7th August 2013.
A buffet is one of the best ways to entertain a crowd with varying tastes. Our initial plan to go Traders Hotel for its 1-for-1 deal failed and we ended up at Spices Café at the Concorde Hotel (formerly the Le Meridien Hotel).
For dinner, they have a Harvest of the Sea Buffet. One of the star features of this buffet is the complimentary “200 gms” lobster for each diner which can be prepared in 3 ways: Thai BBQ, XO Sauce or Cheese. Pictured here is the Cheese Lobster which my younger brother thought it was too cheesy. Among the 3 however, cheese seemed to get more approvals.
And the other feature of the buffet is the free-flow crab which can be prepared in several ways. I only went for the Chili Crab and the Black Pepper Crab. Clearly, the buffet is a quantity rather than quality one.
While the crabs were free-flow, there was inconsistency in the freshness of the crabs. It is a pity because, both the Black Pepper Crab and Chili Crab gravy were not bad actually. Be prepared to get your hands dirty while eating those crabs. They provide washing bowls but we prefer heading to the toilet.
The buffet selection isn’t huge but enough to make a family happy. Here are some photos to show what was on offer during our visit.
The seafood selection comprises of oysters, scallops, prawns and mussels. The salmon sashimi was decent but the tuna sashimi was icy.
For appetizers, I enjoyed their Mussel with Salsa, Spicy Jellyfish Salad and Cold Poached Salmon.
Hot main dishes include Cuttlefish cooked in Gongbao Style, Tempura, Steamed Fish, Sea Cucumber with Broccoli, Grilled Chicken and a pretty decent Grilled Lamb as well as Lobster Bisque.
Special mention goes to the Herbal Prawns with its soothing and flavoursome soup. There is also a Pasta station where you can get pastas cooked a la minute. My mum had seconds to my surprise (she doesn’t eat pastas).
The desserts were rather pedestrian. Their Honeydew Jelly was not bad. The crème brulee was tasteless though and the Mango Delight was too sour.
All in all, this is the place to come if you really love eating crabs and prefer somewhere spacious. The only drinks available were coffee, tea (just tea, no milk tea etc.) and water. One thing I observed about Spices Café is that they clear the used plates rather quickly. Something, I really appreciate when going for buffets.
Spices Cafe
Concorde Hotel
100 Orchard Road
3/F Concorde Hotel Singapore
Monday to Thursday:
Adult: $48++ *Child: $20++
Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Eve of Public Holiday & Public Holiday:
Adult: $52++ *Child: $20++
DBS and UOB Cardholders can enjoy 3+1 offers at Spices Café for dinner, lunch or high-tea.
