131 Killiney Road
Orchard Grand Court
Singapore 239571

(open in Google Maps)

Friday:
07:00am - 11:00pm

Saturday:
07:00am - 11:00pm

Sunday:
07:00am - 11:00pm

Monday:
07:00am - 11:00pm

Tuesday:
07:00am - 11:00pm

Wednesday:
07:00am - 11:00pm

Thursday:
07:00am - 11:00pm

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Reviews

From the Burpple community

We typically don’t post much about buffets here but Crystal Cafe is perhaps an exception we will make this time round — located in Orchard Grand Court, Crystal Cafe isn’t that sort of cafe one is thinking about when the word “cafe” gets mentioned these days. It does however belong to a breed of establishments that has become increasingly harder to find over the years. With old-school establishments serving up Taiwanese / Teochew porridge buffets such as the ones previously located at Suntec City, Summerview Hotel (taken over by The Forage Cafe and now being Da Ma Restoran) and the now-demolished Chinatown Plaza having closed down in recent years, places such as Crystal Cafe has become quite a gem for folks whom have enjoyed such style of buffets. Being one of the places that we had been quite excited to visit after having placed our reservation for weekday dinner, the decor of the space at Crystal Cafe is rather telling of the establishment’s age — the use of the sort of wood for its carpentry around the bar area and self-service zones can only be said as rather rustic (perhaps some could even say dated in this day and age), but we can only imagine the splendour that it used to carry in its heydays looking at that carpeted flooring, rustic wooden tables and rattan chairs that seem to still go with everything else. Buffets showcasing an array of cuisines from all over the world may be the most basic form of buffets served up in hotels these days, but the price of which Crystal Cafe charges for their Taiwanese porridge buffet is the one that makes them an appealing option for those who really appreciate such old-school buffets.

Crystal Cafe charges a flat rate for their Taiwanese porridge buffet during both lunch and dinner service — we cannot really think of any other buffet spots that does the same; the only pricing difference for the Taiwanese porridge buffet would be how it charges a price tag of $18.80++ per adult and $12.80++ per child from Mondays to Thursdays, while the prices for the Taiwanese porridge buffet on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays is set at $20.80++ per adult and $14.80++ per child. This effectively also makes Crystal Cafe one of the more wallet-friendly buffets around, though there is a strict time limit of 90mins to dine here. We didn’t foresee ourselves enjoying the experience this much at Crystal Cafe; after all, Taiwanese / Teochew-style porridge isn’t our favourite form of food despite having it when mum decides to serve it at the dinner table even when we were a child (perhaps we are all starting to have an appreciation for such things as we grow older). That being said, the Sweet Potatoes Porridge most certainly went well with the various condiments that Crystal Cafe has to offer; the pickled lettuce, salted egg, Ikan Bilis, fermented beancurd etc. — tasted much like what mum used to make. Then for those who can’t make do without meats, the Braised Pork Belly and Black Bean Sauce Fish were our absolute favourites amongst other dishes with very homely flavours as well — a chicken claw dish is also available on the day of our visit as well. For those whom prefer something else apart from Taiwanese / Teochew-style porridge, the Hainanese-style chicken rice, Char Siew and Fried Hor Fun were also some items which exceeded our expectations as well. End off the meal at Crystal Cafe with a selection of ice-cream (Coconut Ice-Cream / Thai Milk Tea Ice-Cream being the flavours being available on the day of our visit), Assorted Nonya Kueh / Assorted “French” pastries (being a variety of mini slices of Swiss Rolls, brownies and cheesecake) and a sea cucumber dessert that was pretty much like a hot Cheng Tng that were all served during the day of our visit — not their primary focus, though still being more than just simply serviceable nonetheless.

Crystal Cafe does feel like an establishment that belongs in a bygone era where things were a little simple — international buffets from big name hotel chains may well be quite the rage these days. While those buffets are all apt for occasions serving up a wide variety of different cuisine that has something for everyone, there are days where those sort of buffets just feel a little too fussy; sometimes even feeling as though it comes with just too much fluff with items that are a little too adventurous in its composition, or the execution just being not particularly great. Crystal Cafe at Orchard Grand Court might seem more like a sore thumb amongst all of these fancier buffets that are aplenty in the hotels along Singapore’s shopping belt, but it does seem to carry its very own appeal. We definitely did not see ourselves enjoying our experience at Crystal Cafe this much — while we are typically quite busy to give everything at the buffet table a try at other international buffet establishments usually, we managed to return to some favourite dishes several times at Crystal Cafe; some of the dishes even being ones which we typically would have avoided at other buffet establishments. Despite such Taiwanese / Teochew porridge buffets typically appealing to a slightly aged clientele considering the fare that they serve up, Crystal Cafe was surprisingly well-patronised when we made our way there for dinner service mid-week. It may be also due to the slightly older clientele here that the service in the restaurant feels particularly personable; the servers could be seen having small talk with the patrons at times, something which is a step further than the service rendered at other buffet restaurants these days. Crystal Cafe is definitely one of those more wallet-friendly buffet spots to hit; its selection of food might be a little limited, though the execution and that old-school vibe is still very much alive — a spot that would likely be able to impress the folks especially with the fare that it serves, and one which would be likely to return to again someday!

2 Likes

Crystal cafe is my default choice for a comforting and Super affordable sweet potato porridge buffet. In fact, my family and I have been visiting this place for more than a decade.

The wide variety of dishes span from the condiments ( peanuts , fermented beancurd , pickled vegetables, fried ikan bills ) to stir fried seasonal vegetables, omelette, braised duck, curry chicken, fried fish, braised items (pigs trotters, pork belly , mei cai, beancurd ( Tau Kwa ), beancurd puffs ( tau Pok), chicken feet with beancurd skin ( Tau kee), hard boiled egg) , plain rice and a daily selection of fried kway Teow ( ohh so very very good ) or fried bee hoon .

Having mentioned so much - there is still more ... a daily hot dessert , cake / kueh selection , free flow tea and coffee and ice cream (ice cream for. Weekends only ).

My love will always be their curry chicken - it is so aromatic and rich but not cloying . Tender chicken and well cooked potatoes simmered in a gravy so good . I know it’s weird to have curry chicken in a porridge buffet but who cares 😀☺️especially when rice is also provided on the buffet.
Special mention must be made to their Ngoh hiang too.

Do note that the curry chicken and Ngoh hiang is on the Friday menu so do pop by if you like these 2 items in particular .

I must mention that service is very friendly and efficient too .

How comforting it is to indulge in a Taiwanese porridge buffet during this chilly rainy season~ Unlimited servings of sweet potato porridge with an array of dishes such as braised taupok, salted vegetables, pig trotters, steamed pork patty, braised duck and many others. There are also assorted cakes, fruits, hot dessert (tau suan), durian pengat and coffee/tea! Nothing too fanciful here but provides for a hearty meal with your family (:

4 Likes

Fan of collagen filled pig trotters? Some love this part of the trotter, I like the 'chiak bak' part. Hehe....

Good for people who want to have good traditional porridge with your family! 🐳🐳..
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1 Like

Bless whoever who invented buffet in general - he/she invented happiness.
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#sgfood #sgfoodie #exsgcafes #starvingfoodseeker #jktfoodbang #thisisinsiderfood #exploresingapore #todayweexplore #tslmakan #burpple #8dayseat #dailyfoodfeed #thisisinsider #visitsingapore #singaporeinsiders #igfoodies #crystalcafe #taiwanporridge #buffetsg

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