Town Restaurant – Very good pastry and Shao La chefs

Town Restaurant

Fullerton Hotel near Raffles Place MRT

My first time dining at Fullerton Hotel and did so as I have a 30% discount voucher for restaurants at Town, Jade and Clifford at Fullerton Bay Hotel. That helps to reduce the seemingly premium seafood buffet priced at $80 after GST and service charge to a more affordable one at $57, one which you wouldn’t mind even if there are quite a few misses. My take on this buffet? They have really very good dessert and Shao La (roasted meat) chefs. Still, Rise is my top choice for a really good buffet.

Complementary with this buffet, the well glazed lobster was not too bad, slightly lacking in the right chewy springy consistency that a super fresh lobster should have. Some parts are slightly tough while some others are a little soft.

Some of the dishes served at the starters section. Poached prawns that were quite fresh but not the best I had as they might have been poached for too long, thereby compromising a little on its supposedly springy texture. Didn’t get the other seafood as they could be found in almost every restaurant buffet.

The Japanese section which tasted pretty normal as well.

The hot dishes were better I felt. The fresh crayfish, yang zhou fried rice and shio sake (pan fried salmon with salt) (not featured here) were the highlights for this section while the satay was really quite bad in my opinion. The meats were passable though a tad dry, but the watery diluted nutty sauce just made it bad.

Just before all hopes were lost, our meals were brightened by the super fresh, tender and fragrant steamed chicken and together with their self-concocted chicken rice chilli, it tasted delicious!

Not only is the chicken addictive, his cousin duck and the other roasted stuff like char siew and sio bak were equally impressive as well. Very tender meat over here glazed with a not too overpowering charred fragrance, the shao la is worth repeated ordering. There was actually an ang mor who went back 3 times.

And then the awesome spread of desserts that made our $57 buffet (after GST and service charge) worth the price tag.

Singaporeans favourite nonya kueh; they were all very fragrant and has the right constant consistency throughout. Love the cute little ang ku kueh as its skin is not overly starchy and goes very well with the smooth yellow bean paste filling within. Smothered with tapioca fragrance, the tapioca kueh was also another favourite for me. I also had an enjoyable time munching on the fluffy kueh lapis!

And the western desserts were irresistible as well. The super fluffy tiramisu sponge wasn’t wet and I like that while its mascarpone tasted light and just of the right sweetness. Super delicious that I got a few big scoops for myself.

Creamy, milky creme Brulee was nicely coated with a thin layer of caramel and that was addictive as well.

And some of the deliciously dense cheesecakes, walnut cakes and lemon meringue tarts. They were so good that you can keep popping them in your mouth. But then again beware of the calories.

And the super delicious praline cake topped with cranberries and apricots was a nice finish to the selection of cakes. A slightly more chocholatey taste on the whole, this will be a hit for all chocolate lovers.

This chocolate tart was full of chocolate goodness. Simply, it has a soft tart filled with thick fragrant chocolate and that gives a sweet end to the meal.

So, in my opinion,Town restaurant on the whole felt OK, quite worth the money if and only if you have the 30% discount or if there’s any other promotions. Priced at $57 for us, C still didn’t find it is worth the money though she concurs with the stellar desserts and shao la served over here. As there were a sizeable amount of misses, I am skeptical of the $80 price tag. Service here is however, good, first class as they are very prompt in filling your glasses and clearing your plates. Not too sure about the overall layout though, as some tables are in the midst of the hungry crowd and feels slightly rush due to such a layout.

Verdict: An above average restaurant.