Tuesday, May 13, 2014

MELT - The World Cafe at Mandarin Oriental

Looking for a place for a friend's birthday celebration, I chanced upon some online reviews of this restaurant called MELT - The World Cafe at Mandarin Oriental Hotel.  The reviews are mostly positive so I went ahead to make the reservation for lunch.  Reservation through http://www.hungrygowhere.com/ is pretty convenient.  The confirmation came almost immediately.

Today we arrived at around 11.50am.  The staff ushered us in, and along the way showed us what kind of food were available.  There are quite a selection of cuisines, including western, Indian, Thai, & Japanese, mostly Asian oriented, I think.



The ambiance is not too bad, at least to my not-so-high standard.  What they lack of is a superb view of the Singapore skyline.  Too bad, there is none.


When people go for a buffet, they usually start with all the meat and seafood dishes.  Well, at least that's what I did when I was young.  Now that I have gained some age, and hopefully some wisdom, I would rather start with some vegetables and fruits.  Our stomach can digest vegetables and fruits faster than all the meat and seafood, so after a heart-filling buffet, your stomach won't suffer.  For that, they have quite some selections.


Hahha...after the initial round of vegies, then it is time for all that meat and seafood.  They have some sashimi spread, and baked Salmon, and ox tail soup, etc.  A picture is worth a thousand words, just take a look at the spread with your own eyes.







But then I must also point out that they don't have the stuff that I like most:  a) Alaska crab, b) oysters, c) roast beef, d) lobster, e) pork knuckles, f) cray fish.  Ok, they are not that healthy friendly, good to avoid :)  They do have something that you seldom see in a buffet:  Fried Salmon skin!  First time for me to see that in a buffet, as part of the Thai cuisine!  Mmmh...a bit strange.

As the finale, how can we miss the dessert?  They have quite a selection of desserts.  Very sinful.  They are sweet, really sweet, perfect for people who have sweet teeth.


For lunch on a public holiday, the price is S$68++  per adult.