A friend told me about this deal at the in-house restaurant of Hotel Jen Orchard Gateway, and since it sounded interesting, we decided to go.
I'm not really sure how best to describe this meal deal that Makan @ Jen was offering.
At best I'm just going to describe it as a sort of semi-buffet where, along with a main, you get access to a free-flow of salad, soup, and bread from their buffet bar.
Now, there'll be those amongst us who will feel like offerings like these aren't enough.
Like who wants to go for a buffet that doesn't include hot and cold dishes and sashimi and sushi and cakes and ice cream?
But (given the diet that we have these days) I, actually do.
I was happy to have a main.
And happier still was I that I could have as much soup and salad as I wanted- because (even in regular buffets) my appetite doesn't usually let me do.
It was difficult trying to decide what I ought to have for the main.
What with all the variety to choose from, I had a hard time deciding whether I should have the Rice Bowl of Norwegian Salmon, Sous Vide Egg, Roasted Broccoli and Tomato Chutney, or whether I should go for the Seafood Lemak, which although rather simple sounding, had the ingredients of Crab, Prawn, Hokkaido Scallop, Fried Grouper Fillet and even Crispy Rice Puffs.
Both mains sounded so good.
Not to mention there was still the Spring Ayam Penyet, with a Half Chicken, an Asian Slaw, Bean Curd and Minty Tomato Sambal.
And the Salted Egg Spaghetti, which included Soft Shell Crab, Black Tobiko, and Burned Leek.
It took me a bit of time to decide, but the soft shell crab won me over.
Spaghetti might not be something my friend would have, but the crab I was pretty sure we could both share, together with his order of Sous Vide Veal Shank which had Beef Shank, Root Vegetables, Grilled Brioche and a Herbal Broth.
Admittedly I was a little surprised when his order was told to the waiter.
I had thought he'd consider the Dried Beef Kut Teh with Sirloin and Cuttlefish Okra, or the Claypot Irish Duck Confit that had Spiced Duck and Air Dried Pork and Kailan and Yam.
Let's just say that the brioche, the softness of the beef, and the richness of the Herbal Broth did not disappoint.
I don't know whether he found his portion of beef too small.
But I guess that's where my soft shell crab in.
I will say that my plate of Salted Egg Spaghetti made this birthday celebration feel extra special where it was one of those dishes that everything inside I loved.
Whether it were the spaghetti, the pasta of the spaghetti that made me think of noodles, the delicious salted egg sauce that wasn't very salty, or the perfectly fried soft shell crab, there was nothing in this dish I did not like.
Only thing was that I'd forgotten just how large the dish was, and what with all the salad and the soup which I'd taken earlier, the spaghetti I (sadly) was not able finish.
No regrets with the salad, however.
They did have quite a good variety of leafy greens at the bar, as well as a good number of toppings to go with the greens.
Wisdom would have said to take as much of the veggies as I could have, but one gets very selective even with greens these days and so out of everything that was there, I got Romaine lettuce, several quail eggs- which I absolutely love and which I have always had for my birthday- and a heap of chopped black olives.
So good was this combination that I went for it twice.
First time I had it with Caesar dressing.
Second time I had it also with Caesar dressing.
At some point I think maybe should have gone for the pumpkin seeds but somehow they got missed out this time round, so I'll be sure to take them when I have salads at this place the next time.
I speak with confidence, because, will I be back here again?
Absolutely.
It's not just the Truffle Mushroom Soup that I want to come here for.
Next time there might be Creamy Pumpkin, Leek & Potato or even French Onion (who knows).
Then there're also the breads to make a selection from, which although I didn't take this time, I might have Stone Over Olive Bread, Brioche or Walnut Oatmeal (for the fun of it).
Let's not forget that they've got cheeses as well.
And then there're the desserts they offer, out of four selections, we could only get two.
Not complaining though, the White Chocolate Mousse was really good- it had Ginger Flowers, Mirabelle Jelly and very sourish but very refreshing Lime Meringue that reminded me of sugar tops on those little sugar biscuits made by Khong Guan, and then there was the moreish Cendol Ice Cream that came served with Strawberries, Caramelized banana, and a bit of Crumble.