checked out the lunch buffet @ shangri-la's the line restaurant with my friend, and boy was it good! so glad i went, after all (well, most) of the positive reviews and raves from people around. i haven't been to that many buffets and its only the equinox high tea and this for all of this year. previously like i said, i only checked out goodwood park's english high tea and pariss international buffet in 2004, and both sucked. this one is definitely worth the price, consider the variety of food they serve and the amount of premium ingredients they use.

if i'm not wrong, this stylish restaurant was known as the coffee garden previously and is designed by adam tihany, a famous interior designer & architect. it's situated at the basement (lower lobby) of shangri-la hotel, tucked amidst lush greenery & the hotel pool. totally dig the ambience coz its so fresh, modern & futuristic, plus there's an adjorning bar which serves very expensive cocktails, imo (between $13-$17++ per drink). there are 16 buffet stations which has its own individiual kitchenette/prep area/fridge etc and i think its totally cool. this is gonna be a pics galore, so be forewarned :p



interior of the restaurant, totally packed on a saturday afternoon. you can just see the dessert section & chocolate fountain from here.



decked in white, orange & aqua, these colors just scream MODERN! they serve breakfast too and i can just imagine sipping espresso and having eggs benedict on a not-so-crowded weekday morning. perfect!



onto the food. at the western section, there's smoked bbq ribs, sausages, lamb navarin, seafood bouillabaisse, lobster bisque, chicken coq au vin, beefballs in tomato sauce.

seafood bouillabaisse



lamb navarin



seafood bar - mussels & crab legs on ice



seafood verrines (or whatever you call it) in shooter glasses. they're really generous with the real crab meat!

not sure what these are, baby lobsters? crayfish? i had two. yes. only.



on the left, can't make out what this is. tasted pretty sourish, there are artichokes, salmon roe with something else at the bottom which is also quite tart. on the right, fresh oysters. something worth mentioning - their oysters are freshly shucked. there's a long queue at the seafood bar and everyone is just waiting for their oysters 2b shucked. and the chef is really slow. definitely an eye opener for me coz for those buffets i been to, oysters are all already left shucked, on a bed of ice. so these are definitely fresher than fresh!



on my plate, a juicy succulent prawn and a pair of oysters.



the salad bar - has various kinds like asparagus salad, beetroot salad, alfalfa sprouts, vietnamese rice paper rolls (with crab meat but i find it too sweet), thai mango salad etc.



turkey roulade?

bamboo steamers with the usual dim sum items but i didn't bother taking pictures. dim sums are the same everywhere, no? i didn't even eat any.

pizza

grissinis & breadsticks. not sure if they're just for display purposes so i didn't dare take any :p i was really intrigued by the black ones, are they made of squid ink, or charcoal? nevertheless the rustic breads & buns were really good with the lobster bisque. except i must say the lobster bisque is really too salty, which is why it went better with bread.



various sushi/maki, miso soup & sashimi



more sushi/maki



noodle station - think there's laksa, wonton mee...never eat any of those, and didn't see anyone eating that too.



and finally the desserts! i got so excited just by looking at them. they hv a decent variety, and use very premium ingredients (well, i can tell).



strawberry shortcake & berries on sponge fingers (i think).



finally something i can relate to! they serve macarons too but only in one flavor - lemon with lemon curd filling. not at all good, since they were really soft. and tiny. mine's better haha!

notice the previous batch was flat as pancakes, and the 2nd batch they churned out were so puffy out of a sudden. now you know why they say macarons are temperamental. oh well, at least they hv feet :p



another of their gateaux, which is really good too (and pretty). their cakes are not too sweet, unlike the yucky ones i had at pan pacific's atrium deli. (sorry sihan, but i really think their desserts suck heh).

vanilla bean creme brulee



on the left, tiramisu which was mediocre. there was absolutely no alcohol taste in there. on the right, the nearest one's foret noir, i can tell and its quite good. the other two, not sure what they are.



on the left - i can't put my hands (or tastebuds) on it but its definitely a passionfruit mousse of some sort. on the right, creme brulee.

i must mention this! see the vanilla beans in the creme brulee? this is so so good i polished off two in a sitting. very fragrant & the custard is so smooth it glides down yr throat. and i like the fact they use premium ingredients in all their items. oh well, we pay for them. i'm gonna make a vanilla bean creme brulee soon too!



dessert display



eclairs with gold dragees. why can't they make them thin & longish ala. sadaharu aoki or fauchon's style?