Atrium Restaurant @ Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium

Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium has unveiled an all new look with its newly refurbished guest bedrooms, revamped lobby interior as well as a all new dining concepts to offer guests a more modern and contemporary experience. Leading the hotel in the new changes is the newly appointed General Manager, Anne Johnston. The popular all day dining hotel restaurant, The Melting Pot has also been renamed as Atrium Restaurant boasting a bright and modern interior featuring a new buffet and a la carte menus.

Chilli Crab 4/5

The kitchen is now lead by former Grand Park Orchard Executive Chef Chua Yew Hock. With him on board, he also brought along some of his signature dishes such as the Chilli Crab, Mussel Otah Otah, Asam Fish and Curry Laksa.

Singaporean loves their crabs and the chilli crab being an iconic Singaporean dish, the spicy crustacean will be well received by both the locals and foreigners. It also served with mantou, a popular pairing which the locals enjoy savouring the delicious gravy to the max.

Mussel Otah Otah 3/5

The Mussel Otah Otah for me did not come together as a dish. It is good on its own,  putting 2 different components together on a mussel shell and served. Saying that, the steamed spicy fish paste was quite good with the different spices teasing the taste buds.

Asam Fish 4/5

Chef Chua is really good with his spices. The Asam Fish was really spot on with the heat and execution. While the fish meat was inclining to the dry side, I could not really fault it as it is offered among the buffet spread and not served ala minute. If Chef Chua offers asam fish head on his a la carte menu at an affordable price, it may become one of their signature item.

Curry Laksa 4.2/5

Not to be missed at Atrium Restaurant will be the Curry Laksa. The fragrant gravy with dried shrimps was not too 'lemak' but yet still giving it the needed creaminess. It was so good that some of us gone for second helping.

Risotto 3/5

Atrium Restaurant also offers a live station. During my visit, I tried the Risotto which was flavourful but I thought it was on the dry side.

Sashimi

Seafood

Like all buffet, Atrium Restaurant offers an extensive spread of varieties catering for everyone. The buffet spread also has Sashimi and Seafood which are very popular among the locals.

If you are cheese lover, there is a good selection too.

What is a buffet without the dessert section right? Worried not as Atrium Restaurant will satisfy your sweet tooth with their different dessert, cakes and pastry.

While I have read many negative reviews of the former Melting Pot, I did not experience such lousy food during my visit. I supposed the new executive chef and the revamped menu has lifted the standard. Of course, they need to continue on this good start to be one of the top buffets where diners want to go to. If you plan to visit Atrium Restaurant, I would strongly recommend trying their spicy dishes such as the Chilli Crab, Laksa and Asam Fish.

Buffet Lunch
Mon-Fri: $45++
Sat: $50 ++
Sun: $55 ++

Buffet Dinner
Mon-Thu: $50++
Fri-Sun: $55 ++


Atrium Restaurant
Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium
317 Outram Road
Singapore 169075
Tel: +65 67317172
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hiatrium
Website: http://holidayinn.com/sinatrium
Nearest MRT: Tiong Bahru (EW Line)

Operating Hours:
Daily: 6am - 1230am

Direction:
1) Alight at Tiong Bahru MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at Tiong Bahru MRT station (Stop ID 10169). Take bus number 123. Alight 4 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes.  [Map]

Chotto Matte @ Blair Road

Hidden away from the main street, occupying the corner space of the white shophouse along Blair Street is Chotto Matte, a new Japanese restaurant offering quality yakitori specialties, sushi and sashimi. Chotto Matte, which means wait a moment in Japanese came about because the owners believe that good food is definitely worth a moment's wait.

Sashimi Platter 4.2/5

Starting on a light note is the Sashimi Platter ( 5 for $48, 7 for $68). The sushi bar features a fresh selection of seafood imported around the world. Portion may be small but they were all thickly cut to delight your sensitives. Chotto Matte also offers an omakase experience for just $100 per person with 10 courses of cooked and raw dishes.

Aburi Salmon Maki 3.8/5

Foagura Unagi Maki 3/5

Moving on we tried the Aburi Salmon Maki ($19) and Foagura Unagi Maki ($28). The flavours were rich and bold. However I did not quite enjoy the sushi rice, I thought it was way too wet. Maybe it was just my personal preference. I like the aburi salmon maki more than the foagura unagi maki. The aburi salmon maki was done two ways with raw salmon inside the roll while the exterior was torched. For the foagura unagi maki, the foie gras was missing in the whole execution among the sweetness which I find it hard to justify for the price point.

Shiro Maguro Carpaccio 3.8/5

I find the Shiro Maguro Carpaccio ($29) or marinated American white tuna very interesting. It tickles my taste buds with its marination and unique texture. If I am to have this under a blind taste,  I probably would pass it off as a meat rather than a fish.

Dobin Mushi 4/5

The Dobinmushi ($16) or seafood consomme served in a teapot is also a welcome offering on the menu. The rich but yet refreshing seafood broth not only cleanse the palate but help to wash down those greasiness.

Buta Kakuni 4/5

The Buta Kakuni ($29) is pan fried and then braised in mirin, ginger and leeks. The collagen rich skin fats literally melted my heart as I sunk my teeth into them. The pork belly was a bit tough but overall it is a good dish that will be well received by many who loves pork belly.

Salmon Yuzu Mayo Yaki 3/5

The Salmon Yuzu Mayo Yaki ($25) was quite pedestrian except for the yuzu mayonnaise which added some citrus fruitiness to the taste instead of the usual sauce.

Yakitori 4.2/5

Boasting a selection of 28 yakitori items on the menu, I tried the Tebasaki ($3), Wagyu and Kagoshima Toro Belly ($5). Perfectly grilled and salted, these generously cut servicing calls for a bottle of beer to go with it. The pork belly was my favourite among the three while the chicken was expertly split for easy consumption.

Chotto Matte 4/5

With a good collection of Japanese whiskey, Chotto Matte also conjured a compact list of 9 whiskey or sake based cocktails that pair impeccably with the yakitori. The Chotto Matte, a concoction of citrus flavoured sake Umenoyado Yuzu Shu, Yamazaki 12 and egg white may be a disgusted in its smooth sweetness taste but it is quite potent if you can't hold your liquor well.

Kagoshima Pork Belly Don 4.8/5

The star item at Chotto Matte has to be their Kagoshima Pork Belly Don ($35). The chargrilled Kagoshima thin sliced pork belly over garlic fried rice will blown you off your seat. The garlic fried rice is one of its kind. Most of the garlic fried rice out there comes in the form of deep fried garlic aroma, the version here still has that raw garlicy sweetness on top of that aroma. You just got to try it. I guarantee you can't stop eating it until the last grain unless you are not a garlic lover.

Kuro Goma Yam 3/5

We ended the night with the Kuro Goma Yam ($15), deep fried yam with black sesame ice cream.
While I enjoyed the light batter coat of the yam and the sesame ice cream, I did not find the two coming together as a dish.

If you are planning to check out Chotto Matte, I will recommend trying the Kagoshima Pork Belly Don and Yakitori.


Chotto Matte
54 Blair Road
#01-01
Singapore 089954
Tel: +65 62228846
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chottomattesg
Website: http://chottomatte.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Outram Park (EW Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 12midnight

Direction:
1) Alight at Outram Park MRT station. Take Exit F. Cross the road. Walk down Eu Tong Sen street towards Kampong Bahru Road. Continue onwards on Kampong Bahru Road along the row of shophouses. Turn left onto Blair Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes.

2) Alight at Outram Park MRT station. Take Exit H. Walk to bus stop at Outram Park MRT station (Stop ID 05069). Take bus number 124, 143 or 147. Alight 2 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]