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| The Carvery, Park Hotel Alexandra, Singapore |
Overlooking the rooftop swimming pool and sunset bar of the Park Hotel Alexandra, the all-day-dining restaurant, The Carvery is a pleasant location for a meal in the Alexandra area. High ceilings, full length window-walls and tables that spill from air-conditioned spaces indoors to an al fresco patio outdoors, make for comfortable dining at any time of the day. And, meat lovers are bound to be delighted with the offerings: as the name suggests, at the core of the The Carvery are premium cuts of impeccably prepared roasted meats.
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| View As The Sun Goes Down |
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| Dining Area |
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| Window Table |
Ensuring the carnivorous highlight is given full attention, the first thing guests see when entering the restaurant is a three metre long carving station. Heat lamps shine down on a variety of roasted meats causing them to glow in a show of seduction, and an array of accompaniments dot the display counter in a harlequin of colours. Backing the counter are ovens and rotisseries filling guests with mouthwatering anticipation of the contents.
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| Carvery Section - Taken in the afternoon before the meats were out and the crowds too over |
Executive Chef Robert Chan believes that high quality meats don’t need much more than a light seasoning, as the natural essence and flavours should be encouraged to shine through. Three to four meats are cooked daily for each sitting.
The beef prime rib is the prized cut of the steer and usually sourced from Australia. Chef Robert dry-ages it in house to intensify the flavours and believes medium rare is the ideal doneness. It’s lightly rubbed in salt and pepper before being slow roasted for up to eight hours, producing a distinctive rosy centre spread evenly across the cut. Maldon sea salt, red wine jus and anchovy butter are chef’s suggested companions.
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| Beef Prime Rib |
Lamb hails from New Zealand and is given the same seasoning of salt and pepper with rosemary, white wine and onions added to the marinade. Slow roasted and basted in its own liquid, the result is soft juicy slices of medium rare meat. Mint sauce, Dijon mustard and sea salt go nicely with this roast.
Chicken is seen throughout the day pirouetting around the rotisserie. Each bird is hand picked to ensure the precise proportion of meat and bones to guarantee the poultry cooks evenly without drying out. Fresh herbs, carrots, onions, celery and bay leaves make up the marinade and the chicken too benefits from a long slow cooking period to produce tender moist flesh. The truffle butter is a must for this plate.
It was the pork knuckle with crispy crackling however that got nabbed the quickest from the buffet. We had to line up to get a slice of Chef Robert’s signature dish. The brittle crackling is achieved by patting dry the skin, scoring it and rubbing in a generous amount of salt. The sodium draws the moisture from the skin, which is the essential element in producing the attractive crispiness. Sweet mustard is the indicated sauce, but I see not a single soul tainting their prized plateful with any such interference.
All the expected trimmings are found on the side and while hubby has piled his plate with meat, my veggie-loving tendencies have coveted the supplements. Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and carrots glazed in sugar and butter all make it to my plate. Sweet potato and butter spinach add some colour, and I enjoy second helpings of the smoked eggplant and soft white polenta.
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| Cold Buffet |
We’ve filled our tummies with the roasts, but there’s a line-up of starters including fresh seafood, salads, soups and breads too. Additional main dishes such as coq au vin, seafood bouillabaisse marina, pizza and pasta prepared a la minute ensure no ones goes hungry, and a compact display of desserts provide a sweet ending with petite servings of English trifle and coconut pudding making our taste buds happy.
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| Seafood |
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| Hot Dishes |
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| Some Items from the Hot Buffet |
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| Desserts |
Prices for the buffet seem quite affordable for the Singapore hotel scene. Lunch is a reasonable $38++ and dinner $52++. Friday and Saturday evenings include additional premium cuts and so the cost rises slightly to $62++.
Reasons to visit: pleasant outlook with view over the pool and a good sense of spaciousness, roasted meats.
The Carvery
Park Hotel Alexandra
323 Alexandra Road
Singapore 159972
+65 6828 8888
source: The Yum List http://ift.tt/1iBiZOm
