I had the pleasure of having buffet at Rise Restaurant with my ex-colleagues a few year back. The top-notch quality and wide array of choices left me with a deep impression.
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Located on level 1 of Marina Bay Sands Tower 1, Rise Restaurant hosts all-day international buffets. The sprawling 400-seat restaurant is decorated with lots of greenery which gives the restaurant a garden-theme feel.
Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, all buffets in Singapore do not allow self-service. Place your order with the staff and the food will be served to your table. This is the first time I am having buffet in ala carte style, it’s really quite an experience.
Rise Restaurant features eight live stations serving Indian, Western, Malay and Asian delights. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, you can’t see the chefs live performance. What a pity!
The moment you are seated, you will be presented with a bread basket. The bread rolls are made fresh in-house and are warm to the touch. The perfect way to whet your appetite.
Mushroom Soup with Black Truffle is gloriously creamy and you can actually taste bits of mushroom. The black truffle oil lends a touch of richness to the soup and lends it a touch of sophistication.
I didn’t know to laugh or cry when I saw the portion size of Greek Salad. It’s really per-person portion size. There are just a few cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, cucumber and olives with red wine vinaigrette dressing. Although the portion is tiny, but the taste is excellent.
The presentation is the only silver lining to having buffet ala-carte style. The beautifully-decorated Seafood Platter contains Canadian snow crab, tiger prawns, Venus clams, scallops, mussels and Alaskan king crab.
The tiger prawns are juicy and succulent but the rest of the seafood are rather dry and tasteless.
If you are lucky like I was, you get a beautiful bowl like this when you order a dozen of Fresh Oysters with Mignonette Sauce.
Oysters are only available on Sunday brunch and they are definitely the highlight of the meal.
These oysters are freshly-shucked and I am guessing they are Canadian oysters. The flesh is firm and plump with a saltish taste.
Mignonette sauce is a combination of minced shallots, cracked peppers and vinegar but I still think Tabesco sauce works better.
Assorted Sashimi Platter comes in a beautiful red and black lacquer box with grated radish. The slices of salmon and yellowfin tuna are fresh and plump but the tako (octopus) slices are dry as leather.
You can have a taste of the classic England dish Whole Roasted Beef Ribeye with Yorkshire Pudding, Horseradish and Gravy without leaving Singapore. The roasted beef is well-cooked and goes well with the beef-stock gravy. The Yorkshire pudding is rather limp and soggy.
Salt-baked Barramundi with Saffron Sauce is well-flavored but each portion is tiny.
What is a Sunday brunch without Eggs Benedict with Bacon, Spinach & Mushroom. Crispy bacon and poached spinach tops toasted English muffin. The hollandaise sauce that covers the poached egg is just perfect.
Oxtail Buah Keluak from the Malay Kitchen is a fusion of Peranakan with Malay cuisine. Buah keluak (candlenut) is the seed of the kapayang tree native to Southeast Asia, commonly found in Peranakan dishes. The oxtail has a robust Asian flavor from the use of buah keluak, tumeric, lemongrass, galangal and tamarind.
There are many other noteworthy dishes such as Singapore Prawn Laksa, Singapore Chilli Crab with Mantou and Mee Siam which I didn’t have the time and stomach to try.
For desserts, Rice Restaurant has a good selection of sundaes, cakes, miniatures, local delights ice cream & sorbet, baked pudding and seasonal fruits to choose from.
Molasses & Yogurt Layered Cake looks appetizing but the sponge cake is dry and crumbly. Banana Crumble and Raspberry Bread & Butter Pudding are wonderfully warm and creamy. The scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream is smooth and creamy and Pineapple Tart is as good as Bangawang Solo’s. Black Sesame Panna Cotta is a total disaster while Jivara Chocolate Tart surprises me with smooth rich dark chocolate. If that is not enough, there is always Chef’s Selection of Seasonal Fruit.
Rise Restaurant at Marina Bay Sands
Address: 10 Bayfront Avenue, Marina Bay Sands Tower 1 Hotel Lobby, Singapore 018956
Telephone: 66885525
Email: rise@marinabaysands.com
Opening Hours: Daily 6.30am – 10.30pm
Website: http://www.marinabaysands.com/restaurants/buffet/rise.html
Buffet prices:
Daily breakfast buffet:
S$45 (Adult) & S$22 (Child)
Lunch buffet (Mon – Fri):
S$58 (Adult) & S$25 (Child)
Lunch buffet (Sat):
S$64 (Adult) & S$25 (Child)
Brunch buffet (Sun):
S$88 (Adult) & S$38 (Child)
Add on $50++ for free flow of champagne, red and white wine, beer and spirits.
Dinner buffet (Sun – Thu):
S$75 (Adult) & S$38 (Child)
Dinner buffet (Fri & Sat):
S$83 (Adult) & S$38 (Child)