Friday, June 22, 2012

(CLOSED)Cafebiz

I was checking out credit card discounts when I came across a 1 for 1 buffet promotion at Cafebiz! I was immediately drawn to it and went to their website to take a look. The offer stands for DBS/UOB/OCBC and Maybank card holders. I called them to make a reservation for 6 on a Thursday night. The promotion runs from Mondays to Thursdays.

We were really excited to see what they have to offer!

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Counter to get drinks. Free flow of coke, sprite, coffee and tea.

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Japanese section : sushi and sashimi
The variety is pretty limited. There were only tuna and salmon sashimi and simple sushi

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Seafood section : Prawns, clams, mussels, lobster, crabs

What shocked us was the non-existence of oysters.
Which hotel buffet has no oysters ):

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Chinese and Indian section: Laksa, tea eggs, roast meat, roast duck, naan, satay
Nothing really left an impression

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Dessert section : Chocolate fountain with fruits and marshmallows and hollow puffs.

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Simple fare like pandan cake, kueh lapis, and jelly
There were fruit tarts, opera, eclairs, chocolate cakes and swiss rolls too

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The prawns were juicy and pretty fresh.
The legs of the crabs were hard to tackle but were pretty good.
The highlight has gotta be the lobsters which were fleshy and juicy
The clams and mussels didn't taste very fresh
The scallops were alright
The norwegian salmon was pretty delicious

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The sashimi were refilled quickly and were generally quite fresh.
The cold cuts were alright. The taste of the spices were overpowering

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Chefs went around tables passing certain items which were not available on display to us personally. This hotdog was quite good!

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Pasta which was creamy and delectable.
The fish was cooked in an earl-grey infused sauce which was pretty interesting.
I felt that the seafood pudding was pretty unique but wasn't very tasty.

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Sashimi again

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Laksa, which I barely touched

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Nothing really impressive.

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One of my favourite sections was actually the bread section which boasted a few types of bread, along with butter or garlic butter. I ate a few of them hahaha the garlic butter was yummy! And as you can see, we made chocolate bread haha.

The hollow puffs were a disappointment. They were like "lao-hong"

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Marshmallows and fruits drizzled in chocolate.
The selection of fruits ran out but were not re-filled

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The chocolate cakes were good! The opera was not too bad and the eclairs were alright too.

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I asked for a cup of milk tea but they told me that that's chargeable so they offered me tea with milk.

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Icecream with nuts and fruits

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Gummies

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My friends felt that the selection was pretty limited. And they were disappointed at the absence of oysters. Some of the dishes on display were refilled promptly but most of them were not. For example, the black pepper chilli crab container was always empty and I did not even get to see one crab. And we did not have the opportunity to try that too. But I guess, given what we pay, $38 per pax, we can't really complain much. And also maybe because this buffet is kinda a fusion one, so several of the items were not as appealing. The quality of the food was generally alright. Service was good and the staff were friendly. I doubt we'd be returning anytime soon though

Traders Hotel, Level 1
Daily: 6.30am–10.30am, 12pm–2.30pm, 6.30pm–10pm

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Love, K

K's rating of Cafebiz: 6/10

Monday, June 18, 2012

Lawry's

Lawry's has been around for a really really long time and I'm sure everyone knows about it. I've never dined there before but have always secretly wanted to haha. I chanced upon a 1 for 1 promotion at Lawry's for DBS card holders! So X and I seized the chance to visit the renowned restaurant.

Located at Mandarin Gallery, Lawry's is easy to locate.
We were greeted by friendly service the moment we entered the restaurant
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Red Wine, Rosemount - $13

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Hot chocolate - $9
The hot chocolate was not bad! I drank it very slowly and a waiter came to ask if the hot chocolate was not up to standard as I hardly touched it haha

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Bread and butter
The bread was warm and fragrant

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Still water - $7 a bottle(we got a bottle each)

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Their famous original spinning salad

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X said it was pretty good!
The salad fork was chilled to make sure that the salad was eaten at its best. So elaborate and definitely impressive.

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I didn't take the salad as i don't take vegetables so I was offered a bowl of mushroom soup. The mushroom soup was tasty and the texture was just right.

From the checking of my hot chocolate to the offering of a bowl of soup, Lawry's service was top-notch so far.

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Oyster- $6

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At $6 for one, the oysters were a steal! They were huge, fresh and juicy. SO SO SO GOOD. Never expected oysters to be so damn awesome at Lawry's! Please please try it if you're visiting Lawry's!

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Yorkshire Pudding

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Horse radish

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California cut- $68
Medium

I felt that the presentation of the steak was not very pleasant. I think that they should have let us poured the sauce over the steak ourselves. But I enjoyed my succulent steak nonetheless, and particularly took a liking to the eggy yorkshire pudding. My steak was nicely done and delicious. I also liked how the horse radish enhanced the taste of the steak!

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English Cut - $78
Medium
 
X felt that the slices were too thin to really "experience" the steak haha. He was offered more sauce when he was halfway through his steak. I must say that the staff at Lawry's are extremely attentive!

We should have gone for the traditional Lawry's cut but X tried that the last time he was there. I think that should be better than the English Cut!

It was a pleasant afternoon at Lawry's, especially when the service was so good. We definitely felt like royalty! We really appreciate the staff asking us how our food was and being so warm and friendly. And also, the friendly manager who offered to take pictures for us haha so nice of him! Such service really makes an impact on the dining experience. I'll be back again someday!

#04-01/31 Mandarin Gallery
Sundays - Thursdays: 11.30am - 10.00pm
Fridays / Saturdays / Eve & Public Holidays: 11.30am - 10.30pm
(Last Order at 10.30pm)



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Love, K


K's rating of Lawry's : 8/10