Level 1, Swissotel Merchant Court Singapore, 20 Merchant Road, Tel: 6239 1848
Operating Hours: Lunch: Noon – 2.30pm Dinner: 6.30pm -10pm

Now this is my kind of place: whilst Western dishes are available for the uncultured plebeians, the focus here is on local dishes. I would say “when in Rome”, except that most Singaporeans, it seems, are guzzling down roasted tenderloin of wagyu beef and pan-fried foie gras with green apple sorbet. Variety is the spice of life, and I think it would be a real shame if traditional Malay food went down the tube in favour of Western cuisine.  I visited during a weekday lunch and found most of the patrons opting for the good value buffet option. The selection of wine is limited but commendable, with a pair of decent reds and a pair of decent whites, a good house champagne available by the glass and a good range of Old and New Worlders by the bottle (but frankly if it were up to me they would only be allowed to serve Singapore sling and Tiger beer). The selection of dishes is changed daily, but on the day I went the spread included cold appetizers of marinated abalone in sesame soy sauce (yum), hot appetizers such as jinqian rou (barbecued pork) – which went well with some fresh crispy salad from the salad bar – some sashimi (pass) and popular Straits Chinese dishes such as ayam buah keluak (made with stir-fried chicken, shrimp, shallots, garlic, tamarind, chilli and buah keluak, an inimitable local ingredient resembling a brazil nut, and a taste well worth acquiring),and babi assam (delicious fatty sautéed pork in tangy tamarind sauce). From the a la carte menu, the quintessential Singaporean dish of chicken rice was pleasing both to the palate and to the eye (although it is pipped to the post by Chatterbox’s Chicken rice dish as the rice is not as flavourful as it should be) the chicken is tender and tasty and comes with a bowl of lotus root soup and a piquant chilli sauce that perks the appetite. The dessert buffet offers a good selection, of which the creamy, rich durian pengat, made with coconut milk, durian pulp and palm sugar – was my favourite