For the longest time, we've been wanting to try The Line at Shang - the best buffet in town, apparently. But after a trip to Paris, the J-couple decided that buffets should include foie gras and macarons, so MELT seemed to be a better choice.
This was exactly a week after my prosecco brunch at The Lighthouse. So, despite the fact that the Sunday brunch does offer the optional champagne (and premium champagne at a higher price), I decided that another round of bubbly might just draw me into addiction.
I reinstated my stand at MELT - that there's no such thing as a gourmet spread, simply because of the unjustifiable pricetag. For S$88++, I don't think we should expect anything beyond decent foie gras and baby lobsters. It's about the variety and here at MELT, the choices are sufficiently enticing.
Buffets are about having fun (soberly or not) and this is the best time to play around with your food. Mixing your food, I mean. There I was, making myself a burger combining ground beef patty, gherkin, mustard and foie gras, and created a surprisingly workable cold inaniwa udon with air-dried beef. In between the sashimi, egg benedict, fish cutlet with cooked dragonfruit, grilled ribs with red wine rendered cabbage, prime rib slice, honey-glazed ham, Yorkshire pudding and some oriental dishes, there were sorbets as palate cleansers. Desserts make up of, at most, 2.781% of my interest at the buffet table but at MELT, I must say the sweets were lovely. The macarons, profiteroles, cheesecake, ispahan and chocolate pudding, yes, especially the rich chocolate pudding, are worth a mention. It was a good ending to the non-bubbly affair.
The earlier plan was to have a long run in the evening but instead, I slept through the cool evening. No regrets, of course.
Fresh Seafood
Inaniwa Udon + Air Dried Beef
Beef Burger + Foie Gras
Tiramisu, Macaron, Profiterole, Cheesecake, Ispahan, Chocolate Pudding
MELT @ Mandarin Oriental Hotel
5 Raffles Avenue
Marina Square
Singapore 039797
Tel: (+65) 6885 3082
