Let's Sweets

Let's Sweets

Let's sweets, introduced by Japan Foods Holding Pte Ltd (the same company that brings manages Ajisen Ramen, Aji Tei, Botejyu, Hokkyokusei and Japanese Gourmet Town), has caused a stir in the buffet category due to its concept, pricing and selection.


As mentioned by most blogs, there is a 60min time limit for their buffet lunch and 80min time limit for their buffet dinner and most internet reviews have drawn roughly the same verdict.

The buffet bar only stretches one side of the restaurant and the photos displayed in this post show about 95% of the spread.


There are decent spread of savouries, focusing alot on carbohydrates ranging from bread, pizzas, rice dishes and pastas.

Bread station is located at the other end of the restaurant and this station houses baguette with olive oil vinaigrette.

Teriyaki chicken burgers are also served at this station with a miserable serving of the chicken and average tasting bread. Would have been good if the chicken are bigger in portions.


Finger food and a decent selection of pizzas are the other highlights of the buffet line but the problem lies in prolonged exposure under heating lamps. If you happen to get a batch of pizzas (selection ranges from spinach, corn, salami, chicken, tuna, pineapple and crab) that has idled too long, the base is, as expected, tough.

Among the finger food, homemade fried chicken is one that will never go wrong. Kudos to the tender chicken and we couldn't deny the fact that we went for several helpings.


Carnivores would be sorely disappointed as most of the dishes served has tiny portions of meat but apart from that, most of the pastas are delicious. To me, the spaghetti are not over cooked and are well seasoned (e.g. selection are rotated among Chicken Tomato, Chicken Cream, Meat Sauce, Spicy Japanese Mushroom, Crab Tomato Cream).


The hot station has about 4 to 5 dishes at the go and is replenished when the pan is scraped clean. The general taste of the savouries are slightly sweetened and some of the dishes such as Chicken mushroom spaghetti (Aglio e Olio style), Cabbage & Pork Millefeuille, Niku Jaga, and Omullet (Hokkaido Style) deserved some attention.

Japanese curry is delicious but the setback? Only gravy is served and I was pretty surprised by the absence of potatoes and carrots.


Dancing yaki mochi is no longer available and the only live station available in the buffet is the crepes, served with ice-cream with toppings such as caramelized apples, mixed berries or chocolate banana.

Have to admit that the crepe is decent for the reasonable thickness and it being sufficiently fragrant to our liking.


Chiffon cakes are also the other items that will not go wrong among the desserts and one can expect these to be sufficiently fluffy and moist.

The other hot favourite but well hidden in a neglected corner is the chocolate fondue. Don't miss this out, it is located at the upper deck, beside the drink stations.


Now the main disappointment in the entire buffet lies in the mousse cakes. The chocolate mousse, mango mousse, green tea mousse and even the green tea panna cotta have common characteristics, heavy use of gelatin mixed with lots of cream. The resulting factor, cloying.


Strawberry Frangipane Tart would have captured most people's attention since Fruit Paradise is under the same management but instead of the loadful of cream, this is rock hard. Frankly speaking, the taste is not bad but the texture is way too similar to a lyophilized cookie.


The hype about the wide selection of desserts, about 30 to 40 types, lies in this glass display. Note that one can only pick up 5 desserts at a time. The jellies are acceptable while there are better green tea roll cakes out there. After 2 rounds of desserts, we pretty much wrapped up our dinner.


In conclusion, we would say that the entire concept is not completely a flaw as most have highlighted.

After factoring in the 10% service charge and 7% GST, buffet dinner is only priced at $23.30. Having visited Seoul Garden just 1 week ago and that Seoul Garden's weekend buffet dinner is priced at $25.99++ ($30.60), the amount of "meat" served is pretty much correlated to the pricing.

However, the main difference between Seoul Garden and Let's Sweets lies in the amount of staff and service. Although there is no time limit in the former, we notice there are many staff making their rounds, ensuring that the food is replenished and that the plates are cleared relatively fast at Let's Sweets. Kudos to this aspect. The dishes are also of reasonable standard and most are acceptable.

Moreover, having located at an accessible location (e.g. Bugis Junction), $23.30 do sound reasonable for some decent savouries, a crepe and free-flow drinks (a good range of coffee, japanese green tea and soft drinks).

As for the time limit, 60min weekday lunch is reasonable for office crowd unless there are self-declared time extension to lunch breaks and with most of the restaurants (at Bugis Junction) having long stretch of queues during peak periods, one can assure that the waiting time would not be horrendously long.

Now the main flaw in this place lies greatly on their desserts. we don't have to go far but the desserts served at Ajisen Ramen or even Fruit Paradise are way better. If the restaurant placed so much emphasis on their desserts, this needs to greatly improved to avoid disappointment with their diners. Moreover, the highly recommended signatures (e.g. Japan’s famous street snack, “Dancing” Yaki Mochi, Chocolate Fondant, Hokkaido Coffee Zenzai, Rouleau au Caramel de salée (Sea Salt Caramel Rolled Cake)) were all not available on a Saturday buffet dinner. Now that is really a huge disappointment.

Buffet Lunch (60min, from noon to 4:30pm)
For adults
$15.80++ (Monday to Friday)
$16.80++ (Sat, Sun, eve of P.H and P.H)

For children below 130cm
$11.80++ (Monday to Friday)
$12.80++ (Sat, Sun, eve of P.H and P.H)

Buffet Dinner (80min, from 5:30pm to 10pm)
For adults
$18.80++ (Monday to Friday)
$19.80++ (Sat, Sun, eve of P.H and P.H)

For children below 130cm
$11.80++ (Monday to Friday)
$12.80++ (Sat, Sun, eve of P.H and P.H)

Let's Sweets
Bugis Junction
200 Victoria Street
#02-49
Singapore 188021
Tel: 6338 0187

Let's Sweets' press release can be found on one of the So Shiok's articles.
Don't forget to check out Sihan's blog, we felt that our thoughts are pretty similar to what she has written in her post on Let's Sweets.

[ ... ]

MELT ~ The World Cafe

MELT ~ The World Cafe

5 years ago, still undergraduates, I attempted to surprise Yuan on his birthday at MELT ~ The world cafe with only $150 cash in my pocket. Since it was a virgin visit to a 5-star hotel buffet, we naively ordered a bottle of still mineral water with 2 glasses of apple juice, clocking an amount that nearly drained both pockets.


Somehow or rather, that was a very memorable birthday celebration that stayed deeply embedded in both Yuan's and my memory bank. 3 years ago, I was back at MELT for a company's lunch but the experience was so different from the first.

Perhaps, the problem lies with my dining partner. Hence, to relish old memories, decided to celebrate Yuan's birthday at this very special place (11th birthday spent with me and the 1st as his wife) and I would say the overall layout of the restaurant has been pretty much the same, just like our relationship.

Using warm hues of crimson and brown, the distinct Asian atmosphere is further enhanced via the use of bamboo motif, rattan screens and latterns.


The Central Ice Bowl (available for dinner and brunch), housing Boston lobsters, Spanner crab, tiger prawns, Peruvian scallops, Cherry clams, Black mussels and Freshly shucked oysters, have always been a highlight among buffet goers. Hence, it is no surprise that some of the seafood ran out pretty fast and took awhile to be replenished.


In general, the restaurant is divided into 4 main section to diversify the crowd and this area of the buffet line houses the Seasonal Boutique Greens + Crudités, Appetizers + Salads and Bread with an extensive selection of Cheese.

As our visit happens to fall during the German OktoberFest (ends 10 October), the selection of appetizers and salads focus on German salads such as Bohnen und erbsen (German white bean and pea salad), Kartoffelsalat (German potato salad), Rotkohlsalat (red cabbage slaw with grapes and walnut vinaigrette), etc.


The Japanese station, located near the bread and appetizers, serve a selection of nigri sushi, maki, sashimi and Japanese cha, zaru soba and sohmen.


BBQ @ The Alfresco, a major highlight for MELT's buffet (only available for dinner from Thurs to Sat and the Sunday brunch), showcase an extensive array of meats and roast. These are grilled upon order and served to your table.

Whole suckling pig is something not to be missed for the tender, juicy and well-marinated meat.


For the OktoberFest special, this BBQ station focus alot on the various types of sausages ranging from Frankfurter sausage (Long thin sausage made from pork and lightly smoked), Weisswurst (boiled White sausage made from veal, seasoned with parsley, onions, salt, pepper, and sweet mustard), Nürnberger rostbratwurst (grilled Coarsely ground lean pork seasoned with marjoram, salt, pepper and cumin), Bratwurst (grilled Pork in a natural casing) and Bockwurst (boiled Finely ground pork and beef mixture, smoked and seasoned with a variety of spices). In general, the sausages are lightly salted and are quite similar to Pan Pacific sausages which retail in places such as Cold Storage.

Beef burger, grilled lobsters and Cajun chicken breast are the other highlights of this station.

On other days, this station serves a wide range of meat, namely Rotisserie of spring chicken with redang spice, Roast pork knuckle, Tenderloin filet steak, Basil spiced rub T-bone lamb, Whole saba seasoned with salt, Chicken and Lamb Satay with peanut gravy and condiments. Not forgetting accompanying dishes such as Grilled aubergine with pesto, Corn on the cob (with husk on grill), Baked potato with condiments, Grilled white onions, Beef tomatoes with basil oil and Portobello with truffle oil.


Crispy pork knuckle, Bavarian Roast chicken and German sea bass in Brioche Dough are the other highlights of the OktoberFest at the usual carving gallery.

In general, the crackling is inconsistent in terms of the crispness but all pork dishes are well-received as the natural pork smell is inevident. Not only are most of the dishes well marinated, they are very juicy and tender.

On the other hand, we didn't like the German sea bass in Brioche Dough as the bread-like Brioche Dough is relatively heavy for the stomach. No doubt, the fish is fresh and tender but the overall is quite bland.


The gastronomic experience offered by MELT lies greatly on the hot stations. Food served under warming lamps tend to be dry after prolonged exposure but not in the case in MELT. Not forgetting the live pasta and asian noodle stations, one can expect a beautiful "orchestra" of cuisines of Thailand, India, Vietnam, the European continent and local favourites at this section of the buffet.

Most of the dishes from the section of the buffet, particularly the Chinese dishes earns nods, particularly the Sweet and Sour fish, Pork rib with guiness sauce, Crisp oyster omelette with silver sprouts and thai chilli, Crispy Chicken and Cherry Garden's Chinese roast duck with plum sauce Wok.


Part of this section is presented with an array of German food ranging from Sauerkraut-suppe (cabbage soup), Reibekuchen (German potato pancake), Butter pilaf rice with sausages, Braised Pork Belly in Black Beer, Rindfleisch-Eintopf (German beef stew with celery seed), Fleischpflanzerl (braised veal meatball), etc. For those who has visited MELT, one will know that the list goes on and on as the portion of each are of small quantities, rotated and replenished at a regular interval.


Similar to The Line, there is a certain degree of emphasis on the Indian food, given the skewers of meat hang in the background and the presence of a Tandoor (i.e. cylindrical clay oven).

As expected, the Tandoori chicken and Chicken tikka won our hearts for the perfect marination and tender, juicy meat.


With quick turnover, the naans, be it plain or garlic are served soft and warm. As for the selection of Indian curries, apart from it being slightly salty to my liking, the multiple rounds made for this station makes me conclude that this is way better than the Indian station presented by The Line.


Desserts are extremely popular at MELT, considering the amount of diners we saw at this station for the early half of the buffet and depending on how one looks at it. The replenished cakes are different from the ones originally served at the start of the buffet. Either you have lots of room to try all the cakes served or you end up with a different variety at the second half of the buffet.


Apart from cakes, the buffet spread for the desserts is extended to waffles, bread and butter pudding, a good selection of fruits, nonya kueh and chocolate fondue.

Serving staff are designated at various parts of the dining area and the prompt and meticulous service deserved a big thumbs up. Not only are the plates and water being cleared and refilled at regular intervals with little prompting, every single staff demonstrates a commendable level of warm hospitality with smiles displayed on their faces all the time. This makes the dining experience in MELT more enjoyable.

Also, the main highlight in MELT lies on the extensive variety and most of the dishes are well-executed. A contender to The Line and a clear winner when it comes to the taste of individual dishes, in particular the Chinese and Indian food. However, when it comes to Japanese food or Western carvings, we can't help but to recommend Triple 3 and Checkers Brasserie respectively.

Buffet Lunch
$56++ per person

Sun Brunch
$338++ (with free flow Cuveé Belle Epoque Champagne, wines, beers, cocktails, juices and soft drinks)
$138++ (with free flow Perrier Jouët Champagne, wines, beers, cocktails, juices and soft drinks)
$98++ (with free flow juices and soft drinks)
$48++ (for children from 4 to 11 years old)

Buffet Dinner
$68++ per person (Sun to Wed)
$78++ per person (Thurs to Sat)

Child price for Lunch and Dinner are as follows
Free of charge for children from 1 to 3 years old
$28++ for children from 4 to 7 years old
$38++ for children from 8 to 11 years old
Full adult price for children from 12 years old and above

The following are on-going promotion for credit cards (not valid on eve’s of public holidays, public holidays and festive seasons)
Citibank – 15% off on food bill (valid till 31 December 2010)
HSBC – 15% off on food bill (valid till 31 December 2010)
Amex – 15% off on food bill (valid till 31 December 2010)
OCBC – 15% off on food bill (valid till 31 March 2011)
UOB – 15% off on total food bill or 1 complimentary lunch/dinner buffet with 3 full paying adult. (Only valid for the first 4 paying adult until 31 December 2010)

MELT ~ The World Café
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
Level 4
5 Raffles Avenue
Marina Square
Singapore 039797
Tel: 6885 3082

Operating Hours-
Noon – 2.30pm (Lunch)
6.30pm – 10.00pm (Dinner)
Noon - 3pm (Sunday Brunch)
Website

[ ... ]

Triple 3 International Sunday Brunch

Triple 3 International Sunday Brunch

Your eyes are not playing tricks on you. YES, this is our third visit to Triple Three within the year. Since 12 September 2010, Triple Three's buffet dinner showcase either specialties of Executive Chef Shigeru Akashi, Executive Sous Chef William Tan, Executive Chinese Chef Sunny Kong or Chef De Cuisine Liew Tian Heong and this will be rotated among the different days of the week. If you can't decide, simply drop by Sunday brunch to enjoy the specialites of all the chefs. Despite this being our 3rd visit, no novelty factor, we still enjoyed the buffet as much as during our first visit.


The introduction of Mandarin Orchard's Chefs’ Sunday Specials also marks the much-awaited return of Triple Three’s acclaimed Signature Roast Prime Rib and Honey Baked Glazed Ham, specially created by Executive Sous Chef William Tan who has dedicated himself to refining the recipe over the last three decades. Served with Honey Pineapple sauce, the ham is tender and lightly sweetened. This was both Yuan's and my favourite for the Carving station.


Roasted Mushroom with Herbs, Vine Baby Tomatoes, Roasted Potatoes, Truffle Oil Flavors Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Chive and Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables are also newly introduced dishes to complement the Signature Roasted Prime Rib of Beef and Roasted Turkey Breast.


Just when you thought that the culinary journey is going to be the usual assortment of appetizers, canapés, crispy salads and seafood on ice. Perhaps, this newcomer is going to a rare find on the buffet bar. The Spanish ibérico ham.


In general, the seafood were fresh and sweet. Apart from the usual suspects (i.e. New Zealand mussel, Poached scallop in shell and Sweet Rock Clam), Poached Maine lobster and Alaska Snow Crab Leg are the other highlights of this brunch. I must say that we were pleasantly surprised that all the seafood (not just for oysters) which we had were succulent and sweet.


Pine Court's Executive Chinese Chef Sunny Kong presents his Cantonese specialties such as the classic Peking Duck and premium Crabmeat Fried Rice with X.O. Sauce (with sufficient Wok's breath). No doubt, the thin, crispy skin of the duck is good and delicious when served together with pancakes, spring onions and hoisin sauce. Needless to say, the Wok Fried Tiger Prawn with Fruit Sauce have won the hearts of our dining partners and the intense Wok's breath is understandable, considering the fact that I personally witnessed the chef raising the fire 3 to 4 times to fry this prawn.


Chef De Cuisine Liew Tian Heong’s perfectly roasted Barbequed meats is another that leave a deep impression for the crisp skin of the Suckling Pig and the melt-in-your-mouth fats of the Roasted BBQ Pork.


Some changes to the Japanese stations, Executive Chef Shigeru Akashi has introduced Hand Rolls and new variations of his array of maki. The ingredients used in each maki is generous and splendid; and freshness of Sashimi is of no doubt with the selection ranging from Tuna, Salmon (and belly), Kingfish, Surf Clam, Tako and Yellowtail.


Stuffed Chikuwa with Cheese and Wagyu Beef are newly introduced to the Tempura and Teppanyaki stations respectively. Tempura prawns are well-received for the crisp and "not oily" batter. As for the Wagyu beef, it is nice but Yuan did not like the fatty chewy taste of Wagyu and preferred the beef fillet served previously.


Making its virgin appearance on 3 October 2010, the Egg station is introduced into Triple Three's brunch. According to Executive Chef Shigeru Akashi, brunch would not be complete without serving eggs topped with a shaving of black truffle. Diners can choose between Scrambled egg with Black truffle and salmon roe or Egg Benedict served with smoked salmon.


I must admit that the shaving of these black truffle, gives these eggs a nice "earthy?" taste. However, between the two, we prefer the Egg Benedict more since it is not reeked with vinegar (comparing with the recent ones we had) and the egg yolk is runny enough to our liking. Pan Fried Signature Miso Duck Liver On Braise White Radish is also served at this station, cooked a-la-minute upon your order.


Apart from the mentioned stations, one will be delighted with a wide selection of cheese, pasta, hot plates station (serving Baked Chilean Sea bass with Thyme Miso, Baked baby lobster with Meitaiko Mayo, etc), steamer station, Indian station, etc.


The theme of desserts have always been very different from all 3 visits and this is put up by Pastry Chef Ivan Liew. Those who love caramel should not miss out the Sticky Toffee Pudding.


Pancakes station is another new highlight for this buffet. Select between the original flavour or blueberry ones and pair it with in-house ice-cream, chocolate fudge, chocolate chips and other ornaments. These fluffy sweet things taste so good on its own, for both its texture and the taste.

While the spread may not look as extensive when compared to (some) 5-star hotels. It is important to note that this place focus alot on live stations whereby (most) food will be cooked only upon order and often served straight to your table.

Many thanks to Sous Chef William Tan for his warm hospitality and his time to introduce various specialties of the buffet spread.

Buffet Lunch
$65++ per person (Mon-Thurs)
$72++ per person (Fri, Sat & Eve of PH)
$28++ (for children below 12 years old)
$9.90++ (for toddlers occupying highchair)

Sun Brunch
$98++ (inclusive of soft drinks and juices)
$128++ (inclusive of free flow of Moët & Chandon Champagne, wines, beer, soft drinks and juices)
$42++ (for children below 12 years old)
$9.90++ (for toddlers occupying highchair)

Buffet Dinner
$85++ per person (Mon to Sun)
$33++ per person (for children below 12 years old)
$9.90++ (for toddlers occupying highchair)

Currently from the month of September to 14th November 2010, Citibank is offering a 1-for-1 at Triple Three.
Note that this is only applicable to weekday lunch and Sunday dinner; also, this is subjected to a maximum of 8 diners and children are not included in the 1-for-1 promotion.

Triple Three
Mandarin Orchard Singapore
333 Orchard Road
Singapore 238867
Tel: 6831 6288/71

Operating Hours-
Noon – 2.30pm (Lunch)
6.30pm – 10.00pm (Dinner)
Noon - 3pm (Sunday Brunch)
Website

[ ... ]

Birthday cakes...

Birthday cakes...

After all the sweets and mooncakes I have been eating lately, I had a rude shock when I stepped onto the weighing scales. For some reasons, I have stopped my gym activities for 3 months (since May) and I have put on a shocking 8kg. Blogging will slow down for the next few months...

2 buffets will be coming up in October for my bestie's and Yuan's birthday so there won't be deliberate cake hunts in the near future. Since my recent entries have been on mooncakes and some food tastings, I thought this entry would just sum up some of the birthday cakes I had from July to September.

***

Celebrated two of my closest Leo colleagues at Cherry Garden and Mandarin Oriental is one of the rare places to get a 350gm whole cake. Based on the order form I have downloaded in July 2009, a selection of 11 cakes are available at 350gm, 750gm and 1kg being priced at $26, $48 and $60 respectively.

Having only 4 diners, a 350gm cake is very appropriate but Cherry Garden actually offers complimentary individual birthday cake or Chinese birthday buns. Took the offer and wow, it is a generous slice of chocolate mousse cake with crispy hazelnut feuilletine and dacquoise sponge.


Cherry Garden
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
5 Raffles Avenue, Marina Square,
Singapore 039797
Tel: 6885 3538
Website

***

Shortly in August, decided to celebrate another colleague's birthday at Jing and the most convenient place to get a cake would be Fullerton Hotel.

Frankly speaking, ordering via the email was quite a chore as most of the cakes listed in the form they have given me were not available. Information of the available sizes and pricing were also wrong. Hence, it was only after 16 emails that my order was confirmed and I end up with a 750gm cake for 4 diners.

Anyway, considering how popular Fullerton's chocolate buffet is, the chocolate cakes that are available at Fullerton Hotel are
Pure Chocolate Manjari (available in 500gm at $28 nett)
Pure Chocolate Manjari mousse, Chocolate Garnishee, Chocolate Sponge, Absolute glaze and Feuillantine base

Lavendar Chocolake Manjari (comes only in 1 size, 1kg $50 nett)
Pure Chocolate Manjari mousse, Chocolate Sponge and Lavendar Cream

As for Fullerton Hotel's in-house specialties, there are
Champagne fruit forest mousse cake ($45 nett)
Apricot, pistachio and milk chocolate mousse cake ($40nett)


Decided to stick to the Champagne fruit forest mousse cake (firmly believe this is a 750gm cake and not a 500gm as stated) and this cake is skillfully layered with white chocolate, vanilla mousse infused with champagne, 2 layers of dacquoise, a layer of chantilly cream and a layer of raspberry compote/gelee.

With white chocolate as one of the component, this is of no doubt sweet but what is nice about this white variant of blackforest lies in eating it as a whole. White chocolate being silky smooth, champagne-infused mousse to provide a refreshing alcoholic kick, tangy raspberry gelee to neutralize the sweetness and dacquoise cake to provide textured overall combination. Well-received among my 3 colleagues.

One whole cake can feed 8 to 10 people but to avoid all the confusion, it is better to check with the staff at the counter outside Town Restaurant than to go through the email channel. Some of these cakes are available off the shelf (both sliced and whole) and are displayed at the counter.

The Fullerton Hotel Singapore
1 Fullerton Square
Singapore 049178
Tel: 6877 8911/8912
Email: dining-rsvp@fullertonhotel.com
Website

***

Next up, Truffs' chocolate cake for daddy's birthday and my colleague's farewell.


Chocolate has always been a safe bet and I chanced upon Truffs' through facebook. One of my friends "like" their page and out of curiosity, I have decided to order a chocolate cake from them.

Their cakes are only available as a whole in 7-inch ($85, 1.5kg), 9-inch ($128, 2.3kg) and 10-inch ($170, 3kg) and require advance notice of at least 3 working days.


This is a "chimera" of a chocolate fudge cake and a chocolate mousse cake and don't underestimate a 7-inch chocolate cake. This rich chocolate cake is good enough to feed more than 12 people unless you are a die-hard chocolate and dessert fan. The chocolate sponge is moist and moderately sweet and hence complemented very well with the rich (and sweet) chocolate ganache and glossy dark chocolate glaze.

Some may find it overly rich and sweet and I would say I like it more on my first eating than the second.

Oh, daddy's birthday is celebrated at PuTien so coincidentally all 3 birthday celebrations are done in a Chinese restaurant... Should I put up an entry for all 3 of them?

Truffs
179A Telok Ayer Street
Singapore 068627
Tel: 9088 2736

Operating hours:
noon to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
noon to 4pm (Sat)
Closed on Sundays and public holidays
Website

[ ... ]