When I first stepped into the restaurant, I was a little worried. Why? Firstly, it was not crowded. Only approx 1/3 of the restaurant was occupied. And what comes to mind?
BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT! Not until I started my starters.. hold your mark and get set to.. GO~~~
While waiting for my one-time-served dishes, I had a serving of Herbal Chicken Soup that was along their feel-free-to-take dessert table.. it has rich herbal taste but NO bitter taste.. instead, it was like those sweet and fragrant Cantonese soup that I like.. though the only down side was that there was no chicken meat in the soup.. -_-
Next...
First up, Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crabmeat is served to make you feel full after drinking the super-duper starchy soup. So, I skipped the soup and just attack the crab meat and the minimal shark's fin with a sip of soup here and there. The soup tasted not bad though~
Sliced Duck with Crispy Beancurd Skin wrapped in Egg Pancake was reaaaally good. The sliced duck is fragrant and the juicy meat mixed with the plum sauce wrapped in the thin egg pancake were so perfect in a bite! just when I started biting it, the crunchiness of the cucumber and crisp of the beancurd skin climaxed the whole dish.. why this dish comes only once?!
When Sautéed Fresh Scallops with Asparagus and Pine Nuts came, I was sooo happy. Because I am the only one who eats scallops! wahahahaaa... four words could sum up my satisfaction of the dish - very fresh, very tasty.. *happy~*
Blanched Prawns in Shao Shing Wine was passable.. the prawns were fresh and big but there were no sweetness and no fragrance of the shao shing.. -_-||| what a disappointment.. they wasted the fresh big prawns..
Now let's continue to the unlimited order of foooooooooo~~~d
Deep-fried Shredded Duck in Yam: I couldn't see nor taste the duck.. but it was a nice fried yam dish..
Wok-fried Crab in Black Pepper Sauce: it was served to my table by mistake.. I didn't order any of their crab dishes because it was such a hassle and time-consuming to eat it.. it looks good though! smelt really nice too.. recommended for crab-lovers.. :D
Salmon Sashimi: Who knew?! the salmon sashimi was really fresh and they were in thick slices.. for wasabi-lovers like me.. rest assured that they provide ample amount of wasabi and shoyu.. hahaha.. I had four plates of these~ :D
Fried Vermicelli with Salted Fish: Most buffet-goers would skip carbo dishes.. but Chinese would always have carbo dishes.. why give it a miss? EAT CARBO!
Stewed Pork Belly served with Steamed Bun: the ratio of lean meat to fats was 7:3.. the pork belly they served was more lean than most Chinese restaurant out there (6:4).. the gravy was so nice that my sister dipped the bun.. The steamed bum was fluffy and served hot!
Steamed Sea Bass with Plum and Tomato: the fish was average.. it was not as fresh as those served at seafood restaurants like Tung Lok and Jumbo.. but at $35.80++ buffet lunch, we have to be realistic with our expectations right?
MUST-EAT!! Wok-fried Prawns with Salted Eggs: I ordered this repeatedly.. it was so nice.. you can eat it with the shell if you want! the shell had been fried to crisp and yet not soften by the savoury salted egg.. too good~~ oh! there's no camera tricks here.. it was a camera phone.. hahaha.. so yes.. the prawns were big!
Sautéed Beef Steak in Barbecue Sauce: passable.. there was no sweetness of the beef.. the sauce was not fragrant at all.. I wondered what taste I should be expecting..
Deep-fried Chicken Wing with Shrimp Paste: very crispy but the shrimp paste was so weak!
Chocolate and Strawberry cakes: some people say that the cakes were not good.. I agree.. but it's a Chinese restaurant! it would be so ironic if they have delicious cakes! nonetheless, I thought that their strawberry cake was okay.. I had two! :D there were many uncles who complimented their Cream of Almond when I was there.. telling me "must try must try"..
Mango pudding: this was good! it was not too sweet and the milk complimented the mango pudding just right.. My mom and I had second serving.. they were snatched away as soon as they serve this at the dessert table..
(I missed taking shots of Stir-fried Sliced Venison with Spring Onion and Ginger and Smoked Boneless Chicken with “Po Lei” Tea Leaves.)
The ala carte buffet lunch and dinner @ River Palace is available for minimum 2 persons.
Lunch: Adult – S$35.80, Child – S$22.80
Dinner: Adult – S$38.80, Child – S$24.80
Note: River Palace is closed on Monday (full day) and Tuesday, lunch-time, only.
For more information on Opening Days, Current Promotions and buffet time, please visit http://www.riverview.com.sg/dining/river-palace-chinese-restaurant
For dining reservations or enquiries, please contact:
River Palace Chinese Restaurant
2nd Floor River View Hotel
Tel: (65) 6349 4865
Email: wineNdine@riverview.com.sg
Riverview Hotel Singapore
Address: 382 Havelock Road
Website: http://www.riverview.com.sg
Hotel main line: (65) 6732 9922
