a mother's day meal @ pariss
:: LIFE IN SINGAPORE / FOOD ::
and in the end, the only excitement to be had of the Mother's Day luncheon at Tampine's Pariss "international seafood buffet restaurant" were these:
decked out in swish-gold and white, with ostentatious leave-motifs, (yes, tres-Taiwan-chic, innit? *hurl*), the restaurant held particular promise, as highly recommended by near everyone in the Heng Family, but alas my virgin-visit had become my last, as i struggled thru the many mediocre spreads before me.
(yes, tis is gonna be a bad-foodie-rant, so be warned)
the downside:
(1) the food was dwindling fast and hardly any replenishment were done to keep up with the demand, IMO. emptied trays of oil shoned back the spotlights' reflection back into my hungry eye. at one point, even the drinks glasses ran out. (very bad deja-vu) but to be fair, items were eventually replenished, tho not at any distinguishable nor commendable rate. i was actually gonna take pictures of empty trays and such, but gave up 'coz i was way too hungry and dissappointed at that time lieow ...
this is Mother's Day. people had called in advance to book seats. the regular Senior Citizen's half-price discount (hence my parent's rave) was non-applicable - and you're not prepared? 230pm and there are loads of people still queuing on outside.
(2) the well-touted "foie grais pate" was nowhere to be seen (*drats*). only a cascade of ritz biscuits stand lonely and abandoned. was told that "the stock had run out" = an international buffet restaurant whose stock had run out. that sentence gives me the a belly-ache from hysterical laughter and of the sickness of the excuse.
the upside:
(1) the crowd was decidedly more controlled, as there didn't seem that much of over-crowding, which i reckon is a good move. noise was not blinding and kids were better behaved (*gasp*). there was even a table with what seemed to be 3 to 4 generations of folks, grandkids, sons, mothers, grandmothers etc = a casual place, with decent ambience; for a family meal.
(2) plates were cleared pretty fast tho. now, that i appreciate. *heh*
(3) what provided the laughter and excitement of the day: the broken down fondue fountain. choco had stopped gushing and there laid a bowl filled with brown-lurve, waiting for folks to scoop away ... which of coz i did! and layered it out on my plate of self-cut fruits (i cleaned the spoon first okay!) - we gotta find our own form of "entertainment", innit? :p
at the end of the day, the family enjoyed the lunch-outing and mayhap that is good enough for all :)
roundup:
for sure, there were oysters and prawns galore. there were the expected sushi spreads. a decent salad selection. hohum-tim sum picks. yummy herbal soups. boring cooked chinese dishes. oiled-to-death fried stuffs. tender chicken satay. fruits and ice creams. petite cakes and such = mayhap the food was too banal for me. mayhap they were just like any other buffet restaurants, with little or no distinguishing characteristics beyond that of the price and decor. or maybe the food/stock had ran out. or maybe i'm expecting too much from a "neighbourhood" buffet restaurant? my brother had mentioned that the Marina Square outlet had more variety ... too bad i wouldn't be able to know for sure, as i sure as heck's not gonna step into anotherever again anytime soon.
._.
and in the end, the only excitement to be had of the Mother's Day luncheon at Tampine's Pariss "international seafood buffet restaurant" were these:
decked out in swish-gold and white, with ostentatious leave-motifs, (yes, tres-Taiwan-chic, innit? *hurl*), the restaurant held particular promise, as highly recommended by near everyone in the Heng Family, but alas my virgin-visit had become my last, as i struggled thru the many mediocre spreads before me.(yes, tis is gonna be a bad-foodie-rant, so be warned)
the downside:
(1) the food was dwindling fast and hardly any replenishment were done to keep up with the demand, IMO. emptied trays of oil shoned back the spotlights' reflection back into my hungry eye. at one point, even the drinks glasses ran out. (very bad deja-vu) but to be fair, items were eventually replenished, tho not at any distinguishable nor commendable rate. i was actually gonna take pictures of empty trays and such, but gave up 'coz i was way too hungry and dissappointed at that time lieow ...
this is Mother's Day. people had called in advance to book seats. the regular Senior Citizen's half-price discount (hence my parent's rave) was non-applicable - and you're not prepared? 230pm and there are loads of people still queuing on outside.
(2) the well-touted "foie grais pate" was nowhere to be seen (*drats*). only a cascade of ritz biscuits stand lonely and abandoned. was told that "the stock had run out" = an international buffet restaurant whose stock had run out. that sentence gives me the a belly-ache from hysterical laughter and of the sickness of the excuse.
the upside:
(1) the crowd was decidedly more controlled, as there didn't seem that much of over-crowding, which i reckon is a good move. noise was not blinding and kids were better behaved (*gasp*). there was even a table with what seemed to be 3 to 4 generations of folks, grandkids, sons, mothers, grandmothers etc = a casual place, with decent ambience; for a family meal.
(2) plates were cleared pretty fast tho. now, that i appreciate. *heh*
(3) what provided the laughter and excitement of the day: the broken down fondue fountain. choco had stopped gushing and there laid a bowl filled with brown-lurve, waiting for folks to scoop away ... which of coz i did! and layered it out on my plate of self-cut fruits (i cleaned the spoon first okay!) - we gotta find our own form of "entertainment", innit? :pat the end of the day, the family enjoyed the lunch-outing and mayhap that is good enough for all :)
roundup:
for sure, there were oysters and prawns galore. there were the expected sushi spreads. a decent salad selection. hohum-tim sum picks. yummy herbal soups. boring cooked chinese dishes. oiled-to-death fried stuffs. tender chicken satay. fruits and ice creams. petite cakes and such = mayhap the food was too banal for me. mayhap they were just like any other buffet restaurants, with little or no distinguishing characteristics beyond that of the price and decor. or maybe the food/stock had ran out. or maybe i'm expecting too much from a "neighbourhood" buffet restaurant? my brother had mentioned that the Marina Square outlet had more variety ... too bad i wouldn't be able to know for sure, as i sure as heck's not gonna step into another
._.
