The Buffet Club review: Is this the best halal buffet in Singapore?

The Buffet Club promises a premium halal buffet in Singapore – but does it deliver? I left the restaurant with plenty of notes.

Spotted in Katong: The Buffet Club, Singapore’s latest Muslim-friendly dining spot that promises a premium halal buffet experience. This new restaurant offers a mix of regional dishes and international classics that require some buffet discipline. With plenty of social media buzz about the place, I decided to make a booking for dinner at The Buffet Club. Is it the best halal buffet in Singapore? Let’s find out…

The Buffet Club Singapore review: Details at a glance

Best for: Special occasions when you want wedding-buffet vibes without the wedding
Must-try items: Selat Melaka (Malacca Straits) station; pisang goreng (banana fritters); jemput-jemput pisang (fried banana balls)
How much: Lunch at $59++ for adults (1-for-1) and $15++ for children (four to 11 years old); dinner at $79++ for adults (1-for-1) and $19++ for children
Opening hours: Fridays, 5pm to 10pm and weekends, 11am to 10pm (two sessions for lunch and dinner)
Address: The Buffet Club, #02-01, 86 East Coast Road, Singapore 428788

Where grandeur and modernity collide

The Buffet Club emerged from a vision to infuse the timeless elegance of grand dining into the freedom and flair of a contemporary buffet. Those impressions hit me the moment I got into the restaurant, located on Katong Square’s second floor.

An opulent dais draped with flowers and lace curtains stood at one end of the space. A mix of round and rectangular dining tables dotted the place, while the ceiling featured modern chandeliers. Bathed in a warm, yellow glow, The Buffet Club felt less like a restaurant and more like a wedding banquet.

“Oh, this was where Malay families held their weddings during the pandemic,” my companion said to me, as if reading my mind. We were ushered to our table as more people streamed in, finding their spots and waiting for the 7.30pm buffet dinner to commence.

The station that carried hard

The buffet stations are distinctly divided into various cuisines, with the biggest section dedicated to food along the Malacca Straits, namely the Riau Islands, Malaysia’s west coast, and even southern Thailand. It’s a greatest hits spread of familiar dishes, from beef rendang and ayam masak merah (chicken in spicy tomato sauce), to rarely spotted fare like tetelan rawon (beef and mutton trimmings in Indonesian beef soup made from black nut).

Unsurprisingly, most diners flocked to this station, piling the offerings on their plates before gleefully returning to their tables. I went the modest route, going for a few pieces of nasi impit (compressed rice cubes), sambal goreng pengantin, terong belado (Indonesian sambal eggplant), acar Padang, begedil, and serunding (spiced grated coconut). (All of them were in small portions, in case you’re curious.)

I took a whiff of the mouthwatering aromas after setting down my plate and dug in. Every morsel felt like a dance on my palate – strong, spicy flavours hitting first, followed by deep, savoury notes that made it impossible to slow down or stop at just one plate. We were off to a good start, and I was keen to see if the other stations could match up to this section.

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A buffet of hits… and a few misses

With the other options readily available, my stomach was begging for mercy. Nyonya laksa and curry noodles, Hainanese chicken rice, biryani, pastas and pizzas, BBQ seafood… it was a feast for all senses. But for all of its deliciousness, that’s when things began to lose a bit of their shine.

I went for a plate of roasted chicken rice during my second round. While the station nailed the fragrant rice, I wished they had deboned the chicken. Still, the protein was tender and juicy, and complemented the carbs well. The pizza slice I got from the ‘Italian kitchen’ was unremarkable, and the satay was a little dry for my liking. The soto ayam was serviceable, but I wished it were a touch less peppery.

The traditional fritters were a great addition – my only (minor) gripe was that I would’ve loved for them to be bigger in size. (Hey shrinkflation, who invited you into this house?) Oh, the teh tarik might be too sweet for some folks (no Asian compliment here); I recommend adding water to get to your preferred sweetness level.

There were some glimmers of greatness here and there. The BBQ lamb shoulders were seasoned well and had no gaminess, while I thoroughly enjoyed the sambal stingray.

Is The Buffet Club worth going back for seconds?

Now it’s time to “circle back” to the most important question: Is The Buffet Club the best halal buffet in Singapore? To be honest, it’s a mixed platter. The food selection is commendable, but you can get more options at other halal buffet spots.

What the team nailed best was the flavour profile. I still can’t get over the delectable Malacca Straits station – if I had a choice, I’d just feast from this section. Oh, and shoutout to the robust sauces, which serve as the perfect companion to everything you’ve piled on your plate. Note to the restaurant: Please bottle and sell the sauces so I (and everyone else) can enjoy them anywhere, anytime.

That said, if The Buffet Club could use a lighter hand on the sweets, that would be great. Overall, I’d say this halal buffet spot ranks decently on my list. With a few tweaks and continued improvements, it could go very far. I might be back during the fasting season, mainly for the sambal goreng pengantin. Please wait for me!

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