Bought 2 vouchers from Deal.com and used it last night. The cooked seafood that I had were black pepper crayfish (freshwater lobsters) and chilli crabs. What surprised me was their addition of a on-the-spot made Tom Yam soup, Laksa and Crepes. I selected a few halved prawns, mushroom, veg and fish for the chef to cook. Being the first customer (already 7pm), the soup wasn't boiling when my ingredients were dropped into the soup. I waited a while but I still didn't see the soup boiling with my ingredients. The chef decided to test the prawn by taking one up and feel it. Felt like telling him I don't eat seafood without seeing the soup boiling. I bought my bowl back to my table and told hubby I wasn't eating it. When I go for steamboat, I ensure the soup is boiling (bubbling) so I don't see a reason why I should eat some 'uncooked food' just because it is a waste.
Then, I tried the crepe. The restaurant admitted the diners at 6.30 pm and by the time I decide to try the crepe, it was almost 7.30 pm. Well, the crepe didn't turn out as planned because the chef said I was the first customer and the pan wasn't hot enough when he poured the batter. Chef did a second time and I managed to have a berry crepe. Not something that I fancy and willing to finish all.
Seafood on ice - I saw cooked scallop and some clams. Both were ok. Clams were not sandy so it was good. I took a few oysters (the only raw seafood I dare to eat). Raw salmon was a hot pick but it won't end up in my plate.
If the sushi has avocado, I will eat but most of the time, I don't touch sushi because I didn't like the buffet sushi available.
I requested the chef to cut 2 thin slices of roasted beef. It looked a little pinky in the centre but no blood oozing - in my best beef stage (medium well)! The beef was tender and easy to chew, not tough like some other places (well done stage) - requires me to chew and chew till my jaw is so sore. When I see bloody beef in other restaurants, I will feedback to the waiter to microwave it a bit. Example this:
Hubby was on a seafood scare so he didn't eat his favourite seafood on ice - Prawns.
According to AVA, seafood may pose a higher risk of radioactive contamination than other agricultural products from Fukushima. The sea is not dead, the water moves and the live seafood are swimming everywhere, not confined in Japan so seafood that reaches us maybe contaminated. Told him AVA will ensure that the food from Japan are not contaminated by radiation but Hubby took salad and just some miserable miscellaneous.... a waste of this visit. Seeing him so kiasi really upsets my appetite and mood.
Not sure is it really a seafood contamination ... could it be the raw oysters? My tummy felt uncomfortable. Last night, I was having a hard time settling in a sleeping position that won't make my tummy strained. Last night, I ran to the toilet a few times and luckily, this morning I was well and good to resume work.
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8 Aug 2014
I like buffet in hotels ... good ambiance, not rowdy, especially if they serve fresh oysters and good cooked seafood. Why would I visit an expensive hotel to pick noodle, rice from a wide spread of buffet choices? I want my money worth. I want to fill my tummy with the more unusual and expensive stuff, things that are uncommon in the coffee shops or I don't cook at home.
I have eaten black pepper crab in coffee shops... when too lazy to travel. To buy 2 huge crabs, it cost me almost $90. The most expensive coffee shop crabs I had was almost $100 (heavy), only 2 big crabs with hard shell but meat a bit shrank after cooking. The smaller crabs are going at 2 for $30 (another coffee shop), not by weight. Therefore, it is really very affordable and worth it to have seafood hotel buffet using e-coupon, only $32 nett for dinner! Paid lesser than coffee shop crabs, I get to eat not just crabs, I can have salted egg crayfish and many others, not forgetting a chocolate fondue with fresh fruit... and hotel service quality.
Hubby loves its seafood on ice - prawns, a must have for his each visit. The prawns were really solid and springy 扎实 弹牙.
My first visit to Window on the Park Restaurant, Holiday Inn, Orchard City Centre was terrific! I feasted on black pepper crabs (not flower crab, they were hard shell crabs as per picture), salted egg crayfish (see picture), fresh oyster and many others. I was also given a wide choices of tea, eg chamomile. Not many people can drink coffee or tea in the night and still able to sleep well. I was happy to be given a better option - chamomile (calming effect). I couldn't take green tea or related because of a weak stomach, according to TCM. Hot beverage selection is something unusual, unavailable in other buffet.
I have visited TODAI in Marina Bay Sands and was disappointed that I paid a lot of money ($60 for lunch) but I wasn't able to take as many snow crab or fresh oysters. That time, I was only given 2 pieces per showing of my face. It was really a visit not worth it and I didn't give TODAI a second chance. Why should I keep walking to and fro just to collect only 2 pieces of my favourite seafood? Why should I face the same server and let him see my face again and again? Felt so malu (embarrassing). I have tried Shangri-La lunch buffet. Not cheap ...too bad, raw sashimi (looks really tempting) is my 'enemy', thus, it will not end up in my favourite food list. The cooked seafood option was miserable for me so Shangri-La will not be my ideal buffet venue. I surely don't want to feast on just fresh oysters and cakes .... makes me puke. Also tried Mandarin Orchard's lunch buffet, not my cup of tea. All these buffets are published rate, no discount given.
That e-coupon buffet at Window on the Park Restaurant visit awakened me, I didn't know online e-coupon has such good deal ... really good lobang, irresistible, worth it and can save money (I don't get to lay my hands on the sashimi so I won't feel a great pinch)! That experience started my online buys ... shopping spree. I don't feel comfortable using credit card to pay online but this particular visit opens my 'vision'. I bought a few more Window on the Park Restaurant, Holiday Inn buffet e-coupons, mainly from Plus! BigDeal (website no longer available), part of NTUC - looks more trusted than any other online sites. My record didn't show Deal.com but it surely has other hotel buffet deals. Now that Plus.BigDeal has closed down, I bought above Buffet - Window on the Park Restaurant vouchers from Deal.com and will be using in Sept.
Holiday Inn is showing the cheapest for weekday dinner, compared to other hotel's dinner buffet with cooked seafood that I like.
Then, the hard shell crabs disappeared and replaced by flower crab. I assumed it was because flower crabs are softer and easier to bite on... hope not because they are cheaper. The next visit, the salted egg crayfish went missing and no crab either. I ate big head prawns, my only cooked seafood choice. So disappointed because I don't really like to feast on soggy prawns. That ended my happy days at Window on the Park Restaurant, Holiday Inn.
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