So I had another buffet dinner just now, this time Asian cuisine at the Orchard Cafe at level 1 of Orchard Hotel. Why did I say "another"? 'Cause its like the second buffet spread I've been to in the last 2 weeks, the last one been international (feat. Mexican "Ariba Ariba") cuisine at Cafe Brio at Grand Copthorne Waterfront. (I shall not pass comments on how good the food is since I am not paid to do so, but well, the food's pretty good for both.)
Orchard Cafe at Orchard Hotel. Picture didn't show the chocolate fondue and durian dessert huh?
If it sounds vaguely familiarly to you, let me make it clearer. It is the hotel that doesn't allow Zoukkers to pee in their toilets even though they are situated next to the grandma of all clubbing outlets in
Dining beside the river. Pretty cool minus the construction site on the other bank.
I have been eating buffets since Dear got her hands on the much fabled "Women's Weekly" once-in-a-year, one-for-one dining booklet of vouchers from various restaurants in Singapore. Not to say that I am complaining. Buffets are great; they make you look stupid holding a warmed plate in your hand, not knowing what to eat and where to start 'cause you are in the middle of a jungle of food.
I recommend salads and soups as starters, but I usually start with sashimi and oysters. (Thanks to Dear who taught me how to eat oysters as aphrodisiac.) The art of buffet dining is an experience one gathers down the years. Unwritten rules like "You don't eat rice, for god's sake, in a buffet", "What's rare is good, What's raw is even better", "Fill your plate to only 1/6 of its area, food in bite-size portions seems more appealing" get stuck to your brain with every buffet spread you eat. Just remember, try not to eat like a true-blue Singaporean local armed with "kiasuism". You don't look good holding a plate filled with heaps of chicken, beef, rice, vegetables, topped with salmon sashimi graced with wasabi.
You will look like an idiot, trust me.
I like buffets because I can eat.
Try not to be so calculating while you eat, if not it will be a tedious meal. For example, don't think of things like:
"If each oyster costs $5, and the buffet costs $40+++, how many oysters MUST I eat to get my money's worth of food?"
Answer: As much as you want. Just as long as you clean your toilet after you pass your brains out.
Alright, enjoy your buffet. Burp. What's next?
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