The best buffets in Singapore

Edge has made it onto numerous 'best buffet' lists, and for good reason. The snazzy restaurant has a wider buffet selection than most, with briny-fresh seafood on ice and an extensive Asian selection that spans Thai, Korean, Japanese, Peranakan, Malaysian, Indian and local cuisine. Its hot stone and carvery selections are also rotated daily. From the lot, we spy steamed mussels, slow-roasted Tuscan pork, seafood and lobster bisque pot pie, and pork scaloppini with fennel salsa verde, just to name a few. Its dessert selection presents another continent to conquer, with gluten-free options, chocolate truffle balls soaked with rum and countless cakes in unique flavours such as Chrysanthemum tea, Hojicha and black velvet. The buffet comes with unlimited servings of non-alcoholic beverages, but pro-tip: get the teh tarik, it's absolutely delish. 

Dinner buffet starts from $78 per adult, available daily, 6.30-10.30pm. 

"Craft cocktails" and "free-flow" are usually contradictory concepts, but not at Manhattan. After all, there's a reason the swanky bar bagged the second spot on the list of Asia's 50 Best Bars 2019. The joint's adults-only Sunday cocktail brunch brings you as many craft cocktails, boozy shakes, wines and beers that you can drink, with a buffet spread that reflects the bar's American identity, down to the deli counter with freshly made bagels, cream cheese schmears and American cheeses. Among the highlights: a foie gras bar, Saint Jacque scallops, ponzu pork belly, and Maine lobsters.

 From $158 per adult, available Sundays, noon-3pm.

Hai Tien Lo is well-known on the dining scene for its Cantonese cuisine, and it hits all the right notes with its weekend buffet. The dim sum here is excellent – the har gau is exquisitely pleated and juicy, while the roast meats are succulent, particularly the marinated soya chicken, pork belly and roasted duck. Zi char favourites like yang chow fried rice and wok-fried pork spare ribs are good too. And with braised abalone and mini Buddha Jumps Over the Wall on the premium list, it's definitely a bang for your buck. 

From $68.80 per adult, available Saturdays and Sundays, 11.30am-2.30pm. Add $30 for free-flow house pours, beer and non-alcoholic beverages.

Basilico's famous for its extensive Italian cuisine. While it offers a weekday lunch buffet, the real star of the show is its Sunday brunch buffet. Everything’s been thoughtfully sourced to showcase Italian diversity, which explains its table-bending selection of cold cuts, olives and 40 different cheeses from all over Italy. The seafood bar is perhaps the best in town – everything tastes perfectly steamed and poached – and you'll find it hard to stop at one when it comes to the focaccia pizza with molten mascarpone. Or that luxurious wagyu beef lasagne. But there’s still dessert, and more importantly, the cheese room to conquer. Our favourites are the burrata (truffle burrata! wine-soaked burrata! burrata with caviar!) and gorgonzola that you can have wood-smoked, beer-infused, or even with dark chocolate and chilli.

$108 per adult (inclusive of free-flow non-alcoholic beverages), every Sunday, noon-3pm. Free-flow alcohol from $44.

Bountiful. That's the word we'd use to describe the international spread at halal-certified Carousel. The seafood section alone is staggering, with oysters, tiger prawns, lobsters, snow crabs, a whole assortment of clams and more. The Japanese section is also formidable, encompassing both a sushi-and-sashimi counter and a live-action teppanyaki counter. While it's possible to be completely stuffed with just these two sections, there's plenty more to tackle. The salad bar explores beyond the usual greens with an assortment of grains and pulses while the Mediterranean counter is heaving with the likes of braised oxtail stew, salmon en papillote, and lamb-stuffed aubergines, along with a carving station and a kebab stand. The Chinese and pasta counters are less impressive, but at least that leaves space for dessert. 

Dinner buffet from $80 per adult, available daily, 6.30-9.30pm.

Kinki's bottomless brunch is a curated list of greatest hits, and there's a lot to love. The sashimi is generously cut and the nigiri sushi (also available aburi-style) is more seafood than rice, just the way it should be. Our favourite appetisers include century egg tofu with snowcrab, shishamo tempura and gloriously sweet and juicy momotaro tomatoes. Mains are limited to one per person, which is a bit of a bummer, but at least they're gratifying, especially the wagyu foie gras donburi. 

From $58 per adult, available on Saturdays, 12-3pm. Add $35 for one choice of free-flow sake, shochu, prosecco or beer.

While most Chinese restaurants tend to charge a premium for dim sum buffets by including pricier goodies (think live prawns, lobsters and the like), Man Fu Yuan keeps its prices reasonable. Its weekend dim sum buffet draws in the crowds with more than 40 dishes, including the requisite baked egg tarts, barbecue pork buns, har gao and siew mai, as well as mains you normally only find on its daily menu like wok-fried five grain rice and flat rice noodles with beef in black bean sauce. Service staff are attentive and polite, and despite the crowds, the dishes arrive in a timely manner. If you're looking to bring your parents or in-laws out for the weekend, this is the place to go. 

From $58 per adult, available Saturdays and Sundays, 11.30am-3pm.

Rise claims a prime spot at the lobby of Marina Bay Sands, and is known for its lavish international spread and themed buffet dinners. Every night presents a different gastronomic journey, with European classics, Southeast Asian flavours and even a backyard barbecue-inspired selection. If you're not a fan of the particular theme of the night, don't fret – its staple spread of Chinese, Indian, Japanese, western and local cuisine remains largely unchanged, and its dessert selection is wide, with bread and butter pudding, portugese egg tarts, cakes and a chocolate fountain. The restaurant also prizes sustainability, making sure that its produce is grown from ethical farming methods. 

From $72 per adult for the dinner buffet, inclusive of non-alcoholic beverages, available daily, 6-10.30pm.

Mezza9's all about sustainable dining. Everything at the seafood bar – from the Fine de Claire oysters to Spencer Gulf king prawns – has been ethically sourced. The Asian section isn't a letdown either, especially with char-grilled meats and seafood. But the ultimate winning factor is its grill station. Instead of leaving hulking roasts to languish under the heat lamp, the meats – think tomahawk steaks and lamb ribs – are grilled in small batches so that everything is always perfectly pink and succulent. We also highly recommend having the gin fizz meringues, prepared à la minute in a liquid nitrogen bath, before moving onto desserts and cheese. 

From $118 per adult (inclusive of non-alcoholic beverages), available Sundays, noon-3pm. $40 for free-flowing champagne, sustainable red and white wines, martinis and hand-crafted gin and tonics

Salted & Hung's brunch buffet menu numbers just 11 items (excluding the charcuterie counter). But that's 11 faultless dishes that are all generously sized, using familiar ingredients in ways that are inventive and surprising – think pickled sorbet and bacon ice cream. Other highlights include a smoked halibut crostini crowned with caviar, homemade sausages with mustard and kelp, and a moreish mac and cheese sprinkled with beef crumbs. 

From $68 per adult, available Saturdays and Sundays, 11.30am-4pm. Add $45 for free-flow cocktails, beer and house pour wines.

Those $20-odd Korean BBQ buffets are decent when you’re a broke student, but when you're ready to upgrade to ritzier cuts of meat, Seoul Restaurant is the way to go. And it's not that pricey either, even if you decide to go on the weekends (from $39.90 for lunch and $49.90 for dinner; without beef). The barbecue's charcoal-fired, and you get a good selection of beef, pork, chicken and seafood. Seoul takes so much pride in its meats that the staff will insist on changing grill plates when you switch from marinated to non-marinated cuts – just so you can taste the beautiful marbling. The cooked dishes are fabulous too, especially the seafood pancake, seafood stew, and cold buckwheat noodles. 

From $32.90 per adult, available daily for lunch and dinner.