Carlton Hotel's Durian buffet

Update: Don't miss out on Carlton Hotel's Durian Buffet from 15 June 2011 to 15 August 2011.

Durian season is back. In our first special for the durian session, sgdessert.com would like to introduce a place where one can enjoy fresh shucked durian at the heart of Singapore city. This is none other the durian buffet served at Café Vic, Carlton Hotel, which is also the first hotel in Singapore to bring in this concept.


As the durian theme is focused on the desserts, the selection of the other spread is pretty much like an international buffet. One can expect a decent selection of savoury dishes ranging from beef brisket, crispy leatherjacket with thai chilli, roast chicken, mutton curry, braised beancurd with seafood, mixed vegetables, fried ee-fu noodles and garlic rice.


Not forgetting the cold section, which includes cold appetizers such as cold soba noodles, Japanese tofu, prawn cocktail, etc; and seafood on ice with a choice of shuckled oysters, prawns and salmon sashimi.


On the other side of the cafe, there is a live section where one can enjoy BBQ Stingray and Squid. Rarely do you find such local delicacies in a hotel buffet. Baby Back Ribs and Noodle soup are available at this section...


Since the buffet focuses on durian, I shan't flood the entire entry with photos of every single corner of the cafe. When introducing any buffets, spread is important and at a price tag of $45++, what is offered is acceptable. Taste-wise, the food is not overly salty and the wide variation of cooking is suitable for everybody. Mild, well-seasoned and easily acceptable.

Of course, there are a few dishes worth mentioning. For instance, the crispy leatherjacket is fresh and the batter is light which goes well with the thai chili; fried garlic rice and ee-fu noodle did make me go for a second serving; winter melon soup was definitely a refreshing treat after bouts of durian spree; BBQ stingray and squid were Yuan's favourite for the evening; not forgetting my attention spent on the salad, cheese and bread section.

Touching on the dessert section, to cater to non-durian lovers, one will be surprised by the array of fresh fruits offered by the cafe.


Also, the sweet treats are extended to a wide selection of cakes, ranging from Banana Chocolate Cake, Strawberry Cheese Cake, Trutti Fruitti, etc.


Not forgetting the all-time favourite chocolate fondue and the accompanying petite desserts.


Now for the highlights of the buffet, there are >10 durian items on the buffet, namely Durian puff, Durian tarts, Durian Crème Brulee, Durian Pudding, Durian Waffle, Durian Pancake, Durian Bo Bo Cha Cha, Durian Mousse Cake, Durian Ice-cream, Durian Kueh, Durian Fudge Cake and Freshly shucked durians.


Durian fanatics would be overwhelmed by these varied choices. Well to make things simple, if you are the hard core durian fan, go straight for the freshly shucked durians. This time round, Café Vic brought in 红虾, Red Prawn Durian (slightly elongated and reddish flesh sort).


However if you want solid durian but yet want to try some desserts, go for the durian waffles and pancakes. The batter used for the pancake and waffle are relatively identical and go well with durian pulp.


If you are saving room for the freshly shucked durians, go for the Durian pudding or Durian Bo Bo Cha Cha. These are light desserts which are fairly fluid with tint of milk and durian pulp.


Last but not least, if you are not really a durian fan, you can try the rest of the durian desserts, they are pretty mild. The Durian Mousse Cake for instance is close to the fresh cream cake with a thin layer of durian mousse. The Durian Chocolate Fudge is closer to a chocolate mousse cake as chocolate tend to overwhelm the durian taste. The bottom line – given the wide selection, you should at least find one item which you like.




To sum up, the spread of durian desserts and the quality of 红虾, Red Prawn Durian impresses. Some may find the spread of savoury items a little modest but keep in mind that this buffet is only charged at $45++ and on top of the savoury items, there is an extensive range of durian desserts and fresh shucked durians.

We would also like to thank Ms Leung, Marketing Communications Manager of Carlton Hotel for the opportunity to take photos of the buffet and the kind assistance of Chef McKern, making the dining experience memorable. Lastly special thanks to Carlton Hotel for the complimentary meal.

Durian Buffet Dinner
June 2009 to 31st July 2009 (6:30pm to 10:30pm)
$45++(A) $23++(C, 5 - 12 yrs)

Durian Dessert Buffet
June 2009 to 31st July 2009 (8pm - 10pm)
$18++(A) $13++(C, 5 - 12 yrs)
Note: Not inclusive of freshly shucked durians

UOB card members get 15% off the total bill, excluding drinks

Café Vic
Carlton Hotel Singapore
76 Bras Basah Road
Singapore 189558
Tel: 6311 8195

http://www.carltonhotel.sg/
Website for Café Vic