Winner of “Best Buffet” in The Chope Diners’ Choice Awards 2017, Singapore Tatler’s Singapore Best Restaurants 2016/2017 and TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence (Outstanding Service & Quality) in 2015 and 2017, The Line has upped the ante once again with Canton Fair featuring a range of Cantonese delicacies, desserts and drinks.
The Line at the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore is a 400-seater all-day dining buffet restaurant. The Canton Fair is part of its all-inclusive buffet boasting varied fare from its 16 theatre kitchens hosted every evening (6pm till 10pm) from 10 January to 28 February.
The Canton Fair was the brainchild of Executive Steven Ng – a 30-veteran in the industry – who used to be the head chef at Shang Palace, a fine dining Chinese restaurant at the hotel. His inspiration for the main dishes at Canton Fair was drawn from the Lunar New Year dishes that he used to partake in Hongkong. Traditionally these dishes are symbolic of abundance, prosperity, good health and happiness.
The main meat dishes are cooked between 2 and 3 hours. The piglets are selected when they are still unweaned and about 4 weeks’ old. In this case, the Roasted Suckling Pig looked a little bigger than usual, but the meat was still tender and of course the crispy and glossy skin gave a nice “crack” sound when bitten into.
I was not too impressed with the Roast Pork as I expected a nice layer of fat to counterbalance the whole crispiness of the lean meat and the crackling skin. It was a little overcooked for my liking.
The Braised Pork Knuckle, a traditional favourite for its wealth symbolism, was tender and full of flavourwas first roasted before it was braised for 2 hours to retain the knuckle in its entirety. The result is the meat was tender, flavourful and succulent.
Chef Ng uses quality ingredients, and this shows in the Braised Bird’s Nest with Lobster & Nameko Mushrooms and Braised Bird’s Nest with Crab Meat & Roe. The first braise had a nice and sweet lobster flavour which blended well with the mushrooms. The Braised Bird’s Nest with Crab Meat & Roe did not fare as the braise did not have the full flavour of the first.
The Abalone Fried Rice was nothing out of ordinary. I believe abalone is best cooked in a sauce or soup to enhance its flavour.
As part of the Canton Fair, Chef Ng also presented a veritable selection of Cantonese dishes for diners: Hongkong Fried Bee Hoon
Sliced Beef with Vegetable,
Sweet & Sour Pork,
Wok-Fried chicken with Celery and Cashew Nuts,
Prawn Paste Chicken.
For desserts, I tried the Roselle Flower Jelly, reputed to have good Vitamin C and various health benefits, which was citrusy and light, and grass-jelly and soya bean milk, which was quite refreshing and not too sweet.
If you are here for buffet on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the Canton Fair (until 28 February), you must not miss the Marine Harvest which features a veritable selection of finest seafood sourced from the States, Canada and Japan.
For those not into seafood, you can indulge in international gastronomic delights such as the Stanbroke Wagyu Beef Rib-eye Steak, Joojeh kebab (chicken), chicken and beef satays, sashimi and local favourites such as Laksa and Popiah.
Families celebrating the Lunar New Year may want to consider this buffet when the young and old can come together to partake in the huge spread including the delicacies from Canton Fair. There is bound to be something for everyone.
NAHMJ Verdict
The Canton Fair buffet has enough to satisfy some discerning taste buds. Together with the rest of buffet spread, this is quite a winner at under $100 a head especially for those celebrating the upcoming Lunar New Year.
The Line @ Shangri-La Hotel
22 Orange Grove Road, Lower Lobby, Tower Wing, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore 258350
Tel: +65 6213 4275
Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/mobile/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurants/the-line/
Opening Hours
Breakfast Buffet: Monday – Friday 0600 to 1030, Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays 0600 to 1100
Lunch Buffet: Monday – Friday 1200 to 1430, Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays 1200 to 1500
Dinner Buffet: Monday – Sunday 1800 to 2200
À la carte: Monday – Sunday 0600 to 0000
Getting There
By Car
- Hotel Carpark
By MRT
- North-South Line – Orchard station
- Downtown Line – Stevens station
By Bus
- Service 972, 190, NR2, NR3, 105 and 132
Rating: 7/10
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