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

Durian Pengat - The signature dessert @ Ellenborough Market Cafe

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

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

TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) : Best Buffet Restaurant in Singapore?

Map of TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

TODAI International and Seafood Buffet Restaurant at Marina Bay Sands has got to be the most extensive buffet we’ve ever been to! However, the extensive buffet also comes with a price. To see how expensive it is, check out its pricing below…(correct as of date of publish)

Price of TODAI International and Seafood Buffet

LUNCH

Monday ~ Friday
Adult: $42++ Child (below 1m 30cm): $22++

Sat., Sun. & Holiday, Holiday Eve
Adult: $58++ Child (below 1m 30cm): $26++

DINNER

Monday ~ Thursday
Adult: $54++ Child (below 1m 30cm): $26++

Fri., Sat., Sun. & Holiday, Holiday Eve
Adult: $58++ Child (below 1m 30cm): $26++

Location

#B2-01 The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Ave Singapore 018972

So if you visit on the weekends, it would cost about 70 bucks per person! However, is it really worth it to spend so much on a buffet?

Entrance to TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)
Entrance to TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Entrance to TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

The first thing we noticed as we entered the restaurant was that the entire restaurant was quite spacious with a nice setting and ambience.

Nice Ambience and Seating at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)
Nice Ambience and Seating at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Nice Ambience and Seating at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

After being seated, we glanced through the site map and decided to have a go at every section of the restaurant.

Map of TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)
Map of TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Map of TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

As you can see from the map, the choice is so varied with so many options to choose from! There’s Sushi, Seafood, Chinese, Noodles, Pizza, Pasta, Churrasco, Korean Food and Desserts! Next, we’ll go through each section and its recommended food!

Churrascaria aka Churrasco / Korean Food

Churrascaria section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)
Churrascaria section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Churrascaria section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

This was Tom’s favourite section! Also known as the meat lover’s section! We were glad that we have not visited the Brazilian Churrascaria before because a visit to TODAI also covers the Churrasco section where the barbecued meats were simply “ma ma mia!”.

Plate of Churrasco and Korean dish
Plate of Churrasco and Korean dish

Plate of Churrasco and Korean dish

There was beef, pork and wings. However the highlight for the Churrasco section was the BBQ pork! (See top left). The meat was tender and flavourful. Each slice came with a little bit of pork fat that really brought out its natural juicy flavour! It’s no surprise that we went for seconds (and thirds and fourths…). Also, give the jalapenos, onions and other garnishes a try. The flavours match the Churrasco and makes it less jalat (Singaporeans – pls comment below if you know how to explain jalat in English. Tks!)

Just beside the Churrasco section is the Korean Food section. We wanted to try the la chao nian gao (spicy rice cake – bottom right) that we so often see in Korean dramas. Well, it turned out not too amazing afterall. The cake was a little tough and we’ve not really used to the flavour. The fried noodle was not bad (well so is anything fried right?)

Seafood, Sushi and Sashimi!

Seafood section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)
Seafood section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Seafood section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Next we came to the highlight of the restaurant. The SEAFOOD SECTION! The seafood section boasts of snow crab, sashimi,sushi, fresh prawns, escargot and oysters! For us, the highlight was the escargot and oysters…

Seafood platter at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)
Seafood platter at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Seafood platter at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Plate of sushi with interesting names
Plate of sushi with interesting names

Plate of sushi with interesting names

It was quite interesting to try escargot for the first time. You would be thinking like “Why would you want to try garden snails?!”. On the contrary, the escargot was not slimy, it had a firm and fresh texture. Hey, come to think of it now, maybe it’s not escargot. (Any visitor to TODAI can verify that shelled creature?). It was quite easy to extract the entire meat out of the shell, just use a fork to poke part of it, with a gentle tug, it all comes out. The meat was succulent and fresh, try it and tell us what you think!

As with other restaurants, the prawns, sashimi and snow crabs were really fresh. The prawns were especially firm, from which you know its really fresh and the taste was sweet! As for the oysters, it was also excellent in the sense that it was the best we’ve tasted in Singapore so far (best ever was freshly shucked ones in Australia). The oysters here were also freshly shucked by the chef within the counter. You have to ask him for the oysters and he would give you only 2 at one time. Hence, we also came back for seconds and thirds…but just a word of caution, oysters are high in cholesterol…just stop at 20.

Chinese Foods

Chinese Foods Section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)
Chinese Foods Section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Chinese Foods Section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Variety of chinese food and at least 3 different ways of cooking duck meat
Variety of chinese food and at least 3 different ways of cooking duck meat

Variety of chinese food and at least 3 different ways of cooking duck meat

The Chinese fare was ok. You could taste that the ingredients were really fresh but from the chinese taste perspective it’s really just ok. Even the chilli crayfish was normal. The crayfish was fresh no doubt, but the sauce was just mediocre. Still, when the crayfish arrived, it would be gone in a matter of minutes! The server would be there to serve each customer just 2 piece with some sauce. So if you miss a batch, you would have to wait about 10 minutes for the next batch. Make sure you “lurk” around when you see the chefs about to serve (you can actually observe them cook through the glass panels)…

Popular Crayfish with snow crab at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)
Popular Crayfish with snow crab at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Popular Crayfish with snow crab at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Pizza, Pasta, Noodles and Fried Stuffs

Noodles section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)
Noodles section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Noodles section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Pizza and Calamari
Pizza and Calamari

Pizza and Calamari

Shrimp Cream Sauce with Spaghetti and Chicken Wings from Churrasco
Shrimp Cream Sauce with Spaghetti and Chicken Wings from Churrasco

Shrimp Cream Sauce with Spaghetti and Chicken Wings from Churrasco

Laksa without hum (cockles) from the noodles section
Laksa without hum (cockles) from the noodles section

Laksa without hum (cockles) from the noodles section

Well, there’s nothing much to shout about at this section except that the pizza was thin crust with an excellent taste (cold soba was also available). Otherwise, DO NOT TRY the spaghetti and laksa.

Desserts!

Dessert section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)
Dessert section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Dessert section at TODAI International and Seafood Buffet at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

Last but not least, we have finally arrived at Kate’s favourite section, DESSERTS!

Yummy waffles with soft serve icecream, berry yohgurt, orange chococalate cake, banana chocolate and macarons!
Yummy waffles with soft serve icecream, berry yohgurt, orange chococalate cake, banana chocolate and macarons!

Yummy waffles with soft serve icecream, berry yohgurt, orange chococalate cake, banana chocolate and macarons!

The highlight at this section was the waffles. Its freshly made and when you pick up your waffle, you know that it just left the heater not too long ago. It’s fragrant, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and warm!! Goes really well with ice cream (though not the soft serve kind but not much of a choice here). The macarons had only 1 flavour, so do not be deceived by the different colours. The cakes were also not too bad. Hence, Kate thoroughly enjoyed this section!

In Conclusion…

We actually do recommend this place. Just that the price is a little steep. But you can be assured that the foods are of the freshest grade and the ambience, location and wide variety of food should be more than make up for the price!

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Local Hawker Fare – Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles

Local Hawker Fare – Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles

There are so many local hawker fare in Singapore. To the locals, hawker food is still the best. In the olden days, hawkers used to ply the streets selling their foods. However, in the 1960s, the hawkers were re-located into hawkers centres where many stalls are gathered in one place. Today, these hawker centres are called food centres and the hawker food is also found in food courts everywhere in Singapore.

One of my favourite hawker food is the Hokkien Mee…

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Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles

How it is made

In order to create this local delight, kilograms of prawn head and shell are boiled together for hours with pork bones or ribs. The stock is then kept to fry the noodles. Thereafter, egg, noodles (both white and yellow), garlic and the stock is fried together, simmered again with more of the stock, to allow the noodles to be infused with the flavour of the stock.

When this is done, pre-cooked sotong (squid), prawn and sometimes slices of pork are thrown in and fried for a short while before serving. The hokkien mee is usually served with chilli on the side.

In recent days, the hokkien mee may also be wrapped in Opeh leave (some kind of bamboo leave I believe) so that the fragrance can also be imparted to the noodles.


The Taste

There are many varieties of this same dish. Some like it dry and sticky, some like it moist and wet. I like mine infused with the flavour, no matter dry or wet. Primarily, the hokkien mee has a seafood taste with a prawny slant. It is generally savoury sweet (not the dessert sweet) with a hint of bitterness from the yellow noodles. The taste of the noodles will really depend on the stock (i.e. the ingredients used to prepare the stock) and should be rich. The time taken to simmer the noodles and infuse the stock will determine its final taste.

Just writing this post makes me want to eat hokkien mee! Enjoy!

Fried Hokkien Mee
Fried Hokkien Mee
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