Selera Iftar buffet offers 1-for-1 deals

This year, the Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre presents Selera Iftar (tastes of iftar) during Ramadhan at the the MUIS halal-certified restaurant Window on the Park.

 

Source: Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre. The spread at the Selera Iftar buffet.

Featuring nearly 40 varieties of local classics and international dishes, diners can enjoy traditional favourites like chicken satay and beef rendang, as well as specialties such as wok-fried glass noodles with crab meat, Singapore chilli crab with golden mantou, Nyonya chap chai as well as roast lamb with black pepper sauce.

Sweets include pengat pisang with red bean soup, Arabic bread and butter pudding, pandan chiffon cake and assorted kueh (local cakes).

During this period, Window on the Park will also organise activities such as balloon sculpting and henna art.

Special 1-for-1 promotional rates for the buffets are available throughout the whole month of Ramadhan. Prayer rooms are available in the hotel.

Details:

Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre
11 Cavenagh Road, Singapore 229616

Selera Iftar Ramadhan dinner buffet at Window on the Park
2 April to 8 May 2022

Monday to Thursday, 6 pm to 10 pm
S$108++ for 2 adults, S$35++ for a child

Friday to Sunday, 6 pm to 10 pm
S$120++ for 2 adults, S$35++ for a child

All dine-in guests will receive a complimentary box of cookies.

Call +65 6733 8333 or email info.hisinorchard@ihg.com for reservations and enquiries. 

Selera Iftar dinner buffet menu

Each table serving

• Dates 
• Dried apricots
• Dried figs

Harvest from the sea

• Cooked prawns
• Clams
• Black mussels
• Whelks
  

Salads

• Mixed greens and lettuces
• Fatoush 
• Gado-gado 
• Kueh pie tee with shrimp
  

Hot appetizers

• Grilled chicken satay with peanut sauce and condiments 
• Chicken curry puffs
• Hot snack item of the day

Soups

• Tom yum 
• Cream of tomato
  

Wok station

• Laksa fried rice
• Wok fried Kam hiong mussels
• Malay spiced beef rendang
• Singapore chilli crab with golden mantou (deep-fried buns)
• Nyonya chap chye (stir-fried vegetables)
• Sambal fried local spinach
  

Noodle station

• Mee rebus with condiments
• Wok-fried glass noodles with crab meat
  

Western station

• Roasted leg of lamb with black pepper sauce
• Chicken katsudon with sambal belado 
• Pasta ala rosa with chicken ham
• Salmon in masak lemak sauce
• Turkey kebab with coriander raita
  

Tandoor special

• Butter chicken 
• Naan
  

Desserts

• Pengat pisang with red bean soup (hot)
• Um Ali (Arabic bread and butter pudding)
• Blackout chocolate cake
• Pandan chiffon cake
• Assorted kueh 
• Corn pudding 
• Durian pengat (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only) 
• Fresh fruit 

Ice cream with toppings

Flavours on rotation include:

Vanilla
Durian
Coconut
Teh tarik (aerated milk tea)
Strawberry

21 on Rajah offers rijsttafel for lunch, a night market buffet experience at dinner

Starting from 4 April, all-day dining restaurant 21 On Rajah is offering Mediterr-Asian dishes in a rijsttafel-inspired buffet lunch to complement the Chef’s homemade signature rice-of-the-day. Colourful Mediterranean and Asian street markets will be the theme at the nightly dinner buffets.

Rijsttafel weekday lunch buffet

Source: 21 on Rajah. A selection of dishes from the Rijsttafel weekday lunch buffet.

Rijsttafel, or ‘rice table’ in Dutch, is an elaborate meal consisting of many side dishes served with rice. Drawing inspiration reminiscent of our local nasi Padang culture, Chef de Cuisine Faustino Jr and his team presents a refreshing spread designed to give diners a mid-day boost.

The Mediterr-Asian dishes are best accompanied with the Chef’s signature rice-of-the-day. Cooked with 21 different spices and herbs, the homemade 21 spiced basmati rice is a refreshing take on the popular rice dish while the sultana saffron rice tantalises with ripe, juicy sultana raisins. Signatures include barbequed chicken with sambal squid rings, braised lamb shank, clams in Assam chilli, ikan gulai (spicy fish red curry), sayur lodeh (mixed vegetable curry), ayam masak merah (chicken in spicy tomato sauce) and Moroccan tagine highlights such as saffron chicken and beef and prunes.

Other highlights of the spread include the ice crustacean bar, a noodle station featuring local favourites like Singapore Nonya laksa and prawn noodle soup, served a la minute (made to order) on a rotational basis. There is also a live carving station which may star the NZ prime beef ribeye with 21 On Rajah’s homemade sauces, slow-cooked rock salt salmon with mustard dill sauce or roasted lamb leg with spices. End off the meal with sweet treats like the 21 On Rajah’s homemade vanilla gelato, cake of the month, assorted pastries and seasonal fruits.

Mediterr-Asian Pasar street market dinner buffet

Source: 21 on Rajah. A slice of the Mediterr-Asian Pasar Street Market Dinner Buffet.

Street markets of the Mediterranean and Asian region are recreated at the nightly Mediterr-Asian Pasar street market dinner buffet, featuring familiar street delicacies as well as exotic flavours. The buffet starts off with appetisers such as fattoush salad with sumac and olive oil, potato salad with turkey bacon and buffalo mozzarella and Roma tomatoes with pesto sauce. The Arabic mezze and antipasti station encourages diners to create their own versions of snacks.

In addition to the ice crustacean bar and the live carving station, savour seafood and chicken paella, tortilla de patatas Espanola (Spanish omelette with potatoes) and assorted pizzas. The Chef’s recommendations include the salmon fillet with quinoa and saffron splash, tagine highlights, prawn paste chicken, mixed seafood chermoula (Editor's note: chermoula refers to a marinade used in Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan and Tunisian cuisines), and grilled prawns with chilli and garlic. Must-trys from the seafood menu include the slipper lobster in Singapore chilli crab sauce, seabass chermoula with olive oil, braised crabmeat ee-fu noodles and slipper lobster with salted egg.

The pasta live station features four different homemade sauces: pesto, tomato Bolognaise, mushroom cream and chilli aglio olio, to complement the pasta of choice. Guests going for dinner on weekends can visit two additional stations – the DIY Singapore rojak station and the DIY kebab station.

For those with a sweet tooth there is a churros station, a waffle station, chocolate fondue with assorted condiments, as well as a selection of French and local pastries, plus beverages.

Interested?

The halal-certified 21 on Rajah is part of Days Hotel at Zhongshan Park. Call +65 6808 6847 for reservations. 

The Rijsttafel weekday lunch buffet is available Mondays to Fridays, 12pm to 2.30pm at S$30++ for adults and S$15++ for children*.

The Mediterr-Asian Pasar street market dinner buffet is available nightly from 6pm to 10pm at S$40++ for adults and S$20++ for children* on Mondays to Thursday, and at S$44++ for adults and S$22++ for children* from Fridays to Sundays.

Hashtag: #sghalal

*aged five to 12 years old 

UNHCR and Islamic Museum of Australia to host fund-raiser for Syrian refugees

The UN Refugee Agency Australia for UNHCR and the Islamic Museum of Australia are hosting a fund-raising dinner in aid of Syrian refugees on 28 November 2015, at the museum premises.

Dinner will feature the work of Masterchef Finalist Samira El Khafir. The evening will also feature guest speakers and an auction.

All of the ticket sales and proceeds go to UNHCR for the Syrian refugee crisis. Urgently-needed relief includes cash for medicine and food, stoves and fuel for heating, insulation for tents, thermal blankets and winter clothing.

Interested?

Tickets cost A$260 per person, or A$2,500 for a table of ten. Call 1300 915 171 or email admin at islamicmuseum.org.au for enquiries.

Read the Suroor Asia blog post about the new UN, World Bank and Islamic Development Bank approach to MENA and the refugee crisis

Hilton iftars from AED99

Source: Hilton Sharjah Facebook page.

Hilton hotels in UAE are offering iftar meals from AED99*.  Participating hotels include the Hilton Sharjah, Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Resort and Hilton Dubai The Walk.

Interested?

View the list of Hilton hotels in UAE

The price excludes the municipality tax and service charge.

Review: Le Steak Singapore, Central Branch

I visited Le Steak by Chef Amri at Mackenzie Road for the first time recently. The restaurant is very accessible, being very close to exit A of Little India station. It's the corner restaurant at the shophouses in the picture below.

Le Steak by Chef Amri at Mackenzie Road is literally across the road from exit A of Little India MRT station.

We called to reserve, and because it was for breaking fast, we were asked to turn up by 6.30pm, 6.45pm at the latest. It wasn't really clear why diners had to be so early as sunset was at 7.15pm that evening - perhaps the restaurant wanted to have all orders taken and everyone served early. 

It was full house on a Friday, and we pre-ordered our meals from the Ramadan set menu, which offers a choice of soup or salad for the starter, followed by a choice of main - prime steer (PS) ribeye steak, lamb ribs or barramundi - and a dessert of the day. The meal costs S$28 nett, with orange juice or a soft drink an extra S$2. Dates had already been placed on the table and the drinks and starters arrived well before 7.15pm.

I ordered 'salad' which turned out to be a creamy pasta salad rather than leaves. It had chewy bits that simulated bacon, and was quite tasty but not a large portion. Everyone else had a yellow soup which came with a slice of baguette.

My salad.

The main actually took quite a while to arrive, roughly 20 minutes after the salad had been eaten, even though this had been pre-ordered. All four of us were served within half an hour of the starter course being cleared. The couple next to us waited an hour for their mains though.

Our steaks were quite large but the salad and potato weren't as more-ish. My medium steak verged on the medium rare and was flavourful and tender. There was more fat than I would have liked but I someone else would probably have enjoyed those bits.

The main. A tender ribeye steak, medium, with brown sauce, salad and mashed potato.

Dessert was an small portion of pandan-flavoured kueh lapis, which was quite nice. I thought they could have been a little more generous with the coulis as there definitely isn't enough for the entire slice of cake. On the other hand, kueh lapis is not usually eaten with any sauce at all so the coulis was actually a bonus. There were several desserts served, with some getting a rainbow lapis cake, and others something else in ramekins.

Pandan kueh lapis, garnished with a strawberry quarter and strawberry coulis. There is a smattering of icing sugar.

We ended up paying S$30.50 per person, including a drink each plus a round of water later on - the water cost S$0.50 per person, though this was not mentioned when we asked for it. 

Ambience-wise, be prepared for humidity as the aircon did not seem to be very strong. The fans were going at full blast but with no walls it felt like we were sitting out in the open.

Service was a little slow as there were very few wait staff (I think three) given the number of diners in the restaurant. While our plates were cleared quite promptly, it was more difficult to catch anyone's attention for additional requests. We ended up going to the cashier to pay rather than ask for the cheque as it looked like everyone would be too busy to entertain us.

Le Steak Singapore positions itself as the only halal steak place in Singapore. The meal is reasonably priced and it is a valuable addition to the halal restaurant scene. The food is definitely value for money given the price, though big eaters might have to order something else on the side. Service would probably be quite pleasant when the restaurant isn't as crowded.

Interested?

Le Steak Singapore is at 19/21/23 Mackenzie Road, Singapore 228678. Reservations are required during Ramadhan for iftar, from 6.30pm to 8pm. Call +65 6238 0609 (hotline open at 3pm). 

View the Ramadhan menu on Facebook.

Read the Suroor Asia blog post on Le Steak's other Ramadhan offers.

Hashtags: #lesteak, #lesteaksingapore

The iftar buffet at Straits Kitchen, Grand Hyatt Singapore

Source: Grand Hyatt Singapore website.

This Ramadhan, StraitsKitchen at the Grand Hyatt Singapore invites guests to enjoy diverse flavours from Asia with an iftar buffet spread of dishes from countries including Indonesia, India, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, in addition to the usual Singaporean favourites. The food is freshly prepared in halal-certified theatre kitchens.

From the Middle East, expect Saudi Arabian roasted leg of lamb, Lebanese samke harra (grilled fish) and shawarma meats, Moroccan mezze and traditional desserts including baklava, basbousa and kanafa bil cream.

Fresh, sustainably sourced seafood dishes will also be a highlight of the menus across the various theatre kitchens including Bengali machi (fish) curry, udang lemak nanas (Peranakan curry prawns), mini salmon skin with yellowtail maki, Alexandria-style mixed seafood and a crustacean bar with poached tiger prawns, clams, mussels and oysters.

From countries closer to Singapore, the Chef’s specialties include mini double-boiled superior ‘Buddha jumps over the wall’, Hyderabadi biriyanis (basmati rice with lamb or seafood), wok-fried crab with salted egg and nasi kambing herba (slow-cooked herb mutton rice).

The buffet also features a variety of desserts and six fine date selections: ajwah, barhi, sokari, kholas, khidri, and segai; ice creams and sherbets such as fig, honey and walnut ice cream, Arabic coffee ice cream and mango sherbet, plus umm ali, and more.

StraitsKitchen will serve the iftar buffet from 6:30pm to 10:30pm, priced* at S$68++ for adults and S$38++ per child. The meal includes selected free-flow of juice, lassi (Indian yoghurt drink), tea and coffee. 

The hotel offers prayer rooms for diners to perform the Maghrib prayers. The sunset call to prayer is broadcast through the audio system.

Interested?

For reservations, call +65 6732 1234. Club at the Hyatt cardholders can enjoy a 15% discount. 

*All prices quoted are subject to a 10% service charge and prevailing government taxes.

Iftar at Marina Mandarin Singapore

Source: Marina Mandarin Singapore website. The Bakar Station offers chicken, oxtail, prawn and sea bass on banana leaves.

Halal-certified buffet restaurant AquaMarine has prepared an iftar menu that includes dates, roast whole baby lamb with Moroccan spice, bulgur wheat, raita and Indonesian oxtail soup. Running till 17 July, diners should not miss the chicken, oxtail, prawn and sea bass in banana leaves as well as jumbo charcoal-grilled satay at the Bakar Station.

For group iftars, the newly refurbished and fully air-conditioned Terrace@AquaMarine is available for reservations. 

Interested?

Call +65­ 6845 1000 for reservations, or email resvn.marina@meritushotels.com

Sheraton Bandung's iftar buffet menu will change every evening

Source: Sheraton Bandung website.

The Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers is offering an iftar buffet overlooking the pool in its Feast Restaurant over the month of Ramadhan.

The menu, which will change every evening, will feature authentic local cuisine and a variety of international and Asian offerings such as the fried rice palm, jackfruit ice, fried ice cream, and cendol, along with a range of sweets and juices.

The Ramadan Buffet Iftar Dinner is available from 1 Ramadhan until the end of season, at Rp180,000++ per person for Sundays through Fridays, and Rp189,000++ per person on Saturdays, inclusive of live music entertainment.

Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers has also prepared a Ramadhan meeting package at Rp398,000 nett per person. The package includes all-day coffee and tea (on request), an iftar dinner, and a coffee break including a soft drink, snacks and sweets served at sunset. The package includes complimentary use of an LCD projector, screen, flip chart, and meeting amenities.