Meat & Foie Gras Dinner Buffet @ Ellenborough Market Cafe Paradox

One of those rare occasion where we opted for buffet. I think Tracy saw it from some viral post in insta and decided to try. Thanks to Shermaine for making the reservations!

first plate

I was a tad hungry, so went to the counters where there were less people. There were long lines to the foie gras and grilled meats, so I went elsewhere instead.

Took some babi tau yu (soy sauce braised pork), nonya chap chye (braised vegetables), wagyu beef something, pasta bolognese and bendi (blanched okra) paired with sambal belachan.

recommended

The okra was tender and tasted lovely with the chilies. Pasta was good too and I saw the kids at the neighbouring table enjoying the pasta. Braised pork and the cooked wagyu were enjoyable too.

foie gras and rilettes

The Chefs decided to do thin slices of foie gras during that round, so the presentation wasn't great.

grilled pork and lamb chops

grilled chicken

wagyu beef

Thank you Tracy and Shermaine for getting us the grilled meats. Best in the lot was the grilled wagyu. It was more tender than the lamb chops. Chicken breast was firm. The satay sausage was interesting for its yellowish hue and sweet taste.

wagyu beef shoyu ramen

Singapore nonya laksa with prawn

The wagyu beef ramen tasted like sweet shoyu while the nonya laksa broth was good.

kueh pie tee

Thank you Shermaine for constructing the kueh pie tee for us. 

cold seafood - prawn, salmon sashimi

pineapple and rock melon

I liked the taste of sweet pineapple with a dab of wasabi soy sauce. Yums.

hot cross bun with butter

ice-cream

reconstructed

And of course, can't miss the durian pengat (which got replenished). Tasted intense.

durian pengat

Thank you Tracy, Hence, Ivan and Shermaine for the get-together! 

Side note: Do check with staff on which credit card that has the best promo for the buffet before payment as Citibank was the highest at 50% off during the date of visit.

Buffet Info:

Website: https://www.paradoxhotels.com/singapore/dining/ellenborough-market-cafe

Thursday to Sunday & Public Holidays

$98++ per adult | $42++ per child

1st Seating: 6:00 - 8:00PM

2nd Seating: 8:15 - 10:15PM

[Ala-Carte Buffet] Dinner at Tunglok Seafood @ Park Regis

Four of us decided to dine there on a whim. Thanks Wendy for making the reservation! If you're driving then can park at the Park Regis Hotel and get the carpark coupon from the restaurant.

our table

There were two ala-carte buffet packages available; Seafood Buffet menu (Adult: $43.80++) or Deluxe Seafood Buffet menu (Adult: $59.80++). Minimum 2 pax for the buffet and we were in a party of 4. Drinks are not included, and take note that for Chinese tea order at $3 per head, a minimum of 2 pax is required.

Took a brief look at both the buffet menu and the Deluxe menu had 6 single-serve items while the other menu had 3 single-serve items. We opted for the Seafood Buffet menu.

Staff was friendly and brought out the QR code for the table to scan and order for the buffet. Unsure of the portion size, we ordered a few plates to try.

crab meatball (五香蟹枣)

Hmm, crab meatball was smallish and the temperature was lukewarm. Probably these had been left out for quite a while? We did order another round of these later, and its color was visibly darker and the temperature was better.

salmon sashimi (三文鱼刺身)

Salmon sashimi was satisfying, and we had another plate of these.

The jellyfish appetiser was one of my favourite dish here. I think I ate half a bowl!

chilled jellyfish in pomelo sauce (柚子酱凉拌海蜇)

prawn paste chicken (虾酱鸡翅)

Prawn paste chicken wings were decent with its meat still juicy. If you have stomach space, do try the Hot and Sour Soup (酸辣汤). Tangy, spicy and whets the appetite.

The special items (single-serve) arrived 30 minutes into the meal. Fish maw soup was one per pax, scallop was one piece per pax and chili crab is one crab per table.

Braised Shark’s Fin with Fish Maw (红烧鱼鳔翅) - one serving per pax

Steamed Scallop with Garlic and Vermicelli (蒜蓉粉丝蒸扇贝) - one serving per pax

TungLok Chilli Crab with Deep-fried ‘Man Tou’ (辣椒螃蟹伴馒头) - one serving per table

When the staff brought out the Chili Crab, he was saying that this is the "重头戏" or main highlight of the buffet. Keke.

additional photo for the chili crab

The fish maw soup was good with plenty of julienned mushrooms and fish maw. Added black vinegar and pepper for extra kick. The scallop was smallish and the chili crab sauce was good.

tools to eat the chili crab

I was feeling full after the soup. Hahaa.

chicken yakitori (日式串烧鸡)

The chicken yakitori was surprisingly tender. However, I'd prefer if it was grilled slightly longer.

Stir-fried Fish Fillet in Black Bean Sauce (豉汁炒鱼片)

Stir-fried Young Cabbage with Garlic (蒜蓉炒奶白豆苗)

I'm usually a fan of nai bai (milk cabbage) but the version here was the healthier choice. Crunchy vegetable with very little oil and not strongly seasoned. 

Spicy Clam Meat with French Bean (香辣贝肉四季豆)

The french bean dish went in the opposite direction of the young cabbage. I liked the plump french beans but the clam meat probably need a bowl of white rice to go with it.

Smoked Duck Breast with ‘Mala’ Sauce (老干妈烟鸭胸肉)

The smoked duck breast dish, I think the sauce translation may not be accurate as 'lao gan ma' sauce was more of savoury fragrant than 'mala'.

We ordered all the available dessert in the ala-carte buffet menu to try.

Ice-cream Puff (雪糕夹心酥)

Red Bean Soup with Glutinous Rice (红豆紫米露)

Staff was accurate when she informed that the ice-cream puff was currently still frozen. Had to wait for awhile to let the frozen ice-cream soften. We were worried if the red bean soup with glutinous rice would be too 'heavy' after the buffet. Actually no, since there was more 'soup' than the ingredients.

Chilled Herbal Jelly with Honey (养颜龟苓膏)

Chilled Coconut Jelly with Osmanthus Flower (椰汁桂花冻)

close up shot of the osmanthus jelly

The coconut osmanthus jelly dessert, I liked because the osmanthus taste is not too overpowering. Tasted more of coconut pudding instead.

Sesame Glutinous Rice Ball coated with Peanut Crumbs (擂沙汤圆)

The sesame glutinous rice ball was mochi-soft and served warm. Yummy and not too sweet.

Thank you Mien Ta for the treat, and Eric and Wendy for sharing the calories too!

TungLok Seafood (Park Regis by Prince Singapore)

Address: 23 Merchant Rd, Level 1, Singapore 058268

Website: https://www.tunglokseafood.com/en/home

Business Hours:

Monday - Saturday:

Lunch: 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM (Last order: 2:30 PM)

Dinner: 6:00 PM - 10:30 PM (Last order: 10:00 PM)

Sunday & Public Holidays:

Lunch: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Last order: 2:30 PM)

Dinner: 6:00 PM - 10:30 PM (Last order: 10:00 PM) 

[Travel] In the Heart of Bangkok - Dinner at NAMA Japanese and Seafood Buffet @ Centara Grand Bangkok Convention Centre Central World

Made reservation for 7pm but traffic was bad so we reached around 730pm instead. Just head on up to level 24 for the buffet.

signage

Let the staff at the counter know which package for all the pax in your group. There were two price range to choose from, and we decided to go for the ฿999 package. 

Made payment and staff led the way to our table. The place was quite big and plenty of diners that night.

There's a QR code to scan for the buffet menu but none of us could connect to it. Asked the staff for help and turned out, we needed to connect to their wifi. So we practically handed over our phone to the helpful staff to help key in the wifi password. 

Even so, not sure why but only one out of three mobile phones were able to connect to the buffet ordering platform. So I was the de-facto 'orderer'.

Our package came with one-time order of Japanese oysters (3 pieces) with toppings, grilled wagyu cubes with foie gras and some sushi (3 pieces).

Japanese oysters (one-time)

steak cubes with foie gras (one-time)

Then, the rest of the stuffs came from the buffet. Besides the online menu, one could walk around to see the items already available at the counter for diners to take. For example, the deep fried section for fried dumplings, deep fried beef etc. Non-alcoholic drinks are included and one could just go  towards the drink counter to fetch your own glass and ice-cubes, and self-serve from the machines. There's milo, soda such as fanta grape, yuzu drink etc. 

Cold seafood section is also available with the usual oysters, prawns, mussels but I was too busy ordering from the online menu to walk around. 

deep fried stuffs

marinated seafood (scallops, salmon, prawns)

wagyu beef sushi

duck liver sushi?

beef sushi

beef steak

hamachi and salmon belly sashimi

Loved the sashimi here. Thick cut and fresh. 

hotate, anago and unagi sushi

I love hotate

Service was quick and the food arrived pretty quickly once you've successfully sent it to the kitchen. If your order didn't arrive, most likely it is because the order has yet to be confirmed to send to kitchen.

aburi sushi

grilled river prawns

The staff who helped with the initial wifi setup, came back to our table and showed me her phone. Turns out, she used the translation app on her phone to inform us the location of the dessert counter. So sweet of her!

tamago that was too sweet

unagi

honeydew

The dessert that one could take directly are mostly the cheesecakes. I only tried one type as the stomach ran out of space.

cheesecake

raindrop cake (order through the online app)

Looking back at the photos, I realised that I only ate a fraction of what I photographed. Mainly because the journey back to the hotel would take about 1 hour (due to the jam) and didn't want to risk an upset tummy.

Overall, good value and there's plenty of variety to satisfy Japanese food cravings. Thank you to the staff whose help had made our dining experience enjoyable, especially for first-timers to Nama.

NAMA Japanese and Seafood Buffet

Address: 24th floor Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre, 999/99 Rama I Rd, Khwaeng Pathum Wan, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Website: https://www.facebook.com/NAMAJapaneseandSeafoodBuffet/

Business Hours:

Daily: 11 am–10 pm