Buffets in Singapore

I was totally hyped up about the Oceania Seafood Buffet Dinner here, until I received a notification from them regarding their NDP-special menu for the month of August and that means NO BOSTON LOBSTER AND OYSTER BAR 😭 but that's alright, the food is still pretty good!

Worthy mentions that are also the mainstays:
• Prawns cooked in any style - they're all very fresh!
• Crab beehoon - the crab isn't great but the beehoon in creamy sauce is yummy
• Durian pengat - damn legit, definitely one of the better ones around (and it's free-flow!)

Thanks to Burpple Beyond, my family of 4 enjoyed this at the price of 2!

Here's another buffet where you can bring your Muslim friends to, with a special shoutout to their DIY rojak and laksa stations for a bit more fun during your dining experience.

But as with any buffet, the desserts are always what I'm looking forward to and I'm glad that the ones here are done pretty well. The chocolate-based pastries are the best in my opinion! Oh and they have durian pengat too, but it may be too mild for the hardcore durian lovers.

The buffet lunch costs $53.80++ per pax, but I saved half the bill thanks to Burpple Beyond's 1-for-1 deal!

Forget calorie counting, because this mookata buffet will exceed your quota in just one sitting. I'm not just talking about the unlimited quantities, but also how good the food is (and hence you'll just keep eating non-stop). The raw meats are all mixed with ground up fats so that they melt and provide a coating of fatty goodness around your cooked meats. I particularly liked the pork collar for having a tender bite, and the chicken thigh for being well-seasoned. Their chilli sauce in mild and medium spice levels are really good too!

Their selection may not be as great as iSteamboat's, but they do decently well for what they offered. Kudos to the kitchen crew for constantly replenishing the various trays of food to ensure that the customers get to enjoy everything at any point in time.

You didn't see this wrongly, it really costs just $8.80 (on weekends and PH) to enjoy the teo chew porridge buffet here at iSteamboat! 24 different side dishes are available on a daily basis, with your common suspects of stewed pork, braised beancurd, fried eggs, and vegetables. Just grab however much porridge you desire and pile on the assortment of side dishes and garnishes to your heart's content.

While most of the dishes are nothing spectacular, they're the good ol' classic, comfort food you may need to feel a little better. The porridge was great for not being overcooked/mushy, and the fried eggs and braised/stewed dishes were pretty delicious too. Surprisingly, all my family members said that their luncheon meat is super tasty LOL In addition, 4 other carbohydrates are also available if you're not into their porridge.

Finally, ice-cream, Chinese desserts, fruits and drinks are free-flow too. What a great deal this is.

When I say most value-for-money, I meant it with Eatigo's 50% promotion because that only works out to be around $15 per pax for weekday dinners! This price grants you access to a DIY sauce bar, unlimited amounts of vegetables and thinly-sliced chicken, pork and beef, with 2 soup base of your choice (from 5 options).

The meats were definitely fresh and went well with the sukiyaki soup base. The shabu-shabu broth, on the other hand, was very bland but it's a great option if you prefer something light to a rich and cloying soup. The staff here are really friendly too!

At $12.90++ for students and senior citizens on weekdays lunch, this is definitely one of the cheapest deal I can get to fill my stomach at a wallet-friendly price. However, do note that the price is only valid for BBQ; having a hotpot requires a top-up of $12 (max 4 pax to 1 hotpot). There's the usual selection of Korean-styled marinated meats and cooked food, and a cooler of typical steamboat ingredients like tofu and meatballs. What is more special about this place is the DIY sauce bar like HDL's, a toaster where you can heat up tortilla wraps to go with your BBQ meats, a choice to top up $3 for a bowl of cheese, and other top-up options for mookata and premium selection of other meats. So... if you're in for something better then the food may not be affordable afterall 😂

Nonetheless, for that price, I must say that the marinated meats were tasty and the service was warm. But the steamboat was typical and nothing to rave about.

Pumpkin Chawanmushi? Eggplant with Yuzu Miso? Dragonfly Maki Roll? Definitely some of my recommended items here and not the things you'll see on a typical Japanese restaurant menu. Went to Shin Minori @ Katong Square to enjoy their 1-for-1 promotion for ala-carte lunch buffet and the overall impression was quite alright, though my bf and I had to share a 4-seater with another couple because we didn't make a reservation.

Loved their sashimi which were fresh and thick, their pumpkin which was sweet, and Dragonfly Maki Roll which was filled with crispy soft shell crab, topped with eel and avocado and drizzled with a sweet sauce. Their Gyuniku Shogayaki (beef with special sauce) is worth a mention is well, but it definitely needs some rice to cut the saltiness. The yakimono (grilled items) weren't impressive, their green tea is highly diluted, and don't waste your calories on their scallop bacon pizza. It also seemed like the servicecrew are unable keep up with the orders, resulting in a very slow service after 12.30pm.

It was good with 1-for-1 promotion, but it'll definitely be below expectations of we were to pay the full price.

Say yes to 1-for-1 a la carte buffet (U.P. $58++ per pax on weekends), but no to the quality of food. To be fair, though, there were hits and misses and I'll just list them down below because my family ordered almost half the number of items on the menu.

Hits:
• Deep fried soon hock fish with garlic and Japanese soft sauce
• Steamed pa tung fish with minced garlic in superior soy sauce
• Steamed live prawns in Chinese wine and herbs (fresh!)
• Deep fried fresh prawns with Jackfruit sauce (really fresh prawns with a crisp exterior)
• Roasted crispy pork (lean yet flavourful)
• Fried salmon skin with salted egg yolk
• Baked spare ribs in pineapple sauce
• Poached local spinach with three kinds of egg

Misses:
• Fried carrot cake with X.O. sauce
• Braised beef brisket
• Sauteed kurobuta pork cube with leek and terriyaki sauce (method of cooking is not doing justice to the quality of pork)
• Cha siew with bones (why bones??)
• Braised homemade beancurd (tasteless)
• Stewed spinach noodles (noodles clumped together)
• Peking duck (skin is not crispy)
• Soups

One of the best thing you can have is a never-ending supply of your favourite food, and crystal jade's free-flow 小笼包 is just that. With each basket of dumplings arriving at your table piping hot, and each dumpling bursting with soup and flavour, this is really value-for-money considering the quality and quantity of food you're getting. The steamboat comes with an unlimited supply of your desired items as well, with access to a DIY sauce station and drinks. Came here many times, satisfied every single time 👍

$18++ hi-tea buffet at a 5-star hotel?! Yes it exists and it's just 5 mins away from Farrer Park MRT! While I was a little disappointed with the spread (an online video showcased way more food) and the taste of certain items, I was very pleased with the serene ambience and warm service.

Savoury items include a few sandwiches and fried finger food (of which the prawn twister is yums), while some of the more notable desserts are: bak kwa madeleines (I recommend eating them with the cacao nibs they are placed on because the slight bitterness gives a good balance to the sweet & savoury chunks of pork in a dense, buttery cake), soy pudding with grass jelly, salted Nutella tart (although the nutella cream on top is too much) and durian crumble tart (man the crumble topping is just exceptional - super crunchy and buttery-fragrant!).

I was looking forward to the char siew scones but sadly they are on a rotational basis with the bak kwa madeleines. I was also pretty excited to try the durian cheesecake and durian pengat, but both weren't up to my expectations as the former had a really bad biscuit crust whereas the latter was too watery.

All in all, I loved how Petit Partea offered a range of bite-sized hand-crafted pastries and desserts with a local twist and at an affordable price! Would want to return again for their buffet lunch/dinner!

To be honest, this is a pretty chapalang (a slang meaning "a collection of random things") restaurant because it has a Japanese name, but has both Japanese and Korean dishes, and a promotion which gives you 42% off if your Chinese name has more than 23 strokes??? HAHA was honestly quite amused but it was a damn good deal because 3 other friends and I only had to pay ~$19 per pax for the normal buffet which offers over 30 items INCLUDING beef ribeye and smoked duck! Oh and somehow their ice cream was pretty satisfying? Seriously such a steal.

Top up $10 for their premium buffet with additional ~20 items, or simply go straight to topping up $20 for the deluxe buffet to enjoy free-flow wagyu beef as well. This restaurant also have a POSB/DBS card promotion, as well as offers on FAVE so do check them out!