An Ode to Surf & Turf Buffet Dinner @ Window On The Park

Author: Alex Chua

Orchard Road is a hotbed of fancy hotel restaurants and cafes with buffet-style offerings, but none comes close to Surf & Turf Buffet Dinner @ Window On The Park in terms of value for money. With its 1-for-1 offer, diners get to choose 1 main dish from the five new Surf & Turf dishes specially curated by Executive Chef Ken Chaw and team. Each main is complemented by the well-executed, free flow appetisers, soups and desserts.

Comfortable, casual and laid-back, this sprightly restaurant at Holiday Inn is a great place for a after work dinner with colleague or friends, preferably in pairs so as to utilize this great 1-for-1 deal. I adore the simple, homely ambience without too many needless distractions that some of the major hotels embellish themselves with.

For me I choose the Grilled Angus Tenderloin with Peppercorn Sauce and Gochujang Jumbo Prawn. The tenderloin is tender and nicely drizzled with the peppercorn sauce, elevating its savouriness. While the star should be beef, the limelight is somewhat stolen by the jumbo prawn. Crunchy, juicy and reek full of flavour, the bite is pure satisfaction by itself.

My carnivore friend chose the Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek and Baked Alaskan Cod as his main dish. I nipped abit of the medium Wagyu and find the meat so soft you can spoon it. Presentation wise it looks somewhat similar with mine. The other 3 mains are –
• Potato Gnocchi with Wild Mushroom Cream and Truffle Scented
• Poached Hainanese Chicken with Infused Fragrant Rice and Braised Baby Abalone
• Herbs Roasted Baby Chicken with Raisin Sauce and Pan Seared Salmon with Blood Orange Sauce

While waiting for my main course (trust me, it isn’t very long), I browse around the semi-buffet spread and found a big Parmesan wheel. Apparently, this is meant to toss your D.I.Y salad (cherry tomatoes, sliced capsicum, preserved olives and many more) to make a cheesy Caesar’s Salad.

Speaking of D.I.Y, you can also make your very own rojak. With a rojak section that contains all the necessary condiments and a mixing bowl to work that magic, it is very hard not to have fun preparing your very own version of local grub.

Of course, the dinner buffet at Window On The Park ultimately caters to an international clientele. So you can expect freshly shucked Canadian oysters, prawns, crab meat, ssushi and other seafood varieties. You can also order the ever-popular Chef’s Singapore Laksa where you have the option of the chefs personally preparing a bowl of local goodness for you or you do it D.I.Y.

No buffet dinner is complete without sweet notes of desserts. One remarkable find is the Ondeh Ondeh cake. With its thick and fluffy pandan layers, coconut butter cream and generous amounts of Gula Melaka in between, top it with one of the three flavours of ice cream for a complete after dinner indulgence!

New Surf ‘N’ Turf Buffet Dinner
6.30pm to 10pm
Monday to Thursday
S$80++ per person, 1-for-1 pricing