2013 B'day Episode 1 - The Line – Marine Harvest Buffet

Tuesday & Thursday Night buffet at The Line is one of the most salivating event in the Singaporean Buffet Lover diary. We frequented The Line a few times in the past, specially savour their popular generous servings of Harvest from the Sea, on special occasion such as friends' birthday, gathering or Christmas Party. However, we have not been here more more than 1.5 years.

Part of Buffet Display

This time around, our best friends G and her husband H wanted to have some good buffet in Singapore, so we suggested The Line on their Thursday Night. Normally we will come in quite early, however due to unforeseen circumstances, we were only reached around 7.30pm and the place is already packed. We were seated close to the war zone, just behind the reception area.

As per normal, we started with the line-up for the fresh seafood. The main attraction is basically the huge oysters that are freshly shuck (open) in front of you, the lobsters, crabs and prawns. These crustaceans are fresh and solid, while the prawns are juicy and bouncy as well. The mussels and scallops come second in terms of freshness and size compare to the oyster and lobster. Confession, I went back 3 times for the oyster, lobster, lobster claw.

The Oysters Preparation

Round 1: Lobster, Prawns, Scallops

Round 2: Oyster, Mussels, Prawns and Crabs

Round 3: Crab claws and Oysters

Next come the sashimi section, in which we feast on the salmon, yellow tail, scallops, tuna and octopus. The sashimi is fresh, especially the scallops, however the tuna and salmon is quite small in size and not to the best quality. You can say that it is quite limited, I miss my swordfish and Little Devil ('LD') miss her sea urchin.

Sashimi & Shaved Beef with Rock Melon

For the antipasti and salads section, we were looking for our favourite dish of prosciutto with rock melon, to our disappointment, it was not available. Shaved beef with rock melon was on offer menu tonight. Sadly, the shaved beef did not pair well with the rock melon. Taste quite odd actually.

Salads Selection

Keeping up with the Marine Harvest Buffet theme, they have Seafood Bouillabaisse as the center piece of the cook food section. (Normally they have roast beef or lamb, which I loved here) This seafood stew filled with fresh scallops, prawns, mussels and fish. Unfortunately not many people appreciate this dish that night, but it got my seal of approval. They provide bread on the side for you to soak up the rich broth with a distinctive saffron flavour, and although this dish was left outside quite long, the seafood was not overcooked. So two thumbs up for them.

Seafood Bouillabaisse

Moving on, I decided to sample some of their International, Asian and Local dishes. The pizza here normally has a good standard. Tonight they serve salami pizza, with they portion it to a very small slices so we can have more space for other food. The crust is thin, fillings are generous, salami and cheese is just delicious with a subtle spicy kick.

From Top Left Clockwise: Fried Kway Teow, Salami Pizza, Tandoori Spread, Prawn & Fish Tandoori

The local dishes like the Tandoori Prawn, Tandoori Fish and Fried Kway Teow are very average. The prawn and fish is well seasoned but overcooked. Making it taste a bit though. While the Fried Kway Teow surprisingly has Wok Hei (breath of the wok) and flavourful, quite good for buffet standard.

At this point, Chubby Botak Koala food tank is 90% full, but the I just can resist the temptation of a good roast pork. So decided to check out the noodle and roast meat section. Ordered a plate of Roast pork and roast duck combination. Again, turns out to be average. The roast pork although it is not to fat, it lacks the crispiness bite into it. The roast duck is meat is slightly dry, but it is flavourful. A little disappointing.

Roast Pork and Roast Duck

To end the meal, I was served a surprise (my first for the many to come) birthday cake, arrange by G&H with the complement of The Line. A very nice solid chocolate cake. I had a tiny slice of it, since it is my birthday cake, and at the end it is the best desserts for the night. To accompany this, I have the wonderful smooth, milky and airy Kopi Tarik from The Line Barista.

My Birthday Cake and Kopi Tarik from The Line Barista

The Cake & Shooters Selections

Fondue Selection

It is impossible to try all the dishes in The Line, as their variety are in abundance. Located at Level 1 (Lobby is at Level 2), the place is always packed all year around weather it is with hotel guests or just people coming in for the food. The one thing I like the most here in terms of seating is the space between tables. They do not squeeze the seating until you need to bump to each other to get in and out of your table.

Part of Seating Area

Service speed when clearing the dirty plates can be slow at time, especially when it is full house. However when you order your drinks or when you manage to get the service staff attention, they always serve with a smile.

Overall, it has been a while since our last visit to The Line more than a year ago, I personally feel the quality of the food is slipping. The desserts and Asian food is just average and let just say I expect them to be above average. I just wish that The Line team can look into this and make the necessary adjustment. Thank you very much to our best friends G&H for arranging the dinner and delicious birthday cake. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 7.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7.5/10

Ambiance: 8/10

Budget per Person: $81 & Above

The Line

22 Orange Grove Road

Level 1, Shangri-La Hotel.

Singapore 258350

Tel: 6213 4275

Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurants/the-line/

Op Hours:

Breakfast: 05.00 – 11.00 Daily

Lunch: 12.00 – 14.30 (Mon – Fri); 12.00 – 15.00 (Sat – Sun, PH)

Dinner: 18.00 – 22.30 Daily

For Booking and full pricing, click here:

https://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurants/the-line/book-a-table/