Basilico Sunday Brunch

We went to Basilico at The Regent for Sunday brunch one weekend, and were shocked to find that prices had increased by almost double to $78+++ since our last visit in 2010. There were also a few issues with my camera, and I couldn't take as many photos as I wanted to.

However, the quality was as good as ever - the first thing we saw were lobsters galore. These were also the first to vanish.
 

There were also other types of seafood - quite a good variety.

The usual amazing variety of tomatoes and different types of burrata and mozzarella

The lobster bisque was pretty amazing.

The porcini risotto was freshly made - this was beautiful.

The usual entrees. Parma ham, burrata and tomatoes - as good as ever.

One of the biggest hits at the buffet - freshly fried foie gras.

The cheese room was something else altogether - it seemed that every single type of Italian cheese was available, all ripe for the picking. They even had a hard truffle cheese that was incredibly fragrant.

Back in 2010, almost everything definitely appeared better: my photos, the value for money factor, and even our appetites, which have declined tremendously probably due to age. The quality of food, however, and the variety were just as good, but at $78+++ per person, you'd have to really be a die hard fan of Italian food to go.

NUSS Peranakan Buffet

We hadn't been to NUSS Guild House in a while since the teochew porridge buffet a couple of years ago, and there wasn't any real compelling reason to head there without the weeknight buffet deals until they had a Peranakan buffet for about $12(?) per person. The variety was pretty good and given the price, it was difficult to complain even though the food wasn't all that amazing.

Penang Laksa - this was a bit thin on fish.

The popiah was decent, like any other hawker stallI liked the okra with sambal but this is a dish that's not too difficult to do well
I thought the itek tim was quite good - a good balance of salty vs sour, and I had a few bowls
The rojak was normal - standard hawker fare
The other things available were dry meesiam, grilled sotong, grilled taupok and petai. I love petai, the smellier the better.
Freshly grilled taupok is hard to beat

Not the best Peranakan food around for sure, but the value for money factor is hard to beat.

Goodwood Park Hotel High Tea

I've been to the Goodwood Park Hotel for high tea a couple of times in the past few months with different groups of girlfriends, and I've really enjoyed it. The food is good quality, and the ambience is great for catching up with the latest gossip. The set comes up to about $50 per person, taxes included, and comes with 2 drinks from the coffee+tea menu. They have fantastic tarts, sandwiches and desserts - enjoy the food porn.

Equinox

My department had lunch last week at the Equinox. We had the lunch buffet for $59++ per person, which comes with one choice of main course. It was the standard buffet with the cold seafood selection of oysters, crabs, prawns and mussels; sashimi and sushi, salads, soups and desserts. The desserts were nothing much to crow about. For $59++ per head, I think the Line is better value for money with a much wider selection and food of equal quality. The service was decent but could be better.

Tasmanian Oysters

Fresh boiled prawns

Poached scallop

Foie gras

Duck confit

Crisp belly pork, which wasn't all that crisp

At least the view made up for the very average meal

M Hotel Buffets

I was at the M Hotel 2 weeks in a row for buffets...the first was for lunch (courtesy of my big boss), and the second was for dinner (courtesy of my uni mates). They have a buffet restaurant on the second floor, where the entire place just revolves around the buffet. The lunch buffet is $36 per adult, which the steamboat dinner buffet costs $40 per adult.

First, the lunch buffet. They had cooked seafood - clams, prawns and mussels.

Sashimi and sushi

The salad bar

Sarawak laksa

Roast meats - duck, pork and char siew

tempura soft-shell crab

breads to go with curry

the salad bar again

the dessert consisted mostly small bites of kueh and cakes

jellies

I didn't see the fruits and durian pengat till later, by which time I was happily eating with my colleagues and had put my camera away. I ate 3 bowls of durian : )

The next visit a week later, I went for the steamboat dinner buffet. The entire place was packed solid on a Wed night.

The meats - beef, chicken, pork, lamb and other various innards
The carbs: noodles of various styles

various mushrooms and tofus

seafood - they even had promfrets

yong tau fu station

Dips and chinese herbs. I was most pleased with the herbs!

The veggies - a pretty good variety

more carbs...I didn't try them though

The dips were really good. They had suki sauce, sesame sauce, sesame oil, spring onions, garlic, chilli, ginger, soy sauce - you name it, they had it. Just one thing that I was craving that wasn't there...chilli oil. Otherwise it would have been perfect.

The dinner desserts were more interesting than the lunch desserts. They even had green tea panna cotta (which I was too stuffed to try)

Jellies

Drunken prawns. These were really fresh...EXCELLENT! We had numerous servings.

Throwing it all in

The best finale to dinner - durian pengat! (I had 3 bowls again)

I would rate the dinner buffet as being more worth the money and value, since the food was of pretty good quality. I really enjoyed the different soups, and adding in the herbs to my own liking made me happy since I felt was in in control of how herbal I wanted the soup. The lunch buffet wasn't priced as attractively as other buffets which give much more food for a few dollars more.

I'm keen to go back for the steamboat. Any takers?

M Hotel

The Buffet at the 2nd Floor

81 Anson Road

Tel: 6500 6116