast duck in laksa, I think it leaves me space for creative posturing sums buffets up very well – eat whatever you want, however you want.

that load of ‘bbish aside, this place was horrid to photograph, though the food was decent. I don’t think it was outstanding in any of the criteria we judge buffets by: quantity, quality, variety, and service – but it’s good enough to return to, just to differentiate itself from the main players (to my mind: melt, the line, and straits kitchen).

melt – the world café, town (part 2)

this is literally and metaphorically the sweet section of a review on the buffet at melt. part uno on the savouries here.

rather fantastic desserts at this buffet in the mandarin oriental. if you’ve been hanging a while here – why hello there – then you know I have a sweet tooth. the long of the short is that the desserts here span cakes, mousses, little mignardises and modernesque dessert-in-spoons, fruit and a cheese board. and a waffle maker.

fresh on-the-spot when-you-want-it piping-hot waffles from a live waffle-maker. why, hello there. 

melt – the world café, town (part 1)

probably the best buffet I’ve had in singapore – in spread and overall food quality . buffets are a tricky beast to photograph – so many things on offer, and the whole public exposure factor involved in toting a camera to every dish. too daunting – but I tried my best.

this is a photo post – largely because of the sheer volume, but in short: high quality food – not the best in themselves, especially if considered separately  – but very good for the fantastically large range on offer. even better than the line at the shangri-la, which has seen standards dwindling in the past years. heavy sticker on this one too, but we walked waddled away overstuffed and happy – so perhaps an occasional treat?

oh, and I haven’t mentioned their fantastic post-dinner sweet section eh? very impressive, this one – more on that in a later post today here!

lime at parkroyal on pickering, chinatown (part 2)

very good, concise buffet spread at the new parkroyal on pickering. so I’ve told you a bit about this place and how pretty it is in my last post – and now let’s talk about the eatin’.

I feel the need to insert a caveat here – I enjoyed this spread because it had precisely the sort of thing I like to eat, but if you come here expecting the massive sort of round-the-world line-up the shangri-la provides,  then you might be a tad disappointed. I don’t personally go in for large spreads – I once filled up on popiah (a cheap local dish of braised radish) at another buffet to the desperation of my partner – and I appreciate quality over quantity.

lime at parkroyal on pickering, chinatown (part 1)

for part 2 of this post (with photos of the food!) – here’s it!

really good international-asianish buffet at the spanking-new parkroyal at pickering. it’s managed to bring some modern cool to this area – which despite growing into a hipster enclave, has kept to kitschy old-means-retro, rather than a modern aesthetique. this post also marks my first post back in singapore, and boy am I excited about that – I have an incredible backlog of posts and so ready to share.

so, the short: one of the better buffets, a small but good spread (might be subjective), and a lovely, gorgeous space with great service and no issues you’d associate with new establishments. this first post on the place is more space-descriptive – the eating comes in the next one here!