Cafebiz (Closed)

Cafebiz @ Hotel Jen is the place to go if you want a relaxing atmosphere to have a nice meal with your friends in, with a palatable spread.My family and I visited CafeBiz @ Hotel Jen on the 3rd of March for a weekday buffet dinner to celebrate my elder sister's 19th birthday. My resourceful younger sister was the one who had learnt of the buffet and its good reviews, so I owe that one good meal to her! We arrived just about the start of the buffet dinner, so everything pretty much was still.... 'intact' . Lucky for me, I was able to flit about snapping delicious photos of the food there before the others could attack them. Fruits! I've always had my doubts about casually picking a fruit out of the fruit bowl and eating though... What if they are mere decorations?Fresh seafood, which sadly lacks oysters. They were good nonetheless.Closeup of the prawns for you prawn fanatics out thereA whole salmon to mutilate feast onSushi platter! Thank god for the array of sushi and the cha soba on the opposite endJapanese/Korean Side DishesBraised DuckIndian Briyani (Saffron Rice for non-Asians)Stir-fried prawn (left) and clams (right)Dim Sum for pastry lovers! Clockwise from top left: Fried pork bun, spring rolls, unknown (and flavourless) cake-like pastryOther pastries available at the Dim Sum counterSauces for the Dim Sum!Japanese Broth (the name of which I have forgotten) Some other soups were available there, but sadly I forgot to snap some pictures Bread basket with a wholesome variety of butters!Me being adventurous and trying all four kinds of homemade butter.Left to Right: Garlic, Sundried Tomato, Anchovies, OliveThe taste of the garlic butter with the bread (as a spread) was really really strong, but it was the fragrant kind of strong, so it is not a bad thing. It's meant to be spread lightly on bread and toasted anyway, so I'd say that this garlic butter was well-done.The Sundried Tomato one was my favourite - It had this special taste, almost like butter and ketchup mixed but without that vinegar taste... and a little bit more tomato-ish taste. The after taste was tangy and delightful. The problem was I had accidentally spread a bit too much on the bread, so it was almost overkill.The anchovies butter was a special one. It was salty. Very salty. And it had that fishy taste at the end that was rather off-putting considering how this is a spread. I felt that it would be a good butter to fry food with, but not so much as a spread.The last one - The olive butter was just appalling. It was disgusting. Now, I have absolutely nothing against olives, and olive butter is actually something we see everywhere, don't we? Well for one, I think this is the real deal - genuine butter made from 100% olive, and secondly I think the real deal is eew. I'm not even going to begin to describe what a horrible after taste it left on my tongue.Overall verdict: Get the Sundried Tomato one. Save your appetite for something better.North Indian Cuisine Counter!!Snacks to pair the various sauces behind withCloseup of the sauces. Clockwise from top left: Chicken curry, apple chutney, green chutney, unknown (I should really start asking if I don't know :x)Fish Curry and Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower and Potatoes)I think I would go as far as to say that the North Indian cuisine was the highlight of the buffet. Of course, this is coming from me, an avid fan of Indian food. Masala chicken, curries, prata... You name it, I savour it. But this is also because of the beautiful pots in which the food were kept. If you were surveying the restaurant, I think that would probably be the first thing you'd see. And most definitely, the food was good! What more to expect?Desserts Counter!!Chocolate Fountain, majestic as always. I'm still looking for a dark chocolate fountain.'Condiments' to dip in the chocolate fountain! The puffs to the right were surprisingly light (think plastic bag) and crispy (I hope it's not because they were stale -.-)More desert. Left to right: WAFFLES, Portuguese Egg Tart, Muah CheeMore starchy dessert for those who like it fillingClockwise from top left: Nyonya Kueh-Mueh, Strawberry Roll, Kek Lapis, Pandan CakeChinese new year goodies at the background!!And again, more cakes.An amazingly comprehensive drinks counterA separate counter for hot drinksWhat I really liked about the buffet, was that they had beverages. Not just plain water or the soft drink dispenser you might find in other buffets like Kiseki / Sakura, but REAL refreshing drinks such as the following:Cranberry Juice Cocktail (MUST TRY!) and Lychee TeaI loved in particular the Cranberry Juice Cocktail because it was so flavourful! I don't usually drink Cranberry juice because it's always too sweet with a powdery after-taste (anything to do with it being from a packet?) But this one is special! The sweetness is mild so it does not spoil your appetite, and the slight sour taste can help whet your appetite for the large spread in the restaurant! Plus points for the adorable presentation on a mini chalkboard And did I mention?? There's even a bubble tea machine for you to seal your plastic cup!! Now THAT'S a first. Another bonus for creativity! How novel! A bubble tea machine in a buffet restaurant!With all the accessories, too!Clockwise from top left: Clam, Cooked Salmon, PrawnThe seafood was rather disappointing mainly because there weren't any oysters, but that's just me acting up on a no-oyster fit. The clams were tasteless, which was quite disappointing, but I think you had to pair them with some sauce... which I didn't because I like my raw seafood plain. It's all about savouring the sweetness! The cooked salmon was rather tasteless but it tasted really good with the sauce I grabbed from the side. Was it ranch??? I'm so clueless when it comes to condiments.Salmon sashimi and sushiI'm surprised I didn't take more salmon sashimi. I did take another two more plates after this photo but it was certainly not my usual 'appetite'. Looking back I regret not having relished more sashimi, because that is probably the best seafood that came out from the buffet.The sashimi was fresh, and the sushi was good. I suggest not eating too much sushi though as it can make you feel rather full in the long run.Cheese and Crackers!!! Failed artistic closeup. I really need a DSLR and some photography lessons This came from the counter that I forgot to snap a picture of :'( As usual, the cheese never failed to disappoint my tummy. The crackers were great on its own, but the brie made it 100x better. I LOVE BRIE! Or was this Camembert? I can never tell the difference.The cheddar cheese that I got tasted a bit 'meh'... Probably because I only had it after relishing my brie, so it seemed bland to me.Clockwise from top left: Mutton sausage, pork sausage, chicken sausage, Briyani, roasted potatoes, Chicken coq au vin (french dish of chicken braised with wine)THE SAUSAGES WERE SO GOOD! I really liked the chicken one. It spurt out juice even when it was cold (I'd left it at a side because I was busy talking to my family) and it was so good I made my grandmother and father try it on the spot. Cut, feed, cut, feed. I was raving about this chicken sausage all the time.The mutton one was really good too, but it doesn't taste like mutton to me. Maybe it was some other meat.... It was delish nonetheless.The pork sausage however was just mediocre. It paled in comparison to the other two sausages I had, which were really flavourful!The briyani was rather bland (again, maybe I should have paired it with some gravy) and I felt that it was a waste of stomach space (especially when you can save them for those chicken sausages *salivates*)The roasted potatoes were nothing to shout about - I felt they could have been spiced more, maybe a bit more salty? No harm having a few just for the experience though.The chicken coq au vin was a special dish (my first time trying it I think). On one hand, I liked how the taste was not overpowering yet on the other hand, I think the dish is meant to have a strong taste... So I'm not too sure how to critique this dish. Then again, I'm not a gourmet. I only eat. And that alone makes me happy Clockwise from top left: Apple chutney, fried char siew bao, Dhal tarka, Naan bread, spring rollUsually I am not a big fan of char siew, but the char siew bao was really rather delicious. I think the pastry was what made me like the dish as a whole, but the filling was decent too! The spring roll was normal, just like any other you'd find at a hawker centre. I suggest taking just one for the sake of it. Any more and you'd be wasting your stomach space. The apple chutney was life-changing though! It tasted exactly like the filling from a McDonald's Apple Pie, only perhaps without the cinnamon and slightly more sour. The texture was definitely more fluid to be a sauce, and it was such a great combination with the naan bread! Fans of apple pie, go grab that apple chutney when you visit! The naan bread was not as fluffy as I wished it would be, but still great when I dipped it in the dhal.Durian PengatMuah CheeI really like how the buffet included local delights such as the above. The durian pengat does not need any further advertisment - I think the name itself already attracts truckloads of visitors to Cafebiz and the only thing I can say is, "Go there now." It was cold, fragrant, creamy... The best dessert to have at anytime! The muah chee was mediocre, but nevertheless the great addition to the buffet. If you like sweet food, I am thinking that this would make a good appetizer. Top to bottom: Pulut inti and Kueh DadarThe kueh-mueh is a must try if you are a fan of nyonya food. The pastries were fragrant and I liked these two especially.Lime sorbet with toppings (cranberry and candy stars)After a while I decided to go try out the dessert because I was getting rather full. Being a fan of sorbet I was gladdened to see that there was sorbet there. It is, to me, very important to add in a sorbet into the array of ice cream because not everyone like creamy ice cream, and most of the time I am one of them.My sister and I decided to get funky and make our money's worth, so we created what we thought would usually cost a hefty $15.00++ in a cafe:Tada!! High class waffles served hot and coldCloseup of the dessertThis would easily cost $15.00 at a desserts cafe! My sister and I got a slice of waffle as a base and spread durian pengat all over it. We then sprinkled pumpkin seeds on top and topped it off with vanilla icecream. Then we had some chocolate sauce on top to finish the look.And mind you, it tastes delicious! This is my favourite thing about visiting buffets where you get to walk around and take food. No waiters to judge you by the amount of food you eat, and you get to do crazy stuff like these!Overall, this buffet was a great experience and I would not hesitate to visit again if there are any events to celebrate. Upon some research I realise that Cafebiz does offer oysters, but only during weekend dinner. That is going to cost me a bomb so I shall put this away till my birthday when someone would hopefully treat me to a nice dinner We caught this buffet when they were offering a one-for-one promotion, so it was a great deal for us. On other days, here are the prices:Weekday Lunch - Adult Price - S$47.00++Weekday Dinner - Adult Price - S$60.00++And my rating for Hotel Jen's Cafebiz is:Ambience: 5/5Food: 5/5Price: 4/5Service: 3/5 (waitresses were not very responsive even when we thanked them for refilling our glasses... where's the smile and "you're welcome"?!)Variety: 4/5Overall: 21/25 --> 84%I hope this review has been useful to some! I must say I am getting tired of my own post. xoxoValerie continue reading

As part of the celebration of Rebranding Traders Hotel Singapore to Hotel Jen Singapore, Little Devil and I got invited for Super Brunch by Hotel Jen Singapore. Cafebiz is the main dining area at the lobby that cater for the gastronomic satisfaction for the guests in Hotel Jen. Cafebiz served ala-carte menu and buffet ranges from exotic Asian, International and local cuisines.As today is a special occasions for the Hotel Jen, the spread was just superb and it is impossible to cover everything. However, we did try our best and the following are our recommendations.Appetizer (Smoked Salmon, Prosciutto with Rock Melon, Foie Gras & Apple Terrine and Sun Dried Tomatoes). These dishes basically our wake up call and kick start our appetite that was still in sleeping mode. Smoked salmon is good and fresh. The thinly sliced prosciutto perfectly matched with rock melon. While the apple provide the sweet touch to balance the smooth and velvety terrine foie grass. LD enjoys the sundried tomatoes so much, she went back for second round.Roast Selection (Roast Beef and French Lamb Rack). Weekend Roast always have a special place in my heart and my tummy. The roast beef were between medium rare to medium and thinly sliced upon serving. Mine was still pinkish and slightly bloody in the middle. Just like the way I like it. The meat is just tender and succulent, and goes well with the yorkshire pudding (kudos from LD on the yorkshire pudding as it is baked to perfection) and the gravy. The same apply to the lamb rack, tender and pink in the middle not over roasted. The potato gratin can be better with more cheese in between the potatoes. Yum Yum.Cantonese Roast Selection – Suckling Pig Only. Where there are many options like roast pork, roast duck, char siew and suckling pig, our recommendation that you just stick with the suckling pig and forget about the rest. Paying ode to the little piggy, it has minimum fat, crispy skin and tender and succulent meat. Together with the sweet sauce, it is just a foodgasm.Desserts (Lemon Meringue Pie & Custard Puff). The taste of the lemon curd and meringue has a nice balance between the sweetness of the sugar and tanginess of the lemon curd. The curd is light and smooth, sitting nicely on golden brown crust. The custard puff is just light, smooth and not overly sweet. The apple strudel and pear tart tartin are quite ordinary.Finale (Wild Mushroom Risotto) cooked by the GM of Hotel Jen, Mr. Clifford Weiner. Well you can consider this as the start of the attraction. It was supposed to be ready by 12.45 pm, however due to his other commitments, the risotto was only ready by 1.15pm. Although we were slightly in food comma and minimum stomach space available; The wait was indeed worth it. The risotto cooked to al-dente, infused with flavourful broth. The wild mushrooms were sautéed separately and only added upon servings. LD just wished that it has more cheese in it but she still loves it as it is her favourite Italian dish While they are quite a few a selections for sushi, sashimi and cold seafood on offer, we find that it does not really give us the WOW feeling. I have to say our tummy prefer something warm and hearty for brunch, cold seafood dish are at odds with us that day.Notable mention, for cheese lovers, they have this special Cheese Counter, supplied by The Cheese Ark and according to LD, the cheese spread is superb.Overall, it is indeed a Super Brunch. The buffet spread was extensive with a few items that we mentioned are so much better compare to the rest. We consider this one of the heaviest brunch we ever had.Thank you very much for the Hotel Jen Team for the invitation and asking us to come earlier so we can take gorgeous pictures of the Super Brunch Spread. For the complete Chubby Botak Koala experience and more food photos, check out the following link: http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/10/cafebiz-hotel-jen-singapore.html continue reading

It was time for dinner with *Sidney again, catching up time. I walked into the dimly lit CafeBiz for their 49th dishes for National Day buffet dinner. Well, it wasnt National Day that I went, but close, and they have the 49 local dishes to commemorate our nation's 49th birthday. The understated, elegant restaurant was crowded with diners, but the service crew was rather attentive and efficient overall.There a huge spread of exotic cuisine in this International buffet concept - and I took a walk around trying to decide on what to eat. Tough luck I had to feel under the weather on this day!The food arrangement was a little messy, in my humble opinion. Anyway, there were Japanese counters, Chinese food counters, fruit counters, seafood counters etc so far, along with some very vintage Singaporean / Chinese kitchenware (old fashioned flask, teapots and mugs etc) adorning the various shelves.Even the Desserts station is so prettily decorated - comprising of many different types of cakes, tarts, fondue, miniatures in glass jars, herbal jelly (guileng gao) etc. They also have lots of local desserts such as Malay kueh, the Chinese ang ku kueh etc.Another section showcased the 49 dishes of local cuisine - Chilli Crab, Chinese vegetables, fried Hokkien mee etc, all labelled with a number and short description. There are also dimsum items, fried chicken, Nasi Lemak, and Indian dishes such as curry, etc. One is definitely spoilt for choice here.My first plate was some palate teaser of the 49 local items - fried Hokkien noodles with prawns and squids, a portion of the Chilli Crab, a piece of fried squid, Sambal Kangkong and Pig Trotter! All the items were tasty and cooked in flavors of the goodness of authentic local cuisines.For more detailed information and photos, please feel free to visit:http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/08/dinner-at-cafebiz-traders-hotel-49th.html continue reading

For more reviews and pictures, visit www.ms-skinnyfat.comI'm not sure if you have noticed but Penang is quite a big weekend destination for Singaporeans these days. The association with delicious hawker food, other than its UNESCO World Heritage status, is certainly a huge draw for us foodies. If you do not have the time to hop on a flight to Penang, Traders Hotel Singapore is showcasing the flavours of Penang at Cafebiz and Ah Hoi’s Kitchen till 31 October 2013.Guest chefs Lim Thow Shong and Ridzuan Bin Mat from Golden Sands Resort Penang will prepare a menu comprising popular Penang dishes, including Char Kway Teow, Assam Laksa, Hokkien Mee, Assam Prawns, Chicken Curry Kapitan, Rojak, Tau Kwa Sumbat, Nasi Goreng Teluk Bahang, Loh Bak, Mee Goreng Mamak Penang and Curry Mee. These dishes are featured on a rotating menu for the Cafebiz buffet, together with a range of international cuisine. A selection of six dishes will be available for dinner at Ah Hoi’s Kitchen.The Assam Prawns were one of my favorite dishes of the lot. The sauce was pretty much the rojak sauce which is made of a pungent, sweet and sour prawn paste. I've never had prawns cooked with this sauce before so it was rather refreshing.I love my prawn noodles dry, with plenty of chili and shallots (my favorite is Blanco Court's, read review here!) but i took to Cafe Biz's soupy version with rice vermicelli. The broth was a little on the sweet side but it was adequately savory and rich enough.I must be the only crazy person at the tasting to think that the Assam Laksa could be more sour. This made me crave for the uber spicy Nyonya Laksa i had in Malacca (read about it here)!There were some hits and misses with the Penang dishes at the buffet. The Chicken Curry Kapitan smelled better than it tasted. I found the rempah (spices) too bland. The Penang Char Kway Teow was also very meh. I took 1 bite and that was about it. The biggest hit was probably the Pengat Pisang dessert. Think a rich gula melaka (brown sugarcane sugar) with coconut broth and mushy bananas and you have a hit.The buffet selection may be rather limited but the lobster claws and prawns from the seafood section had me going back for seconds. The roast duck was surprisingly good, and so was the chicken rice. The braised pig trotters were flying off the line too!The Penang Food Promotion at Cafebiz is priced at $47 for the weekday Buffet Lunch and $58 for the weekend Brunch. Dinner buffet is priced at $58 from Monday to Wednesday and $63 from Thursday to Sunday. continue reading

Live station-This live station consists of two parts, the one on the left is for cooking of laksa and the one on the right is for all the roast meats (chicken, pork and duck). The roast duck meat was tender but the roast chicken was rough. The roast pork contained mostly fats.Dessert section-Their selections of desserts are quite huge, such as cakes, jelly in cups, swiss roll, waffles, egg tarts and mango sago, etc.. All their deserts tasted nice and of good quality, but out of all, I really love their cakes the most, so soft and smooth, like literally melt in the mouth.Chocolate fondue-Good quality dark chocolate fondue, yummy!Bread section-Quite a variety of bread selections with butter spreads, and there is an oven to toast the breads.Kueh pie tee section-A good selection of ingredients to create your own kueh pie tee.DIY rojak section-All the ingredients mixed together well and tasted nice.Seafood and salad sections-Their seafood selections are quite little, only mussels, prawns and hum. But look at how that generously stacked prawns, oh my.. The assorted salads tasted nice too.Indian food section-This section does gives off the indian feel. They have quite a variety of curries.There are still a few more sections which fared quite well but I did not take photo of.Overall, I think cafebiz is worth recommending, especially for their 1-for-1 promotion. continue reading