Triple Three Restaurant 2016

Triple Three Restaurant 2016
333 Orchard Road
#05-00 Mandarin Orchard Hotel Singapore

http://www.meritushotels.com/en/mandarin-orchard-singapore/dining/triple-three.html

Ring Of Macarons

Decent International Buffet, Best Visited During Promotions

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 6
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 8
Value for Money: 6
Spent about SGD $127 per person.

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The in-house restaurant of Mandarin Orchard Hotel Singapore, the Triple Three Restaurant caters to the hotel's guests in the morning, but is open to the public for lunch and dinner. Offering a wide International buffet spread, Triple Three Restaurant, named for the address of the building, keeps things interesting with their themed buffet dinners (wagyu, foie gras, seafood, etc.), and overall, is a decent choice of hotel buffet. I personally find it to be better value for money if you take advantage of their special offers or promotions.

Ambience at Triple Three Restaurant is clean, modern, and comfortable, though the overall atmosphere feels dated. There really isn't much points of interest that draw the eye, nothing stands out amongst the understated furnishings in the spacious but warmly lit room. At least there's ample seating, but tightly packed such that the passages for movement are cramped. The food displays and various open kitchens are well laid out and attractive, with clear labels indicating what each dish is.

Service at Triple Three Restaurant is good. Staff are polite, professional, and efficient, seating diners quickly, and guiding them where needed. I also note they clear empty / dirty tables and plates quickly, which is always important in a buffet, preventing your table from being cluttered. If celebrating a birthday, staff at Triple Three Restaurant will surprise the guest with a cake, as well as sing the birthday song! The chefs at the various open kitchens also engage with guests, with the exception of the wine area, which isn't staffed, a barrier to enquiring about the various drinks.

Food at Triple Three Restaurant is largely decent. The International buffet here features an extensive array of options, it's near impossible to try everything in 1 visit! The difficulty is deciding which of the 15 food stations and open kitchens is worth the stomach space, and because of their nightly themed buffet dinners, the types of dishes available change daily. I find their regular prices, at SGD $127 per person, to be very expensive, and not worth it, however, Triple Three Restaurant regularly has dining offers and promotions. Generally though, I find the buffet at Triple Three Restaurant to be above average, but not particularly outstanding, when compared to other hotel buffets.

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Triple Three Restaurant Signage

Triple Three Restaurant Exterior

Triple Three Restaurant Interior

Seating

Seating

With 15 food stations and open kitchens, you'll be spoilt for choice in deciding what to eat! And because the menu largely varies day to day, revisits become worthwhile. Each food station or open kitchen typically offers between 3 - 8 types of dishes, and when they run out of a dish, a completely new dish is offered instead.

Open Kitchens

Station Wine

Station Teppanyaki Grill

Station Roast Meats

Station Pasta & Risotto

Station Chinese Dim Sum

Station Indian Curries & Breads

Station Japanese Sushi & Sashimi

Station Salad

Station Fresh Seafood

Station Fresh Seafood

Station Bread

Station Dessert Pastries

Station Chocolate Fountain

Station Charcuterie

Station Cheese

On each themed buffet night dinners, Monday offers free-flow of Beer Kirin Draught; Tuesday highlights foie gras; Wednesday highlights slow, oven-roasted Japanese wagyu beef; Thursday is themed around the famed Tsukiji Fish Market with its premium Japanese seafood selection; Friday and Saturday offers fresh lobster and lobster mentaiyaki.

Plate Of Assorted Buffet Dishes

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Good Dishes

The artfully plated Pan-Seared Scallop With Avocado Puree features plump, fresh, meaty scallop, on a streak of creamy avocado puree. The delicate sweetness of the scallop is complemented by the grassy, earthy avocado. Beautiful!

Pan-Seared Scallop With Avocado Puree

Loved the house Smoked Cured Fish - Mackerel, Tuna, Salmon, With Pearl Onion & Capers. The 3 types of fish, while thinly sliced, carries good savoury salty smoky flavour, without being overwhelming or unpleasant. Instead, each bite is a burst of flavour, making you crave more!

Smoked Cured Tuna

Smoked Cured Salmon

Smoked Cured Fish - Mackerel, Tuna, Salmon, With Pearl Onion & Capers

The chilled Fresh Seafood - Prawns, Shrimp, Clams, Mussels, Alaskan King Crab, Lemon Wedge stood out, thanks to the simple freshness of each seafood item. Clean tasting, with the delicate sweetness of seafood, each was easy to deshell, and I enjoyed it. The best item for me was the Alaskan King Crab, you can taste the incredible sweetness in the meat!

Clams

Mussels

Prawns

Fresh Seafood - Prawns, Shrimp, Clams, Mussels, Alaskan King Crab, Lemon Wedge

Fresh Seafood - Prawns, Shrimp, Clams, Mussels, Alaskan King Crab, Lemon Wedge

Between the Teppanyaki Bean Sprouts & Salmon and Teppanyaki Bean Sprouts & Beef Ribeye, I preferred the beef ribeye, which was tender, savoury, and moist. Cutting though it is satisfiying! The fillet of salmon fish steak is moist and flakes apart easily, while the bean sprouts still retain some crunch in texture, without being soft or limp.

Teppanyaki Bean Sprouts & Salmon

Teppanyaki Bean Sprouts & Beef Ribeye

The star dish of my meal was the Honey Baked Ham, Sauteed Button Mushroom, Roast Zucchini, Roast Capsicum, Yorkshire Pudding, Honey Pineapple Glaze, Wholegrain Mustard. The smoky roasted vegetables of Sauteed Button Mushroom, Roast Zucchini, Roast Capsicum, pair well with the crisp Yorkshire Pudding. The Honey Baked Ham was outstanding, thick, meaty, and moist in texture, with a nice savoury salty smoky taste. Perfect, and best paired with the Honey Pineapple Glaze, which was rich, sweet, and fruity!

Honey Baked Ham

Honey Baked Ham, Sauteed Button Mushroom, Roast Zucchini, Roast Capsicum, Yorkshire Pudding, Honey Pineapple Glaze, Wholegrain Mustard

Honey Baked Ham, Sauteed Button Mushroom, Roast Zucchini, Roast Capsicum, Yorkshire Pudding, Honey Pineapple Glaze, Wholegrain Mustard

Honey Baked Ham, Sauteed Button Mushroom, Roast Zucchini, Roast Capsicum, Yorkshire Pudding, Honey Pineapple Glaze, Wholegrain Mustard

The house made Coconut Popsicle is simple and straight-forward, but I loved it! Easy to carry around and eat, I noticed a lot of diners getting it as their last item before leaving!

Coconut Popsicle

Loved the Chocolate Mousse here, among the best I've eaten! The texture is creamy, thick, and rich, with intense chocolate flavour. The garnishings of blueberries, pistachio sponge cake, and chocolate balls, lend variety to each sweet mouthful, preventing it from being cloying. Excellent!

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse

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Decent Dishes

These dishes I tried were decent, average in taste and execution. Good enough to fill the stomach, and for variety, but not outstanding or memorable. Even if you skip these, you won't be missing much.

Salted Egg Crayfish

Zucchini Matar Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

Naan & Prata

Prata & Chicken Tikka Masala

Chawanmushi

New York Cheesecake

Blackforest Cake

Yuzu Sponge Cake

Yuzu Sponge Cake

Cheese Plate - Parmesan, Cheddar, Port Salut, Camembert, Brie, Blue, Goat, Fruit, Herb, With Crackers, Walnut, Dried Apricot

Cheese Plate - Parmesan, Cheddar, Port Salut, Camembert, Brie, Blue, Goat, Fruit, Herb, With Crackers, Walnut, Dried Apricot

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Terrible Dishes

Sorely disappointed by the Roast Beef ribeye, which was salty, tough, and dry. Searching around online for other reviews, it seems several others have similar poor experience with this dish. At least the Steamed Broccoli, Chive Mashed Potato were tasty and executed well, though the Black Truffle Beef Au Jus Gravy was weak.