Cuisine Around the Island: Orchard

While many people connect Orchard to shopping, it is where I go when I want to treat myself to a good meal I do not have to cook myself. Let me introduce you to a few downtown eateries you may consider worthy of patronage.

Takashimaya Food Village

Takashimaya Food Village is a hall of food stalls, eateries and small restaurants worthy of a visit.

Depending on the length of your strides, it would take you around 5 minutes to walk to Ngee Ann City from the Orchard train station. At the far end of Ngee Ann, opposite the Hilton Hotel, is Takashimaya, a huge Japanese department store. There, you will be treated to floor upon floor of quality merchandise whether it consists of household appliances and furnishings, fashion boutiques, sport equipment, stationery, or food items. A true food connoisseur, I always venture to Basement 2 where Takashimaya Food Village is. Here, $10 to $20 will buy you a magnificent banquet of local and international food to feast on. 

Local savoury chicken rice, Hong Kong and Szechuan spicy meats, Korean and Japanese skewers of satay, rich Thai green, red, and yellow  curry, and succulent Western steaks perfected to your preference, are a few of your choices. There are plenty of tables in this air-conditioned food hall so patrons may grab a seat in spite of the usual lunch-time and dinner crowds.

Marriott Tang Plaza

One of my favourite haunts to have a meal while I chill out is at the Marriott Tang Plaza, located opposite the Orchard train station. At the ground floor entrance to the Marriott is the Crossroads Cafe.

Crossroads Cafe seems to attract tourists who may often be seen sipping a Margarita or playing with finger food at the bar patio. However, the resident population may also be seen wolfing down serious chow at the Crossroads. Regular local hawker food and Western favourites are available all day though the price tag is not very enticing. Expect to pay around $30 to $40 for a normal portion of delicious local food. Western style steaks would fetch a heftier price tag of around $36 to $58. Those that opt for a pasta meal can expect to pay anything from $24 up. A small yet tasty dessert would coat another $20 easily. So, if the prices are not exactly economical, why would anyone wish to eat there?

A simple reason - the “all-you-can-eat” outstanding buffets offer great food at a fraction of the normal price. The daily Monday to Friday lunch buffets are around $60 to $65 while daily Monday to Friday dinner buffets are around $80 to $90. If you are a serious food connoisseur who enjoys indulging in an occasional food binge, this is the place for you. The food is ravishingly delicious while the ambiance of relaxing tranquility will help anyone forget their worries. Get there on an empty tummy and be prepared to spend a few hours chatting with your best buddy while indulging in what the buffet has to offer.

The Crossroads Cafe has outdone itself, presenting various buffet themes of select food types for the discerning appetite.

If you are a food connoisseur, the cafe provides a great respite to simply sit down and de-stress while nourishing the body and mind.