Asian Market Cafe: Halal-certified buffet at Fairmont

Asian Market Cafe

Asian Market Cafe is a halal-certified restaurant at Fairmont Singapore.

Asian Market Cafe

Several friends have recommended this place as THE restaurant to bring foreign friends / visitors for a taste of awesome local cuisine (disclaimer: foreign friend must be OK with spice), and I can’t believe that personally, I have yet to visit Asian Market Cafe for myself.

Entrance

That day, a close friend and I decided to drop by for their lunch buffet. 

Seating Area

Reservations are highly recommended; Asian Market Cafe is prone to large groups of visitors. Not surprising – the local buffet here is truly appealing. 

American Express: Love Dining

My readers have heard me wax lyrical about Amex Love Dining – Yes, I admit, I did get enticed to visit thanks to the American Express Love Dining benefits. The benefits come with ownership of the American Express Platinum Charge Card, and this makes dining in super worth it.

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

Bonus: Asian Market Cafe is part of Amex’s Local Dining Statement Credits benefit as well (In 2024, this was S$200 per year, and in 2025, this is S$100 every six months). One can double dip on both benefits – get the Amex Love Dining discount, and THEN receive up to the alloted amount in statement credits after.

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$900 statement credits and Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 (worth S$700) 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.

Halal-certified buffet

One who is familiar with Singapore’s geography will find themed areas  named after those places.

The buffet is divided into geographical locations that resemble Singapore’s – walking over to check out geylang and jalan kayu 😛

I suppose this was more for fun / to add to the theme of a ‘local’ dining experience. Whether it’s representative or not, is beyond my expertise – was Haji Lane and Jalan Kayu ever reknowned for drinks?

Joo Chiat: Seafood, Salad, Sushi, Kueh Pie Tee, Laksa

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.

Or in this case, located at Joo Chiat. LOL.

In no particular order: Cooked Prawns, Half Shell Scallop, Muf Crab, Venus Crab, Sea Whelk

And in second place, the next most sought after place when the buffet starts: The Sushi and Sashimi display.

Assorted Sushi and Maki, Salmon Sashimi, Tuna Tataki

Though, my friend and I, who were truly here for the local stuff, found ourselves whacking the fusion salads – which were pretty good; many had a spicy kick.

Left to right: Nyona Achar with Sesame, Crusty Salmon Salad in Laksa Mayonnaise, Seaweed Salad, Marinated Jellyfish, Thai Papaya Salad, Indonesian Ayam Panggang Salad

And we ravaged the Kueh Pie Tee stand.

DIY station for Kueh Pie Tee

These were sooo good: golden light crispy shell on the outside, warm vegetables and cooked shrimp on the inside, drizzled with chilli and coriander – it was one of my favourites that day. 

Not pictured: full plate of 8 pieces gobbled up before a picture was taken

Everything else so far in Joo Chiat seems to ben appetizer… except that Noodles and Laksa hardly qualify as starters. But they’re in the Joo Chiat section, and as DIY as the kueh pie tee, so here we are.

DIY noodles’ ondiments include: tofu puff, quail egg, fish cake, bean sprout, fish ball, enoki mushroom, spring onion, fried shallot, laksa leaf, sambal chilli, coriander leaf.

As far as noodle options go, there is a choice of bee hoon (recommended for laksa), yellow noodles, and kway teow (rice noodles).

Here’s my DIY noodles: Singapore Laksa

Spicy and rich in coconut milk. Yums.

Live Station

It’s always exciting when a buffet has a live station.

Live Station on the left, more Food Dishes on the right

Most of the buffet’s aroma stems from the very rich and smoky grill right here.

Satay station

Personally, I’m not super into satay, but my friend who was says that the ones here are very good: juicy and flavourful, and not too tough or oily.

Chicken Satay, Beef Satay, Steamed Rice Cake, Cucumber, Red Onion, and Peanut Sauce

From the grill, I actually prefered Asian Market Cafe’s variation of Roti Prata – here, curry chicken or cheese was folded into hot crispy prata – so it’s like a spicy wrap, but much better. 

Curry Chicken and Cheese Prata Foldovers

Bonus: it was kind of entertaining to see the staff cooking away –  there is something special about watching your food being prepared in front of you. Indeed, dining is about the experience as much as it is about the food itself, right?

Serangoon Road

The bulk of the buffet’s mains / curries / spicy dishes were all decked out at Serangoon Road.

Spot the Signage: Serangoon Road

Classics included hot bites such as fried chicken and spring rolls.

Hot bites: Ayam Goreng (deep fried chicken) with Masak Merah Dip, Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Thai Chilli Sauce

And then, there was spice. 

Fragrant Nasi Kuning (yellow rice), Beef Rendang, Singapore Fish Curry, Sayur Lodeh

Admittedly, I got most of my protein from this section. There are days when I really get the mood for beef rendang and fish curry, and this was one of those days.

Special kudos to the rendang: soft, super rich in flavour, and just lovely in the mouth. 

Loved the Fish Curry and Beef Rendang atop the Nasi Kuning. With a piece of Prata in the corner.

There were so many lovely dishes that it is impossible to describe it all. 

Spice Corner

Left to Right: Wok fried black pepper beef, Deep fried crispy barramundi in pla rad prik sauce, wok fried sambal prawn with petai, Thai seafood fried rice

Left to Right: Peranakan Mee Siam Goreng, Chicken Adobo, Steamed Brocolli Beancurd with carrot and mushrooms in superior broth

And behold, a highly beloved local dish:

Singapore Chilli Crab with Deep Fried Mantou

Singapore’s chilli crab has suffered from overpopularity – especially when it appears on a buffet table, the people are sure to whack. 

Including myself… *guilty*.

There are few dishes more comforting than dipping golden deep fried mantou into a thick chilli, spicy, seafood-laden sauce with crab bits sticking around. 

Rich. Savoury. Spicy.

Desserts at Pasir Panjang and Geylang

I swear, I tried to stop myself from having more chilli crab so that there’s room for dessert… at Pasir Panjang and Geylang. 

Kueh and Cakes at Pasir Panjang station

Also in the area: fruits.

Fruits

The Geylang stand carried Kueh Putu Ayu, Portoguese Egg Tart, and Kueh Lapis with Gula Melaka Sauce, as well as Thai Red Rubies and their signature Durian Pengat.

Come have fun in Geylang

Alternatively, one can go plain vanilla (no pun intended) and go for Geylang’s ice cream. 

Flavours: Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Lychee

The other side of Geylang

Every now and then, someone will lift the lid for Durian Pengat, and the VERY STRONG durian aroma would emerge…

Signature Asian Market Cafe Durian Pengat

Most people tend to either love or hate durian.

Myself, it was pure love that day. I couldn’t get enough of the durian – though there were many wonderful dishes, I have to declare the durian pengat my absolute favourite.

100% satisfied

Note: if you’re going for durian, try to take it LAST. I didn’t, and the other desserts – though they were very good – the aftertaste of durian messed with anything else I ate after. 

Red Rubies and Putu Ayu

Overall, an extremely wonderful, extremely well-enjoyed lunch. The service was friendly, the food refilled constantly, and everything was just pure joy. My friend and I were STUFFED. 

10/10 will bring my next foreign friend here for makan.

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$900 statement credits and Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 (worth S$700) 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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