Pre-Christmas Lunch Buffet at the Greenhouse-Ritz Carlton Singapore *Closed till 23 Sep 2015*

Please kindly note that Greenhouse has been scheduled to undergo a five-month transformation and it will be replaced by a new restaurant called “Colony”. Colony will open on 23 September 2015. For more details, click here.

Super overdue review of our 2013 Pre-Christmas Lunch Buffet at the Greenhouse-Ritz Carlton Singapore. Evans planned a 3D2N Christmas Staycation at the Ritz Carlton and surprised me with a buffet feast at Greenhouse as part of our Christmas celebration. I was ecstatic as the Greenhouse buffet is one of the best international buffets in Singapore and I had been wanting to try it for ages! I simply could not wait to indulge in the large menu selection of delectable seafood, Asian delights, homely Japanese food and festive offerings (turkey!).

Ambience and Service
We reached slightly later than our reservation time. Upon arrival, we were swiftly ushered to a comfortable corner with good privacy. The restaurant’s elegant furnishings and whimsical giant fixtures suspended from the glass ceiling set the tone for dining at this convivial joint. The restaurant staff were all courteous and attentive, and service was consistent throughout.

Sushi Bar

Japanese Food
We started off with the Sushi Section. Greenhouse offers Sake Nigiri (Salmon), Ebi Nigiri (cooked shrimp), Tamagoyaki (fried egg) and many more. The neatly arranged sushi on the trays with their vibrant colours looked so alluring that I was tempted to try every single one. The evenly cut Sashimi layers were flavourful and fresh.

Sashimi, Japanese Pickles, Korean Kimchi

There were also freshly sliced Sashimi such as Tuna, Salmon and Snapper. Traditional Japanese pickles as well as Korean Kimchi were available as starters for our buffet.

Zaru Soba (Japanese Cold Noodles)

Chilled Japanese noodles (zaru soba) were placed inside teacup-sized bowls and neatly displayed on the ice bar. The portion of soba is perfect and all you need to do is to soak it in the dipping sauce. We enjoyed the zaru soba very much!

Chilled Seafood
The seafood were fresh and delicious. However, make sure you are quick because the seafood gets wiped out very fast. Every time we went to the seafood section, most of the seafood were already gone. However, we learnt quickly and rushed to get the seafood immediately once they were served later on (typical Singaporean-style). The chilled tiger prawns were fresh and succulent, the clams were simply delicious (we must have ate dozens!), and we savoured the mussels as well! However, seafood aficionados will be disappointed because the pre-Christmas lunch buffet did not offer oysters and lobsters. As for crabs, even though Evans had seen that it was listed on the buffet menu (he had requested for the menu via email earlier), it was not available that day. Evans was a little annoyed over this inconsistency but I told him not to make a fuss as the rest of the buffet items were still up to par.

Delicious Indian Food

Traditional Laksa

Sichuan “Mala” Spicy Soup

Asian Delights
There was a wide array of cooked food for our selection! Evans enjoyed the Indian food, such as the all-time favourite briyani and the crispy and addictive papadums, which go so well with the distinctive Indian sauces (Chutney and Raita).  As for me, I went for multiple servings of the savoury Laksa and Sichuan ‘Mala’ Soup. I am not a glutton but these were served in bite-sized portions and I just had to keep going back for more! It was a pleasant surprise that the hotel chefs could serve up such delicious Asian delights that can cater to Singaporeans’ tastebuds.

Italian Pork Sausage Wrapped in Bacon

Roasted Whole Turkey

Christmas Table
Since this was a pre-Christmas buffet, there was a festive food table as well. Our favourites were the “Italian Pork Sausage Wrapped in Bacon” and of course the “Roasted Whole Turkey”! The pork sausages were juicy and tasty, and the bacon adds another layer of sinful goodness to it. And how could we celebrate Christmas without eating turkey? The chef will carve the turkey into neat serving pieces upon your request, and you can choose to eat it with Cranberry Sauce or Giblet Gravy. The turkey meat was juicy and tender, and it went so well with the sauces. We had to go back for second servings!

Others
There is also a cheese table with a whole array of cheese varieties for your cheesy palates. We are not cheese-lovers but cheese connoisseurs would probably be very happy.

Alluring Dessert Table

Chocolate Pralines!

Ice-Cream with a Variety of Toppings

Christmas Fruit Cake

Ivoire Mousse with Raspberry Lychee

Desserts
Last but definitely not least, desserts!! Even though we had already indulged in the main buffet items, there is always space for desserts in our tummies! And the beautiful dessert table at Greenhouse was too alluring for us to resist. Keeping in the spirit of Christmas, we tried the Christmas fruitcake and it tasted decent. However, our favourites were the delicious Chocolate pralines and good-old ice cream (you get to choose a variety of toppings!). We also loved the sinfully sweet and creamy Tiramisu, Crème Brulee and Ivoire Mousse with Raspberry Lychee!

We finished our buffet on a (sugar) high. 🙂

Conclusion: Perfect Start to The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
This was the perfect start to our Christmas celebration. We enjoyed the sumptuous feast of delectable Seafood, Asian delights, homely Japanese food, festive season table (turkey!), and sinfully delicious desserts. The price is also significantly more affordable than the actual Christmas buffet. If you are looking for a convivial joint to kickstart the most wonderful time of the year, make sure you keep in mind the Pre-Christmas Lunch Buffet at Greenhouse-Ritz Carlton Singapore!

How to get to Greenhouse @ The Ritz Carlton Singapore
The Ritz Carlton hotel is located right beside Marina Square.

Greenhouse @ The Ritz Carlton Singapore
7 Raffles Avenue, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore #03-00
Reservations: +65 6434 5288

Pre-Christmas Lunch Buffet 2013 Price
Adults: $62
Child: $31 (aged six to twelve years of age)
All prices are subject to 10% service charge and GST. All credit cards’ direct discount are not applicable for the festive menus.

Opening Hours:
All-day A la carte: 6.30 am – 10.30 pm
Buffet Lunch: 12.00 pm – 2.30 pm
Buffet Dinner: 6.30 pm – 10.30 pm
Saturday lunch buffet: 12.00pm – 2.30 pm
Sunday vintage champagne brunch: 12.00 pm – 3.30 pm

Greenhouse Normal Buffet Price
Lunch (Mon to Sat): International Buffet $58++ per adult
Dinner (Sun to Thur): Asian Buffet $68++ per adult
Dinner (Fri to Sat): International Buffet $82++ per adult
Sunday Vintage Champagne Brunch: $388++ per adult (Dome), $168++ per adult (Moët & Chandon)
*All child prices are half of adult prices

Pre-Christmas Lunch Buffet 2013 Menu:
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