Oscar's @ Conrad Hotel

Been wanting to try Oscar's for the longest time...few reviews were done but amazingly ALL were positive! That's pretty rare as taste is subjective...but to get ALL raving reviews, that means something...!

One down from the list of "to try once I get my pay!" ;)

The fact that there's a credit card promo ongoing...UOB...4 for the price of 3 makes this even sweeter. A surprise awaited me at the end of the meal!

I booked this 2 weeks back, made some changes in between and mentioned casually I was having buffet...all these details were taken note of and the manager serving us knew that we weren't doing ala carte as both were served during lunch.


Snug at Conrad...Oscar's.


The price list...pretty affordable in the realm of buffet-land.


Neat cutlery...and the usual napkins BUT but but I must give Oscar's credit. The waiters are sooo attentive, they pick up your napkin, fold it and place it back where it's supposed to be every single time you leave your seat. It may be intrusive for some but I've gotta give them props for attentiveness.

The layout of the place...sleek.

Another bit of the service that was impressive...we requested for warm water...each of us were given a flask of hot water!! A flask...so water doesn't get cold...service that makes such a huge difference.

First up! Seafood of prawns, mini lobsters, mussels...sushi...cheese and crackers..and salmon sandwiches!

The sushi's sooooo good. Rice is fresh, so is the sashimi...

Smoked salmon sandwiches that weren't fishy...with cream cheese together...totally rocked. I'm still dreaming and yearning for smoked salmon sandwiches!!

The cheese platter was heaven for a cheese addict like me...easily 8 types of cheese available.

Seafood's yummy..infact a really good start to the meal for all of us. That left me really impressed after the first few bites. I didn't fancy the mini lobster that much..the shell was hard to rip open and the meat was a lil bland but freshness is guaranteed for seafood.

Another thoughtful gesture, water with a wedge of lemon to clean your hands.

Moved onto the mains...they had food from all over infact...like Chengdu pork ribs, Malay chickpea curry...Satay...Hongkong glutinous chicken rice...

I'm not a huge fan of the mains...was somewhat normal-tasting...but salads were good! Loved the potato salad with smoked salmon!

Oh, they've got a really inconspicuous noodle corner (okay, they did mention it via plastic cubes of "must try" placed on every table) but...being sitted inside meant you'd easily give the noodle station situated outside a miss! Anyway...what they served up was..Bak Kut Teh, Fishball noodles, Laksa, Tomyum noodles..

Gave tomyum glass noodles a shot. Uh...nothing fabulous...infact, I didn't enjoy it much.

Laksa and Bak Kut Teh that didn't taste too fabulous either. Definitely far from Katong Laksa or PSA Bak Kut Teh.

Back to the fabulous! The staff very thougtfully placed a bucket of bread at the start of the meal for us. Soups of the day were Chinese Pumpkin Soup and Wild Mushroom. Wild mushroom soup was delicious, complete with freshly made bread. I'm one happy buffeteer. The soup wasn't too gelak from the cream..neither was it overpowered with mushrooms, just right.

OH!! The waiter was nice enough to come over, introduce the soups and scoop a bowl for me! By normal standards of a buffet, it's a first I'm seeing!

Time for dessert! By this time, I was nearly bloated from all the glorious food.

Their desserts are a mouthwatering jaw-dropping selection. Ranges from cookies in jars, plates and plates of pralines...varieties of ice-cream, meringue, cakes...kuehs...fruits...bubor chacha...AND banana fritters.

I enjoyed the desserts muchly, in particular the pralines. Cakes weren't orgasmic but well, they were pretty enough.

Bubor Chacha and my pistachio ice-cream and strawberry meringue. Perhaps I was over-anticipating the meringue, somewhat disappointed when I bit into a hard saccharine sweet blob.

YES, the banana fritters!!! The star of the meal. They're fried upon request. Sauces and ingredients like raisins/almond shavings/chopped strawberries are placed for YOU to customise and design your dessert. I had fun with that. Looks almost designer-ish, ain't it?

Pralines that taste SOOOO GOOD. Reminds me of mezza9 ones.

Waffles with ice-cream!!

I ate so much...I think it's was a kinda overload of good food..ended up skipping dinner and breakfast thereafter. Here's the showcase of Oscar's and their honorary mentions!

Seafood arranged so pretty, you can't bear to eat it. Yes, chefs were on standby to re-arrange each time "lobangs" in the design were spotted.

My fave smoked salmon sandwiches and salad bar...=)

Cheese platter, bread selection makes any foodie go gaga.

Dessert haven.


The dessert chef was really sweet to explain what meringue is, though I already do have an idea. He gently introduced the ice-cream types...even after I picked pistachio he was kind enough to tell me of the "slightly bitter nutty taste".


Jars of trans-fat. Uber yummy! And ta-dah, the inconspicuous notice on their noodle bar outside.


Toppings that'll make any dessert lover go wonky.

Finally...the surprise at the end, vouchers and Oscar's mint!

In marketing we learn about exceeding customers' expectations and surprising then...all along The Ritz Carlton prided itself in that and has been made a case study for business students. For F&B, I'll give Conrad Hotel the due credit...impeccable service, very very thoughtful (I can't remember how many times I've said "thoughtful" but yes, thoughtful they are!). It seems like the service staff sat and thought through the whole dining experience and made it delightful.

Oscar's impressed me superbly with the opening appetizers and closing credits of desserts...the main courses aren't that fabulous. Overall..a satisfying meal and joyful one too.

It's one of those buffets I really don't mind going for seconds.

Oscar's
Conrad Hotel

$42+++
UOB offer valid till June 08. Do call em to check!