Classic hotel buffet food, but well curated.
Oscar’s restaurant is located inside the Conrad Centennial Singapore hotel and serves up an array of breakfast, lunch and dinner items, as well as a free-flow Sunday brunch.
Oscar’s is one of the smaller, lesser-known hotel buffets around Singapore, but is conveniently located in close proximity to Suntec, Mariana Bay and the central business district. The offerings are a nice mix of Asian and international cuisine.
Upon arrival I was happy to find Oscar’s located at street level and easy to find with its corner location and bright yellow awning. Call me lazy, but I am not a fan of when hotel restaurants are tricky to find or located a long distance from the entrance.
The interior of Oscar’s is spacious and bright with both indoor and alfresco seating for just over 200. Inside has a smart-casual, modern vibe (reminiscent of common hotel decor), while the sidewalk terrace has a much more laid-back feel. When we visited Oscar’s, the outdoor area unfortuntaly did not seem very popular.
With eight stations of unique offerings and an á la carte menu, there are plenty of items to fill up on. Time to dig in.
Crustacean Station: oysters, crab legs, pawns, yabbies and mussels
We kicked things off with the shining star of Oscar’s – the seafood selection. The Alaskan King Crab legs were massive, some of the biggest I have come across at a hotel buffet. Oscar’s famous oyster bar did not disappoint either.
Buckets of fresh oysters from the USA, Canada, Australia and France are freshly shucked and standing by ready to be devoured. All of the seafood offering were cold, fresh and nicely displayed.
Fill up a couple big plates from the crustacean station and you can really get your money’s worth.
Sushi Bar: fresh cut sashimi and assorted sushi rolls
The sushi bar was as expected in terms of both variety and taste. There were offerings of fresh tuna, salmon, and swordfish. The sushi rolls were simple and classic in order to cater to the international hotel crowd.
Salad Station: classics salad mix-ins and cheese
The salad bar area is dominated by a large parmesan cheese drum designed for tossing a variety of mix-ins and adding a layer of cheesy goodness. In addition, there is a small cheese and crostino section with assorted breads, crackers and toppings. A welcome start, or finish, to your buffet adventure.
However, when I am at a buffet, my motto is (besides, refill please) the more cheese the better. I was hoping for at least a couple hard cheeses to choose from.
Soup and Noodle Bar: made-to-order noodles and soup
Outside in the alfresco dining area you will find the popular Noodle Bar. Here you can choose from a variety of Asian broths such as Tom Yam, Bat Kut Teh, Prawn, Fish or Wanton Noodle Soup and Laksa. After selecting your broth, you can choose from six types of noodles and a variety of condiments.
The Tom Yam we tried had an acceptable amount of spice and a nice hot and sour flavor. The Bat Kut Teh had a dark, rich brown color. The taste had a very herbal, sweet, Malaysian-style flavor which is different from the usual peppery take in Singapore; These are some pretty good soups for a hotel buffet.
Straits of Singapore: selection of favored local dishes
Oscar’s offers more in terms of local Asian cuisine then I have seen at other hotels. I found cai xin (a favorite local vegetable dish), fried noodles, onion egg omelet and tom yum carrot cake to name a few. Yes, tom yum, carrot, cake.
Carving Station: bone-in meat and whole fish
At the carving station you will find a daily variety of roast beef, lamb, pork or fish. We were offered pork knuckle with a sweet pineapple sauce and baked salmon with a béarnaise dip during our trip to Oscar’s.
The pork was a little more tough than I wanted, but the skin was very crispy with a balanced amount of fat. The salmon had good flavor, but the texture was a little limp from sitting out under the heat lamp.
International Station: dishes from around Asia and beyond
At the international station you can kind a variety of curries, meat and fish. Although branded as international, I found the items to be mainly Asian and Indian offerings.
The ingredients of the chicken curry and yellow lentils had a nice flavor, but the level of seasoning was what I like to call ‘hotel level spicy’, meaning far too tame to do the dish justice.
Dessert Corner: assorted sweet treats
The dessert options at Oscar’s were both plentiful and expertly made. The two items not to be missed are the warm, just off the grill homemade waffles topped with ice-cream and the multi-tiered chocolate fountain armed with assorted sweets ready to be drowned in a warm chocolaty bath.
You will also find a multitude of other dessert items to pick at such as assorted cakes, pastries, macaroons, frozen yogurt, fruit and local kuehs.
The Bar: fresh squeezed juice, select wines, cocktails and mocktails
The semi-open bar area mixes up any variety of fresh juice and cocktails. Upon our arrival we tried a refreshing welcome mocktail of watermelon, rosemary, ginger and soda water. The flavors were strong and fresh – and in desperate need of being mixed together.
During Sunday brunch, Oscar’s serves up Louis Roederer Brut, NV Champagne, assorted wine, beer and sparkling juice in its free-flow package.
Overall, the buffet spread was modest in size, but the items were well curated and presented – what was done, was done well. There was a little something for everyone.
I likely wouldn’t go out of my way to dine at Oscar’s, as I found the spread to be a pretty common hotel buffet experience with exceptional seafood. However, if you are looking for a convenient place to host a business meeting, or if you are touristing in the area and find yourself starving, you can indulge on fresh seafood for a good value at Oscar’s.
Seth: I would come back just for the king crab legs though, those were insane. The soups were also brilliant.
Price as follows: for outside hotel guests
- Buffet Breakfast (6:00am-10:30am) – $49.00++
- Buffet Lunch (12:00pm-2:30pm) – $59.00++
- Buffet Dinner (6:00pm-10:00pm) – $69.00++ (Sun-Thur) / $80.00++ (Fri-Sat)
- Sunday Brunch (12:00pm-3:00pm) – $80.00++ (Standard) / $158.00++ (Free Flow Alcohol)
Note: in addition to their standard buffet fare, Oscar’s hosts different promotions every two months. Their next endeavor will showcase the rich, meat-centric dishes of South America.
