Oscar’s buffet review: International and local à la carte buffet at Conrad Centennial Singapore

Here’s my Oscar’s Buffet review for the International and local à la carte buffet at Conrad Centennial Singapore.

Amex Love Dining

I have talked about this ad nauseum on this blog: I am a die-hard fan of the Love Dining benefits that come with the American Express Platinum Charge Card. The husband and I consistently receive up to 50% off our meals when we dine at participating hotel dining establishments and restaurants.

At up to 50% off when eating out at restaurants in renowed hotels (see hotel dining guide here) or other reputable dining establishments (restaurant dining guide here!) – I honestly cannot recommend the Love Dining programme enough.

That, among other reasons, makes the American Express Platinum Charge card absolutely worth it.

Oscar’s at Conrad Centennial Singapore is one of the participating dining establishments, and finally the family of four – Husband, two kids (aged 4 and 1) and myself – are finally dining here.

Even better: in addition to Love Dining benefits (50% off two adults), both our small kids get to dine for FREE.

Translated: for the buffet price of ONE ADULT (SGD 79++ in our case), the entire family of four gets to eat. How awesome is that?

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$350 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 38, 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.

Oscar’s buffet review: Conrad Centennial Singapore

We have loved the Conrad Centennial Singapore, and have done two staycations here. One was for our 11th year wedding anniversary staycation two years ago, and another was a stay in the Centennial King Suite over last year’s Chinese New Year.

Both these stays were wonderful. Unfortunately, back then, Oscar’s had exited from Love Dining (dining establishments do enter and exit sometimes). So when we heard the news that Oscar’s came back to Love Dining, we just had to give it a go!

Entrance to Oscar’s at Conrad Centennial Singapore

In pre-covid19 days, the restaurant would display an entire array of dishes right on the display area. 

But alas, with covid19, DINING IN ITSELF has become somewhat of a luxury – restrictions that come and go does mean that the opportunities for eating out can be taken away at any time.

Seating Area

Honestly folks, I feel so privileged to have this à la carte buffet, and then I get the joy to reminisce while writing this Oscar’s buffet review.

Starters

The à la carte buffet boasts a selection of both local and international goodies. Of course, we HAD to start the meal with seafood.

The oysters and prawns were fresh, and the husband had multiple servings of it. Myself, I very much am a sashimi kind of person –  These were ordinary but enjoyable; it’s a personal must-have for a buffet.

The Kueh Pie Tee is hugely popular; filled with crab meat, roasted peanuts and coriander, it’s one of the better Kueh Pie Tees I’ve ever come across.

Likewise, the Taramasalata Pop – I highly recommend it; filled with black tobiko (caviar), pickled beets, and Asian herbs, this was both sophisticated and refreshing. 

There is a Salmon Poke Bowl – though it could have easily been labelled as a sashimi salad, lol. 

Overall, all the starters that we tried were good. My favourite was the Kueh Pie Tee – we actually ordered a few rounds of those. 

And we haven’t gotten to the mains yet. Dear lord.

Oscar’s buffet review: local selections

In reality, when one keeps ordering food off the buffet menu, the lines between the food categories gets a little blurred. 

The Laksa was enjoyable but kind of ordinary. Honestly, as far as hotel laksa goes, my preference lies with the ones at Marriott hotel’s Crossroads Cafe or Shangri-La’s Rose Veranda. 

Not that it’s bad – served warm it was rather comforting, but as a dish it just doesn’t feel very outstanding.

The steamed fish here caters well to the local chinese population. A halibut with soy sauce, this was a hit with the kids. Soft and tender, even our one-year-old chowed it down despite having about 6 teeth. 

Here’s something pretty unique: Laziji Pau. Translated as a Spicy Fried Chicken Bun, this chinese bun holds a Sichuan-style fried chicken, slatered in spicy sambal mayonnaise, and topped with cucumber and coriander. 

Like an Asian sandwich, but even better. 

Wash it all down with soup.

Though labelled as a Chicken Soup with Ginseng, the sweet corn somewhat reminds me of ABC soup. Not bad at all, but given that there’s so many other things to try out, this doesn’t quite get priority in a buffet. 

Especially when the Western items come in more unique / less conventional varieties.

Oscar’s buffet review: Western

When I was hashbrown on the menu, my brain stopped thinking, and we just HAD to have it.

The whole hashbrown setup was also one of our favourites. Flavourful mushrooms, laced with a truffle backdrop, lie atop a crispy deep fried hashbrown – what’s there not to love? A hit with both the adults and kids.

And, what’s an international buffet if there wasn’t a carving of some sort?

Behold the steak. Served with garlic and thyme mashed potato and peppercorn jus, the meat was juicy and succulent. If you love steak, this is a great go-to. In fact the table next to ours looked like they ordered a dozen of these for three people. It’s idiot-proof – can’t go wrong with this.

Alternatively, instead of a beef steak… there’s the option of braised beef and poached eggs.

This dish takes poached eggs to another level – break the yolk, and the runny goodness is absorbed by everything below. So sinfully rich, so good.

With Western dishes comes a Western-style soup. The Wild Mushroom and Thyme Soup is flavoured with truffle essence; truffle lovers would definitely appreciate it. 

The Western seafood item worth mentioning? Clams and Chorizo (Spanish sausage). It comes with a gravy made of cherry romatoes, thyme, garlic, butter, and wine, and served with grilled multigrain bread. 

Biggest surprise of the day? (In a good way) Cauliflower! Roasted with parmesan polenta, toasted macadamia nuts, and romesco – I don’t know what Conrad Centennial has done, but this dish is DA BOMB.

My husband declared that this is how cauliflower should be made. Nutty, slightly sweet, and cheesy at the same time (thank you parmesan), the dish was so very unique. 10/10 would recommend trying this out!

Oscar’s buffet review: Desserts

A good buffet must end with a good variety of desserts, and this Oscar’s buffet review declares that our current meal is no exception. 

For example, there’s ice cream and gelato.

The four-year-old daughter is nuts about pink colour, so if there’s ice cream, pink is her default choice. 

The Raspberry Gelato she got was sweet, sour and fruity. Mmm. For a dessert, it was definitely on the lighter side.

For a more chocolatey nutty option, the Royal Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch is a good one. It feels like a more atas / high-end version of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Great choice if you don’t know what to get for dessert.

There are some local desserts too. Oscar’s has its own version of the Mango Pomelo Sago. Very creamy, and very refreshing.

Durian lovers – don’t miss the D24 durian cream puff.  Oh-so-thick durian cream filling is pipped into a soft choux pastry. and every bite bursts forth durian cream goodness.

Pair it with the Shredded Coconut Tart for a bit of a balance in flavours.

Oh, and those waffles that they make on-site? Soooo pretty, and our kids squealed with delight at the sight.

These waffles were airy and light, and almost crunchy. Thankfully they were not too dense – everyone was quite stuffed at this point. 

Suddenly, one of the servers brought us a little surprise.

At the time of making reservations (via phone), the staff asked if we were celebrating a special occasion. I actually said, well, not really – after all we VERY recently officially celebrated already with a very special lunch at Jaan by Kirk Westaway (at Swissotel the Stamford). 

But neverthless, the staff said no worries, they will be more than happy to let us celebrate again, and a complimentary cake was given to us. What a lovely and thoughtful gesture – it was either a strawberry or raspberry mousse layered cake.

Except that the daughter had most of it… because it is pink. Hahaha.

Love Dining Benefits

To learn more about the love dining programme, check out my guide right here.

For this Oscar’s buffet review, as a holder of both the American Express Platinum Reserve card, and the Amex Platinum charge card – both of which come wih the Love Dining Benefits – on the condition of a minimum order of lunch or dinner buffet for two adults (in our case, dinner) –  I received the following dining discounts: 

Oscar’s Buffet Review – International and local buffet at Conrad Centennial Singapore

• Buffet, adult dinner: S$79.00 per adult

– Subtotal for 2 adults: $158.00

– Amex 50% discount = minus $79.00 = balance of $79.00

– 7% GST: $6.08

– 10% Service Charge: $7.90

– Total Bill: $92.98.

(Note: Children below the age of 6 are not counted as guest diners)

Want some Love Dining?

Apply for an American Express credit card and get bonus points!

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$350 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 38, 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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