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
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:
Very nice place..Want to go there on vacation
ReplyDeletePlease visit my page too for fun
Cocktails Singapore
Hi Cocktails Singapore,
DeleteThanks for popping by.