Spice Cafe in Concord Hotel and I have Christmas affinity. My first visit to Spice Cafe was back in 2015 when Stella and her then-boyfriend and I met up for a pre-Christmas dinner (you can read that post here). We were there for the same Harvest of the Sea Seafood Dinner and I have just started this food blog for a few months. Even a novice food blogger like me knew that the food was sub-standard.
This year, the bosses decided that we are going to have our annual Christmas dinner at the Spice Cafe. I am guessing it has something to do with its accessibility and proximity to MRT stations.
I can only cross my fingers and hope for the best.
Decked out in black counter tops and gold plush sofas, the interior of Spice Cafe gives off a sense of elegance and sophistication. If there is one area that Spice Cafe did well in, it is their decorations. It makes you feel like kings and queens dining in a splendid place like this.
Each diner is entitled to one complimentary serving of either 200gm of Cheese Lobster/Lobster Mentaiko/Lobster with Mushroom Sauce or Braised Baby Abalone with Broccoli and Mushroom. Everyone at our table chose Lobster Mentaiko. The half lobster is huge, but the meat is a little dry due to the baking. The saltiness from the mentaiko sauce that covers the lobster goes perfectly with the sweetness of the lobster meat.
The freshly-cooked crabs are the highlight of the Harvest of the Sea Buffet Dinner and it is available in 5 flavours: Chilli Crab, Black Pepper Crab, Kung Poh Crab, Sambal Crab, Salted Egg Crab. The Chilli Crab is spicier than I anticipated so I ended up downing 3 cups of water while eating it. The Black Pepper Crab is aromatic but not overpowering. My favourite is the Salted Egg Crab which has a pungent lovely grainy salty salted egg taste that I love so much. The sauces are good, but the crabs themselves are not that great. The meat is a little mushy and the crab meat is a little shrivelled up.
I always start my meal with a salad, so the salad counter is my first stop. There are ready-mix salads such as fruit salad and potato salad or you can opt to make your own salad with the fresh greens.
The seafood and sushi counter is the most popular counter in any international buffet and it holds true for the Spice Cafe as well. Alongside the usual salmon sashimi, tuna sashimi, sushi, freshly-shucked oysters, scallops, crabs and prawns are the not-so-common conch and crayfish. Crayfish is hugely popular in China but it is not as common in Singapore yet. I tried one and it is rather dry and tasteless, unlike the sweet and tender flesh I thought it would have.
The bread counter offers freshly-baked baguette and bread rolls with a small selection of cheeses such as tomme de savoie, blue cheese and goat cheese.
There are 10 dishes to choose from in the cooked food section. I like the tangy taste from the tomota sauce in Seafood Ciopinno, the creaminess from the saffron sauce in Grilled Chicken with Saffron Sauce and the Beef Short Ribs with Onions and Red Wine Sauce are very well-marinated.
Roasted Pork Ribs with Barbecue Sauce looks really tantalizing but the meat and skin becomes really tough and leathery after a while, so do eat it while it’s still hot.
I like the creamy laksa broth that has a rich coconut taste and the thick vermicelli noodles are cooked just right.
Many people like to end their meals with something sweet and there is something for everyone at Harvest of the Sea Buffet Dinner. For the health-conscious, there are cut fruits of dragonfruit, orange, mango, papaya, starfruit, watermelon and honeydew. Kids and adults alike will go crazy over the Vanilla/Strawberry/Chocolate/Mint ice-cream with toppings and syrups. Chocoholics can satisfy their chocolate craving by dipping marshmallows and candied fruits into the Chocolate Fondu. For everyone else, there are pretty sliced cakes and mousse in a glass.
You can’t really call Harvest of the Sea Dinner Buffet an international buffet because most of the dishes are local dishes. It is also not really a seafood buffet because the only seafood I see is the complimentary serving of lobster or abalone, crabs in 5 flavours, seabass in one of the cooked dishes and drunken prawns. I think the best way to describe Harvest of the Sea Buffet Dinner is just an ordinary buffet with mediocre food.
What do you think about Spice Cafe’s Harvest of the Sea Buffet Dinner? Do share your thoughts in the comments below!
Harvest of the Sea Dinner Buffet Price (available daily 6.30pm – 10 pm)
Monday – Thursday: Adult $53++, Child $22++
Friday – Sunday, Eve of Public Holiday and Public Holiday: Adult $58++, Child $22++
Limited time period: One Dines FREE with Three Paying Adults (for selected credit cards only)
Spice Cafe
Address: 100 Orchard Road, Concorde Hotel Singapore
Telephone: 68398370 / 67338855
Opening Hours: Daily 6 am – 11 pm
