Oscar’s is the all-day dining restaurant located on level 1 of Conrad Centennial Hotel. Although the restaurant has an a la carte menu, I’ve always known it more for its buffets comprising both local and international fare. As such, when I saw that AMEX had an offer for $60 cashback with a minimum spend of $300 at Hilton hotels, I immediately gathered my family to try out the buffet dinner here (: Adding on a 25% discount from the Hilton Honors membership, the eventual price was just too good to be true!
- Our order:
- Oscar’s weeknight dinner buffet for 6 ($78++ per adult)
- Spent: SGD$413.13
With a generally positive impression of Oscar’s from when we last stayed here (except for the wailing babies around us), I was glad that there was much less of a crowd this time, probably because we came on a Monday evening. The vibe was a slow, relaxing one, with no queues in the way of getting to our food and no noisy chatter we had to raise our voices over.
Service was impeccable and attentive too. Jia Jie, one of the wait staff, was meticulous and quick to clear our plates once we were done. Melody was always ready to assist us with any request we made and also offered to help us take a family photo. Tommy, the easy-going sous chef, actively invited everyone who walked past his buffet station to partake of whatever he was serving. It was such a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere thanks to the staff’s friendly dispositions (:
Now, on to the food! Most of the items were hits in our books, whereas a few of them did miss the mark. Overall variety of the spread was good, with the seafood section clearly being the most enticing. My family went wild with the freshly shucked free-flow oysters while I happily devoured slices of my favourite salmon sashimi.
Some of the outstanding mains we had were the chicken soup with dried scallops (flavourful, hearty and comforting), smashed avocado that was on the fluffiest freshly toasted brioche, and the pan-seared halibut with mustard cream (smooth texture coupled with a creamy, savoury sauce).
Alas, the supposed signature laksa was way too spicy for me to enjoy, even without the chilli. My dad and husband’s verdict on it was that it tasted rather average. Everyone at the table also found the kueh pie tee too salty for their liking.
Some of the desserts were a little bit of a letdown as well. Although they were mostly not too sweet, which was great compared to what we last had for afternoon tea at the Lobby Lounge, the textures and flavour profiles weren’t that impressive.
Having said that, there were a few dessert items I’d definitely recommend! I really liked the refreshing wine jelly with apple gel (melt-in-your-mouth texture with just a hint of alcohol) and the William pear mousse (light mousse topped with fruits and a moist cake base). My husband enjoyed the chocolate tofu as it was an amusing combination of “East meets West” (by any other western name, he probably would’ve thought the dish weird). According to my brother, his winning desserts were the chocolate hazelnut crunch, as well as the Belgian waffles with ice cream (made on the spot so it was warm with a slight crisp on the edges).
My overall rating of the experience: 4 out of 5 stars. It was a good idea to head down on a weeknight as the ambience was wonderfully serene and laid-back. The food selection had good variety, but more importantly, the consistency in quality was generally quite decent. We enjoyed most of the food, with some being more memorable than others. Plus you can’t go wrong with a fresh seafood section with free-flow oysters, prawns and sashimi. The dessert items could do with some improving as a whole, but there were a few that did taste pretty delicious. Service was also fantastic – the staff here were efficient yet personable. All in all, it is a nice place to bring your family for a hearty meal, especially when there are promotions to stack!
Dania Experiences 