Having visited The Square @ Novotel Clarke Quay for Christmas Dinner and Indonesian Food Festival, I was psyched to be back for Chinese New Year Buffet Dinner. The restaurant was decorated in a festive mode for the upcoming Chinese New Year, with plum blossom flowers, red banners etc, and this jolted my festive mood even as I stepped in. Needless to mention, the buffet dinner for this period would also consist of traditional Chinese New Year dishes, which shall be introduced shortly.A walk arou
Having visited The Square @ Novotel Clarke Quay for Christmas Dinner and Indonesian Food Festival, I was psyched to be back for Chinese New Year Buffet Dinner. The restaurant was decorated in a festive mode for the upcoming Chinese New Year, with plum blossom flowers, red banners etc, and this jolted my festive mood even as I stepped in. Needless to mention, the buffet dinner for this period would also consist of traditional Chinese New Year dishes, which shall be introduced shortly.
A walk around the restaurant would unravel the various delectable international cuisines being served up on hot trays or pots. The Chilli Crab needs no introduction.- robust flavour tinged with spiciness and powdery, tender flesh.
Now the Stars of the Night - traditional Chinese New Year dishes such as the Mushroom with Sea Cucumber, braised to a lovely tenderness and redolent of the shitake mushroom's strong earthly aroma.
The Yusheng (raw fish with tossed vegetables) was displayed at a counter of its own, looking prim but pretty for the taking. It would be an interesting way of eating Yusheng, buffet style. The Sashimi Fish used was a "distant-cousin of the Tilapia", freshly-prepared and also the sashimi of the night under the seafood section. The vegetables and dressing were extremely sweet and fresh, making for a tantalising plate of Yusheng.
Or how about the Cooked Salad / Asian Salad section? There were interesting fusion dishes such as Asian Angel Hair Pasta Salad - springy (QQ) pasta that was very delicious; I had second helpings of this.
For full review and more detailed information, please feel free to visit: http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2016/02/media-invite-cny-buffet-dinner-at.html
After my initial visit to The Square (review here) last December for dinner, I am glad to be back here again for the Indonesian Food Festival starting from 21 October 2015 to 14 November 2015, savouring 30 iconic dishes from Indonesia over this period. Some of the dishes include Soto Betawi (Indonesian creamy beef soup), Ayam Betutu (baked whole chicken with spices wrapped in banana leaf), Kare Kepiting Crab (crab cooked in coconut and lemongrass curry) and Ikan Masak Woku (smoked stingray in tu
After my initial visit to The Square (review here) last December for dinner, I am glad to be back here again for the Indonesian Food Festival starting from 21 October 2015 to 14 November 2015, savouring 30 iconic dishes from Indonesia over this period. Some of the dishes include Soto Betawi (Indonesian creamy beef soup), Ayam Betutu (baked whole chicken with spices wrapped in banana leaf), Kare Kepiting Crab (crab cooked in coconut and lemongrass curry) and Ikan Masak Woku (smoked stingray in tumeric herb sauce) etc.
Here's the special Yogyakarta Lamb Salad and Balinese Fish Satay prepared by Chef Vindex on the spot. The Lamb was tender and moist, aromatic with the spice it was prepared with. The Satay was fish paste wrapped around lemongrass stalk, like otah on lemongrass - absolutely palatable with hints of sweetness, spiciness and savoury all in one. I wish I had more of the latter.
I also had some seafood, sushi, sashimi, salad, etc. The Ayam Betutu was so tender and bursting with flavours of spices it was baked with - no wonder they always say that banana leaf makes for the best wraps. I also enjoyed the Ikan Masak Woku, basking in its tastiness comprising of heavier flavours in each slice of the succulent flesh.
Finally, time for sweets. I quite liked the sticky rice desserts and absolutely loved the Raspberry Earl Grey cake as well as nutty Mont Blanc cakes. The best discovery was the Jackfruit Meringue pudding in a shot glass, looking so normal and bland, but jackfruit lovers would swoon at first mouthful of this luscious and aromatic dessert.
For full review and more detailed information, please feel free to refer: http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2015/10/media-invite-indonesian-food-festival.html
The Square Restaurant Novotel is the hotel restaurant of the Novotel Clarke Quay Singapore Hotel, located within its premises, and where the majority of meals for its guests are prepared. From 21 October to 14 November 2015, The Square Restaurant Novotel will be holding the "Wonderful Indonesia Food Festival 2015", an exclusive Indonesian buffet dining concept featuring 30 iconic Indonesian dishes curated by celebrity Chef Vindex Tengker.Ambience at The Square Restaurant Novotel is modern and so
更多
The Square Restaurant Novotel is the hotel restaurant of the Novotel Clarke Quay Singapore Hotel, located within its premises, and where the majority of meals for its guests are prepared. From 21 October to 14 November 2015, The Square Restaurant Novotel will be holding the "Wonderful Indonesia Food Festival 2015", an exclusive Indonesian buffet dining concept featuring 30 iconic Indonesian dishes curated by celebrity Chef Vindex Tengker.
Ambience at The Square Restaurant Novotel is modern and sophisticated. The spacious seating area is divided into sections, depending on how much privacy you want, and features comfortable, modern cushioned furniture. There is an option of window seating, or private dining, and you can even choose to sit near the buffet area, or the performers stage. Regardless, overall atmosphere is pretty good, suitable and comfortable enough whether you're going for a quick bite, or a lingering meal.
Service at The Square Restaurant Novotel is professional, befitting the hotel's 4-star status. Staff greet you with a welcoming smile at the entrance, and guests are seated quickly. The chefs around the buffet counter can provide detailed explanations on the dishes available, but not all the serving staff are able to do so. However, they are efficient, especially at clearing away empty / dirty plates, always helpful in a buffet when you take plate after plate of food! However, the large floor space also means you'll have to wait a short while till staff come by the check on your table.
Food at The Square Restaurant Novotel is usually an International buffet, featuring fresh seafood, rotisserie meats, and a variety of cuisines including American, British, Chinese, Malay, Japanese, and Singaporean. Generally, food here is of a decent, passable standard in taste. Prices are reflective of a high-end hotel buffet, budget about SGD $64 per person for a meal here. They do offer ala-carte as well, though getting this isn't worthwhile, unless you're actually staying here. The Square Restaurant Novotel has their own in-house specialised pastry chef, thus, their bread and desserts are usually good!
The Kambing Panggang Bumbu Rujak Jogjakarta / Yogyakarta Marinated Lamb Salad was soaked beforehand in a tamarind water brine, then coated in a mild spice mixture and grilled to perfection. Taste is savoury, with a hint of the smoky aroma, and the mild flavour of the spice, then you get the natural flavour of the lamb. Excellent!
The Sate Lilit Bali / Balinese Wrapped Fish Satay was chef's 1st dish he ever learnt when he started working in the restaurants of Bali, Indonesia. He demonstrated how he prepared the fish paste mixture flavoured with mild spices, and the techniques of wrapping it around a stalk of lemongrass, before grilling it. Savoury and slightly sweet with the fragrant floral aroma from the lemongrass, this fish paste satay was incredibly tasty. Very good!
Peranakan culture is undergoing another phase of rejuvenation from the efforts of local members to introduce to Singaporeans. Remember the upcoming Peranakan Festival in September? If you can't wait for that to happen, you can first indulge with the newly crafted Peranakan menu from chefs at The Square of Novotel Hotel.The interior of The Square adopts warm tones and a cozy restaurant setting. It sets up in a way for an easy to navigate experience for their daily buffet line-up. The highlight of
Peranakan culture is undergoing another phase of rejuvenation from the efforts of local members to introduce to Singaporeans. Remember the upcoming Peranakan Festival in September? If you can't wait for that to happen, you can first indulge with the newly crafted Peranakan menu from chefs at The Square of Novotel Hotel.
The interior of The Square adopts warm tones and a cozy restaurant setting. It sets up in a way for an easy to navigate experience for their daily buffet line-up. The highlight of the layout is the central floating dessert island of cakes and dessert alcohol-based shots.
It's extremely easy to fall in love with Nonya kueh. Colourful, fragrant with coconut hints and its characteristically chewy and bouncy texture, these are a delight to have. Their dainty Kueh Pie Tee steals the show with its lovely crispy exterior and refreshing, generous, juicy and varied combination of ingredients within this photogenic dish. Stuffed with a sweet mixture of julienned vegetables, shrimp, turnip and egg, the variety of which really whet our appetites. A recommended main would be the Babi Ponteh: instead of pork belly, pork ribs were braised to achieve a more delicious finish. It is non-spicy and sweet, and thus aligns with my preferences immensely. For those looking for a spicy kick in your dining adventure, the Nonya Style Assam Fish will surely be right up your alley. A fiery dose of chilli padi went into making the tangy sweet and spicy sauce for the fish. It comes in both steamed and fried versions. I prefer the steamed version for its more tender texture.
The tantalizing cake display definitely screams dessert before dinner right at your empty stomach. Visit it at the risk of snatching everything because all the cakes look so attractive and inviting. Award-winning Chef Sin Siak specializes in desserts and cakes creation, and all of the above talented pieces are designed and formulated by his team. The most memorable one has got to be the Raspberry Earl Grey Tea Cake which really got me at hello, I couldn't stop looking at it. The moment I savoured its rich, smooth base of a tinge of earl grey and decadent chocolate, I knew my obsession is completely valid. Another cake that I really enjoyed were the Chocolate Pineapple Cake which managed a really pleasant blend of chocolate and the unusual tropical fruit.
The Square @ Novotel's buffet line-up has a few hidden finds, including Oysters Fritters, a happy accident from the chef's kitchen experiments. The deep-fried oysters were very sinful but very tasty indeed, a rich burst of oyster within the light-golden crispy exterior. Their Kebab rolls also packed a lot of zest and flavours, which I really liked and wanted to go for seconds for. I was impressed to see a cheese bar and a chocolate fondue fountain within the international buffet area. While the seafood selection falls below expectations in terms of freshness, there are still redeeming qualities in the buffet line-up.
kueh pie tee- the biscuit cup is crispy and the ingredient is the perfect match with Chicken Devil curry- the chicken is fresh and tender.Nonya Style Steam Asam Fish - the fish was fresh and the gravy was amazingNonya Style Fried Asam Fish - the gravy is a mixture of sourness sweetness and spiciness which will appeal to the most picky customers.
August is the month for Peranakan feast at The Square at Novotel.The Square is a restaurant located at Novotel Clarke Quay a 4-star hotel situated just besides Liang Court. Take a lift up to 7th floor, The Square restaurant offers a daily Lunch and Dinner buffet with interactive live cooking stations feathering international and local cuisines.The hip and modern restaurant makes me feel at ease and cosy upon entering. I like the relaxing and elegant ambience.The Square restaurant international b
更多
August is the month for Peranakan feast at The Square at Novotel.
The Square is a restaurant located at Novotel Clarke Quay a 4-star hotel situated just besides Liang Court. Take a lift up to 7th floor, The Square restaurant offers a daily Lunch and Dinner buffet with interactive live cooking stations feathering international and local cuisines.
The Square restaurant international buffet includes Singaporean favorite Dishes like fresh prawns & mussels, roasted meats, homemade Dim Sum, delicious A-la minute Risotto and a wide range of curries with condiments.
Presenting to you seafood on ice. The seafood looked fresh and succulent.
Totally spoilt for choice when it comes to dessert. There are so many variety of cakes available specially created by their chefs. Aww, so many different flavours of cake. They have devil chocolate, orange with earl grey, mango cake, lemon tart and etc.
A group photo with the lovely and friendly girls. Thanks Reka for the photo.
I mentioned earlier that in August, The Square will be rolling out their Peranakan buffet line. Our main highlight of the food tasting is to be among the first to sample the Peranakan dishes. Here's what you will be having in August:
The Chicken Devil Curry definitely live up to its name, the level of spiciness is no joke. They spice ingredients used was purely chilli padi. It indeed spiced up my appetite, I could feel the burning sensation lingering in my throat and stomach. I can't stop myself from eating despite the spiciness. A love-hate relationship.
We were being served with steamed and fried Nonya Style Asam Fish. I preferred the fried style because it added a little crunchiness to the fish. The asam flavour was not as strong, it wasn't hot and sour enough to bring our the flavour.
This was one of my favourite dish that night. The chicken was braised in a keluak nuts gravy, giving it a unique and delicious taste. Each bite tasted so flavourful and the chicken was juicy.
Instead of the usual pork and crab meatballs, the chef replaced the crab with chicken. The texture of the meatballs were juicy and firm. However for the soup base, it was too salty. If the taste of the soup could be lighter, it will be perfect.
Kueh Pai Tee is a popular Peranakan dish. It has a crispy exterior filled with a mix of eggs, sliced vegetables and prawns. It has a combination of sweet and spicy taste. Indulge in the mouthful of crunchiness.
The chef used pork ribs together with fermented soya beans to make Babi Pongteh. The pork rib was very tender and the flavour was well mixed with taste of sweetness and a hint of saltiness.
The oysters fritters tasted heavenly delicious. It was fried till perfection in order to get the fluffy and crunchy taste. Coated with chilli sauce, it enhanced the flavour of the oysters, bringing the shiok level to the max. Having just one is seriously not enough for me!!!
Come celebrate SG50 with Peranakan buffet at The Square @ Novotel.
The Peranakan buffet is available during dinner for the month of August.
Daily dinner Bbffet: $58++ (6.00pm to 10.00pm)
Weekend lunch buffet: $48++ (12.00pm – 2.30pm)
Weekday lunch buffet: $38++ (12.00pm – 2.30pm)
題外話/補充資料：
The Peranakan buffet is available during dinner for the month of August.
Here at The Square, you can find an array of international cuisine in ala carte selection or buffet where they feature different themes every month for their buffet menu starting with Peranakan in August.Peranakan buffet, priced at S$58++ (Adults), is available for dinner on all days.So, here we go, starting the Peranakan journey.Bakwan KepitingThe traditional Bakwan uses pork and crabmeat but the chef here replaces the crabmeat with chicken. Though the Bakwan was quite springy and flavourful bu
更多
Here at The Square, you can find an array of international cuisine in ala carte selection or buffet where they feature different themes every month for their buffet menu starting with Peranakan in August.
Peranakan buffet, priced at S$58++ (Adults), is available for dinner on all days.
So, here we go, starting the Peranakan journey.
Bakwan Kepiting The traditional Bakwan uses pork and crabmeat but the chef here replaces the crabmeat with chicken. Though the Bakwan was quite springy and flavourful but its a tad too salty.
Nonya Style Asam Fish Two different version was served - steam and fried. Groupa was fresh but its not sourish enough and not too spicy. The disappointment of this dish is that the fish did not absorb the flavour of the sauce. As for the fried version, the skin taste a little soggy and oily.
Chicken Devil Curry Chicken was rather tender however, its way too spicy for me. The chilli padi that was used is really so devilish making the spicy level in this dish so high that it has a numbing effect on my tongue.
Kueh Pai Tee The most popular dish among OpenRisers. The thin kueh pai tee cups stayed crunchy with all the moist ingredients in it and the fact that it was left on the table for awhile before we consume it. So its no surprise why we couldn't resist and asked for second serving.
Babi Pongteh The chef chooses pork ribs over pork belly for this dish not only enhances the flavour but also makes this a little less sinful. Though the ribs was semi tender, its fully immersed with the flavour of the gravy.
Traditional Nonya Kueh The meal will not be complete without having some desserts. Agar agar and assorted kuehs are served and this marks the end of the Peranakan journey.
As the food tasting was in July, we also got to try their Sweet Indulgence buffet other than the August Perankan buffet menu.
Pastries are definitely the highlight as it is creations by Chef Sin Siak who was featured as chef of the month in July's La Vie Magazine.
Durian Pengat Their signature dessert. Made with fresh durian and gula melaka. The taste of the gula melaka stands out first with the durian taste slowly emerging out. A little letdown as the gula melaka is abit too overpowering resulting this dessert to be a tad too sweet.
Chocolate Nutty Cake This is the cake that I like best among those that I have tried. The smooth textured chocolate mousse with bits of nuts at the base is not as sweet as it seems to be.
Oyster Fritter Specially prepared for us by Chef Jimmy. Juicy fresh oysters coated in fried batter paired with the secret recipe sauce, this is simply delicious.
**All photos are copyright of the author**How do I even begin to introduce the gorgeous sumptuous international buffet lineup Novotel has lineup for foodie diners like you and I? Head on to 7th floor of Novotel Clarke Quay, directly linked from Liang Court and step into the lux classy ambience of The Square. With it's soft lightings and sparkling interiors, this is the best place for a family dining or luncheon with your clients. Let me first show you the (almost) endless permanent buffet sprea
更多
**All photos are copyright of the author**
How do I even begin to introduce the gorgeous sumptuous international buffet lineup Novotel has lineup for foodie diners like you and I?
Head on to 7th floor of Novotel Clarke Quay, directly linked from Liang Court and step into the lux classy ambience of The Square. With it's soft lightings and sparkling interiors, this is the best place for a family dining or luncheon with your clients.
Let me first show you the (almost) endless permanent buffet spread before introducing the new menu exclusively for the month of August. It's nowhere near Christmas, but it felt a lot like it as we tucked into the appealing, delectable lineup right before us.
I bet you will be tempted to head down to Novotel's The Square by the end of this post! And I tell you, pricing is very much affordable. The very amiable and attentive crew definitely adds on to the whole dining experience. We had a great time interacting with the staff and chefs of Novotel.
Read right till the end for pictures of all the yummy spreads~!
One speciality is their Durian Pengat, which is simply AWESOME!
If you love durian, you will adore this. Using only fresh durian flesh and gula melaka with no other added white sugar, this pengat is creamy to its max and velvety. The very best I have ever had.
Now that I have introduced the permanent savory buffet spread, it's time to give you an insight to the exclusive theme The Square had launched in July, just a few days back actually. For the month of July, the theme was on Sweet Indulgence, so just imagine the amount of candies you could have tried! Despite it being over for now, there's a new theme in August and you wouldn't want to miss it either, more about the Aug theme below.
Before that, let me just recap on the pretty sweets for July's theme. We girls just went gaga over the lovely creations.
To the chef who helmed this Sweet Indulgence creation, it's none other than Chef Sin Siak who won numerous acclaimed awards and whom very welcomingly introduced us to his desserts curation and inspirations. I am telling you even for a non-sweet tooth person like me, I FELL IN LOVE with the dessert spread which wasn't overly gelat nor sweet.
My second favourite has to be the Raspberry Earl Grey Tea Cake. Infusion of tea and chocolate raspberry, this is such a joy to savor. A pure bliss creation!
Right! So you have read so far, thanks for scrolling down reading because now's the time to introduce the August's exclusive theme- The Peranakan month!
Yes, very much thankful to the generous people of Novotel The Square, we were presented with a table full of sumptuous Peranakan delights. It was really a pampering feast!
Drooling worthy. Comes served in steamed and deep-fried version, the sauce is all good with all its tangy sweetness cum spicy hotness. The original sweetness of the fish might have "overwhelmed" due to the much stronger flavor of the Assam sauce.
Nonetheless, a good dish to try out for the fish lovers.
This is the fried version.
Yup I know it looks the same, but the taste and texture is slightly different between the two.
This soup with minced chicken and pork balls is all very savory and nice but a tad too salty. We have feedbacked to them for improvement and it should be better when launched.
Unlike traditional Kepiting, there's no crabmeat involved as some might be allergic to crab or seafood and thus a change to meat instead.
We had a surprise treat when served with Penyat Oysters!! These huge succulent oysters are coated with a crispy batter and goes so heavenly well with the sambal chili sauce.
Thanks to Mr Spencer Mong, marketing manager of Novotel Singapore, who made us feel at home and for making this happen. Of course can't forget Openrice Sg for the hardwork and linking us up!! You know who you are lady- Reka!
In conjunction of Singapore 50, The Square @ Novotel Clarke Quay is launching a Peranakan themed Buffet Line by Chef Kishen for the month of August.Every month, The Square will launch a different themed buffet line. For the month of July, it was "Sweet Indulgences" by Chef Sin Siak featuring his cakes and desserts creations.I am honour to be invited through Open Rice to have the first insight and taste of the upcoming Peranakan Buffet Line as well as the chance to try out the July "Sweet Indulge
更多
In conjunction of Singapore 50, The Square @ Novotel Clarke Quay is launching a Peranakan themed Buffet Line by Chef Kishen for the month of August. Every month, The Square will launch a different themed buffet line. For the month of July, it was "Sweet Indulgences" by Chef Sin Siak featuring his cakes and desserts creations.
I am honour to be invited through Open Rice to have the first insight and taste of the upcoming Peranakan Buffet Line as well as the chance to try out the July "Sweet Indulgences".
What will be the first dish you can think of coming to Peranakan cuisine?
To aid the eating experience, the chicken was not stuff into to Buah Keluak Shell. The tender and juicy chicken accompanied with the nutty flavor from the Buah Kelauak made a perfect combination. If they could be lighter on salt that will be perfect.
Babi Pongteh, stewed pork with fermented soya bean.
For the Devil Curry, Chef Kishen uses fresh ingredients like Chilli Padi, Turmeric and other herb to cook up the base of the Devil. The chicken had absorbed the fragrance of the different condiments making it extra tasty.
The Nonya Style Assam Fish was served in both steam and deep fried styled. It does not have much of the Assam taste of sourness with hint of spicy. It will be great if the gravy can be more flavorful.
For Bakwan Kepiting, Chef Kishen had substituted the traditional crab meat with chicken. I love the firm and springy texture of the meatballs. However, the soup base was on a saltier side which I believe can be improved on easily.
The super crunchy Kueh Pie Tee cup filled with appetizing mixture of turnips, prawns and eggs made a good end or start to the meal.
Other than the Special Peranakan Menu, THE SQUARE also be serving the resident dishes at the buffet line. THE SQUARE served a good combination of Asian and Western food including some local delights like Laska, Rojak etc
Oysters Fritters is an amazing accident creation by Chef Jimmy. The lightly tempura coated oyster simply burst in flavor when you bite into it. The special sauce combination of both spicy and salty brought out the sweetness of the oyster.
Chicken Shawarma is one of the must eat item on the buffet line. The well marinated chicken slices was succulent. The veggies added crunch and made the wrap super delicious.
The laska did not disappoint me, the laska gravy was surprisingly thick and flavorful. The light fragrant of the coconut milk linger in your mouth after every mouthful of gravy.
The bee hoon was cooked perfectly too. Most importantly, you can choose your favorite ingredients you like for your laska.
This is the best Risotto I ever had. Those that I had before was either overcook or under cook, however the chef did it perfectly. The risotto rice was nicely incorporated with the creamy mushroom sauce. Every grain of Risotto rice was bursting with flavors.
The Durian Pengat was their signature desserts and it a definite must try. The Durian Pengat was rich yet light, I wonder how the chef achieve the amazing texture. Instead of the normal sugar, the chef used Gula Melaka to bring out the flavor of the Durian Pengat. Apart from the richness of the durian, you are able to taste the light sweetness and fragrant of the Gula Melaka.
For full review on the Pernakan Buffet by The Square @ Novotel Clarke Quay, do check out at http://www.elgenahearts.com/peranakan-buffet-at-the-square-novotel-clarke-quay-for-august-only/
For more reviews, visit http://www.umakemehungry.com/2015/08/the-square-novotel-singapore-clarke-quay.htmlStarting from the Month of August 2015, there will be a special cuisine theme at The Square of Novotel from time to time. With such innovative idea from the initiative of marketing team from The Square @ Novotel , they have Peranakan Cuisine to kick start with.The Square is conveniently located at the lobby level (7th Storey) of Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay, just right in front of the recep
更多
For more reviews, visit http://www.umakemehungry.com/2015/08/the-square-novotel-singapore-clarke-quay.html
Starting from the Month of August 2015, there will be a special cuisine theme at The Square of Novotel from time to time. With such innovative idea from the initiative of marketing team from The Square @ Novotel , they have Peranakan Cuisine to kick start with.
The Square is conveniently located at the lobby level (7th Storey) of Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay, just right in front of the reception area.
Settings of the Restaurant was pretty classy in its furnishings and lighting. Area was spacious with ample of room along the tables walkways. There are also some "private"section apart from the main dining area, ideally for family as well as big group dining.
Let's start to tantalized your taste buds by starting with the dishes!
Nonya Style Asam Fish came in two styles, fried or steam with only fresh grouper or snapper used. Fish was both lavished with orangy Asam gravy sprinkled with a handful of spring onions and vegetables like lady's fingers & egg plants were mixed in.
Assam gave a good kick to the palate and was made appetizing. However for both dishes, I felt that the taste of Assam was not totally absorbed by the fish as its flesh still lacked the natural spiciness and sour combination of what is in an Assam.
A good comparison between the fried and the steamed version, I would prefer the former as its meat was more chunky and holds together even though the battered portion had turned soggy by its gravy.
Ayam Buah Keluak is not a dish to miss out if you are having a Peranakan cuisine. Involving tender chicken in its braised texture, I would say it can be done better if the taste had went in a little deeper into the meat. Apart from that, I'm someone who like to have some hands in handling food, thus digging out the edible part from Buah Keluak never fail to give me the good feel that I'm really on that particular cuisine "mode". However, over here we need not have such hands on experience as we were all pampered by the chef who had took them out, placing them into the dish before us.
This is da bomb! Don't judge the chicken by its colour. Though it may not look that spicy, the taste is fiery. This Chicken Devil curry was made with love from fresh chilli padi and turmeric. Unlike the usual curries we had, Devil curry has a sharp taste from the spices too which tantalized the taste buds.
Chef Kishen who is leading the Peranakan Theme this month did a twist from the usual Peranakan Recipe, the Bakwan Kepiting was done without the use of crab meat. As such, this combination is more friendly, even those with seafood allergy are free to try this out. Despite that the meat ball has a chewy texture, the only shortcoming would be in its soup that tasted salty.
Kueh Pie Tee is always my favourite snack. This little delicate cups were crunchy even though it was containing moist food items like vegetables,diced hard boiled egg, turnips and prawn meat. Many of us could not resist a second helpings from the chef.
For healthier diet and better flavours, the used of pork belly was replaced by ribs in the Babi Pongteh dish. Taste had accentuated into the mushroom as well as the meat, with savoury gravy to go with a bowl of fragrant rice. A pet peeve was that the ribs (Meat) hardness were unfriendly on our teeth.
The oyster fritters dish was a special creation by the Sous Chef Jimmy. Each piece of oyster was juicy coated in its fried batter. We were really honored to have tasted such unique creation!
Sous Chef Jimmy did not reveal much on its ingredients but he did mention that it was an accidental creation when something drop into his mixing bowl. How beautiful and coincidental that such concoction in his recipes actually turned out well!
Take a look at the chefs who helmed the kitchen. From left to right, Sous Chef Jimmy who did the creation of Oyster Fritters for the night as well as the food from the buffet line while Chef Kishen, he is the lead of Peranakan Theme in the Month of August while as for Chef Sin Siak, you can't believe that he was the one behind all the sweet sensations coming up in the pictures. In fact he was being featured in July's La Vie Magazine as the Chef of the month.
Pior to the Peranankan Buffet launch, The Square Restaurant offers a wide spread of international buffet which includes our local dishes like Laksa, Rojak, homemade Dim Sum & Roast meat, not forgetting the wonderful spread of creative desserts done by Chef Sin Siak.
Truly Singapore, they have even featured one of the dishes of what Singapore is known for, the black pepper crab. Enjoy these crustaceans with the use of crab crackers provided by them.
They have a very good showcase of our local food even with Singapore's Salad (Rojak), fruits like red/green apples, beansprouts and cucumber were nicely arranged. The best part about having buffet is that you can pick the ingredients according to your liking.
Enjoy the Middle Eastern Style Dish, Chicken Shawarma. Devour yourselves into such wonderful treats on the wraps with chicken shavings, vegetables like bell peppers, cabbages and so on. If you enjoy biting the Kebabs, this is recommended.
In case you were wondering, the meat of Chicken Shawarma was featured by the block of meat that was kept warm by heating consistently on the rotating pit. You can even request to have the meat alone without the wrap.
You can even request your bowl of a la minute risotto over the counter. What caught my attention was this huge Parmesan Wheel. Do you know that you can actually get your cheese crumbs here?
Well, I could not resist having some hands on experience by scrapping some cheese off from such a big Parmesan Wheel and I did it here!
Another highlight was its roast of the day, with roasted lamb was the scene stealer among the bed of vegetables. At the sight of it, the glorious crackling skin had pulled me even closer to the dish itself. Herbs garnishing was spread onto the baked potatoes which not only elevates the presentation of the dish but also boost its fragrance to another level.
As clam lovers, its too hard just to leave the shells alone. Clam in white wine sauce were fresh and yummy. Apart from that, there were no trace of any seafood odour. Thumbs up!
While the last on the warmer table will be the snapper cooked in caper sauce. These fishes were seared to achieve a crisp in its skin and then mixed into the assorted ingredients together in the sauce. There was a little fishy smell that was not to my liking.
Signature Durian Pengat is the MUST TRY! Fresh durian flesh were used with a good blend of gula Melaka which enable the sweet and creamy based of this pleasant dessert. So durian lovers, you won't want to skip this.
These small little shot glass was almost the size of the Kueh Pie Tee Cups. Out of the three choices, I would go for the panna cotta even though it could do a little better if it is served chilled.
Surprisingly, the cake's texture was wobbly with a thin layer of raspberry jelly on top of the cake. You can also get to taste the real raspberry fruits and seeds cradled in its middle portion. There was not much of Earl Grey taste perhaps raspberries its nature scent were just too overpowering as compared to the tea.
Chocolate Nutty Cake was not too bad either just that personally I felt quite "Jelat" after having a small piece. Probably not my good choice of cake after a buffet meal.
As an overall, I'm pretty drawn to the creativity and style done on the cakes. It must have required lots of patience in forming out such delicate creation. The black forest cake for example is quite true to its namesake. The bitter-sweet taste of the cake with bites of wine cherries gave a good summary to the actual black forest cake.
As far as I knew, even myself who is not a cake person had spent a fair bit of time at the cakes zone admiring the pieces. Temptations VS Sinfulness? Tell me how should I go about drawing a line between these two?
Their Nonya / Peranakan buffet is only available from 1st to 31st August 2015 during dinner. Prices start from $58++ and you can top up $26++ to enjoy their bottomless beer.
Having visited The Square @ Novotel Clarke Quay for Christmas Dinner and Indonesian Food Festival, I was psyched to be back for Chinese New Year Buffet Dinner. The restaurant was decorated in a festive mode for the upcoming Chinese New Year, with plum blossom flowers, red banners etc, and this jolted my festive mood even as I stepped in. Needless to mention, the buffet dinner for this period would also consist of traditional Chinese New Year dishes, which shall be introduced shortly.
