Christmas Buffet Lunch
Christmas this year in the office was a simple affair with a buffet spread from Kriston for lunch. What The Firm saved on renting a locale for Christmas festivities, they allocated it to the lucky draw budget. There was actually 2 iPads up for grabs and a Canon camera. And no, I didn't win anything. Sob!
The saving grace was that this buffet was better than the Deepavali and Hari Raya one. Kriston is, afterall, reputed to be one of the better and more value-for-money caterers around.
I liked the Tandoor Gourmet Sausages set on a bed of Rosti best of all, in particular the cheese (middle) and pepper (top) flavours. The satay (bottom) was also not bad, but the distinctive nutty accent of satay was too faint.
The Braised Vermicelli and Vegetables Nonya Style was my next favourite, with its dried shrimp and vegetables based stock. This reminded me of the Chinese New Year dish, Luo Han Zhai, with its sweet and shrimpish flavours.
I also liked the Sauteed Hoisin Prawns, topped with crispy breadcrumbs. This was sweet, as tomato ketchup was added. Prawns were fairly fresh and crunchy, and I loved the abundance of straw and Chinese black mushrooms in the dish.
I quite liked the White Fish Tempura with Kamquat Pommery, dory fish was light, fresh and flaky, even if the batter was a little soggy and thick.
The Wok Fried XO Rice with cubes of BBQ chicken was surprisingly good, even if I couldn't really taste the XO in the rice. The BBQ chicken was actually moist and tender. Rice was flavoursome, well-fried and not too oily.
The Roasted Bulgogi Turkey was also not bad, it was moist, tender and had a nice Asian twist with the classic Korean marinade lending sweetness to the meat.
A closer look at the turkey.
Desserts were fairly good. The Mango and Fruit Pudding was smooth, wobbly and light.
The classic Christmas Strawberry Log Cake was moist, rich and balanced.
I was ambivalent about the Salads, but the vegetables were crisp and fresh enough.
I wasn't a fan of the Scallop on Shell with Spicy Chicken Floss, mostly because it was really tiny and drowning in such strong flavours that it totally overwhelmed the delicate taste of the scallops.
The Wheat Spaghetti Pasta, while a healthy, waist-friendly option, was a little boring and too plain for me.
The Fried Chicken with Plum Sesame was too dry, tasteless and tough. I took a bite and spat it out.
The Christmas Epicurean Platter was really not to my liking, the cold cuts were a little sourish.
Kriston Food & Beverage
Website: www.kriston.com/
The saving grace was that this buffet was better than the Deepavali and Hari Raya one. Kriston is, afterall, reputed to be one of the better and more value-for-money caterers around.
I liked the Tandoor Gourmet Sausages set on a bed of Rosti best of all, in particular the cheese (middle) and pepper (top) flavours. The satay (bottom) was also not bad, but the distinctive nutty accent of satay was too faint.
The Braised Vermicelli and Vegetables Nonya Style was my next favourite, with its dried shrimp and vegetables based stock. This reminded me of the Chinese New Year dish, Luo Han Zhai, with its sweet and shrimpish flavours.
I also liked the Sauteed Hoisin Prawns, topped with crispy breadcrumbs. This was sweet, as tomato ketchup was added. Prawns were fairly fresh and crunchy, and I loved the abundance of straw and Chinese black mushrooms in the dish.
I quite liked the White Fish Tempura with Kamquat Pommery, dory fish was light, fresh and flaky, even if the batter was a little soggy and thick.
The Wok Fried XO Rice with cubes of BBQ chicken was surprisingly good, even if I couldn't really taste the XO in the rice. The BBQ chicken was actually moist and tender. Rice was flavoursome, well-fried and not too oily.
The Roasted Bulgogi Turkey was also not bad, it was moist, tender and had a nice Asian twist with the classic Korean marinade lending sweetness to the meat.
A closer look at the turkey.
Desserts were fairly good. The Mango and Fruit Pudding was smooth, wobbly and light.
The classic Christmas Strawberry Log Cake was moist, rich and balanced.
I was ambivalent about the Salads, but the vegetables were crisp and fresh enough.
I wasn't a fan of the Scallop on Shell with Spicy Chicken Floss, mostly because it was really tiny and drowning in such strong flavours that it totally overwhelmed the delicate taste of the scallops.
The Wheat Spaghetti Pasta, while a healthy, waist-friendly option, was a little boring and too plain for me.
The Fried Chicken with Plum Sesame was too dry, tasteless and tough. I took a bite and spat it out.
The Christmas Epicurean Platter was really not to my liking, the cold cuts were a little sourish.
Kriston Food & Beverage
Website: www.kriston.com/
Comments