a colored spectrum

CafeBiz Sunday Brunch

went to the Traders Hotel, CafeBiz Sunday Brunch today.
for those who do not know where Traders Hotel is, it's at Cuscaden Rd, next to Tanglin Mall.
for $32 per pax, it is value-for-money and certainl;y, a great feast lasting from 12 noon - 5pm.
the diners were made up of families and tai-tai groups. however, the atmosphere is unpretentious.
it is casual and relaxing.
DIY, eat and chat for 5 hrs, a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon with the folks.
yes, be warned of young children running around without much supervision.

there's a fresh salad counter, complete with oak greens and red corals; a fresh sashimi (constantly replenished) and assorted sushi / maki counter (complete with california maki, tako sushi; sweet beancurd skin sushi and fresh tuna roll). in addition, there're Japanese pickled vegetables (lighted salty but fresh and crunchy) and fresh snow pea sprouts.

there's also a DIY 'dip-dip' counter, where u take ur pick of raw skewers, such as squid-mussles; crabmeat; enoki mushroom wrapped in leeks or thin beef slices; dory and salmon slices etc.
after taking your pick, you bring them to these pots of boiling soup (for beef and non-beef items), dip them in, watch ur skewers boil for like 4 mins and voila! add some chilli-lime sauce and tuck in!

there're also a Laksa and Congee counter. both also DIY concepts.
for the Laksa, you can select how much noodles and ingredients you like; in what proportions and how much gravy; what to cook first and add last. however, the are no fresh clams available.
for the Congee (which is fresh, piping hot and smooth in consistency), you can pick from the various Teochew pickled relish.

there're also other local delights such as fried rice, fried noodles and other cooked dishes.
more impressive was the pork-cabbage dumpings with la-mian, in chicken herbal soup.
the dumpling skin were thin and smooth, the pork and prawns were very cruchy i.e. fresh; and the dumpling was stuffed with more cabbage than pork flling, making each bite very refreshing! the chicken herbal soup was just right, the herbal flavor was not overpowering, allowing some depth and breadth for the dumplings and noodles to express themselves. i enjoyed that alot.

the same counter also offered cantonese roasted meats such as duck, chicken and pork belly.
unfortunately, i am not that much a carnivore so no comments =P
however, they DO look quite good. so, why not you try them and tell me? =)
at the same counter, there's also a selection of Indian cuisine, such as Garlic Naan (kinda oily for a naan, that it resembled a prata instead... ). the vegetable korma was so-so and the fish tikka was kinda hard (maybe exposed to air for too long).

of course, all meals with Veen must end with a sweet dessert.

i had the freshly baked waffles topped with jackfruit ice cream. woah...
the waffles were really good. fresh, light, buttery with a sustantial amount of fresh eggs....
oo00oo... melts in your mouth, with the rich fragrance of freshly baked waffles...
and the cold ice cream... ahh....

no, i didn't stop there. had a slice of chocolate truffle cake.
chocolate mousse with a thin layer of chocolate sponge. impressive.
there're also shot glasses of fresh strawberry pieces, drizzled with Japanese Yuzu oil (a citrus fruit); a chocolate fountain with marshmallows, finger biscuits and rockmelon cubes.

what i found impressive about this buffet was the DIY concept, where i get to choose what i like, cook them myself (albeit watching them boil); add the condiments and decide how much of what i'll like to have for that dish. i enjoy walking around, having some hands-on while i eat. buffets where everything has been prepared and i'd just go up to the counter to pick the dishes ain't that fun.

it's been a sweet day. kitty purrs with contentment.

posted by Veen @ 02:31