Well, we finally had the chance to, when we snapped up Marriott Cafe Tea time buffet vouchers from Deal.com.sg (U.P. $50++ per person).
The buffet specialty spread changes day to day- we went down on a Thursday- which was Sashimi Day, where they serve a variety of thick, fresh slices of raw fish. And like any typical SGrean buffet, the salmon sashimi slices always vanish from the serving plates very quickly.
There is a strong local food focus in the buffet as evident in the wide selection of local dishes served. There is a Chicken Rice station complete with both steamed and roasted chicken and fragrant rice. There is also a rojak station where you DIY create your own rojak with your desired ingredients and sauces. There's otah, satay, dim sum, Taiwanese porridge. I wouldn't load up on carbs in buffet, but I must really commend the nice Taiwanese porridge side dishes like the flavourful braised duck, pork and fluffy oyster omelette, which are definite must haves (with or without the porridge).
For the health conscious- there is a really impressively stocked salad bar and the more ang moh pais will appreciate the bread/baguette station.
Most food items are served in chi chi Le Cruesset cookware, and you will be surprised by how many tai tais lounge around the cafe, whiling the afternoon away over coffee and cakes.
Perhaps the wide selection of cakes, pastries and freshly brewed coffee is a good reason to just sit around the cafe and catch up with the latest gossips with friends. The cakes were okay, but the chocolate puffs weren't very appetizing.
For those who need their sugar rush:
I was pleasant surprised by the ridiculously well stocked ice cream bar. The jars contain every conceivable ice cream topping you can have. Like a sugar deprived child in a candy shop, I grabbed every ice cream flavour with a little of all the toppings available- rainbow bits, gummy bears, jelly beans, M&Ms, nuts, cranberries... sprayed with lots of chocolate fudge sauce. I initially thought the ice cream served were gelato (especially since they dressed the flavours with extra garnishing), but it tasted like normal ice cream from the tub., but with the extensive toppings, I'm not complaining. Don't come near this station if you're on a diet.
Did I also mention about the free flow soft drinks and fruit juices you can request when you visit? Service is really good, as expected from a five star hotel and staff are really prompt and friendly.
This was their progress at 5pm. Almost done and by 7.30pm when the flag was finally completed, it would take the coveted title of the World's Largest Flag Mosaic in Guinness Records.
Guess how many cookies were needed? 22,500. Every cookie was painstakingly baked by hand a day before the event, even the organizers' hands and clothes were visibly stained by the red dye used in the baking process. So the red cookies were coated with red icing, while the white cookies were coated with white chocolate!
Five stars arising! (Crescent is coming up soon!)