For those who are familiar with Hilton Hotel's buffets, one will know about their Friday's Seafood Buffet Dinner. While the Friday's Seafood Buffet Dinner focus more on the fish market, this Sunday Brunch offers not only a luxurious seafood on ice including fresh oysters, mussels, clams and Alaskan king crabs but also a series of hot food which includes a wide array of live stations, presenting seafood hot dishes, prepared a-la-minute.
While more players emerge with buffets priced affordably, Hilton Hotel decided to take a different approach by introducing more live stations. Apart from the brunch items (e.g. Raclette cheese, Japanese teppanyaki, sashimi and sushi, pan-fried Foie Gras and famous roasts such as the Leg of Lamb and Veal) they have introduced previously, the hotel aims to share with their diners some of the more uncommonly seen items such as the Northern Indian street food, Tawa, Iberian ham, Scrambled Egg with Vodka, Pasta prepared by the crew from the hotel's poolside Italian restaurant, il Cielo.
Although the layout of Checkers Brasserie does not permit many live stations, credits have to be given to Indian Cuisine Chef Santosh to introduce Tawa, a Northern Indian street food prepared using convex disc-shaped metal griddle.
With your choice of vegetable or meat (Chicken, Mutton or Prawn), Chef Santosh uses his home-made spices to prepare the curry according to one's preference. According to Chef Santosh, preparing the curry on the spot retains the aroma of the spice in the curry which would otherwise fade with time.
Served to your table, the splendid bowl of curry is perfect with piping hot naan bread (Cheese, Garlic or Plain), making this station one of the main highlights of this buffet.
What we like about the freshly made naan is the "clean" taste unlike some with a "smokey" and charred finishing. In addition, the naans are of a good thickness and are not overstretched.
Cheese naan is soft and chewy, well-stuffed with cheeses while the garlic naan outshines with its garlic buttery herb toppings.
Sunday brunch at Hilton Hotel would mean a bigger spread for Kaspia Bar (which is located outside Checkers Brasserie) opens up to cater more selections.
Unlike the regular Sunday brunch that features Mediterranean food and roasts, this section of the buffet now houses several live stations, featuring Chinese-styled prawns freshly prepared upon order, Seafood Paella, Italian pasta and risotto prepared by the chefs from il Cielo.
I first fall in love with the hotel's risotto when I had it at the Christmas Media Event last year and since then, it has been the best one I have ever come across. In fact, I briefly made a comparison with the ones I had in Italy and have not found one that second to this. The smooth and rich cream-textured base with al dente grains easily earns a mention for this buffet. This station also features Iberian Ham shaved on the spot and a selection of pastas prepared in various style upon order.
Brunch will not complete without eggs and unlike the regular omelette and poached eggs served in most brunches. One can expect Volka in the scrambled eggs. Topped with caviar and sour cream, this is indeed something different.
Grilled Foie Gras has become a permanent feature at Hilton's buffet for its popularity with the diners. Served with balsamic and chips, the foie gras is nicely seared with a meltingly core, making it one of the better ones which we have eaten so far.
Seafood Paella, also available on the Friday Seafood Buffet, is another station that deserves a shout out. As mentioned in my previous post, one can expect this to be extremely flavourful with just the right amount of Australian Mussels, Squid and Prawns. Like the risotto, what I like about the Seafood Paella is that the rice is not exceedingly soft nor mushy.
Live Drunken Prawns in XO Chinese Wine and Large Prawns with Salted Egg are the highlights of the Chinese station. These are prepared upon order and the freshness is of no doubt for the live prawns are kept in a tank and cooked upon ordering, ensuring the prawns serve to be at its freshest.
Black Pepper Flamed Duck is another new introduction to the buffet.
As mentioned in my post on Hilton's Sunday Brunch, the hotel uses slow cooking to prepare their meat and the famous Leg of Lamb and Veal are available at the craving station.
Senior Chinese Chef Aw Yeong also showcases his specialities in this buffet which include 48-hour Braised Baby Abalones and Baked Cod with Fried Ginger and Caviar. While the baby abalones are succulent and juicy, the baked cod is slightly sweetened with a crisp seared exterior.
Rum Baba is the highlight for the desserts. Using a dry dough sponge which is cooked in butter, sugar and orange juice, this dessert is subsequently flambé with the rum. This caramelized dessert has a nice orange tang that finishes with a strong doze of rum.
The selection of desserts, though small but memorable. The hotel makes it a point to present a selection of delicate creations to allow their guests to try the sweets that are not sold at Checkers Deli. For instance, the lemon tart has more sugary crumbles in its tart base while the Strawberry Cheesecake is a lighter variant than the ones available for take-aways. In addition, one can also expect the popular mille-feuille and is often the first dessert to run out.
Checkers Brasserie offers a very unique selection of seafood dishes and to make sure the food is served at its best, the hotel has introduced several hot stations to ensure the food to be served at its freshest. Despite being the third visit to Checkers Brasserie, there are a few items which are my must-haves and I will never mind the multiple helpings, which includes the Raclette cheese, Risotto, Seafood Paella, Roasts, Pan-fried Foie Gras and desserts such as the signature Chocolate Mousse and Cheesecakes.
It has been a wonderful Sunday afternoon to be able to dine with Marketing Communications Manager, Ms. Joyce Moo and we would like to thank her for her time and the complementary meal.
Sunday Seafood Brunch Buffet
Available from now to 16 October 2011, every Sunday from Noon to 3pm.
Prices:
$85++ per person (with free flow of juices)
$110++ with free flow of wine / 3 glasses of Louis Roederer Champagne
$160++ with free flow of Louis Roederer Champagne
$35++ for children aged 6-12 years
Citibank Cardmember gets to enjoy a one dines free for every 3 paying adults for the Sunday Brunch from now to 16 October 2011.
Checkers Brasserie
Hilton Singapore
581 Orchard Road
Singapore 238883
Tel: 6730 3390
Website
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