Get me outta here!

September 1, 2015

Triple Three @Mandarin Orchard Hotel

When our friends eagerly asked us the next day after we tried the dinner buffet at Triple Three, Mandarin Orchard Hotel, we shook our heads sadly.


The place!

Perhaps our expectations were initially too high- after all we heard many good reviews about the place. Also, the restaurant was always fully booked during its one-for-one promotion, especially on weekends. Maybe the spread during weekends were better than the Monday we ate on. Luckily we didn't pay the full price, because if I did, I would be twice as sad.

Imagine the long queues forming in this small space...

The Carving station
  
Desserts

There were too much waiting involved.
For example, there is a live carving station which had 3 meats but one staff carving. Everybody waits. The worst would be the live shucking Oysters section. The two poor chefs' hands seemed to be trembling from all the shucking for like, 20 oysters per person? And the stares of the hungry people waiting in line on them.

We had to wait for the Japanese Sashimi too, and they only gave a few small pieces per person. You had to wait for the naans or prata at the Indian station.
Forget about taking it for the whole table, then settling down to eat. Everybody has to queue. Everybody at the table is wondering where did one of us go to, and yes, they were queueing.

The next thing that put us off is the spread. The spread, was little, for say, Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, which was at a lower price. There were only three food lines, another desserts and cheese line. Local food, seafood, Japanese sashimi, Indian food.

The food was not that tasty...
There was a theme for everyday, and Monday was about crabs. But the only crab I could see was the Alaskan King Crab... legs and bodies. The legs were so salty, we wondered how long they've been submerged in salted water. After one or two legs, we gave up. They weren't sweet at all.

The vegetables came out under cooked and tasted raw because the chefs had to cook quickly to cater to the long queues.

The rest of the food were quite so-so. The beef from carving station was too tough and veiny. The only decent beef was the Teppanyaki, but again, you had to wait as it runs out quite quickly.

Liu sha bao is good, phew.

All in all, don't bother going if you're going to pay for the full price. If there's are one-for-one promotion, you might want to let me know if the weekends spread was better. Else, there're many other options around.

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Verdict:
Food: 1/5
Service: 3/5
Ambiance: 2/5
Total Score: 1/5
[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Good for? Couples, Groups, Family

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About it:
Triple Three
Address: Level 5, Mandarin Orchard Singapore, 333 Orchard Road, 238867
Prices:
Sunday to Wednesday: $88++ (Adult), $33++ (Child 6 to 12yrs)
Thu/Fri/Sat & Eve of Public Holiday and Public Holiday: $98++ (Adult); $33++ (Child 6 to 12yrs)
Sunday Lunch: $118++ (Adult), $42++ (Child 6 to 12yrs)
Top up for free flow of Chandon Brut sparkling wine at $30++ for 2 hours