Buffet Town International Seafood Mixed Grill and Teppan Yaki

Buffet Town is a pretty new (about 3 months) buffet restaurant located on basement 1 at Raffles City where Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar used to be. The concept of restaurant is quite similar to Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant at Heeren's where you could see a spread of international food in different allocated stalls with 450 Seating Capacity. And for families with active kids, there is a mini playground where young children (between 2 to 8 years) can enjoy themselves with various games and parents can conveniently watch over them whilst eating too.

About three weeks ago we were there for a lunch buffet on Friday and have to join in a long queue(as there were about more than 50 people in front of us) since I could not get through their Reservation Hotline even after a few days of calling.

After about 45 minutes of queuing time we were finally being bought to our seats which were so cramp due to the overwhelming crowds that afternoon. But since everyone was hungry due to the long waiting hour we decided to start with the food without much complaints.

As my boy cannot find his favourite sushi over at the Japanese Counter he decided to settle with some chicken rice. According to him the rice was a oily and not fragrant compared to the usual one he loves to eat but the accompany chicken was still quite tender and juicy.  My aunty and I are both Sashimi lover so after eating the above items shown we both agreed that the Sashimi and cold seafood served are really fresh and definitely worth the price. But on the downside the replenish time was rather slow and a lot of sushi and maki plates were empty each time we went to the Japanese counter.

I was caught by this Rojak Counter while roaming around to check out the different serving counters. My favourite combination of Rojak is always fried fritters(you tiao) with the pairing sauce. But for a chance I decided to try the usual mixed combination and surprisingly the pairing here were rather good and flavorsome too.

You could find Western Food Counters at the right side of the entrance ranging from seafood/mushroom pizza, German sausages, array of pasta cooked according to your choice, soup of the day and etc. And at the back row of the buffet you could also pick up some grilled satay, salmon head, saba fish, king prawns and etc. But bewared of the food from this grilled counter as they are always being snatched off from the serving plates once the cook replenished the items.

After eating all the desire main courses, you can relax at your seats with a cup of freshly brewed coffee/tea or even homemade soya bean milk/beancurd from the beverage counters. To go with your drink, pick your choice of cakes from the Dessert Counters or any waffles or pancake.

Overall Buffet Town has a wide varieties of food which is freshly prepared and served but the only set back is the replenished time of the food is rather a bit slow perhaps due to the overwhelming of crowds or shortage of manpower. If not try to be early and get into the buffet on time in order to sample more choices of food especially those on the Grilled Counter and Japanese Counter. So is like either you get to EAT or you DON'T if you are not fast enough to get the food. Do share with us your dining experience if you have tried Buffet Town before.

Buffet Town International Seafood Mixed Grill and Teppan Yaki

Raffles City, #B1-44E
252 North Bridge Road,
Telephone: (+65) 6837 3793
Website: http://www.buffettown.com.sg/index.html

Operating Hour:
11.30am to 3pm daily (Last order at 2.30pm)
6pm to 10.30pm daily (Last order at 9.30pm)

Pricing for Lunch Buffet:-
Monday to Friday: Adult : $23.80++; *Child : $16.80++
Saturday, Sunday, Eve PH and PH: Adult : $28.80++; *Child : $16.80++

Pricing for Dinner Buffet:-

Monday to Friday: Adult : $33.80++; *Child : $19.80++
Saturday, Sunday, Eve PH and PH: Adult : $38.80++; *Child :$19.80++

*Child age 6 to 12 years old

Prices are subjected to Service Charge and any other prevailing taxes.

Mode of Payment: Cash / NETS / MasterCard / VISA /

Dim Sum Buffet @ Ban Heng Pavilion Restaurant

Ban Heng Pavilion Restaurant - 萬興樓(formerly Dragon Gate Restaurant) most probably offers the cheapest Dim Sum Buffet around Singapore with close to 30 different varieties of steamed and deep-fried dim sum together with porridge, soup and desserts.

Having Dim Sum Buffet for weekday lunch is a total blessing while others are rushing for their quick lunch bite within lunch hour. While waiting for the dim sum to be served, you can help yourself with their smooth and fragrant century egg porridge or some dessert of your choice. (Photo: Lotus root soup, century egg porridge, mango sago, read bean soup and almond jelly with cocktail)

The Steamed Custard Bun (香甜奶皇包) comes in a basket of 4 buns but I was quiet disappointed with their custard fillings which is not those flowing lava type which I had from Victor's Kitchen(read more HERE) sometime back. The custard fillings shown above was rather like paste form which is dried and not really towards my preference.

Look at these puffing Steamed Shrimp Paste Dumpling with Parsley (鲜虾香茜饺) that serves in a basket of 4. Each dumpling is filled with fresh and crunchy prawn but pity the skin and texture was too dry perhaps it had being left aside for quite sometime before serving.

Love their Steamed Meat Dumplings with Crab Roes (蚧璜蒸烧卖) as the texture was very crunchy with sweet juicy filling that leaves you craving for more than 1 serving.

From the Deep-fried category we tried both the savory and sweet dim sum such as Deep Fried Wanton(脆炸云吞) and Deep Fried Shrimp Dumplings(沙律明虾枣) on 1st row follow by Deep Fried Sweet Sesame Ball(香甜芝麻枣) and Deep Fried Water-chestnut Cake(脆皮马蹄条)shown on 2nd row. Out of the 4 items above, we love their Sweet Sesame Ball which has a crispy outer skin and not so sweet fillings, very addicting snacks .

If has to make a choice between the Deep Fried Roll with Chicken and Prawn(风凰卷) and Deep Fried Sweet Potato Roll(水果网中卷) I would vote for the sweet potato roll because I love the texture of the nested wrapped with a layer of sweet mashed potato.

Other than the above, we also tried their Stir-fry Spinach, Fried Noodles with Bean Sprout which we love and Barbecued Pork With Honey, Shrimp Paste Wrapped with Bean Curd Skin and etc.

Before coming for this dim sum buffet I have read up a few recommending sites and some it have rather negative feedback on either their food or the service staffs. For us, we find the quality of their food are still quite acceptable for the price that we are paying and the serving staffs of that days are also very friendly towards most of the customers.

But there is one thing that I would like to bring up, I notice that some of their utensils and plates are not thoroughly wash as there are still some porridge or dessert stains found on some of their serving spoons at the buffet line.

BAN HENG PAVILION RESTAURANT

1 Maritime Square
#04-01 Harbour Front Centre
Singapore 099253
Telephone: 6278 0288
Website: http://www.banhengrestaurant.com/

Opening Hours:-
Lunch: 11.30am - 2.30pm
Dinner: 6.00pm - 10.00pm

A clear view of their Weekdays Dim Sum Lunch Menu with pricing range from S$12.80++/adult and S$9.80++/child(age 3 -11 years old). For your information their buffet Lunch hours starts from 11.30am - 2.30pm with a minimum of 4 adults. They also provides "Weekends" Dim Sum Buffet at a slightly higher price which you can call their reservation line @ 6278 0288 for more details.

The Ultimate Crab & Durian Buffet @ Sentosa Boardwalk

Last Saturday evening we finally went for the "Ultimate Crab and Durian Buffet" after hearing so many different reviews from media, bloggers and friends who had tried. We had booked two tables to cater our usual group of foodie friends as well as a few new comers to feast on this "FULLY" booked buffet which starts from 09 - 26 June 2011, 6.00pm to 11.00pm(daily) at the Promontory along the Sentosa Boardwalk.

The long waiting queue of people was there even 10 minutes before the buffet starts and when enter the venue you will see a long buffet line with over 40 different varieties of food to satisfy your hungry and taste. To begin with the buffet you can start with either their cold/hot appetizer such as "Coral Crab Bisque with Sour Cream Soup" to go with freshly baked roll. Or you can pick up something from the selection of Maki Sushi, Poached Tiger Prawns, Prawn and Mango with Avocado Mousse, Fresh Oysters and etc.

Further down the buffet line of this Ultimate Crab buffet, you would at least get to try 5 different crab dishes such as Wok-Fried Chili Sri Lankan Crab, Black Pepper Sri Lankan Crab, Masala Mud Crab shown above. Or others some others like Salted Egg Yoke Crab, Nonya Curry Crab and Ginger Scallion Flower Crab. I am sure for someone who loves crab there is definitely something that suits you.

Even though when comes to seafood, crab eating it is usually not my cup of tea compare to the others like prawn and fish. I find their Masala Mud Crab taste better than Wok-Fried Chili Cab because of it lovely hot and spicy taste from the Masala spices. And if you like spicy food, don't missed out their "Beef Rendang" which is very tender and comes in thick and fragrant gravy which you would love to dip with the Fried Man Tou or as gravy for the crabmeat fried rice.

One of our friend in group recommend this must try "Whole Baked Salmon in Rock Salt" which served with Chive Butter. The fish itself taste so fresh and juicy with it's nature sweetness even without any serving sauce. And personally I prefer this baked salmon compare to their Salmon Sashimi. Some of us are also quite shock to see the orange-red colour of their sashimi but the texture and taste wise was still quite average which generous thickness of slices.

Look at those baskets of D24 Durians! To be honest, Durian are the main reason why I am coming for this buffet. According to one of our friend she said that everyday at around 7.00pm onwards there will be a non-ending queues waiting eagerly for their turn to get hold of a plate or two of these creamy and delicious freshly open Durian.

Although not every seeds of these durians are of good grade but at least you can expect about 80% of it. And if you would like to have something different, perhaps their Durian Pengat which is on the lighter taste compared to the fresh durian pulps will be a good choice for you. But unfortunately the one that we had that day are not served in individual cups with a extra gula melaka topping like what mentioned in some blogs that I have read about. Instead I think the chef have mixed the gula melaka syrup together with the durian puree for our convenient.

Other than Fresh Durian and Durian Pengat, they also served other accompany desserts such as Fresh Cut Fruits, Nonya Kueh, Ice-cream and pastries such as Dark Chocolate Mousse, Durian Cheesecake, Tiramisu and Durian Mousse.

THE ULTIMATE CRAB AND DURIAN BUFFET
Venue: The Promontory, Sentosa Boardwalk
Time: 6pm - 11pm
Prices: Adult $38++ / Child $21++
(Free flow of ice water but other drinks chargeable)
Telephone: 6279 1767

Special Promotions:
Islanders - 15% discount (max. 10 pax per reservation)
ANZ Credit Card - Every 3 paying Free 1

p/s: By the way the buffet is already fully booked till the last day of the promotion. However you can try walk in and may be lucky to get a table.

Each and everyone of us has a wonderful night with good company of friends, food and excellent view from the promontory where we are able to catch the fabulous fireworks and Crane Dance performance. For more read-up and photos related to this buffet, you can refer to their blog links shown below:-

1. Maureen: http://www.misstamchiak.com/

2. Shi Ting: http://lobsterpaints.blogspot.com/

3. Celes: http://celestialdelish.blogspot.com/

4. Derrick: http://www.sgfoodonfoot.com/

5. Meng Ching: http://jessiefoodtrip.blogspot.com/

6. Sherie: http://www.maameemoomoo.com/blog

7. Priscilla: http://www.iluvmyscooter.com/

Kichi Kichi Express Rotary Hotpot

When you talk about Hotpot, what is the 1st thing that comes in your mind? Varieties of Foods, Environment, Pricing or ? I am sure you would like to enjoy fresh quality of food when it comes to hotpot. No one would like to see a plate of dry and dull meat or wilted vegetables when making their selection.But in Kichi Kichi you can be assumed that all the food on their rotating conveyor belt are freshly packed and prepared in order to let patrons enjoy their food in peace of mind.

Steamboat is normally not my cup of tea, as I don’t like the hot and stuffy environment where we need to sit around the hotpot cooking each and individual items with a tendency that others might drop in uncooked food or items that I don't prefer before I retrieved mine.

But when we steps into Kichi Kichi last week I was kind of caught up by the bright and attractive layout as well as its interesting dining concept whereby each of us owns our individual hotpot with large varieties of food being easily access from the rotating conveyor belt. With this new dining experience it definitely makes meal more relax without being worry about the hot and steamy hotpot session that makes you sweat.

There are two types of sitting area available where patrons can choose either having individual hotpot on the highchair counter seats or enjoy family and friend quality time at booths fitted with ‘yuan-yang’ hotpots that can hold two different stocks for sharing between 2 - 6 people. And since all the hotpots are using heat sense that can auto control the temperature, patrons can easily adjust the temperature according to their preference without must trouble like those traditional charcoal steamboat.

From the ordering list, you can choose your own soup broth from their soup range such as:- Chicken, Tomyum, Mushroom(house's special), Sze Chuan, Prawn or Herbal(with additional S$1.50 top-up). During the tasting we tried their Mushroom(tasty and genuine broth with scent of mushroom aroma), Tomyum(indeed very spicy but on the downside it seems to be lacked of those traditional tomyum taste) and Herbal was rather better than tomyum with hint of herbal taste.

  While having your hotpot, don't forget to look out for one of these sauce that is on the rotating conveyor belt.   Kichi Kichi have 8 different types of homemade sauce which are:-

Row 1(in front): Vinegar and Ginger, Chilli Padi with Vinegar, Chilli Chin Chalok
Row 2(center): Chilli Padi and Soya Sauce, Kichi Kichi Chilli Sauce, Japanese Soya Sauce,
Row 3(back): Kichi Kichi Sesame Sauce, Hoi Sin

After trying these sauce a few of us voted Chili Chin Chalok as the best dipping sauce over the rest eventhough it taste a bit spicy but it is indeed a very appetising sauce that stands out from the rest. But if you prefer something sweeter you might want to consider their Kichi Kichi Sesame Sauce.

  Since Chinese New Year is around the corner, if you are having the mood to enjoy early steamboat with friends and family without having the trouble to prepare those ingredients and washup, perhaps you can consider visit Kichi Kichi and try their exclusive CNY Buffet Package! This CNY Buffet Package allows you to enjoy delicious hotpot buffet with additional items such as Abalone, Sea Cucumber, Salmon, Lo Hei and Mandarin Oranges too.
Price: CNY Buffet Package S$38.80 NETT

Each set of the CNY Buffet Package also come with a generous plate of Sea Cucumber which is a great steal if you like these jelly and crunchy texture stuffs.

Overall the food was quiet good with wide range of over 60 ingredients that are available for patrons to pick from their rotating conveyor belt. And we all agreed that their customers’ service was good and efficiency with friendly staffs clearing the empty plates regularly and asking to refilled the soup broth even before it reached the half line.

In addition to the buffet items, there is also a premium A La Carte selection items available such as Salmon Belly, Fish Head, Oysters, Scallops, Sliced Venison, Sliced Wagyu Beef and etc.
Price: Ranging from S$3.00 - S$5.00 ++ per plate

  Or if you are look for a quick and affordable weekday hotpot lunch, you can also choose from any of the 4 Combo Meals during Monday - Friday (except public holidays) from 11.00am - 3.00pm at any of their Kichi Kichi outlets(refer end of this post). And furthermore, each combo meal also includes a bowl of rice, soup, one soft drink and fruit too! (more details HERE)
Price: Ranging from S$7.99++ to S$8.99++ per set

After a good and fulfilling lunch, I was caught up by surprised from the group of friends as they have prepared my favourite "Chocolate" cake to celebrate my Birthday. I didn't thought that a normal food tasting session would turn out to be a Birthday celebrations and I am really touch and grateful to each and everyone of them who give me this warm hearted surprise. Thank you my dear friends!

Lastly I would also like to say thanks Jasmin and Kichi Kichi - Express Rotary Hotpot for hosting this food tasting event.

BUFFET PRICING AND ADDRESS OF KICHI KICHI OUTLETS

Kichi Kichi Express Rotary Hotpot

City Square Mall(outlet)
180 Kitchener Road
#02-23/24


Ngg Ann City(outlet)
391A, Orchard Road
Podium Block, Level 5
#05-32

Website: http://www.expressrotaryhotpot.com/


Reservation And Enquiries @ (65) 9170 1146

Neo Garden Deluxe - Mini Buffet

A few weeks ago, my brother celebrates his Birthday together with their house warming in his apartment at Pinnacle@Duxton. Everyone enjoys the tasty food as well as panorama view of the city from his apartment at level 45 and also the rooftop view at level 50 of the building. As for the food, we have decided to try out the "Neo's Deluxe" package which is recommended by one of our relative who is a regular customer of Neo Garden Group.

This mini buffet cost S$14.99 per person for 6 Main courses, 2 desserts and 1 beverage. There are a lot of delicious local and Asian food to be selected from their menu range and here are some of the items that we had:- Thai Pineapple Rice, Fried Hong Kong Mee, Sotong Yu Tiao & Breaded Scallop, Mushroom Broccoli, Curry Chicken and etc.

These are lovely golden deep-fried "Sweet and Sour" fish slices that goes well with their special dipping sauce.

After much discussion we settle for this "Butter Prawn" instead of Sze Chuan/Thai-style prawn which is well received by most of the guests. Everyone comments that the prawns are very fresh and crunch when bite and they are lightly infused with a layer of golden crust and buttery fragrant.

After scanning through the buffet line, these are the items that I took. The "Thai Pineapple Rice" is gorgeously served with mixed frozen vegetables, raisins and chicken floss that is fried with spices which enhance its overall sight and taste. Surprisingly the Curry Chicken taste good with it fragrance and spicy gravy but the portion was kind of little for 30 pax as by the end of 1st round there already not many potatoes and chicken left in the pot.

For desserts we choose the "Mini Custard Puff" which is one of the popular choices as it is smaller in size and great to go with either tea/coffee. And for those who wants something cold and sweet, the "Ice Jelly with Cocktail" would be a great choice to be served after meal.

Recently Neo Garden Catering has also started their festive season promotions for coming Christmas and New Year. For more details and enquires you could check out from their website HERE for more information.

Neo Group Pte Ltd
No. 6A Wan Lee Road
Singapore 627938
Telephone: 6896 7757
Fax: 6515 0421
Website: http://www.neogarden.com.sg
Email: enquiry@neogarden.com.sg

Kiseki Japanese Buffet @ Heeren

These few years, there are more and more Japanese concept Buffet Restaurants available in Singapore. I am sure most of you have heard or tried those yummy japanese street food that are available at either Sudoku or Manpuku. But instead of the two mentioned restuarants, today I am going to share with you another new Japanese restaurant known as "Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant" that is located at the basement level of The Hereen at Orchard area. Let's see with the price of S$19.80++ what this restaurant can offer for a weekday lunch buffet.

According to the serving staffs, there are roughly about 100 seats available in this restaurant with different environment setting concept in each section allocated. This restaurant also provided a child friendly dinning area with comfort design playgroup and games that suits different age group of kids. On top of that, they also have separate kid's utensils and highchair specially cater for younger kids.

Near the entrance of the restaurant, you can see about 8 - 10 different stalls serving all kinds of Japanese street food range from Sushi, Sashimi, Cold Appetiser, Seafood, Tempura, Pizza, Soba, Teppanyaki and etc.

First counter on the right that is near the entrance serves all kinds of Sushi and fresh Sashimi that will definitely make you excited over it. Furthermore if you want, you can also ask the chef to make some hand-roll sushi with your preference ingredients.

These are what we had over at the Sushi Counter. I am sure just by the look of these attractive sushi and sashimi it has already make you drool over it. And in addition to the common salmon and tuna sashimi slices, this counter also provides yummy octopus slices too. Each pieces of this raw fish taste so fresh with its' natural sweetness that you don't even need to dip it in any sauce before eating.

This is Seafood and Salad counter near the sushi bar area where you can choose your favorite salad ingredients to create a bowl of appetiser to start off your meal. If you love cold seafood platter don't missed your chance to pick up some of these lovely items on the ice such as shellfish, prawn, crabs and etc etc.

For older folks or those who don't fancy raw fish and cold appetiser, you can always choose something from the Teppanyaki counter where you can grab a stick or two of the BBQ items as well as their mouth-watering Grilled Salamon Head.

Or you prefer a bowl of pipping hot udon noodles from the array of choices at the Tempura Counter. If noodles is not to your liking, perhaps you might want to try their Japanese-style hotpot to go with some steam rice and delicious tempura.

Chawanmushi is always one of the comfort starter in most Japanese restaurant and it is also one of the favourite item among kids and adult. Most of us who tried the chawanmushi agreed that their steam eggs was nicely done with that smooth texture that melt in your mouth. Worth trying! But however, we are kind of disappointed with their Western-style pasta which served with Wafu sauce. The sauce was kind of too salty for our taste too.

Mum and I love their thin crust pizza from the Pizza & Rosti Counter. There have a few choices of pizza, fish nuggets and etc. The pizza crust is very crispy and spread with generous amount of ingredients. Worth trying too!

Finally after trying most of the savory dishes, we are ready to venture the Dessert & Beverage counter, which is located at the opposite end from the rest of the counter. You can find wide varieties of attrative jelly and pudding served in shooter glass, Japanese waffles to go with ice cream or maple syrup, chocolate fondant, array of cake and etc. If you would like to have some sake or cold beer to go with your food, you can always approach their friendly counter staffs to get the drinks at separate cost.

This is their well-known Tofu Cheesecake which is a popular item on their dessert counter, although the serving size is small, but you can taste the smooth texture of the tofu which blend pretty well with the cheesy fragrant of this cake. I suggest you have this with a cup of cappuccino or hot green tea to prefect the taste.

To end our buffet, I have another serving of my self-assemble Waffle with Green Tea and chocolate topping. Their waffle is those crispy in texture when bite as they have place it on the hotplate to maintenance the crispness of the waffle.

On each table, you will find this reminder tag that shows the charges of food wastage so remember to take just what you can consume and don't waste any food.

If you want to read more about our family food venture to this "Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant" in Chinese version please click HERE to follow the link or you can also drop by Cuisine Paradise Fan Page Album (HERE) to take a look on more photos on this related food reviews article.

Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant
260 Orchard Road
#B1-01 The Heeren
Singapore 238855
Telephone: 6736 1216

Lunch Buffet: 11:30am – 3.00pm
Monday - Friday : S$19.80++ (Adult), S$12.80++ (Child);
Saturday, Sunday, Eve and Public Holiday: S$26.80++ (Adult), S$16.80++ (Child)

Dinner Buffet: 6.00pm – 10.00pm
Monday - Thursday: S$29.80++ (Adult), S$14.80++ (Child);
Friday - Sunday, Eve and Public Holiday: S$32.80++ (Adult), S$16.80++ (Child)


* Charges For Food Wastage: S$5.00 for every 100grams of food wasted

* Child age is between 4 - 12 years old.