Bucketta Review: Seafood Bucket Buffet From $39.90++ Per Person At Downtown East

Bucketta has $39.90++ seafood bucket buffet in Pasir Ris

If you’re raring to stuff yourself silly with seafood, then Bucketta, a Thai seafood place with outlets at Downtown East and Golden Mile Tower, may be an option worth considering. While the eatery has several things going for it, the price of its Seafood Bucket Buffet is arguably its most enticing trait—prices start from $39.90++ per person, and for a period of 100 minutes, you can absolutely feast.

While the prices are certainly a draw, you may be wondering whether the food here is any good. To answer this question, we dropped by Bucketta’s Downtown East outlet and tried the fare for ourselves.

Food at Bucketta

During the buffet, we got to try two buckets from the Premium Buffet ($59.90++ per person) option. Since the buffet only offers two types of sauces, the Signature Thai Cajun Sauce and the Signature Garlic Butter, we asked for each bucket to be prepared in one of these respective sauces.

Whether you pick the Premium or Classic ($39.90++ per person) option, each bucket will come loaded with ingredients such as tiger prawns, black mussels, white clams, broccoli, corn, sausages and more. As we went for the more expensive buffet, there was also crayfish and a giant river prawn, but these came in more limited quantities, and understandably so, considering they are “rarer” catches.

We found that most of the seafood ingredients were reasonably fresh and well-prepared. The tiger prawns, for instance, were sizeable, sweet, and crunchy across both buckets, and the mussels and clams weren’t overly briny, which helped their respective textures shine alongside the sauces—we’ll get into the sauces in a bit.

However, we had some issues with the aforementioned “rarer” catches. The giant river prawn looked unquestionably bigger than, say, the tiger prawns, and yet actually peeling the shell revealed a disappointing lack of meat. That was supposed to be a highlight, and yet it fared worse than the generic tiger prawn.

The crayfish didn’t fare much better. We found its meat to be dry, somewhat mushy, and unpleasant tasting overall. If you value the freshness and quality of the seafood you’re ordering, there’s a chance Bucketta won’t impress in that regard.

As for the sauces, we preferred the Signature Thai Cajun Sauce over the Signature Garlic Butter—and it wasn’t close. The former was a sweet-savoury delight, with a tangy kick and an earthy aroma that made it quite addictive. The latter, sadly, was watered down by comparison.

Diners who’ve selected Premium Buffet are entitled to Bucketta’s interesting range of side dishes, which is depicted above.

We were particularly fond of the Thai Pork Chop, with its succulent texture and charred note in every bite. Another side worth ordering is the Mama Noodles, which can be mixed with the Cajun sauce for extra flavour. And while you’re at it—top up $10 to enjoy a free flow of drinks and beer.

Ambience at Bucketta

Bucketta’s Downtown East outlet is spacious, comfortable, and sports a nautical theme that sees paddles, lifebuoys, and ship’s wheels hung up around the restaurant. But you won’t be comfortable for too long, as seafood buckets are notoriously messy affairs—be sure to wear a bib before you tuck in!

Bucketta is a 15-minute walk away from Pasir Ris MRT Station.

The verdict

While there were several flaws in the seafood bucket, especially regarding certain seafood, the accessible price point and range of sides means there is some value in trying out Bucketta. We weren’t the biggest fan of their fare, but we can see why others might like it.

For an excellent seafood restaurant to check out, read our Ministry of Crab review. For more eateries in the Pasir Ris area, read our best Pasir Ris food places guide.

Address: 1 Pasir Ris Close, #02-125 Ehub@Downtown East, Singapore 519599
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 11pm
Tel: 9156 6664
Website
Bucketta is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Maisie Chong.
This was a media tasting at Bucketta.