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A “Long Long Lunch” at Edge Restaurant Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel!

Durian selection!

Edge Restaurant at Pan Pacific Singapore has launched the “Long Long Lunch”, which features Singapore hawker favourites from 12pm to 4pm on Saturdays. Also known as “Tunch” (a cool name for Traditional Lunch), this buffet spread also includes local delights such as Homemade Laksa, Bak Kut Teh, Carrot Cake, Satay and lots more!

Thanks to the great folks at Pan Pacific Singapore (big shout out to Wen Xian and Cheryl!), we were hosted to a fantastic Long Long Lunch at Edge Restaurant.

Long Long Lunch at the Edge Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel
Long Long Lunch at the Edge Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel

Can you see the waiters dressed in traditional hawker outfit in the background? Topped with the rickshaw hat no less!

Edge Pan Pacific Singapore Long Long Lunch (Tunch)

Our expectations of local fare is especially high and usually for buffets, because of the quantity of which it is produced, the standards drop. But we’re pleased to let you know that the standard of local hawker food at this Long Long Lunch is actually pretty good! Let’s take you through the offerings of Tunch at Edge Restaurant…

Sticks with our table number
Sticks with our table number

Once we were shown to our seats, the waitress informed us of the numbered sticks at our table. It is actually used for foods that require some preparation time (such as char kway teow and popiah).

Hand the sticks over, food prepared, food served to your table! Simple as that!

And here’s a quick tour of the available stalls at this excellent traditional lunch buffet…

Prawn Noodle, Laksa, Wanton Mee, Chicken Rice and Duck Rice
Prawn Noodle, Laksa, Wanton Mee, Chicken Rice and Duck Rice
Bak Kut Teh
Bak Kut Teh
Satay Counter for beef, chicken or mutton satay
Satay Counter for beef, chicken or mutton satay
Nasi Lemak
Nasi Lemak
Asian Delights (Kuehs and asian cakes)
Asian Delights (Kuehs and asian cakes)
Durian cakes, puffs and pengat!!
Durian cakes, puffs and pengat!!

In addition to the local delights, there is also a selection of international cuisine for you to choose from, including…

Freshly prepared pastas
Freshly prepared pastas
Pizzas made from scratch
Pizzas made from scratch
Carvings
Carvings
Japanese food
Japanese food
Quality Ice Cream
Quality Ice Cream

You may realise by now that the Edge restaurant at Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel, is actually quite huge! What we enjoyed about the lay out is that there’s a new discovery at every turn inside the restaurant as the food is dispersed all around. In fact, we only found the traditional kaya toast (which was AWESOME – “everything is awesome…”) towards the end of our meal!

What we ate at Edge Pan Pacific Singapore’s Long Long Lunch

Here’s a low down of what we ate at the Long Long Lunch and our comments on each of these dish that we’ve tried…

Bak Kut Teh and Teh Tarik (the 2 "Tehs")
Bak Kut Teh and Teh Tarik (the 2 “Tehs”)

You might be surprised but the bak kut teh taken out of the seemingly nondescript pot above, WAS ACTUALLY GOOD! The soup had the light spicy, peppery and not too salty taste of bak kut teh and to top things off, the rib was SO SO TENDER! The teh tarik on the other hand was milky and flavourful but was a tad too sweet. Remember to ask for siew tai/condensed milk!

Chicken Rice and Char Kway Teow
Chicken Rice and Char Kway Teow

You would think that for a huge buffet such as this, tastes for local delights such as chicken rice and char kway teow would be greatly compromised? WRONG! In fact, the rice was so fragrant that we REALLY wanted to go for seconds! Which we struggled very hard to decline 🙁 This is to salvage whatever space in our tummies to review the foods here just for you (yes you!) our beloved readers! And we digress…

The roasted chicken was tender, juicy and had a mildly familiar roasted fatty taste to it. To put it simply, you must eat the chicken skin with the tender juicy chicken meat! As you chew, the roasted aroma, coupled with the fragrant rice, swirls magically within…definitely one of the best chicken rice we’ve had in recent times! Oh oh, don’t forget the chili!

The char kway teow was generous in its ingredients of prawns, fish cake and bean sprouts. There was “wok hei” with freshness of the ingredients fried into the kway teow, which was not too oily. Portion was just nice as well – not too jelat!

Satay, roasted duck and homemade laksa
Satay, roasted duck and homemade laksa

All 3 dishes above were good. The satay sauce had the right proportion of peanut to sweetness ratio while the satay had a slight charred taste to it. These satays were BBQed “live” and you may have to wait for the next batch if your movements are a little slow. The roasted duck had a crisp and fatty layer on the outside while the meat had that firmness and sweetness as you chew into it – simply how a good roasted duck ought to be. Lastly, the laksa gravy and chili (most important parts of the laksa) were pretty decent. The only let down was the thick vermicelli which could be a little more “silky”. To solve this, politely ask the chef to cook your vermicelli a little longer.

Dim Sum and Popiah
Dim Sum and Popiah

As for the dim sum, you won’t go wrong with har gau and siew mai. Both had mouthfuls of fillings with every bite. The lobster dumpling though was a miss. The skin was a little thick and perhaps the dumpling simply did not meet the expectations of the name “lobster dumpling”. You would expect some kind of a “wow factor” with that kind of name right? The popiah on the other hand had chock-full of fillings and was a great dish to complement the meal.

Freshly prepared Aglio Olio
Freshly prepared Aglio Olio

Just to test the skills of the chefs, we ordered the Aglio Olio at the pasta counter and we were glad that we ordered it. The texture of the pasta was just perfect, a firm bite on each mouth (soggy pastas spoil the taste). The full flavoured garlic and chili bits rounded up this simple but elegant pasta.

Asian delights
Asian delights
Durian selection!
Durian selection!

To round up the meal, we headed to the desserts section! Kate enjoyed the asian delights of kueh kuehs and kueh lapis while I headed for the durian selection! You MUST TRY the durian cake and pengat at the Long Long Lunch. As with good durian cakes and durian pengats, the texture of the durian could be felt with each bite. Though the silkier texture of the pengat could be deceiving on the first impression, the power-packed taste from the King of Fruits could be savoured with each mouth – all bitter sweet tastes of it! That was why we went for seconds and helped build up our “reserves in the mid section”…

About Edge Pan Pacific Singapore’s Long Long Lunch

The highlights from the Long Long Lunch of Edge Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel includes :

Singapore Heritage
Homemade Laksa (Chef’s Signature)
Penang Prawn Noodle Soup (Chef’s Signature)
Bak Kut Teh (Chef’s Signature)
Satay
Nasi Lemak with Otah
Roti Prata
Homemade Dim Sum
Crispy Char Siew Soo
Fried Carrot Cake
Popiah and Rojak
Singapore Toast (Egg, Kaya, Peanut Butter, Butter and Sugar)

Japanese and Thai
Traditional Thai Tom Yum Soup
Thai Papaya and Mango Salad
Selection of Sushi and Sashimi
Thai-style Deep Fried Banana

Desserts
Durian Puff, Durian Mousse Cake and Durian Pengat (Chef’s Signature)
Ice Kachang (Chef’s Signature)
Soy Bean Milk Pudding (Chef’s Signature)
Portuguese Egg Tart
Mango Pomelo Short Cake
Bread and Butter Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Pandan Kaya Cake
Chendol Agar Agar
Orange Chiffon Cake
Nonya Kueh and Chinese Cookies

Date: Every Saturday
Time: 12:00 noon to 4:00pm
Prices:
$50nett per adult inclusive of unlimited local beverages, coffee and tea
$25nett per child (below 12 years of age) inclusive of unlimited local beverages

Venue: Edge (Level 3), 7 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039595

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Conclusion

If you’re thinking of taking your loved ones out for a relaxing long long lunch but not sure where to get good quality hawker fare at one great location, the Long Long Lunch at Edge Pan Pacific Singapore can be an excellent option.

We used to think that great hawker foods, especially for buffet is simply not possible. Usually such buffets has more “misses” than “hits”. In addition, to keep up with food quality and great local flavours for a large quantity, is extremely difficult to say the least.

Edge’s Long Long Lunch has changed that impression. Kudos to the chefs at Edge Pan Pacific Singapore!

**Special thanks Cheryl, Wen Xian and the team from Edge for hosting us to a lovely Long Long Lunch!

Durian Pengat - The signature dessert @ Ellenborough Market Cafe

Crab Buffet @ Ellenborough Market Cafe , Swissotel Merchant Court – Is it worth a visit?

Crab Buffet at Ellenborough Market Cafe, Swissotel Merchant Court (almost mispelt Crab buffet as Carb buffet…) is now ongoing from 2 to 18 November 2012! Which means that tomorrow will be the last day! 😮

So is it worth a visit to have unlimited crabs at this buffet? Let’s find out!

About Crab Buffet Ellenborough Market – Absolutely InCRABulous

Absolutely InCRABulous is Ellenborough Market Cafe’s annual crab buffet. This year, the crab buffet boasts of Spanner Crabs, Snow Crab Claw on ice, Chilli Crabs with Golden Mantou, Pepper Crabs as well as Nonya Curry Crabs.

In addition, Ellenborough Market Cafe’s signature Durian Pengat is also available during the buffet. It is also mentioned on the information flyer that Crab Cakes with Hot Mango Salsa and Bread and Butter Pudding would also be available. Unfortunately, these were not available when we asked the chefs…Sigh.

Prices of the Crab Buffet @ Ellenborough Market Cafe Swissotel Merchant Court

This buffet is only available daily for dinner and for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays. The prices are as follows

Lunch Buffet (Saturday and Sunday) – $52++ for Adults / $26++ for Children (Aged 4-12)

Dinner Buffet (Daily) – $58++ for Adults / $29++ for Children (Aged 4-12)

There’s also an exclusive discount for OCBC Card members where One dines free with every three paying buffet adult diners.

Setting & Ambience @ Ellenborough Market Cafe

The buffet starts from 6:30pm to 10pm for dinners and when we arrived, there was already a queue outside! Good thing was that we made reservations but we could only get seats in the alfresco area which meant that all the seats inside were fully taken up that evening!

Entrance to Ellenborough Market Cafe , Swissotel Merchant Court
Entrance to Ellenborough Market Cafe , Swissotel Merchant Court

However, the first thing we noticed as we entered the restaurant was that the seats were actually very well spaced out and that the whole restaurant was huge and spacious! This meant that eventhough it was fully booked that evening, the crowd was not so huge (and noisy) as to affect the dining experience. This also translated to a more pleasant queue at the buffet lines.

The next thing we noticed was that the restaurant had a Peranakan theme to it. The centre pieces, displays and even the tables and chairs had a Peranakan feel to it.

Peranakan Displays in Ellenborough Market Cafe
Peranakan Displays in Ellenborough Market Cafe
Peranakan Tables and Chairs
Peranakan Tables and Chairs

Highlight of the Buffet – Crabs Galore!!

The buffet lived up to its name in that there was an assortment of crabs available to choose from! From the cold platters, there was Spanner Crabs, Snow Crab Claw and even Alaskan Crab Claws!

Absolutely InCRABulous @ Swissotel Merchant Court's Ellenborough Market Cafe Crab Buffet
Absolutely InCRABulous @ Swissotel Merchant Court’s Ellenborough Market Cafe Crab Buffet

But of course, the highlight was the famous Chilli Crab with Golden Mantou as well as the Black Pepper Crabs. The Slipper Lobster in Black Pepper Sauce was also a favourite of ours. Salt baked crabs and nonya crabs were also available at the buffet.

Chilli Crab & Slipper Lobster @ Ellenborough Market Cafe Swissotel Merchant Court
Chilli Crab & Slipper Lobster @ Ellenborough Market Cafe Swissotel Merchant Court

The buffet was generous in its servings and there was no lack of pincers for buffet lovers to go for. We had so many pincers that we lost count! Here’s a tip for you crab buffet lovers – We noticed that the Chilli Crabs had pincers that were particular huge (somewhat like Sri Lankan Crabs!) as compared to the black pepper crabs and salt baked crabs.

Close up of Chilli Crab, Mantou & Slipper Lobster
Close up of Chilli Crab, Mantou & Slipper Lobster

We strongly recommend the Chilli Crab as well as the Slipper Lobster. The Chili crab was not as spicy as the other versions and the sauce was enticing yet flavourful. The gravy really went well with the Mantou – but then again, any fried flour tastes good right? But we must say that the Golden Mantou was for real, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The slipper lobster on the other hand was fresh. The meat came off its shell rather easily and you can easily enjoy one big chunk of the lobster – Yummy!

The only bad thing about the crabs was that not all of it were fresh. There were actually some that were turning bad – soft and mushy. Therefore, choose the huge pincers (Sri Lankan Crab lookalikes) from the Chili Crabs! You wont go wrong with that!

Peranakan / Nonya Food

There must be a reason why the restaurant is decorated with a nonya theme. The nonya food it serves! There was actually a selection of peranakan food available at the crab buffet as well. Ayam Buah Keluak, Kueh Pie Tee, Nonya Curry Chicken and Crabs – Traditional Nonya fare were served up in that selection. We went for the braised pork with vinegar and was thoroughly satisfied.

Braised Pork with Vinegar @ Ellenborough Market Cafe Swissotel Merchant Court
Braised Pork with Vinegar @ Ellenborough Market Cafe Swissotel Merchant Court

The meat (and of course the skin) was fully infused with the soya sauce and mild vinegar which gave it that fragrant smell. The meat literally melted in your mouth. Dont be too overly concerned about its name with the word “vinegar” as it’s more like a condiment in this traditional dish.

Other selections at the Buffet

Besides the crabs and nonya food, there was also a small selection of sushi, sashimi as well as gourmet fish such as fried tilapia,sting rays and steamed garoupa to choose from. There was also an array of appetisers as well as mains such as lor mee, stir fried udon and fried rice available.

Sashimi Selection @ the crab buffet
Sashimi Selection @ the crab buffet

Highlight for the ladies – DESSERTS!

Then came Kate’s favourite segment of any buffet – DESSERTS! And the desserts @ Ellenborough Market Cafe did not disappoint. There was a good mix of western desserts such as cakes and sweets as well as traditional desserts such as cheng tng, nonya kuehs and of course the signature dessert of Ellenborough Market – Durian Pengat!

Selection of Western Desserts at the buffet
Selection of Western Desserts at the buffet
Close up of the desserts
Close up of the desserts
Traditional Desserts @ Ellenborough Market Cafe
Traditional Desserts @ Ellenborough Market Cafe

We tried all the traditional desserts and rounded them up in a nice flower shape…

Traditional Desserts in a flower shaped arrangement
Traditional Desserts in a flower shaped arrangement

Starting from the top (the dark one) in clockwise order was cheng tng, bubur terigu, almond paste, bobo chacha, white fungus with pear (good for the throat especially after all the durian pengat), ah balling glutinous rice balls with peanut fillings and last but not least – Durian Pengat right in the centre!

Basically, everything was good but you can give the almond paste a miss. Of course, the best was still the Durian Pengat!

Durian Pengat - The signature dessert @ Ellenborough Market Cafe
Durian Pengat – The signature dessert @ Ellenborough Market Cafe

Tasting the durian pengat was literally eating durians itself! It was rich, flavourful and even had the fibres of that of the durian mixed into it! Heavenly! The durian pengat went well with the pandan chiffon cake and of course the golden mantou! (What?!) Yes! Enjoy it with the mantou for your own version of durian puff!

To round things up, we had a healthy dose of fruits (durian pengat also counted as fruit right?)

Fruit Platter
Fruit Platter

as well as the complimentary coffee and tea.

Excellent Service

There’s something that we want to mention about the service. It was excellent! Contrary to what is written on some food review blogs (and note that this is NOT a paid article), the service was really really good! Here are examples of why we say so

1. We told the manager that we wanted to have seats in the air conditioned area once it was available. She remembered and came back to us when it was available later on. She even got the staff to bring our food over for us.

2. The lady and gentlemen serving us at the alfresco area was prompt with their service. Once we were sat down, the lady asked us for our beverage options and came back with our ice water in a jiffy. The gentlemen also cleared our tables as soon as we were done with our food.

3. But the most amazing part was this. Seeing that we were struggling to use the tool to crack the pincers, the lady offered to bring our pincers to be cracked open and brought them back to us. Not once but twice! She was also the one who linked up with the manager to bring us to the seats inside. Kudos to the service team!

Verdict

The excellent service really made our experience at Ellenborough Market Cafe an unforgettable one. It seemed as though they were exclusively serving us but in actual fact the restaurant was at full capacity.

The large variety of food was also a plus. Not only in terms of mains but in terms of desserts as well. Most buffets would only have a measly dessert section. Ellenborough Market Cafe certainly blew their competitors away in terms of variety and value.

The taste of the crabs and quantity of pincers that you could have was great as well.

The only draw back is that some of the crabs were not fresh. They went mushy instead of turgid and succulent as it ought to be. So please stick to the Chili Crab (large) pincers as recommended above and you’d be fine.

Overall, the crab buffet at Ellenborough Market Cafe / Swissotel Merchant Court scores
3.75 out of 5 stars for us! But excluding the service standards, it would be more of a 3.

How to get to Ellenborough Market Cafe @ Swissotel Merchant Court

Swissotel Merchant Court is located at Clarke Quay right beside Central Shopping Mall. Take the Northeast Line (NEL) to Clarke Quay station and take a short walk along the river and you will see the Ellenborough Market Cafe just before the Read Bridge.

Hotel Deals

For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals at Swissotel Merchant Court right here!

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Hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the Crab Buffet at Ellenborough Market Cafe at Swissotel Merchant Court!

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