Entry to Town Restaurant at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore is tucked away in the corner of Courtyard where high tea is served. As I stepped in, an absolutely refreshing and amazing selection of starters presented right in front of me.
A juice bar, ready-made salad bar (pomelo salad, tom yum beef salad & smoked duck salad) and icy seafood station on the right, with half-shelled scallops, green mussels, white clams & poached sea prawns looked deliciously appetizing . To add to that, a separate section of smoked salmon, one with an interesting Szechuan pepper flavour too.
As I walked further into the corner inspecting everything on offer, a Japanese station greeted me with fresh salmon, tuna and octopus sashimi, teriyaki chicken skewers and deep fried chicken. This was appealing, calling out to my Japanese tastebuds.
At the opposite station, a western starters corner offering a DIY salad bar, sliced pizzas and potato gratin. Hmmm these were only starters! Stepping down into the main dining area of Town Restaurant & Bar, the view of food plated from this vantage point looked stunning. What with a backdrop boasting fantastic views of the Singapore River with food stations spread with international and local flavours in the foreground.
While Sylvia, my other Expat Choice reporter in crime was on her way to get a Laksa, a ‘Make your own Taco” station jumped out at me. Quite unique for a buffet offering, I had never come across this anywhere else. A lovely station with marinated pulled pork shoulder, accompanied with lots of tantalising garnish from onion and red cabbage slaw, marinated bell peppers, guacamole, gherkin pickles and smokey barbecue aioli.
The pulled pork was super tasty on its own not to mention topped with these marinated goodies. A delightful treat at a buffet! Totally out of my expectation. I would easily have gobbled three of these if I weren’t at a buffet where so many other treats were calling out.
Another special section with Hainanese Chicken Rice was a hit. When Sylvia and I were queuing, the guy behind us was raving about how good it was so he came back for more. On offer were both poached and roasted versions of chicken with delicious ginger, chillie and dark soy sauces for the taking. I could see the level of detail behind the scenes. Didn’t expect such a gourmet chicken rice to be served on a buffet to be honest. Nice surprise.
Walking through the hot food station at Town Restaurant & Bar, I noticed the desire to serve as many dishes as possible, including local delights like Wok-fries. Hokkien Mee and Beef Oxtail Rendang. The latte cooked till meat fell off the bone! Imagine that intense flavour over long hours of stewing. Not surprising, I went back for more.
Another interesting dish - the famous Ma Po Tofu riding the impossible meat trend. A Town Restaurant & Bar version, this cleverly replaced traditional pork mince. With meatless protein a hit right now, so present on restaurant menus, this creation opens new doors for this iconic dish to be enjoyed by vegan, vegetarian or Muslim patrons. A smart move!
Moving on, I braced myself for some Indian cuisine which I love. Covering a simple biryani, butter chicken and palak paneer (cottage cheese in spinach gravy), it was so home styled with excellent quality. Not trying to be too fancy, appealing to everyday palettes but so appetising that my soul craved it. In fact most dished on the buffet at Town Restaurant & Bar depicted the same.
The European section presented three main courses that included Braised Beef Bourguignon, Pan-fried Seabass, and Oven-roasted Herb Chicken which were all done to perfection. Yes I did try them all haha! It clearly showed how appealing everything was!
Unfortunately I had to skip the cheese board and cold cut section despite the variety and how good it tlooked. Like I said the selections at this buffet were so straight to the point with each hitting the spot. Sylvia and I were kind of undertrained for buffets since they were non-existent over the last 2 years. We both agreed that it was time to power up our capacity but luckily on this occasion, we worked the buffet well (and cleverly) as a team. Wink wink!
For desserts a massive array of local sweets, kuehs (local Malay cakes) and small cakes infused with local ingredients like Pandan, Calamansi and Coconut. Another small corner of mini egg tarts and Pulut Hitam (black glutinous rice with coconut milk) was also calling out to us. How we wished we had another stomach to fill these treats in.
Sylvia had the egg tart while I went for Pulut Hitam. I just couldn’t pass on this heart-warming dessert despite how filling it was. It reminded me of younger days when we had this porridge-like dessert as an afternoon tea break. Not to pass on the ultra-delightful Ondeh Ondeh which marked a closure to this feast. Nothing beat that Gula Melaka bursting sensation in my mouth! Oh what a feeling!
A comforting feast covering Seafood, Japanese, Mexican, Chinese, European, Indian and even Hawker favourites. All for an easy grab at $68++ per person at Town Restaurant & Bar at The Fullerton Hotel. All this including juices, soft drinks, coffee and tea too. So delighted that we had the option of oat milk for coffee – a big win for non-dairy consumers.
I must say this tasting reminded me of how pampered we were at buffets before the Pandemic. They became so popular, I couldn’t think of any restaurant (even Hawker Center) where I could find all these food varieties under one roof.
At Town Restaurant & Bar, we had the added relaxed elegance of a five star environment with fantastic views over the Singapore River and Fullerton Bridge. What a luxury! So blessed!
Town’s buffet is perfect for office lunches, friends gathering or special occasion celebrations. It’s an all-inclusive deal, with item selections on the menu covering more than enough options, even for patrons with special dietary preferences.
So if you are a buffet diehard, consider planning your next lunch at Town Restaurant & Bar to enjoy a fabulous smorgasbord again.
w. www.fullertonhotels.com/fullerton-hotel-singapore/dining/restaurants-and-bars/town-restaurant
