The two centuries old colonial styled Raffles Hotel is Singapore's most iconic landmark apart from being one of the world's most renowned hotels. The Singapore Sling cocktail was invented at the hotel's Long Bar which has been frequented by Ernest Hemingway and Somerset Maugham in the past. Steeped in this kind of history, expectations from any Raffles Hotel experience are sky high. The hotel has a large number of restaurants and bars in its spacious compound. The hotel's main dining room - Tiffin Room - is a tradition being continued at Raffles of being an Indian curry house. Today it is a popular hangout for tourists and I've also frequented it on few occasions.
The restaurant is located by the main hotel entrance and reeks of opulence. High ceilings, tall pillars, large windows and solid teak wood tables lend an authentic old world charm to the place. The all-white ambience is accentuated by black and white photographs on the walls and waiters dressed in crisp white uniforms. This is a buffet only restaurant (no a la carte) and the menu never changes. Which is good and bad. If you want a safe dining option, you can always count on Tiffin Room but not too frequently since you'll be having the same salads, the same appetizers, the same main course and the same desserts each time! Lunch buffet is priced at SGD60++ and dinner buffet at SGD75++ per person. Dress code is smart casual which means shorts and toe revealing footwear for men is a complete no-no.
The lunch buffet is from 12 noon to 2 pm after which high tea commences. Salads on offer are a mix of greens, vegetables and chilled seafood. Appetizers are potato patties, lamb seekh kebabs and mains range from popular Indian dishes like Palak Paneer (spinach with cottage cheese), Baingan Bharta (mashed eggplant cooked in spices) to seabass fillet cooked in tomato gravy, chicken tikka masala and lamb curry. Whilst the dishes are not culinary feats, the lamb curry is definitely outstanding. Rice options include plain steamed rice and chicken biryani. An assorted basket of freshly prepared naan breads will be brought to your table. There is of course a wine list to choose from. It has a very limited selection though and with a bottle of Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc priced at SGD 108++, you know you are paying more for the ambience than the wine. The real scene stealer here are the desserts. For anyone with a sweet tooth and fondness for Indian desserts particularly, this is heaven. On offer are Kheer (rice pudding), Sewai (vermicelli in milk) and various other sweets.
Service is attentive and polite. After every course, when I returned to the table my napkin had been neatly folded on the chair arm-rest and old plate and cutlery cleared away. If you so wish, the staff will even get a dish from the buffet in a smaller bowl for you to be able to help yourself on the table. Not something I have observed in other buffets. Just a word of caution : looks like they prepare a particular quantity of food per buffet session. On more than one occasion, I have seen a food tray empty with no sign of it being refilled ! So be on time to be able to taste all that is on offer. More often than not, Tiffin Room will be offering 20-25% discounts on certain credit cards. Remember to ask for special credit card promotions when settling the bill.
A visit to Tiffin Room is ideal for celebrating special occasions as they have a corner of the restaurant earmarked for big groups. Occasionally you can step into Tiffin Room and gorge away in decadent opulence. I only wish they experimented with the menu once in a while to draw me back more often.
The restaurant is located by the main hotel entrance and reeks of opulence. High ceilings, tall pillars, large windows and solid teak wood tables lend an authentic old world charm to the place. The all-white ambience is accentuated by black and white photographs on the walls and waiters dressed in crisp white uniforms. This is a buffet only restaurant (no a la carte) and the menu never changes. Which is good and bad. If you want a safe dining option, you can always count on Tiffin Room but not too frequently since you'll be having the same salads, the same appetizers, the same main course and the same desserts each time! Lunch buffet is priced at SGD60++ and dinner buffet at SGD75++ per person. Dress code is smart casual which means shorts and toe revealing footwear for men is a complete no-no.
The lunch buffet is from 12 noon to 2 pm after which high tea commences. Salads on offer are a mix of greens, vegetables and chilled seafood. Appetizers are potato patties, lamb seekh kebabs and mains range from popular Indian dishes like Palak Paneer (spinach with cottage cheese), Baingan Bharta (mashed eggplant cooked in spices) to seabass fillet cooked in tomato gravy, chicken tikka masala and lamb curry. Whilst the dishes are not culinary feats, the lamb curry is definitely outstanding. Rice options include plain steamed rice and chicken biryani. An assorted basket of freshly prepared naan breads will be brought to your table. There is of course a wine list to choose from. It has a very limited selection though and with a bottle of Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc priced at SGD 108++, you know you are paying more for the ambience than the wine. The real scene stealer here are the desserts. For anyone with a sweet tooth and fondness for Indian desserts particularly, this is heaven. On offer are Kheer (rice pudding), Sewai (vermicelli in milk) and various other sweets.
Service is attentive and polite. After every course, when I returned to the table my napkin had been neatly folded on the chair arm-rest and old plate and cutlery cleared away. If you so wish, the staff will even get a dish from the buffet in a smaller bowl for you to be able to help yourself on the table. Not something I have observed in other buffets. Just a word of caution : looks like they prepare a particular quantity of food per buffet session. On more than one occasion, I have seen a food tray empty with no sign of it being refilled ! So be on time to be able to taste all that is on offer. More often than not, Tiffin Room will be offering 20-25% discounts on certain credit cards. Remember to ask for special credit card promotions when settling the bill.
A visit to Tiffin Room is ideal for celebrating special occasions as they have a corner of the restaurant earmarked for big groups. Occasionally you can step into Tiffin Room and gorge away in decadent opulence. I only wish they experimented with the menu once in a while to draw me back more often.
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