mini-buffet anyone?

http://www.lobster.com.sg/imgs/Alacarte_buffet_website_with_address.pdf

dad and i went to try out this restaurant today

and it didn't really live up to my high expectations

food
the portions of the food was kinda small

seemed sufficient only for a single person

my dad and i found the dishes

a little too salty for our palates

however there were some dishes

definitely worth mentioning:



braised mini whole abalone with oyster sauce
(only one serving available per head)

yum factor:
though the abalone was extremely small

almost comparable to an egg yolk

(yes i'm not kidding you)

and the broccoli and the sauce was cold when served

it was remarkably saved by the abalone

as the abalone was easily chewable

(right texture and timing)

and had still retained its 'mineral taste'

overall a good dish (to get your money back)



braised sea cucumber with yam
(only one serving per table)

yum factor:
the sea cucumber was soft and kept it's 'bouncy-ness'

(a pity there were only two sea cucumbers)

the yam was tasty and nice

(adhered nicely to my taste buds)



braised shark fin's soup with crab meat
(only one serving per head)

yum factor:
what's there not to love about shark fin's soup?

their shark fin's soup was rather pleasing to the eyes

as you could really see strands of shark fins in it

however it could have been better off

if it weren't so starchy and salty



steamed tilapia with thai lemon sauce
(only one serving per table)

yum factor:
the fish was really fresh, no scent of any fishy smell

and the lemon-spicy sauce

complemented the steamed fish

(resembled a mild tom-yam steamed fish)



fried pumpkin with golden salted egg yolk
(no limit imposed)

yum factor:
the combination of the pumpkin with

the golden salted egg yolk was heavenly

(something reminiscent of the crab paste that we all love)

♥ my personal favourite ♥



stewed seafood vermicelli with fish gravy
(no limit imposed)

yum factor:
didn't exactly find the dish magnificent

but my poppa loves it and even finds it special


one dish that was so not worth ordering:


drunken sakura chicken
(no limit imposed)

ewwww factor:
total turn-off as the chicken was too sweet

and had a strong honey taste to it

absolutely no aroma or taste of the wine

service
service was like damn slow

we spent most of our time

just waiting for the food to arrive

which slightly dampened our 'buffet mood'

a fine example was that

we ordered a fish once we were seated

however it only arrived during the call for the last order

and after six requests to check on the order

however for the price paid and

considering that it has a huge lunch crowd,

i guess i shouldn't be complaining


ambience
was initially kind of appalled by the pungent fishy smell

coming from the fish tank

hence thank goodness we were brought into

the dining area relatively quickly

and the ambience was quite lovely

as it resembles a giant banquet dining hall

draped with lovely curtains and all

and you could even see east coast park's beach

if seated near to their glass walls


♥kimberly's verdict♥
this place is worth a try

for the price tag that you are paying

but probably do brace yourself and don't expect much

however it is relatively suitable

for small eaters with a small appetite

as all the portions are relatively small

(i.e. al fresco style)

(portions varies according to the no. of heads per table)

but for big eaters like me,

i guess shangri-la's the line '30 mins lunch' buffet

would be the way to go for us ((:



more yummy buffets please

photo credits: courtesy of seafood international market & restaurant and getty images