Cuisine: Southeast Asian
Address: Level 2 Fairmont Singapore 80 Bras Basah Road Singapore, 189560
Nearest MRT: City Hall Station (North South, East West line)

Asian Market Cafe returns with an a la carte buffet concept, steeped in the cultural tradition of “Hidang Mahsuri”. At Asian Market Cafe, guests can expect to be treated to an array of well-loved Southeast Asian cuisine featuring local and contemporary regional favourites that pay tribute to the diversity of flavour and cultures within the region. Appetisers and main courses are presented in a striking silver dome set, allowing guests to come together and reunite over a vibrant array of delectable treats.

Every month, the restaurant will change its menu to fit the seasonal tastes. The standard items on the menu would include the salads, sushi and sashimi.

While I enjoyed the hummus based on the appetisers, I did not like the bread that came with it. It was a cross between a steamed bun and a pita bread. I would have preferred the pita bread to be baked and served fresh out of the oven.

Seafood lovers can rejoice as they feast on the fresh catch of the ocean with the Deep Ocean seafood platter. Made of cooked cold prawn, deep ocean scallop and a generous portion of salmon sashimi, this delectable plate of seafood is dished up with cocktail sauce and wasabi mayo for an inviting afternoon lunch. If you can’t get enough of the sashimi slices, feel free to place orders for second or third helpings.

The main courses were presented in a dome shaped pot, with individual compartments for the various dishes. One thing I do not like about this ala carte buffet is that there is a lot of food wastage. Whenever I go to buffets, I like to help myself by scooping only the quantity of food that I want. I usually take one or two pieces from each dish to try. For this serving plate, it was enough to be a main course on its own. There was pineapple rice, oatmeal prawns, sweet and sour fish, vegetables in oyster sauce, braised duck and soy sauce pork. While the variety of the food was pleasing, some of the items had been prepared in advance so it was cold.

The wok-fried Singapore Chilli Crab is a classic local staple that deserves a place on every table. Fried with a fiery homemade sauce, it will entice you to dip the mantous into the sauce repeatedly as you revel in the taste of the juicy and succulent fresh crab meat.

The Peranakan laksa is another favourite, with its rich coconut gravy and the mix of prawns with white rice noodles.

At the live cooking stations, you can place order for satay – available in chicken or beef. It is served with satay sauce as a condiment. We preferred the chicken satay because the meat was less tough and it had a fragrant marinade.

The other one is the prata station, where you can have a basic plain prata, or go for fillings such as egg, onion, cheese or vegetables. The curry that accompanied the prata was delicious and despite feeling quite full, the 3 of us managed to finish up the prata.

To wrap up the meal, we were served a platter of desserts. We were one of the last few customers still eating when the restaurant was about to end its lunch service. Looking at the delectable desserts, there was a platter of Nonya kueh, fruits, durian penget and bobo cha cha. I am not a fan of the bobo cha cha with its numerous ingredients such as sweet potato and yam. I liked the durian penget where I could taste bits of durian. The cakes were not too sweet, my favourite was the kueh dadar (green colour kueh). We also had teh tarik (pulled tea). I found it puzzling that the waitress did not understand my order of iced teh tarik, she told me there was only hot ones available. However, subsequently, she served me an iced one in a tall glass. It is as simple as adding some ice cubes to the teh tarik.

Credit Card Promotions

• American Express ® Platinum Credit cardholders enjoy discount that varies with no. of adult diners (from 10% to 50%)
• 30% off total bill with OCBC Credit/Debit cards
• Overall, we would not have visited this place if there was no discount. The staff was kind enough to put a candle on a small slice of cake as we were celebrating our friend’s birthday. The service was satisfactory but not outstanding. As we were seated near the entrance, sometimes the waitress would just walk past us. There were a few times we had to wait a while to get their attention.

Take note of the opening hours and timings.

Weekday Lunch Monday to Friday : 12pm to 2.30pm
Weekend Lunch Saturday and Sunday : 12pm to 4pm
Dinner Monday to Thursday and Sundays : 6pm to 10pm Fridays, Saturdays and Public Holidays : 6pm to 10.30pm Friday & Saturday (1st Seating) – 6pm to 8.15pm Friday & Saturday (2nd Seating) – 8.30pm to 10.30pm