There is so much to love christmas for, and one of which is the festivities surrounding it. And every time there is a special occasion, Regent Hotel's stable of restaurants always come to mind. Call me biased but they have not disappointed yet - and we ended our 2016 in the most fabulous manner ever - with a tummy busting, diet wrecking meal at Basilico.
Surely the food designers had gluttony in mind when they designed the buffet line and everytime I step into Basilico with a colourful spread starring back at me, I cannot help but wish I had another stomach to accomodate everything.
Sigh, the perils of being a glutton sometimes.
Honestly, if heaven ain't got all these on the buffet line, I ain't going. Anyhow, food porn quite literally with a walk around their droolicious spread.
Cheese heaven.
Cold cuts and olives.
Sliced so thin, these go so awesomely well with their rock melon slices. We could have eaten a melon each by the time dinner ended - since when did fruit become such a draw at a buffet?
In that row of cheeses, this won my heart - smoked burrata! Holy moley god almighty - perfect with bread, ham and almost everything else.
Then there were tomatoes, tons of them. The number of varieties made me question just how many types are there actually? Tomato and cheese, so goood!
The collection of flavoured salts, olive oils and balsamic vinegars would make any aspiring home cook happy - food cupboard goals indeed.
Their dessert corner deserves a mention - bound to please and bring a wide smile to anyone with a sweet tooth.
Looking just like the panettone, except this was fluffier and eaten with custard and icing sugar. Just like jenga, I wonder if this tower of yum would topple if I sneaked a piece out.
Cannolis, just because it is an Italian christmas feast.
These beautiful choux puffs come with a pop of kirsch soaked cherry on top - how playful!
How gorgeous is this cake? Coconut cream flan - albeit too heavy on the tropical flavours but the tart was sooo crunchy!
While the spread does not look like much, I definitely did not have the space to eat every single item!
Herb brioche loaves with artichoke puree, so fluffing light and yummy! Each had a cherry tomato center and buttery innards. Speaking of bread, I wish they served soups at the buffet since the bread selection was plentiful. If there's just space for one type, go for the squid ink anchovy.
Rockets are my favourite salad greens next to kale and baby spinach.
I tossed them in truffle olive oil, topped with cheese shavings and sprinkled with squid ink salt. So fancy schmancy sounding but it tasted exactly like how it was flavoured! No freaking joke.
Until this entry, I did not realise how many plates of greens I polished that night - made it seem like I went for a salad buffet.
And more. The DIY salad corner included a variety of greens, cream dressing and tons of salts and oils. On top of that, the pre made salads were equally delicious - seafood pasta salad and squid mushroom salad were two very outstanding ones.
Ever been to a buffet where everything was on point? This was truly the case at Basilico. Maybe I am just a whooper fan of Italian cuisine.
Melon goes with ham and cheeses too! I draw particular attention to the truffle honey and chilli honey. Both are refreshing to me and I probably did not inhale that much honey in a single seating until this visit.
I should have clarified the categories of the buffet before filling myself too much because ours came with a main course order as well. Woe to me for eating too much prior.
Grilled Angus Beef Sirloin with Gratin of Portobello Mushrooms and Vegetable Crudite
Medium rare doneness had a lovely ruby red colour, very tender and had all the makings of a superb beef dish.
24 Hour Slow Cooked Pork Cotechino with Milanese-Style Lentil Stew served with Soft Polenta and Crispy Frico Cheese
This however, had all of us bewildered. Slow cooked pork that ended up tasting just like spam. How odd? I loved everything else about the dish, except the consistency and taste of the pork.
Roasted Cod with Poached Vegetable-Spaghetti, Tomato Confit and Sunchoke Puree
Next to the sirloin, this was spectacular. Flaky, firm and that crispy skin.
Taglioni Pasta with Crayfish in Datterini Tomato Sauce and Beer Battered Soft Shell Crab
Judging by the portions, the better tasting mains all had rather small portions so this already set the stage for a dismal experience and perhaps this fulfilled that prophecy too by being the worst choice. Too much pasta, lacked seasoning, crayfish reeked of the sea and the battered soft shell crab was over fried.
Unimpressed.
Beyond this snap of dessert I actually tried almost everything else but I'd highly recommend their icecreams - melon sorbet and madagascar vanilla!
The spread may not have the typical buffet staples like seafood on ice, sushi, live stations or chocolate fondue, every item placed out there was quality. Quality over quantity anytime. I was close to bending over in frustration when an acquaintance waved this place off just because there was no seafood. Why would frozen boston lobsters and a heap of chilled prawns and shell fish be considered better?
To each its own really, Basilico still has a special place in my food-tionary and I look forward to attempting lunch soon!
Just the anti pasti and dessert buffet would suffice.
$92++ (Festive pricing)
Basilico
Regent Hotel
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