Clove buffet review: Swiss-themed buffet at Swissotel the Stamford

Clove buffet

Clove restaurant at Swissotel the Stamford is known for its Swiss cusine during lunch and dinner buffets.

I came with a friend; said friend is VEGETARIAN and rarely finds a buffet – especially a fancy hotel buffet – that suits her dietary requirements. However, as she is able to take diary and loves cheese, I decided to bring her here to try Clove’s Swiss Raclette Cheese (and desserts – we’ll get there later).

Clove Buffet at Swissotel the Stamford – main station

Clove boasts a large seating capacity of 200 guests. On a typical weekday lunch, while I’ve managed to walk in improptu and without reservations, I will always recommend having one anyway, if you’re able to plan for it.

Seating Area

Fun fact – for holders of the American Express Platinum Charge Card, they may redeem the annual wine vouchers here. Wine can either be enjoyed on the spot or taken home.

Yes, I redeemed my wine vouchers from Amex, and decided to bring these home

American Express: Love Dining

Predictably so, my friend and I came here partly because we were enticed by American Express’ Love Dining benefits. (And partly because she is vegetarian BUT eats cheese, so Swiss fondue was perfect). The benefits come with ownership of the American Express Platinum Charge Card, and this card is a game changer for discounts when eating in at participating restaurants.

With two adults, the friend and I got a sweet, sweet deal of 50% off when we dined in.

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$100 statement credits and 100,000 airmiles (in the form of 160,000 Membership Rewards points) when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$250 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 40, 000 Krisflyer miles and S$50 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

Starters

To begin, there is nothing more local than a group of Singaporeans clamouring around the Seafood on Ice section at the start of a buffet.

Seafood on Ice

Sushi and Sashimi

My vegetarian friend’s favourite station that day, was the BAKED BREAD station (when mixed with cheese fondue).

Though I gotta admit, the bread here is really next level. There was: Home Baked Sourdough, Yuzu Foccacia, Mini Baguettes, Rye Bread, Multigrain, Brioche, Bhocolate brioche, Soft roll – all served with chutneys and butters and sea salt, with the possibility to dip into warm mushroom soup on the side.

Bread had never tasted so good in this life.

Our Favourite Station: Baked Bread

Cheesy Stuff

It’s always exciting when a buffet has live stations. Especially when cheese is involved.

Parmesan Cheese Wheel

Naturally, the highlights of Clove buffet were cheese related. One was the parmesan cheese wheel, whereby a chef served Mushroom Risotto after having it mixed and stirred in there.

Spot the fresh mushrooms, chilli and garlic. 

Another one was the traditional Swiss Raclette station. Here, one first gets either bread, or picks from a variety of ingrediets. Then, pass the plate of ingredients to the chef, who is melting a large piece of cheese behind the stand and is more than happy to slather freshly melted cheese onto your plate.

Spot the cheese slab burning behind

For said vegetarian friend, this was pure delight. Myself; was glad to try the cheese, but knowing that too much of it makes my stomach unhappy, opted for a small portion, and the chef happily complied.

“Just A LITTLE BIT of cheese on the bread and potatoes on the left, thank you.”

Salads galore

There are buffets whereby the salad station either a simple afterthought at worst, or at best, a DIY station with a reasonably good mix of fresh vegetables.

And then, there is the Clove buffet, where the DIY salad station is simply THE START.

And it starts with: aquaponics greens, baby romaine, hummus, baba ganouche with pita, cherry tomato, edamame, croutons, cucumber, corn, carrot, parmesan cheese, olives, sunflower seeds, almond flakes, pumpkin seeds, and more.

Vitality and Aquaponics Salad Bar

At this point, I felt almost bad for my vegetarian friend – she rarely gets to enjoy a good buffet, and was practically screaming with joy when she saw this set up.

Many vegetarian-friendly options

The salads here are the Swiss Chard (caramelized pecan, pomegranate, crumbled feta), and the Italian Style Beef Salad (roasted vegetables, creamy balsamic dressing).

Swiss Chard Salad (left) and Italian Style Beef Salad (next to it)

And here, is the Roasted Potato Salad (with scallion, lemon zest crispy kale), and the German Sausage Salad (potato, sweet mustard, scallion).

Roasted Potato Salad (left) and German Sausage Salad (right)

If you love marinated vegetables, go for the Swiss Brown Mushroom Salad (marinated chickpea, red wine vinaigrette).

Swiss Brown Mushroom Salad

Swiss and Western mains

Overwhelmingly, there were so many food options to choose from. Diners here would be spoilt for choice.

The carving station was a perpetual crowd favourite.

Carving station: Slow-Roasted Striploin (left) and Roasted Spatchcock Chicken (right)

I tried the Striploin – this was meaty and juicy, and went with with their mustard and rosemary jus.

Beefy and Juicy

Another hugely popular item – Potato Rosti. Desspite the staff’s effort to constantly refill, those Potato Rostis were always quickly emptied out. Can’t be helped; they are so good and crispy.

Potato Rosti with Sour Cream, Buffalo Wings

With multiple dishes on display, it was near impossible to stuff all of it down. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Frontmost: Duck Confit with Green Pepper Corn jus and Orange Segment.

Left to Right: Lamb Navarin with Root Vegetables, Mixed Seafood Strew with Fennel Confit, Baked Halibut with Dill Beurre Blanc

Left to right: Cauliflower with Pesto Cream, Mac and Cheese, Creamed Spinach

Local selection

The Clove buffet is truly Swiss and International and Local. 

The local options did not disappoint. 

For example, at the Indian station, there was a real decent selection – Amritsari Fish, Butter Chicken, Dal Tadka, Naan, Chicken Briyani, Pea Pulao, Indian Pickle, Raita, and Papadams. 

Indian station

The Kopitiam Noodle station has two out of the following three choices of noodle broth per day: Seafood Laksa, Prawn Shellfish, and Winter Melon Chicken.

Live Noodle Station

And the hot local options. I had no more room to stuff. Sadly, had to pass these as I wanted to save tummy space for dessert.

Left to Right: Brased Ee Fu Noodles with Mushroom, Work-Fried Mixed Seafood with Celery, Kopitiam Assam snapper with Aubergine and Tomato

Left to Right: Braised Chicken with Hakka Wine, Stir-Fried French Bean with Dried Shrimp, Marmite Pork Ribs with Sesame

Special shoutout to Clove buffet staff

At this point, I have to make a special shoutout to the staff at Clove buffet – my vegetarian friend was mentioning how the local food options all seemed to have some kind of meat in them – and the kind chef behind the cheese wheel that day overheard our conversation. He then offered to make something ‘local’ that my friend could eat, and asked if a vegetarian fried rice was alright.

Then, this happened – piping hot and delicious fried rice was served

We were shocked, but very touched at the kind gesture. In no way was that expected, but the already-busy chef going the extra mile to do this just so that my friend can feel special… we had no words.

Thank you Clove buffet and staff and cheese wheel chef, for this. We will definitely remember your kindness and service.

Desserts

The desserts were scattered across a few stations, with each area as tempting as the last.

Mini puddings and cakes and fruit

So much variety here, to name a few: Swiss Meringue Key Lime Pie, Walnut Chocolate Brownies, Hojicha Tea Cakes, Blackcurrant Vanilla Roll Swiss Cake, Lychee Rose Gelee with Fruit Salad, Macarons… and many more.

The best kind of assortment.

I’m not sure if anyone eats fruit at this point, but the option is there

Some look almost too pretty to eat.

Raspberry Choux Puff

Tip (if you’ve got stomach space) – head to the ice cream section. Add ice cream and/or sprinkles to your existingn dessert.

Ice cream station. With a ton of toppings.

Not to forget, cookies, local malay kuih, and dessert fondue.

More Fondue, anyone?

If I had to absolutely recommend ANY dessert, these are my two must-tries.

First – the chocolate truffles. They are huge, well-flavoured, downright sinful, and absolutely satisfying. 

Loved the chocolate truffles in the front: Yuzu Pear, Matcha Chocolate, Peach Passionfruit.

Seriously. Do. Not. Miss. The. Chocolate. Truffles. 

Chocolate Truffles, Cookie, Malay Kuih

Second Must-Have: the Burnt Cheesecake.

Even if other desserts are consumed, one must grab a whole slice of Burnt Cheesecake.

This was so good I wanted to swoon. Rich, creamy, velvety with notes of vanilla and cream – folks, I was stupidly stuffed but had a SECOND slice after this madness. In fact, I wanted to compliment the chef for making this cake so very good – the chef actually came out and spoke to us, thanked us, and admitted that this cheesecake is his own personal favourite among all the food items there. 

That’s when you know you have a true winner.

Real Vanilla Beans

Overall, a super worth-it, super good, and superbly satisfying lunch buffet. It’s honestly one of the best international lunch buffets I’ve ever been to in Singapore, if not THE best. 

10/10 would totally come again without question. 

American Express Platinum Charge Card (Image source: American Express)

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$100 statement credits and 100,000 airmiles (in the form of 160,000 Membership Rewards points) when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$250 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 40, 000 Krisflyer miles and S$50 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

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