Carousel

One of the reasons why I love to stay at Royal Plaza on Scotts was their buffet breakfast at the Carousel restaurant. The Carousel has won many awards and voted as the best buffet restaurant in Singapore for 6 years running. I travel solo many times to Singapore and always enjoyed my morning breakfast here. The Carousel has their own house-​made bread and desserts on display every morning. Not only that, they also provides international halal cuisines on daily basis to suit people from different culture.
Like any good hotel breakfast there are plenty on offer from dim sum, fresh fruit juices, croissants, fresh seafood and fruits. Kids’ favourite usually the omelette station where they can request different vegetables and meats to be put together in their omelette.
The unfortunate thing about being a solo traveler was that there are too many things to try and only so little space in my tummy. Next time I should drag the whole family to eat here!

Located at the Royal Plaza hotel in the heart of Singapore where we were staying. Greeted by the most friendly hostesses Amal and Mary who despite the fact that there was a 20 min wait seated us in 5. I spent the first 7 minutes just walking checking the amazing dishes that were freshly being prepared right there in front of you. The sushi, seafood and desert stations were exceptionally amazing, and delicious. One of the best buffets I’ve been to. Must try when you are in Singapore and is by the way rated as the best buffet in Singapore by the locals.

I’ve eaten hear about 5 – 6 times during my visit to Singapore, mainly because I stayed at Royal Palace and had a bunch of work meetings here. At first I really disliked this place. It was very expensive (e.g. appx $ 50pp for lunch buffet) and there was nothing special about it. Overtime though, I started to fall in love with the place. Something about the same staff that always smiles as you when you get there in the morning. The ambience music was also a nice touch.
I was at first, disappointed with the selection. Nothing too special with it came to options. Bread, congee, noodles. Nothing I can’t get across the street for $ 5, however. I finally gave each item a chance and realized why people love this place. With the simple/​basic items, they do it very well. The soup was seasoned to perfection. Bread pudding, congee, ice cream, were all done consistently well.

Dinner buffet for five people — also worked without reservation on a weekday
Buffet is pricy but covers everything: sushi, DIY salat, soup, pasta made to order, Indian dishes, lots of meat, chocolate fountains to cover your choice of fruit, ice cream, frozen yogurt, crème brûlée, cake etc.
Nobody should worry about finding something to eat here with this selection. The waiters are okay, some quite attentive, others not so much.
We were seated at a round table on colorful plastic chairs, which wasn’t that comfortable but not as noisy as the other parts of the restaurant with «real» chairs.
Altogether a nice evening with okay food and a bottle of wine to share, but not too fancy if you consider the price.

High tea at Royal Scott’s Carousel… again! It was a branch Christmas /​New Year gathering cum treat by our boss. We went there as a big group.
Honestly, I always re-​realise how small an eater I am whenever I attend such buffets. I honestly just do not know how to enjoy buffets. I see my colleagues finishing plate after plate, and there I was, already grabbing desserts on my second plate. Even then, I drove home feeling like puking in my car the whole entire trip. So bloody full!
Anyways, food-​wise… what can you expect from an ultra high-​end 5-​star hotel restaurant like Carousel? Quality. Yes. Quality food. Quality service. Quality seats. Haha! Yeah well, we managed to book the reserved priority section in the restaurant. I quite like the spot as it gave our team of colleagues some privacy as it was separated from the normal seats with some sort of screens.
Food choices were vast that I couldn’t decide what to start with. I personally loved their shepherd pie the most. The mashed potato was just perfect and smooth. I wasn’t too impressed with their Akashiyaki balls. It would have been better if they had just stick with Takoyakis — my favourite Japanese food. I even had fun making my own bowl of ice-​kachang. The irony was that I never loved the kachangs (beans) in my ice-​kachangs. Lol! Just scooped some jellies and cendols.
Overall, Carousel is definitely a great place to eat if you feel like having some classy dining.

Unlike other places such as Japan and New York where the cupcake wave has retreated as a popular pastime, cupcakes continue to hold sway in Singapore as more bakeries and cafes enter the scene to fight the sweet pie cake. Here comes the Artisan Cupcakes, modern savvy interpretations of that humble confection by the skilled patissiers of Gourmet Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts.
Tasting all the 12 different flavours made me feel as if I was the Alice walking in (cupcake) Wonderland, my heart filled with trepidation as I confronted never-​seen-​before items like the Olive Polenta & Salami. Looking like a red velvet cake, it tasted nothing like an average cupcake, but still legitimate to be called one because it is polenta (a kind of cornmeal) cake fitted into a cup. Folded in with smoked black pepper chicken, salami and covered in a royal purple potato mousseline, the cake reminded me of the savoury loaves known by the French as cake sales, bumped up with richness and piquancy.
Don’t let this stop you if you aren’t very acquainted to the idea of savoury cupcakes. I love the Salted Egg Yolk, not just because it is beautifully adorned with a «sunny side egg» constructed of a mildly tart mango ravioli and whipped cream, but because the salted egg yolk bits and crunchy Chinese melon nuts gave this an oriental festive twist. Like celebrating Chinese New Year and Mooncake festival at the same time.
I thought the Salted Egg Yolk was already quirkily tasty but the Corn & Scallion was even better. This one has a very sour greenish potato mousseline frosting that was not overpowered by the scallions, an ideal contrast to the cake that is marginally sweetened with crunchy kernel corns.
I have second thoughts on whether the «Healthy» cupcakes are truly the healthiest trio of the batch because they were so sinfully loaded with dried fruits and nuts, surpassing the rest with their strong flavours and density. Take for example, the Fruity Muesli, which landed itself midway between a fruit protein bar and a beloved Christmas fruitcake. Similarly, the Carrot is a moist carrot cake that left me feeling wholesome and satiated but the ultra-​sweet carrot kneaded from marzipan-​icing could be an «overkill». I prefer the Honey and Figs, seductively nuanced flavour of molasses and cinnamon accents. The toasted brioche and mascarpone cream cheese lent a savoury touch to the cake.

In case you might be too enchanted by the whimsical combinations, don’t leave the Originals behind. I highly recommend the Chocolat; transcendent, luscious, perfectly deep cocoa flavours. Hats off to the chef who managed to grasp the essence of chocolate. The Red Velvet exudes an easy-​going charm with its moist fluffy interior and cream cheese frosting. But like all meringues, the topping of a raspberry meringue ball is on the very sweet side, so be warned
The sugar level for the Raspberry Lemon is too good on the high side but there is always the 70% Varlhona chocolate version to fall on. The most impressive element was the chocolate espuma, which has an extremely smooth mouth-​feel and so light as if I was biting into chocolate air.

I am pretty impressed with the spread at Carousel. It has been many years since I last dined there and I thought it was just average at best. It always befuddled me when I read it has won several awards for its buffet, but finally I can see the reason.
Service:
I am not sure if it was due to my friend who made the reservations for 13 of us or what, but we were given a private room (there are 2 available), and there was a dedicated server for our room. Plates were cleared swiftly and the service was certainly attentive. They also brought over 3 cupcakes: 2 for those celebrating their birthdays and 1 as a «thank you» for our course instructor. Other people celebrating their birthdays seated outside the room were also given cupcakes. Nice gesture indeed. They took a picture for us using their ipad and sent them (one original and one photoshopped with frame) almost immediately to the friend who made reservation. Now I wonder if we would appear somewhere in their marketing materials.
Food:
Too much option! Japanese, cold seafood, Asian, Mediterranean, Western, Dessert. Check out its website for a sample menu and it can make your head spin.
For the cold seafood, there were plenty of crabs, lobsters, prawns, mussels, scallops, clams, snails, freshly shucked on the spot oysters, and plenty more. there was a huge (was it whole?) cold salmon next to the shellfish.
Sashimi and sushi could be better but still ok.
The roast beef rib from the rotisserie was excellent and you could ask for how thick or thin you want the slices to be. It also has one of the better yorkshire pudding (crispy and not too doughy) and jacket potato.
The lobster risotto was also nicely done and the highlight for me was the fried prawns in salted egg yolk (/​) sauce with curry leaves. Absolutely yummy. The Indian food was equally good.
I spied or née (yam paste) in the dessert section. The bread and pudding was highly recommended by my friends but I did not get to try it. I had the crème brûlée which was delicious and I just loved cracking the burnt sugar on top.
There were two beverage machines which dispense all kinds of coffee (regular, cappuccino, latte), tea and even hot chocolate.
There were just too much food in the dinner buffet but not enough space in the stomach to try everything.
I heard it is very popular and you may need to book it at least one month in advance, especially for weekends and if you have a big group.
This is also one of the few halal buffets available in Singapore.

this place is a local favorite that i never knew about until i started asking around. it is about the biggest buffet that i have seen in a while. it has Japanese, Indonesia, Indian, Malay, Turkish and western… and was excellent. since i cannot speak for the pricing since i went for work i was very satisfied with the quality of the food and the selection.
this place gets packed so you will need a reservation but you should check it out.

Good that there are some local foods available from the buffet. Otherwise only the Japanese and the dessert sections are worth mentioning. The place is a tad noisy, better for larger groups.

If you’re looking for a one-​stop shop for variety and quantity, this is a good choice. The «cuisine» is not extraordinary in flavor or preparation but the variety and selection is beyond expectations. I’m not completely convinced that the value is there. For two of us plus a bottle of mediocre wine the cost was well above $ 200

Was here recently with my colleagues for a lunch buffet and I’m here to say all of us enjoyed it so much!
A really nice and pleasant environment to dine in, and very nice and personalized services. I was pleasantly surprised when I got called by first name (they knew this because I made the reservation) by one of the service staff as she wanted to confirm the birthday celebration plan for one of my colleagues. Not only that, one of my colleagues also got served personally by a chef at the Mediterranean food corner :)
And about this spread of food! We were all happy with the variety. Taste wise, not the best, but not too shabby! I personally enjoyed the desserts most. My personal favorites are bread pudding and frozen yoghurt! Yums yums yums :)
Anyway, I heard that they can get fully booked pretty fast for festive seasons. So better act fast or be sorry!

I think it’s an average buffet, and no offense to those who love Carousel, but I don’t think it’s worth the price.
I remember most the chocolate fondue, since the first and last time I went was as a kid. I liked the Alaska crab, but other than that… I really can’t remember. I can go on on, only if I remember how good the food was. Again, no offense, but if I could go to a buffet again, Carousel will never be a choice.

I love the food here — especially the indian and dessert spread. Carousel makes the best of these two areas of food and the buffet style leaves you to savour as much or as little as you want. Indian food here is the bomb! Sorry, it is just THAT awesome that I have to repeat myself.
Aside from the food, I must specifically mention the service here. With my service career background, I tend to observe service more in restaurants and cafes. Some might say that it’s cos I’m here on a Monday night (but believe me its still darn packed). But kudos to the service staff here, with special mention of Karlson, who made my family happy with his personalised service, asking if one of my no-​show attendees was alright when I told him my table was down a pax due to illness from the haze, addressing me by name, noticing the littlest details of my table — knowing who’s birthday we are celebrating even before I had a chance to tell him and just being overall attentive. Kudos Karlson! He will definitely make your dining experience here at Carousel perfect. The service staff is prompt at clearing off dishes and even offering a bowl of lemon water for my dad to wash his seafoody fingers after peeling crab.
I recommend you to come here not just for the food but to see what true service is all about (especially when Karlson is on shift).

My wife brought me here for my birthday. They have a really large spread, both in terms of variety and in terms of space. Over the several different stations, they have fresh sushi, cooked fish, salads and antipasti, some Western-​style cooked dishes, Chinese-​style cooked dishes, curries, and local specialties. The sushi was great, as were the crab legs. We also really enjoyed the made-​to-​order herbal shrimp. The desserts are also spread over multiple mini-​stations, including ice cream, petite cakes, a chocolate fountain. We’ve been to a few buffet places in Singapore, and so far this one is our favorite. Most of the dishes that we tried were good, and everything was at least passable. The next time I’m really in the mood for a quality buffet meal with a diverse selection, I will think of Carousel first.

I thought this would be a great buffet place but turns out that the food is at best, average on overall. When I go for buffet I usually come out of it remembering one or two dishes from each particular buffet line but unfortunately there wasn’t much to remember from this. Perhaps the only thing that really struck me was the fact that they had oysters from four different countries and there was a station to ensure the oysters were freshly shucked.
From the looks of it this place focuses more on fresh seafood because I find that they have a pretty large selection of fish /​prawns /​lobster and the earlier-​mentioned oysters. But their cooked food section is normal and there’s nothing memorable.
For the price you pay, I would say your money is better spent at Melt. Or even The Line.

Carousel has won several awards for its buffet and it’s one of my favourite buffets in Singapore.
I’m not really a buffet person, given that my *ahem* capacity for food has lowered over the years, but when someone gets me to Carousel, I can’t turn it down.
I love the desserts section. When I’m there, I have the urge to skip the mains and head to desserts. This may come surprising to some, since Carousel’s known for their international cuisine and array of seafood. The food’s generally good — meaning fresh prawns are cold and oh-​so-​succulent, local Chinese delights are good, especially the fish that has such clean tender meat. But it is the three dessert stations that light up my eyes and appetite.
Their tiny cups of mousse are well-​done without being overly sweet. Plus, they look so dainty and cute. The bread butter pudding melts in your mouth and is so smooth it glides from your spoon. I enjoy playing at the chocolate fountain, the mix of chocolate flavours inside are very delectable, the way I eat it is to pour it all over anything else and make it instantly better.

As soon as you step into the restaurant, you will see a wide area and alot of food choices to select from. First comes the Japanese and seafood section where you will see an array of cold crabs and sushi and soba and tempura too. Then there are other sections like the cooked food which are all nicely covered up in a warmer mostly Chinese dishes and some other international dishes.
At the far end of the hall there is also a hainanese chicken rice ‘stall’ and pasta ‘stall’ too. As the variety was wide i thought that the food would be delicious and blow my taste buds away, but to my surprise it was the total opposite. The pasta got cold really fast and it was hard, not edible at all. The rice was not the grainy kind of chicken rice that i loved to eat, it was clumpy and a little mushy.
The sushi was not bad as i have not been very particular about my sushi all along, as long as it was edible. The last resort to save the day was the dessert section which did help a little bit, judging from the fact that i did not eat much from the whole buffet due to the disappointment. Overall bad choice and waste of money, it was quite expensive.

International buffets never come cheap and Carousel doesn’t stray too far from that saying. However, I have to state that you every cent you spend is totally worth it.
With a Seafood section that has the freshest selection of tiger prawns, slipper lobsters atlantic salmon and more, chances are you’ll be spoilt for choice at this section alone. However, if you aren’t a seafood lover, you should just skip the buffet as it won’t make sense cost wise.
The Rotisserie Section is a personal favourite as you can request as much meat as you like and they’ll slice it according to how thick or thin you like. The rest of the buffet includes the usuals like chinese, indian and other western fare.