Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa has collaborated with some of the best and well-loved local hawkers and brands to create a one-stop destination for the best local food across Singapore. In celebration of National Day, the Hawker buffet ($74++/pax) runs from 5 to 9 August 2022, featuring free-flow food from 15 hawkers, including:
1) Ah Ma Lor Mee
2) Jian Bo Shui Kueh
3) Legendary Bak Kut Teh
4) Janggut Laksa
5) Lee Wee & Brothers
6) Hock Lian Huat
7) Nam Kee Chicken Rice
8) Li Xin Teochew Fishball Noodles
9) Kim Choo Kueh Chang
10) Old Amoy Chendol
11) Hong Seng Curry Rice
12) Mr Popiah
13) Rochor Original Beancurd
14) Du Du Cooked Food
15) Old Original Serangoon Hokkien Mee
While the Taste of Singapore will end on 9 August 2022, the stalls included in the hotel's Magnifique Hawker Nights Buffet line-up are still operating every Friday and Saturday from 12 August.
Each hawker stall has its own booth, and dishes are assembled on-site by the hotel's chefs with ingredients catered from respective hawker stalls. The booths span from the indoors to the outdoor area of Kwee Zeen restaurant.
We kickstart the buffet with a piping hot bowl of goodness from Legendary Bak kut Teh. The pork ribs are soft and fork tender, stewed in a robust broth of fragrant herbs and spices.
Next, we moved on to the Traditional Hainanese Curry Rice from Hong Seng Curry Rice. Messy but delicious, we piled the plate with the quintessential Pork Chop, Boneless Curry Chicken, Pork Belly and Cabbage before topping off everything with thick and luscious curry sauce.
One of my favourites is the laksa from Janggut Laksa. The trademark of the Original Katong Laksa was that the noodles were cut short and eaten with a spoon for the sake of convenience. As for the laksa broth, it was comforting, flavourful and light, even though it is not too spicy.
The Lor Mee from Ah Ma Lor Mee was also satisfying, with a flavourful and viscous gravy packed with a good amount of lor bak, white fish flakes, egg and fried meatball.
We had a bowl of dry meepok noodles from Li Xin Teochew Fishball Noodles. It is a comforting bowl of noodles with a springy texture. You can opt for the soup version as well.
The Nasi Lemak from Lee Wee & Brothers had all the quintessential ingredients fried chicken wings, otah, roasted peanuts, cucumber slices, ikan bilis and sambal chilli.
For beverages, we had the soya bean milk from Rochor Original Beancurd. It was cold, refreshing, and as good as I remembered it to be. While you are there, grab some of their traditional beancurd as well.
The buffet also includes other local delights such as the satay and chilli crab with mantou.
Dive into favourites such as the Sambal Squid, Braised Pork Knuckle, and Chef Nelson's rendition of the tender beef cheek rendang.
There is also small seafood on ice selection, including prawns, clams, black, gong gong, mussels, scallops, and yabby.
End your meal on a sweet note with a wide array of traditional Nyonya kuehs and desserts, such as the Kueh Lapis, Rainbow kueh and ondeh ondeh.
Not to be missed is the chendol from Old Amoy Chendol, which comes with shaved ice, red beans, pandan jelly, coconut milk and gula melaka. As it was a DIY station, we topped off our bowl with extra coconut milk, which has a strong taste but is not too overpowering, and gula melaka, which was fragrant and rich.
While $74++ may be pretty steep price to pay for free-flow hawker food, it is a great solution to sample the best of Singapore's hawker culture in one place without having the hassle of travelling to the outlets one by one. Moreover, with the hotel's aim to give featured hawkers a "platform to earn a sustained income with a long-term partnership", which allowed the hawker buffet to run from 12 August to the end of the year, we absolutely love the cause and support for our local hawker heroes!
Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.
Kwee Zeen
Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa
2 Bukit Manis Road
Singapore 099891
Tel: +65 67088310
Website
Nearest MRT: Harbourfont MRT (CC Line, NE Line)
Opening Hours:
Daily: 7am - 1030pm
Direction:
1) Alight at HarbourFront MRT station. Take Exit D. Walk to pick up point at Exit D. Wait for the complimentary shuttle bus service. The shuttle service is available every 30 minutes of the hour. Journey time about 30 minutes. [Map]
