[Buffet] Basilico @ Conrad Singapore Orchard

It was a casual gathering and I guessed, we were in the mood for variety. A few places were proposed and Basilico was picked. For most, it would be a revisit, whilst for me, it'll be my first visit.

We opted for the weekend brunch buffet, priced at SGD128++ per adult. Reservation was made and we were set for the weekend.

Located at Level 2 Conrad Singapore Orchard, I was greeted warmly by the staff at the restaurant entrance.

Basilico

She was all smiles as she led me to the table. As I mentioned that this was my first time at Basilico, she was helpful in pointing out the specific 'room' or 'section' designated for drinks and cheeses. 

table for 6

I like the designs on the plates. Kinda pretty.

secondi section

cold seafood section

antipasti / cold cuts

desserts

beautiful cake

antipasti

fresh burrata

tomatoes galore

cheese and more cheese

I was pleasantly surprised when staff brought out some pretty looking bread for the table.

focaccia

The focaccia was fluffy and served warm. Best to eat it as soon as served.

with olives and dried tomatoes

Guess what was on my first plate. Oysters for sure!

Australian Oceanlink oysters

New Zealand Coromandel oyster

Super loved the Australian oysters. Plump, luscious and clean tasting. The New Zealand ones were also good but I preferred the flavours of the other one.

lobster

scallop

crab claw

Time to get some juices from the bar.

bar

pineapple, mango, orange, cranberry

Next up, would be the meaty platter.

roasted sole (busara sauce), roasted pork knuckle and crauti, grilled sirloin tagliata

close up view of sirloin

crispy cracklings

For the roasted pork knuckle, I asked the staff to give some of the skin as well otherwise, he would've just given me the meat part only.

Surprisingly, my favourite 'meat' was the sole fish.

plate of carbs; pizza, wild mushroom risotto, seafood cavatelli and wagyu beef lasagna

Had an overload of focaccia that day... I ate half of the fluffy bread and a single slice of the pizza focaccia. 

we remembered to eat our greens

Oh and when was I going to do the cheeses? Hahaa, I noticed too but I was kinda full by now. Chef at the cheese room asked if I would like to try the eggs benedict with cheese. Haha, had to decline due to limited stomach space.

tiny bit of truffle burrata

tiny bits of hard cheeses

But I was determined to do desserts. I asked Chef which was the most popular ice-cream flavour and he said coconut. So I had that and yes, it was so good!

coconut ice-cream

And then, another Chef appeared out of nowhere and offered us some berries dessert. Ok, we said.

berries sabayon

fluffy, creamy and full of tangy berries

tiramisu

cappucino

best paired with coffee

At some point in time, I went to the washroom and upon return, there was a mysterious glass of drink appeared. Oh, a palate cleanser kind of drink; Sgroppino made with Prosecco and lemon sorbet. Refreshing!

Sgroppino 

Basilico

Address: 1 Cuscaden Rd, Level 2, Singapore 249715

Website: https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/sinodci-conrad-singapore-orchard/dining/basilico/

Business Hours: 

Daily: 12–3:30 pm, 6:30–10:30 pm

The Line Restaurant @ Shangri-La Singapore

Blessed with colleagues who wanted to have lunch during my birthday month. Working from home meant we actually don't meet unless we are on-site for meetings with clients.

Shangri La is my colleague's favourite staycation spot as he likes to bring his kids there for some family bonding time. Hence, he brought us to The Line for lunch after our meeting at client's place.

table for 3

My first time at this place, hence I asked him what are the must tries. He told me "Laksa". Ok and to attest to that recommendation, he actually started with a bowl of laksa. Haha!

For me, the cold stuffs first. It's been a while since I had any sashimi.

sashimi

snow crab leg, prawns

The chef at the sashimi counter, I think he had a mission to fill-up my entire plate. He gave like 6 slices of fish for each type. Luckily, I only chose salmon and tuna! =P

thick cut is best cut

Ok, am not a big fan of cold crab. Too much of a hassle to get that little bit of meat which didn't taste of anything and it definitely needed a squeeze of lemon.

plethora of things; roast beef brisket, pork trotters, fried ee-fu noodles, seabass, fried rice

Next plate was a mish-mash of East and West, cooked food. Trotters was nicely tender and collageny as it looked. The noodles and fried rice were ok. Fish was nice, especially with its skin on. Brisket was so-so.

closer view of trotters

chicken from the Indian cuisine section

The chicken was nicely tangy and can't go wrong with thigh meat. Next, of course need to try the recommended dish.

Singapore Laksa

with thin beehoon

The laksa rendition here was nicely fragrant with the spices but not much heat from it. Not too rich but adequate. One can elevate up the standard bowl with meat or seafood of their choice from the other counters.

Last, I felt the need to try their dessert because it did looked lovely from where I was seated.

key lime pie

durian cake

cheesecake

The must-eat from the dessert section, was the durian cake. So good, so yummy! Wished I had the stomach space for another slice! Key lime pie looked the prettiest on my plate and it was nicely sour and not overly sweet. Cheesecake paled in comparison to the durian cake.

Lastly, I went to try some ice-cream. Asked the staff over there what's good and she said, "Try everything." And she promised to make smaller scoops. Her colleague was rather taken aback by how many scoops she was placing onto my bowl.

And that was how I ended up with vanilla, chocolate, raspberry, coconut and mango ice-cream/sorbet. I think there were a lot more flavours but it wouldn't fit into the bowl. Hahahaha!

"Try Everything" ice-cream

Thank you Mien Ta for the treat, and Wendy for the company!

The Line Restaurant

Address: 22 Orange Grove Rd, Lower Lobby, Tower Wing, Singapore 258350

Website: https://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurants/the-line/

Contact: +6562134398

Business Hours:

Daily - 12–2:30 PM, 6–9:30 PM

Saturday Festive Brunch @ Edge Pan Pacific Singapore

It is that time of the year again! Gathering with foodie buddies and there are eight of us to round up 2023. Cheers to 8 years of friendship, and may everyone be happy and healthy in the coming years.

our table

Buffet timing is from 12pm to 3pm and priced at SGD98 per adult | SGD49 per child (6 to 12 years old). The buffet is inclusive of free flow chilled juices. There were just 2 choices on our day of visit; cranberry and apple.

Otherwise, each table has a jug of water infused with sliced lemon and cucumber.

drink up!

You might want to indicate to have a table that is further away from the window as we could feel the hot weather seeping in.

dessert

sorbet and gelato

log cake

pralines, puddings and pengat

pizza

snapper, beetroot, duck

Indian cuisine

Taste of Thailand

Roast Meats

Grilled and Western Station

main highlights

And for some unknown reasons, I wasn't able to find the Seafood on Ice section during my walk-around of the area. Hahaha! Followed the simple directions from my friend who had went ahead to get the lobster, and managed to find it. There's oysters too! Most guests seemed to have honed in to the lobster as it was depleted by 12.30pm and the wait was about 10 to 15 minutes for the next batch to appear.

cold starters

Boston Lobster

crab claw

I think I enjoyed the crab claws more than the lobster. Oysters were nice but rather thin.

grilled beef galbi and tiger prawns

The beef galbi was sweet and nice to eat. Just remember not to leave it out for too long. Eat while it is fresh off the grill!

Festive Highlights

The Grill Duck Breast with Prunes and Thyme was interesting. A tad gamey though. Didn't like the orange sauce unfortunately. 

Grill Duck Breast with Prunes and Thyme

The mac and cheese and the tiny sausages from the Kids Corner was good. But then, I felt bad for taking food meant for children, sorry!

lamb stew

The lamb stew was good and not too overpowering. Meat was nicely tender too.

front: roasted turkey breast and honey glazed gammon ham

Was rather impressed by the turkey breast. So juicy and enjoyably soft. The ham was lovely too!

Peking Duck, satay (mutton and chicken)

I probably took a piece of the Peking Duck that had been made a longer while ago, and hence it was just so-so. Managed to get freshly made satays and it was of a nice savoury sweet flavour. The peanut sauce was not spicy.

local favourites

And of course, one need to try the laksa from every hotel buffet. Ok, I exaggerate. Probably just me (and some others) that goes around hotel buffet to try their laksa.

noodle station

Singapore Edge Nyonya Laksa with Tiger Prawns

One thing about the laksa that stood out, was how thick its gravy was. The thickest I've ever tasted from any hotel buffet thus far. Luckily, it was a relatively manageable bowl.

Though I added a dollop of the sambal, I didn't detect any noticeable spiciness out of it. Overall, the laksa was enjoyable, just that it sits a tad heavy in the tummy after that.

slurp it up~

And after just a single serving of the food that I've had on my plates (as shown in this blog), my stomach decided that it had enough... Old age is showing.

dessert

black coffee

I liked the pralines here and one of it had rum in it. Coffee was nice too. Strong but not too acidic. The log cakes were all gone by the time I was doing the dessert round. A tad sad, but it's ok. Can't stuff in anymore.

But one must try the pistachio gelato here. I strongly recommend it.

gelato; pistachio and chocolate

Spent $98 per pax after discount as payment via DBS/Citibank/UOB credit card has a 15% off. 

Our table was attended to by Daphny and she was very pro-active and efficient in clearing the plates as well as helping to refill the water jug when it was empty. Plus the few rounds of fetching us coffee and tea. Thank you for your good service!

Many thanks to the buddies who managed to join for this gathering; Alvin, Ivan, Hence, Tracy, Tiara and Shermaine. Missing Kris, Elle, Rachelle and Melissa. Happy Holidays everyone!

Edge @ Pan Pacific

Address: 7 Raffles Blvd, Level 3 Pan Pacific, Singapore 039595

Business Hours:

Mon-Thur: 12–2:30pm, 6–10pm

Fri - Sun: 12-3pm, 6-10pm