This $22.80++ Taiwan Porridge Buffet In Orchard Is A Steal—But Is It Any Good?

Crystal Cafe has $22.80++ Taiwan porridge buffet in Orchard

Orchard is known for having pricier-than-usual food, though there are obviously some exceptions. But what if you wanted to eat a truly hearty meal in town without breaking the bank? We’ve got just the place for you: Crystal Cafe, the restaurant at Orchard Grand Court.

Crystal Cafe has a Taiwan Porridge Buffet priced from just $22.80++ per person. That means you’re getting access to a wide spread of food—well beyond just Taiwanese porridge itself—at the price of a random Orchard restaurant’s main dish. In this economy, that’s an absolute steal.

But price aside, is the food actually good? Let’s find out in this review.

Food at Crystal Cafe

Crystal Cafe doesn’t have the largest buffet spread around, especially when compared to its pricier counterparts such as Colony and Lime Restaurant. But for the price, we were impressed that it went far beyond its “Taiwan porridge” label—there was seafood, Nyonya kueh, and even pasta, to name a few.

But let’s focus on the porridge aspect first. Pictured above are the six curated items that go perfectly with porridge: Braised Eggs, Pork Belly, Kiam Chye, Tau Pok, Tau Kwa, and Fish Cake. All of these are exactly what you’d want as accompaniments, from the tender and savoury pork belly to the silky tau kwa. Even the fish cake was bouncy and fresh.

Of course, you can pair any dish with the porridge, as it functions almost as a conduit for whatever you put into it. Whether you’re just enjoying Braised Peanuts, Ikan Bilis and more, we loved the old-school simplicity of the porridge experience.

The porridge itself is the kind of watery gruel you’d expect of Teochew porridge, though it’s prepared with large chunks of sweet potato to give it body and a subtle sweetness. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it went well with the other dishes we tried.

Moving away from the porridge, we were thoroughly impressed with the Char Siew, which was juicy and thick-cut.

We were impressed by how nicely roasted it was—just look at that char on the outside! What it lacked was some depth of flavour, as the sweet-savoury glaze wasn’t as rich as we’d have liked.

The Herbal Drunken Prawns were excellent, too. These crunchy prawns were elevated by aromatic rice wine, along with the earthiness of herbs such as dangui. We found ourselves going back for seconds!

The chicken rice, meanwhile, was a miss. The steamed chicken was rather tough, which stood in stark contrast to the char siew.

The rice, though fluffy and nicely separated, lacked much in the way of flavour. There was the unmistakable aroma of chicken fat, ginger and more, but the taste just wasn’t really present.

There are other braised dishes on offer, too, including the Braised Pork Leg and Chicken Feet. Both were solid additions, especially the pork leg, which had a deep braise, gelatinous skin, and succulent meat.

Crystal Cafe also has plenty of desserts. That includes their Assorted Nyonya Kueh, which includes some wonderfully fragrant ondeh ondeh. French pastries are also available, though they pale in comparison to the kueh.

Ambience at Crystal Cafe

As far as hotel buffets go, Crystal Cafe has a considerably more modest interior, with old-school carpeted flooring and rustic wooden furnishings. But it gets the job done, and at no point did we feel uncomfortable during our dining experience.

Crystal Cafe is a six-minute walk from Somerset MRT Station.

Crystal Cafe – Eatbook Review

The Taiwan Porridge Buffet at Crystal Cafe is excellent value for money. Not only is it considerably more affordable than most other buffets, but it also offers homely yet delicious options that will both fill you up and warm your soul. If you plan on checking out the buffet, do check out Crystal Cafe’s website to confirm the buffet timings!

For a popular Teochew porridge eatery since 1996, read White House Teochew Porridge review. For an old-school cafe with orh nee bun, Teochew porridge and more in JB, read our Ah Ma TeoChew Kuih review.

Address: 131 Killiney Road, Orchard Grand Court, Singapore 239571
Opening hours: Daily 7am to 9pm
Tel: 6830 2020
Website
Crystal Cafe is not halal-certified.

Photos by Nathania Tay.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.