The buffet dinner at Brio’s, in the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, has always been good whenever I’ve gone there.
Cafe Brio’s at the Grand Copthorne waterfront Hotel.
So I decided to pay the restaurant a visit during the Chinese New Year (CNY) festive period to see what the food is like now.
Soup
I loved the Imperial hot and sour seafood soup. It had a delightful peppery taste, with lots of goodies such as scallops, mushrooms and slices of bamboo shoots.
The other soup served was the tomato soup – which I did not try.
Cold Seafood
There was a selection of cold items available. These included a wide range – from crabs, scallops and mussels to prawns.
Crabs
Snow Crab Legs.
The highlight was the Alaskan king crab legs. The meat was sweet, succulent and tender, with it coming out easily from the shell. This was definitely one of the most popular items.
Mud crabs and snow crab legs were also available, but these did not seem to appeal to my taste buds as much.
Other cold seafood
Chilean Scallops.
The New Zealand green lipped mussels (served in its shell) were delicious and I could really taste the freshness of these.
I also liked the tiger prawns because the natural flavour was intact and the shellfish went very well with the brandy cocktail sauce that I selected to go with it.
I also tried the Chilean scallop with roe – this time with a hot sauce that I had chosen. I couldn’t make out the flavour of the sauce, but it went very well together with the juicy scallops and roe.
There was also cold octopus and salmon – these were very fresh.
Roast
Roast Lamb.
Freshly sliced roasted lamb was also available and the meat was not too strong. I usually do not like the strong taste of lamb, but this one was good – especially when it was eaten with mint sauce. The meat was moist and tender and not too tough.
There were delicious sautéed vegetables and crunchy, roasted potatoes to accompany the lamb.
Hot Food
Scrumptious Curry Dish in the hot food section
Some of the highlights were:
Codfish
This was sliced codfish stir-fried with pink ginger, beans and sesame – a tasty treat. I enjoyed this item because it was not overcooked and dry.
Trotter
The braised trotter dish with radish and carrots was lovingly cooked until the meat was soft and tender – and a joy to eat.
Duck
This was a confit duck leg dish braised with red cabbage, thyme and orange juice – a delicious dish. The tender meat blended in well with its ingredients and the orange flavour gave it a kick.
Prawns
These yellow curry tiger prawns were cooked Thai-style. They were not too chilli-hot and were full of flavour.
Rice Cakes
The Shanghai rice cakes cooked with minced pork and leeks suited me fine. They had a delicious taste with a chewy texture.
Lo Han Vegetables
These braised Lo Han vegetables, with black moss and wood fungus, was the perfect Chinese New Year non-meat dish. I enjoyed munching on the tasty, crunchy fungus.
BBQ Selection
BBQ salmon and steak
A wide variety of BBQ items were on offer too. These included squid rings with beansprouts, salmon, stingray, king prawns, steak, pork fillets, lamb chops and otah.
The pork was quite yummy and had a delicious flavour but it would have been better if it had been warmer. The squid rings were yummy and the crunchy texture of the beansprouts provided a perfect companion.
I couldn’t make out the taste of the stingray though, and the otah was a bit thick and bland.
I was disappointed with the salmon. Mine seemed to be undercooked and fishy. But my companions didn’t have this problem though. The king prawns were also a bit disappointing because they were cold and didn’t seem to have made an impact on me.
Desserts
Asian-style pineapple tarts.
Desserts ranged from the classic Chinese New Year cookies like pineapple tarts, peanut toffees, fortune cookies and crunchy honeycombs to Western-style ones like cheesecakes and chocolate mousses.
I thought that the pineapple tarts were average. But the peanut-stuffed curry puffs and the peanut toffees were quite delicious.
I loved the mini Chinese-style waffles, which were made on the spot and served piping hot. These were so nice that I kept on returning for more.
The Nian Gao (sweet glutinous flour cake) tasted quite good, but it was more black rather than the usual browny colour.
Delicious Western-style chocolate cakes
For the Western desserts, I loved the chocolate mousse and the chocolate fudge cake. These were yummy. I also thought that it was interesting that they provided cones for patrons to eat the ice cream with. I had one and the ice cream was absolutely delicious – especially with a layer of chocolate dip coating on top.
The Ambience and Atmosphere
Chinese New Year decorations added a festive touch of the buffet dinner
When I had first stepped into the hotel, I really appreciated the restaurant’s efforts to mimic the Chinese New Year theme. All around the restaurant were decorations including Chinese
scrolls and lion heads and the buffet tables were also lined with red tablecloths. Gold coins and golden ingots were spread out all over the buffet tables too, to add to the festive atmosphere.
As an extra touch, Hong Baos were also placed on every table. These contained two chocolate gold coins each. We were also presented with a festive goodie bag containing mandarin oranges and Hong Baos containing gold chocolate coins – when payment was done.
The buffet meal cost SGD68.88++ per person.
Café Brio’s
Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel
392 Havelock Rd, Singapore 169663
+65 6733 0880
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