Dinner at Buffet Town Restaurant @ City Hall

252 North Bridge Road #B1-44E Raffles City Shopping Centre, Singapore 179103

Tel: 6837 3793

Website: https://buffettown.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuffetTownSG

Buffet Town is an international seafood buffet restaurant located conveniently at the basement of Raffles City Shopping Centre, a wallet-friendly restaurant with seating capacity for up to 500 persons. It is also child-friendly, with a colorful playground in one corner so that the adults could dine without disturbance while the kids entertain themselves joyfully.

They have many different food stations offering a good variety of cuisine, from Japanese Station (think sashimi, grilled items and sushi) to Peranakan counters serving Curry Chicken, Chicken Pongteh, and more.

At a mere SGD$26.80 (per adult) for weekday lunch onwards, Buffet Town is definitely an affordable all-you-can-indulge food haven for food lovers, especially those who enjoy buffet for its variety.

I rather enjoyed the Laksa which was served at the Chicken Rice Stall, right next to the Brewed Soup Station. The Laksa was not too spicy, but the soup was rich with shrimp paste, which added to the aroma.

The Japanese Station was another area I frequented during my dining session there - Sashimi that was pretty decent. I also enjoyed the Seafood counter where one could get Crayfish, Oysters, Prawns, Conch, Mussels, etc.

Other stations included the Italian station with Roast Beef, Pizzas, local station with Satay and Chilli Crab, as well as a Pin Le stall serving coffee and tea.

Desserts counter comprised a variety of cakes such as Corn Cake, New York Cheese Cake, Brownie Cubes, fondue items, jars of mousse and panna cotta, as well as fruits. What was more impressive was the array of 6 home-style, hot Chinese dessert soup like Tau Suan (yellow beans soup), Cheng Teng (clear sweet soup with ingredients like dried longan), etc.

All in all, I found Buffet Town to  be a family-friendly buffet restaurant offering a well-assorted, multi-cuisine dining experience, blending tradition with modern culinary techniques. It is a good place for gatherings or a simple buffet meal but do not compare it to hotel buffets for sure.

The House-Hunting Series [iv] - New Home Sweet Home & House-Warming

Having walked you through the buying of home, selling of existing home, and setting up of home processes,  we have reached the exciting moment - The Big Move.

1. THE BIG MOVE
   With all our cartons ready at the HDB Flat, we awaited the guys from Prestige Movers (link here) to come. We have used them before, and liked their efficient service as well as reasonable rates, therefore it was a no-brainer that we engaged their services again. They would expertly wrap up delicate items such as large paintings, TV sets, and seal cabinets etc before loading them. They also provided cardboard boxes and Scotch tape for our packing needs before the moving day.
   
   
   
   
   

   
   
   
2. SCATTERING OF RICE, BEAN, SALT AND TEA LEAVES
   To backtrack a little, this was not mentioned prior to our renovations. The moment we got the keys and opened up the door, this vital ritual was performed. We mixed some rice grains, sea salt, green beans and tea leaves together, and scattered them at all corners of the vacant home, while chanting briefly something like "be gone, ye spirits, for I am the rightful owner here."
   
   
   We also left Chinese fortune cake ("fa fao") and fruits at the stove - this is supposed to signify fortune and prosperity. Then in the middle of the entire house, we left 5 types of seeded fruits. The latter is supposed to bring about fertility and growth.
   
   
   We left these items in the house for 3 days before removing them.
   
   
   
   

   
   
   
   
3. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
   We opened up the door and rolled the Pineapple in. The common saying is, where the pineapple stops, it is the "fortune spot".  A colleague of mine rolled 8 oranges instead of pineapple because she claims pineapples has sharp edges -  therefore I suppose you can use oranges as alternatives too.
   
   
   There's also a sequence of who gets to enter the home first. If there are elderly, they should enter first, followed by the man of the house and then the woman of the house.
   
   
   Then we turned on the taps to let the water run for a short while. And turned on the stove to boil some water and some rice.  I cannot remember what these acts symbolise, but practicality prompted me to test the functionality of my gas stove and taps.
   
   
   Finally, enjoying a simple meal in the premises of the new home with family. My Mom and the Mother-in-law had followed us over to our new abode to witness the moving, so 4 of us enjoyed a simple lunch here.
   
   
   The rest of the day was spent waiting for furniture delivery, as well as delivery of our TV and Washer-Dryer, unpacking stuff, arranging and re-arranging stuff. This busy routine went on for days, a super tiring affair.
   
   
   
   

   
   
   
4. SETTLING IN
   Among the hectic-ness, we had to adjust to a fair bit of stuff in the new place as well. Such as the shift from the West to the East, familiarising ourselves with good places to buy dinner, where to get our groceries from, who our neighbours are, as well as sleeping and waking up in a new environment. New places and new furniture also come with their own smells, which we tried to get used to, as well.
   
   Without bamboo sticks to hang out our clothes to dry, we now had to make do with the washer's drying function very frequently. Also, the kitchen is a lot smaller, and it's an open concept linked to the living room, so we eliminated frying anything at all (pending our air-fryer to come in).
   
   The good thing is that I cultivated a routine where I would swim or visit the gym at least 3 times a week - something I never found time nor motivation to do in the past.
   
   
   
   

   

   
   
   
5. HOUSE-WARMING
   Finally, time for friends to visit our new home! We set the house-warming on a Sunday, a week after we moved in. I believe the house-warming is a very important event as you invite people to "warm" up the home, with their energies and well wishes. It is believed to ward off all negative energies, and to "brighten" the home, something like that.
   
   Planning the house-warming meant booking of the function room, and sending of invites to our friends and colleagues. Then monitoring the RSVPs to see how many persons were actually turning up.  We were quite fortunate that most of the guests could make it, despite the fact that it was 2 weeks away from Chinese New Year.
   
   As for caterers, we had a few in mind (Stamford, Four Seasons, and Kitchen Language) - we settled on Stamford Catering (website here), selecting their Healthy Menu comprising sushi rolls, fried brown rice, fish, prawns, vegetables, etc, etc - a total of 11 courses including drinks and desserts.  The food and service were good - and I liked the CNY decor setup. We had about 55 guests and we catered for 45 pax but apparently there were way too much leftovers (think 6-7 boxes of food).
   
   The function room was a few blocks away from our block, so the Hubby and I took turns to bring different groups of friends up to visit our home. Thankfully our family members were around to help entertain the guests who arrived while we were upstairs conducting house tours.
   
   As for blessings - we were thankful to our friends and colleagues who showered us with gifts of wine, red packets, gift vouchers, etc. The market rate for Housewarming these days average at SGD$50.00, but of course there were those who gave more, and those who gave less. Like weddings, there is no fixed rules, and it all boils down to "from the heart"-  thankful for all of them taking the time to come by and share this joyous moment with us.
   

That pretty much sums up the House-Hunting series; we hope you find the tips useful.  I also wish to highlight that although I made recommendations to certain service providers in this series of blog posts, none of them were sponsored - all of them are honest reviews rendered for paid services by me and my Hubby. For more information, do feel free to drop me an email at cloverwish.leaf@gmail.com.

If you are looking to purchase your matrimonial home now, I wish you a fruitful and joyous hunt! For complimentary advice and consultation, you can also contact my trusted agent here at simonleow.swift@gmail.com. All the best! 👄

BACKTRACKS:

(i) The House-Hunting Series [i] - Seeking The Dream Home

(ii) The House-Hunting Series [ii] - Selling Off The Existing Property
(iii) The House-Hunting Series [iii] - Doing Up The New Home

Buffet Dinner at Cafe Mosaic @ Carlton Hotel

76 Bras Basah Road, Level 1, Carlton Hotel, Singapore 189558

Tel: 6311 8195

Website: https://www.carltonhotel.sg/cafe-mosaic.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cafe-Mosaic-Carlton-Hotel/128851867186252

Price: SGD$99.00 per adult for weekend dinner

The last time I visited Cafe Mosaic at Carlton City Hotel was a few years back, when they started the Valentine's Buffet for Couples (review here) - back then, buffet dining for Valentine's Day was not popular but the restaurant gave us a good experience.

Anyway, fate led us here, as this was the third restaurant we went that night, that we were finally able to eat at (the first one closed down without any web updates at all, and the second one served a la carte now when they used to specialise in buffets). So here we were, enjoying the friendly, personable service of the crew staff and explored the buffet stations for delicacies to fill our ravenous bellies.

I staked out the Seafood counter first, as always, and helped myself to Prawns, Baby Lobsters, Mussels and lots of Live Oysters. The fresh oysters were displayed on a blue bed of ice, we would pick out a few and pass them to the chefs to de-shell. I loved the oysters immensely.

The Japanese counter had my favorite Salmon Sashimi, Squid Sashimi and lovely array of Sushi as well.  I like Japanese counters where chefs cut and make the food on the spot; they have it here.

They also have a rather comprehensive variety of Roast items, Cooked food, Tom Yum Seafood Noodles live station, as well as the Local Delicacy counter where I could not resist getting myself a plate of Fried Carrot Cake (aka "chye tao kuey". The latter was pretty good, to our surprise.

Finally, I attacked the Desserts station for selection of mini Cheesecake slices, Chocolate cake slices, and Cheese. Loved the Raspberry Cheese especially.

Overall, we enjoyed ourselves very much in the spacious Cafe Mosaic, coupled with a good feast on palatable favourites.

Vacation on a Cruise Ship - Genting Dream Cruise to Port Klang

Cruise trips are addictive, I tell you, just like resorts. It's like, moving an entire block of hotel, or entertainment city, out to sea and enjoying oneself in the middle of nowhere.  Anyway, I enjoyed my Genting Star Cruise holiday last year very much (review here), therefore decided to get onboard a ship again, this time with the Mom - trying out the new Genting Dream.

It is a significantly bigger cruise compared with Star Cruise. The Genting Dream has 20 decks, many restaurants, and a larger variety of activities to be enjoyed.  Boarding and dis-embarking took longer though, due to the number of passengers, but the service was still excellent in every aspect.

For food, one could enjoy meals at inclusive restaurants such as Dream Dining Room (lower) for semi-buffet, Dream Dining Room (upper) for Chinese set meals, Function 8 for International buffet, or The Lido for International Buffet.  Take note that you would be entitled to enjoy only one meal per time slot (i.e. Breakfast slot, Lunch slot, Dinner slot); there would be additional charges for dining at more than one restaurant during the same meal slot. Some restaurants such as The Lido offers morning tea and afternoon tea in between meals, and those are inclusive.

If you would like finer dining choices, there are many other restaurants such as Silk Road Chinese Restaurant (Chinese fine dining), BreadBox (freshly-baked pastries), Lobby Cafe (Malacca Straits fare), Blue Lagoon (24/7 hawker food), Seafood Grill & Prime Steakhouse, Umi Uma (Japanese & teppanyaki), Hot Pot (outdoor), Gelateria and Crystal Life Cuisine (healthy eating).

Fancy a drink or feeling like hitting the dance floor? Bars are aplenty on the Genting Dream, such as Bar 360 (with circular stage for live performances), Red Lion (beer and light snacks), Sun Deck Bar, Zouk, Palm Court or best of all, hit Bar City. The latter comprises of Johnny Walker House, Bubbles for champagne, MIXT for cocktails, Humidor for cigars, and Penfolds Wine Vault. Wake up happy every morning! Karaoke rooms are available for booking as well, if you enjoy singing.

Besides F&B aspects, the shopaholics might be happy to explore the aisles of The Dream Store and The Dream Boutiques, where branded perfume, cosmetics, watches, jewelry are on display, and retailing at attractively-discounted rates.

Beauty and fitness lovers may look forward to spa or grooming sessions at Crystal Life Spa, Crystal Life Fitness, Le Salon and The Gentleman's Barber. Other fitness spots include Swimming Pools, SportsPlex, Waterslide Park, bowling, mini-golf, ping-pong and giant chess. At designated time slots, there are fitness classes, by-the-pool Zumba, laughter Yoga,  sunset Tai-chi lessons etc; some are complimentary while others could be enjoyed at a small fee.

Other activities may include live performances at Zodiac Theater (we managed to catch "China's Got Talent" and "Rhythm Divine Latino Ballroom Dance" - these are complimentary but bookings are required at Box Office prior to the shows. Game shows and outdoor movie screenings ("Cinema at Sea") are other entertainment avenues that are also suitable for the entire family to enjoy.  Those who crave a little more excitement or late night fun can visit the Casino, to try your hands at some winnings.

Finally, if your cruise trip coincides with upcoming festivals, there are also themed activities to add to the fun. For instance, ours comprised of Trick or Treat, Halloween face painting, Halloween face painting and Halloween Spookfest Night Party.

To end it off, you might want to know what to do when the cruise ship docks at Port Klang for 8 hours. There are guided tours organised by the Cruise crew to bring you to explore nearby places such as Kuala Lumpur, Klang town, Sunway Lagoon, etc. Alternatively, you can also cross to Boustead Ferry Terminal to hire your own taxi to bring you to nearby places of attractions. Those not wishing to leave the cruise ship can choose to stay onboard to enjoy the various activities in-store for all guests.

Overall experience onboard Genting Dream Cruise was very good - 3 days 2 nights was too short, in fact. I could use an extra night or two for sure :)

Buffet Dinner at 10 @ Claymore at Pan Pacific Orchard

10 Claymore Road, Lobby Level, Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore 229540

Tel: 6831 6686

Website: https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-resorts/singapore/orchard/stay/dining/10-at-claymore.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/10Claymore-133345920045436/

Having visited 10 @ Claymore sometime back and enjoying its delicious Top 10 Local Eats in a classy, sophisticated setting (review here), I looked forward to revisiting with 2 male buddies for our pre-Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, we were a day too early and the Christmas feast had not commenced.

Let me share a little about 10 @ Claymore - it is situated at lobby level of Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel, serving up international buffet with local delights, delectable desserts, scrumptious seafood and sashimi and roasts. The settings were different from my last visit - still beautiful and elegant, but lacked the hush-hush sophistication that I remembered. It was more cosy and open now. What to expect at the dinner buffet at SGD$70.00++ per pax for weekday nights?

Seafood and Sashimi are always my favorite. For the Sashimi, it is a semi-live station where the service staff (used to be a chef dedicated to the counter) will cut the sashimi and serve them on a plate for you.

Roast Meat and Cooked Food items are available as well, like your Beef and Braised dishes.

I also enjoyed the flavourful Prawn Noodle Soup with huge prawns, which I got a second helping of.

Desserts comprised of an array of cakes, freshly-made crepes, pastries, juicy fruits and cheese.

Overall, dining experience here at 10 @ Claymore was pretty satisfying, and I still like the earth-toned, subtly elegant ambience and attentive service.