From turkey masak merah to Isaan-style beef: The best Christmas buffets
Take your pick of the crop – go Italian, stick to traditional, or try Southeast Asian and local-inspired yuletide spreads. Vegetarians, there are options for you, too.
Pull on your best elastic-waistband trousers and gird your appetites, because the festive buffets at these hotel restaurants are heaving with holiday treats and sweets that’ll more than fill your hearts and bellies.
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ASH & ELM, INTERCONTINENTAL SINGAPORE
At this stylish buffet destination, here are special treats like roast turkey with cranberry stuffing and coq au vin (chicken braised in red wine), but we’re kind of obsessed with the idea of the wood-fired pizzas topped with turkey, brie and cranberry.
We never neglect to raid the always impressive cheese room before heading to the dessert table where, this season, the likes of yule logs and fruit cakes take centrestage. Also look out for the gingerbread bread and butter pudding, vanilla Saint-Honore, and pistachio cherry tart. Prices start from S$38 for an appetiser and dessert semi-buffet lunch.
BASILICO, REGENT SINGAPORE
Experience an Italian festive feast table at Basilico, where turkey is infused with mirto (an alcoholic maceration of myrtle berries) and stuffed with Williams pears and heirloom beets, and porchetta is stuffed with plums and glazed baby carrots.
These, on top of the always-lavish buffet feast that includes pizzas, pastas and cured meats. Of course, there’s panettone and pandoro crowned with mascarpone cream and a host of ice creams and petit desserts for that happy holiday ending. Prices start from S$65 for a weekday lunch buffet.
BEACH ROAD KITCHEN, JW MARRIOTT HOTEL SINGAPORE SOUTH BEACH
There’s a selection of over 100 dishes on Beach Road Kitchen’s holiday buffet menu, including a succulent slow-roasted turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce, and honey-glazed gammon bone-in ham.
For proper decadence, come on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day when the highlight of the spread is a caviar station. Desserts are comfortingly familiar – think sesame green tea log cake and mini Granny Smith apple crumble pies. Prices start from S$68 for a buffet lunch.
BLUE JASMINE, PARK HOTEL FARRER PARK
Experience a European Christmas by way of Thailand. Sounds complex, we know, but it’s all very tasty. At this Southern Thai buffet restaurant, Christmas comes with the addition of Isaan-style marinated roast beef and turkey served with a smoked chilli sauce and black pepper sauce respectively.
Salmon confit is paired with a spicy seafood sauce for a bit of festive kick, while log cakes and Christmas cookies stand alongside rich Thai chendol flecked with jackfruit and “red rubies”. Available for dinner on Christmas Eve and lunch on Christmas Day at S$67 per adult.
EDGE, PAN PACIFIC SINGAPORE
Wear your loosest clothing because this sprawling buffet restaurant has all the Christmas trimmings and more. Honey-glazed bone-in gammon ham and roasted tomahawk steak fight for your stomach space with roasted turkey and a whiskey-glazed seafood bisque.
Then there’s the spread of fresh seafood, including plump Boston lobsters, Alaskan king crabs, giant barbecued squid and dry curry crab with deep-fried buns. Complete your holiday feasting with traditional sweets like minced fruit pies, stollen, black forest log cakes and Christmas pudding complete with brandy sauce. Prices start from S$62 for the weekday lunch buffet.
L’ESPRESSO, GOODWOOD PARK HOTEL
Leisurely afternoons spent sipping tea or champagne and nibbling on delicious edibles are a wonderful way to ring in the festive season. Come December 1, the English Afternoon Tea Buffet at this airy cafe comes with a festive dessert spread that includes a luscious chocolate log cake and Christmas cookies. Come on Christmas Eve and you’ll get a spread of carved ham and turkey with your afternoon tea. Prices start from S$48 for a weekday afternoon tea.
LIME RESTAURANT, PARKROYAL ON PICKERING
Turkey masak merah, baked prime ribs with spicy tomato paste and grilled beef with cognac and mixed peppercorn cream sauce grace the Festive Feasts that kick off on November 25 at this open kitchen-concept restaurant. Come at dinner and you’ll find plump Irish oysters and lobster laksa added to that mix.
Vegetarians have plenty of options too, with dishes like a “beef” Wellington made from plant-based Beyond Meat. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, meals are served with a side of joyful carollers who’ll entertain diners with classic holiday tunes. Prices start from S$69 for a weekday lunch buffet.
ONE-NINETY, FOUR SEASONS HOTEL
We feel that the excellent and evergreen lunch semi-buffet at this modern brasserie is great value for money. The appetisers and cheeses on the buffet line change daily, so there’s always something fresh and wholesome to indulge in before your choice of entree.
Just for the holiday season, entrees include roasted organic turkey with chestnut stuffing, ricotta tortellini with truffle mushroom sauce, and the restaurant’s popular snapper bouillabaisse with spicy daikon and lemongrass. Expect an equally festive range of desserts on the buffet spread too. Prices start from S$48.
RISE, MARINA BAY SANDS
Classic festive feasting is the order of the day at this international buffet restaurant where traditional roasted turkey with stuffing and maple-glazed ham join the regular selection of cold cuts, premium meats and delectable mains.
But first, hit the seafood station for the swimmingly fresh selection of Alaskan king crab on ice and freshly shucked oysters. Prices start from S$68 for a weekday lunch buffet.
THE CARVERY, PARK HOTEL ALEXANDRA
There’s plenty more besides roasted meats at The Carvery, but its appeal is certainly carnivorous. For the festive season, executive chef Ian Hioe has put Angus prime ribs aged for 21 days with Tanqueray gin on the spread along with a spit-roasted chicken with sweet orange and aged balsamic vinegar.
Spice-brined for 24 hours, the resulting chooks are fork-tender and immensely succulent. Naturally, there’s a whole host of Christmas specialities including honey glazed ham, porchetta with apple and fennel stuffing, and desserts like sticky date trifle and eggnog creme brulee. Prices start from S$51 for a lunch buffet.
TOWN, FULLERTON HOTEL
At this ever-popular restaurant overlooking the Singapore river, traditional Christmas fare shares buffet space with Asian-inspired creations such as turkey penyet and ondeh ondeh log cakes.
Sprawled over 20 stations, the decadent spread promises a feast for every taste, with options like porcini mushroom and truffle risotto in a Parmesan wheel, roasted turkey with garlic and rosemary, and a plant-based Impossible Meat Wellington. Prices start from S$59 for a weekday lunch buffet.
