There are two words in this world which will excite any Singaporeans – ‘seafood’ and ‘buffet’. Some of our national dishes are seafood-based too. And there’s one all-time favourite seafood dish which Singaporeans adore – chilli crab. And I’m not surprised to find local diners here gathering over at the seafood buffet line to pile up their plates with crab meat at Spice Brasserie. There was already a short queue of eager diners waiting outside the restaurant entrance at 6pm, just before it opens.
Spice Brasserie @ PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road
Spice Brasserie is an all-day dining restaurant at PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road. It is located near the lobby area of the hotel itself. You should be able to spot it the moment you walk into the hotel.
They are offering two different buffet themes at the moment – The Local Foodfare on weekdays and Oh, Crab! It’s Back Weekend Seafood buffet on weekends. We were there on a Saturday evening for their weekend seafood buffet for their free flow of crabs.
Oh, Crab! It’s Back Weekend Seafood buffet
The restaurant is very spacious and they do have large round tables for large gatherings. There are also several quiet seating area with partitions for those who prefer to have more privacy.
And at the centre of every table, they placed a hand washing dish with slices of lemon for diners to rinse their fingers after devouring the crabs.
Have A Taste of Our Local Foodfare
The buffet spread was relatively good as it has a good spread of both local and international dishes, including an ensemble of seafood. Diners get to enjoy some local food fare like Yong Tau Foo, Satay, oatmeal prawn with curry leaves along with local desserts like Durian Pengat with sticky rice and Ice Kacang.
Local food: Cuttlefish Kang Kong Bee Hoon
Try out other Western-style and Asian Dishes
Western Cuisine
For western-style dishes, they have salads and desserts like cakes and mousse.
The vegetables are fresh and since there is an ample amount of crab meat at the buffet line, you can make yourself a seafood salad with crab meat.
Japanese Cuisine
There’s also a Japanese food station where they served a variety of sushi and cold soba.
The sushi tastes decent but I would rather leave some stomach space for the crabs and other delicacies.
Indian Cuisine
I like the fact that they also included some Indian dishes like
Dive in for the Seafood first
As with every seafood buffet, most diners will dive right in for the most expensive seafood first. On weekend lunch (from $48++ per adult), they serve Stir Fried Slipper Lobster Black Bean Sauce and Chili Crab with Mantou.
And for dinner from Fridays to Sundays (from $58++ per adult), they offer three varieties of crab – Chilli, black pepper and salted egg. For the price you are paying for, it is quite a good deal as you get to enjoy a free flow of crabs along with other seafood and dishes. So if you are a fan of crabs, you should come for their weekend seafood buffet dinner.
Chilli Crab with Mantou
To me, the most enjoyable part of eating chilli crab is the part where I get to dip the golden brown mantou (or buns) in the leftover gravy. All the flavours of the crab and other ingredients used in the dish are all locked up in the sauce. You can’t go eating Chilli crab without savouring the gravy with some mantou.
Black Pepper Crab
Salted Egg Crab
Build-Your-Own-Drink Bar
One of the more unique buffet stations at Spice Brasserie is this DIY drink station where you get to be your own bartender to mix your own drinks using their flavoured syrups and soda water.
Apple Yuzu Mocktail
We concocted this frizzy apple yuzu drink on our own and it was fun mixing our own drinks. It would have been way more fun if they have provided us with some stainless steel shakers to shake up our drinks.
Sweeten Up Your Palate
Last but not least, indulge in some of their international and local desserts to end your meal on a sweet note. There are more local desserts than western ones. And I particularly their Durian Pengat and Pulut Hitam.
Durian Pengat
DIY Ice Kacang
Since there is an ice shaving machine, you can literally customise your own bowl of Ice Kacang. I added some Durian Pengat, Pulut Hitam, corn and coconut milk on top of the shaved ice. There are several Ice Kacang toppings to choose from at the dessert station!
Our Verdict
Overall, this is one of the most affordable seafood buffets you can find in town. The buffet spread is quite good and there is a good variety of local dishes to choose from. And if you are a tourist who has not tried Singapore’s infamous Chili crab, you can check out this seafood buffet at PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road.
