Saturday 29 November 2014

Foodlicious meal at Holiday Inn Atrium

Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium had just revamped it lobby interior, refurbished its guest bedrooms and launched an all new dining concepts. We were wow-ed at the newly launched revamps when we were there to dine at the Atrium restaurant, which was formerly known as Melting pot cafe. Sounds familiar eh?

The new Atrium Restaurant opened in October 2014 boasts a bright and modern interior to feature its new buffet and ala carte menus. Hold that drool while I announce the new exciting dishes - Mussel Otah, Curry Laksa, Asam Fish and Chilli crab! It sure added some vibe and excitement to the spread. We love it for being so local. Thank you for remembering us, the local residents and bringing our delights to your guests from all around the World.

The man shouldering these signature dishes behind the scene is Executive Chef Chua Yew Hock, whom the hotel have recently welcomed to head their kitchen. He brings with him more than 30 years of culinary experience with stints in 5-stars establishments. Be sure to say 'Hi' if you see him. He is extremely amicable and friendly.

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Jare's signature expression with Mr Chef

We had unlimited go on the buffet line. The first dish I pounced on was the assam curry snapper fillet, maybe I like to begin with something sourish spicy. I scooped some portion onto my plate, and thought it would be perfect to compliment it with rice. And there, I found it! My first taste of it was mind blowing (not the rice), it was out of this World! Very awesome! For the Aisan root in me, I think it was cook to perfection! The fish was very fresh with the mix of assam and curry. Love those purple onion in it too.


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Assam curry snapper fillet

We gave the signature dishes priority before savouring the rest of the spread. A pleasant buffet does require some strategic planning after all. Being Laksa lovers, we knew it was good tasting upon the first sip of its gravy. It wasn't over spicy and extremely rich in flavour. Don't hope for cockles though, if you're a lover of it.  Even with the absence of cockles, it was very enjoyable with the good enough ingredients. The man endorsed its goodness with both thumbs up too!


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Laksa
Chilli crab was made near perfect too. Not to expect the huge Sri Lanka crabs you get at the seafood restaurants. These crabs are perfect enough for the price one pays for a decent buffet. The sauce was very tasty and not overly spicy for me. Good enough to satisfy one's chilli crab craving. The best part, it was served with fried man tou (buns) just next to it.

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Yummy crabs!
Onto the mussels. We aren't great lovers of it, so we scrapped the otah to taste. Was not bad, just thought it would be better if we could taste more of it without sacrificing the mussel to waste.

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Mussel otah

We got ourselves almost filled with the signature dishes, but the Singaporean in us taught not to give up easily on buffet. We continued diving into the other regular spread, which was significantly outstanding too. There were a good number of sections and varieties for anyone's dietary requirement and taste preference. Even for our little diners, there was a dedicated kids' corner. Lowered to their level for self help. Most nice to always keep our little ones in mind.
 

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Kid's corner with colourful cutlery


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Local delights

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Cheese and salad bar

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The cold spread with sashimi and sushi

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The sweet treats

Let me continue raving about the food. Lamb steaks are best savoured only if they are cooked to perfect tenderness with no tinge of strong piquant. I held my usual breathe when I saw the lamb, I didn't think it could be taste impressive, till I tired. Oh man! It took my breathe away, all too good! I had really wanted a second serving of it, but I thought it was wiser to save some space for other tries. The lamb has to be a permanent stay on the buffet line, because I'll be coming back for more!


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The lamb steak!

No matter how stuffed you've got, don't miss out on good desserts. They had a wide spread of dessert from chocolates to cakes, macrons, fruits, ice cream and many more! I will say, you just gotta try those pralines. Alcohol infused, Lychee and champagne pralines were awesome! So good that I was tempted to sneak some into my bag, for my TV time at home. Nah, I'm not proposing a naughty idea. You've to try to know why I've such a thought.

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Yummies!

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Ice cream on cones!

And Js were in for an exclusive excursion to the tanks behind the walls. Chef Chua brought them to view the live fishes and lobsters. A good sign that everything is fresh and cooked straight from the tank. The kids enjoyed their little tour.

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And they declined an offer to cuddle the lobster

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Overly satisfied fill!
We were very stuffed at the end of the session, but we knew it was all well worth calories. Highly recommend this place for its delicious selection of International tastes, along with those local signature delights. The pleasant lingering taste is holding me hostage to come back for those yummies soon.

Well, all good things come to an end. Before we left, we checked out the hotel's lobby. They had a kid's check in counter! Wasn't that a creative and cool idea?!! I thought and I desired, if only they could extend a complimentary stay after that sumptuous meal, and get the kids to perform an authentic check it, all would be too perfect. It didn't take me long to wake the senses up, we headed home.

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Ready for check in!

Yeap, definitely a nice buffet venue that's worth the calories. I just read of this promo and it's only 2 days left. All DBS card members get to enjoy 30% off buffet lunch and dinner, till 30 Nov 14. If your weekend permits, go for it!

Buffet Lunch: 
Mon to Fri: $45 ++ (Adult) $22.50 ++ (Child)
Saturdays: $50 ++ (Adult) $25 ++ (Child)
Sundays: $55 ++ (Adult) $27.50 ++ (Child)

Buffet Dinner:
Mon to Thurs: $50 ++ (Adult) $25 ++ (Child)
Fri to Sun: $55 ++ (Adult) $27.50 ++ (Child)

(Paying child between ages 6 to 12)

Address:
Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium
317 Outram Road S(169075)
Tel: 6733 0188
Website
Facebook

Disclaimer: We were given the opportunity to this food tasting session. No monetary compensation was given. All opinions and pictures are solely our own.

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