Melt - The World Cafe @ Mandarin Oriental Hotel

I've been hearing raves about the buffet at Mandarin Oriental's Melt - The World Cafe restaurant. With the on-going UOB promotion on 3 diners + 1 diner free, my colleagues and I decided to go and discover what the buzz was all about on this famous restaurant. Armed with an adventurous and curious appetite, we lavishly feasted on the extensive repertoire of combined asian and international buffet.
A wide array of fresh seafood on ice was the star of the buffet set-up. It's beaming with fresh oysters, crabs, lobsters, scallops, mussels and prawns. This was a very good station to start with.

Pardon the very limited food shots taken for this post. The dimly lit ambiance at the restaurant made it relatively difficult to capture a nice angle. The buffet showcased a total of 7 stations to choose from :


1) antipasti, salads, breads & cheese, sushi & sashimi
2) fresh, cold seafood
3) chinese & thai cuisine
4) indian cuisine
5) combined asian & western cuisine
6) roast specialties, pasta & noodles
7) desserts & sweets



While each station had something that's worth a try, there were also some dishes that were mere so-so. Some of the notable ones were tandoori chicken, chicken masala, naan, tomato soup with garlic bread, fresh seafood, smoked duck, roasted pork, barbecue ribs for the savoury dishes and chocolate fondue and waffle a-la mode for the desserts. Generally, it's a good buffet to try but it still leaves you craving for more. In terms of variety, it's extensive enough to deliver your money's worth . Quality wise, which pertains to taste and wow factor, it fell short of my expectations granted that it's very well hyped in the foodies' world.