The buffet only include appetizer & dessert. Drink not included. Have to pay extra for maincourse. Main course small in size and taste so so only...

Suppose to serve swiss and some European bistro fare here with buffets as well. Came in really late for dinner, a quick glance of the menu revealed a rather expensive place if without feed card i would not recommend stepping in at all. Value rated base on with feed card discount 50%.

Ambience is actually pretty relaxing and quiet, but maybe because it is so late there are no more tables but mine. Service is generally standard by hotel levels and considering the number of tables, I really don't expect any issue. Though I must say due to closing time, servers tend to disappear for long period...not that i miss them though...

Potato Soup $13 is rather salty and heavy on the palate. Would suggest sharing this one because after a few gulps it gets a little jia lat.

Beef Tenderloin $31 is done to specification but other than that nothing to brag about or whine about. A meat that will hardly go wrong.

Mixed Grill $28 is a failure being too dry and tough for most of the meats and in especially small chunks that can be consumed in 2 bites.In fact the overall portion is rather small but if you tab on the free bread and the soup actually enough...

My words would likely fail me as I attempt to describe this gastronomic revelation at Café Swiss which I just had. After reading the numerous insipid reviews below, I was so unprepared for this amazing sensation. Even as I type this, my mind is flooded with the revelation - the most heavenly rack of lamb I have ever tasted in my life.

So I always start my reviews with pointless stories, and this would be no exception. I meant to go to Kopitiam to have crabs, but as luck would have it, the promotion had ended. Decided to go into the nearest restaurant which serendipitously was Café Swiss. Not the best starts to such a divine dining experience I must add - the waiter warned us that we would have to wait 15 - 20 minutes for the food as the restaurant was crowded. When we peered in, there were no more than 10 tables at most and we incredulously commented about it but was met with the nonchalant response - “it may not look busy but actually the kitchen is very busy”.

Whatever.

Realising that the longer we contemplated, the longer the food will take, we decided to give it a go. At once we were seated and herewith I shall stop my useless ranting and start reviewing.

Ambience

The girlfriend and I concluded that this eclectic mix of interior design was slightly unusual to say the least. The ceiling is perhaps too high and the décor was not chic enough to be stylish yet not casual enough to be a place to relax. Only saving grace I felt was that it was relatively peaceful and as a review I’ve read would put it - a quiescent alcove.

Service

Service was courteous, prompt, though slightly aloof. For reasons unbeknownst to us, the waiters hardly ever spoke and were a bit uptight. Water could have been filled more promptly but they were ever obliging when asked. Not much complaints there.

Food

Bread Basket. Standard fare. As a review below mentioned, a basket of bread, nothing fancy. Comes with unsalted French butter.

Appetizer. We had a duck terraine and pate on toasted bread to share. Simple yet delectable - a nice way to tantalize the tastebuds. The crunchy apple bits melded nicely with the pate, and the accompanying cranberry sauce really brought out the full flavour of the pate. That’s one of the differences at better restaurants, they will dress up the dish with the condiment, and it looks all-at-once presentable and diners get to savour the food, tailored to their own personal preferences.

Beef Tenderloin. Medium rare, that’s steak should be eaten. For the record, at S$30+ and up, I will send the steak back with no hesitation if it were badly done. I’m glad to say that this was done to perfection. A thick piece of steak, red on the inside and slightly seared on the outside. The garnishing was beautiful, with a piece of herb butter melting on top of the steak, infusing that taste I would describe as unpretentious yet luxurious. The texture was firm yet full of jus, so very satisfying. The potato mash, mushrooms, asparagus and carrots were good side dishes that complimented that steak.

Lamb Chop. The star of the night. The girlfriend ordered this and the clearest way I can describe this, albeit slightly crudely, a gastronomic orgasm with each bite. This is the way game meat should be done, and can I just say, it was absolutely mind-blowing. Pink in the centre of the herb crusted lamb chop accompanied with onions, thinly sliced potatoes, rosemary, carrots, topped with a red wine jus/reduction and a sprig of rosemary. I might not be able to justify this beautiful dish with my limited vocabulary. The rawness, primal taste of the game meat was not overpowered by the red wine jus/reduction but the way the juices intermingled was sensational. The complexity of the flavours with each bite, the way the meat and the condiments rolled over the tongue, it was smooth yet wild, inexplicably gorgeous. When you close your eyes and savour the goodness of the meat, you envisage yourself in a countryside, it was so light and uplifting, like a sense of warmness washing over you. This has to be the best lamb chop I’ve ever tasted, and whilst I don’t claim to be a connoisseur of fine dining, this to me was, a revelation. Hopefully this was not a one off.

Bitter Chocolate Tart. Actually we were too full but we wanted to end on a sweet note (no pun intended). The waiter recommended this. It was decent, not exceptional, but good enough.

As with most restaurants, there will be hits and misses. I think we were fortunate to order the right dish and have this experience. Truly unexpected, fortuitous, and a revelation.

Went with Boyfriend to try it out since it looks very pretty. Ordered two 2-course set meals as well as a organic chocolate fondue.

Food wise I will say not bad, but it just isnt our cup of tea. The beef tenderloin he had was shadowed by the strong mushroom and potato sauce it was served in. My mix grill tasted a little burned. Our appetizers were great tho! I had the potato soup and it is a good one.

The organic chocolate was a bitter-citrus type of chocolate, not really our taste.

What was disappointing was the service. The chocolate is supposed to be served with strawberries, but as the boyfriend and I dont take strawberries we decided to try the cheese fondue instead. The server informed us that the cheese is actually a main course and will not recommend it for desert. Since he highly recommended the chocolate we decided to try it, but requested to change the fruits to something else. He was very hasten and insist that they cannot change the fruit, in which we reply we will not take the chocolate then. After awhile he decided to say we can change it, but to pineapple, which is another thing we dont take. Its only when we got the manager's attention before he agree to change it to bananas and honeydew instead. And it didnt help that the chocolate was not what we expected.

I would give this place another chance if not for that rude server, but I guess I'll wait and see if anyone drags me down again.

Needed a place to while away a quiet rainy afternoon before the next appt.

With a National Geographic mag in hand, fren and I settled down in a window seat. Pity that its still construction view, thanks to the circle line project.

Fren ordered a brandy coffee ($11) and we had 2 food items to share. Regretted the moment the cheese platter ($27) came. It was really A LOT. But the cheeses were nice tho. :) The cheese platter consisted of Appenzeller, Emmenthaler, Gruyère, Reblochon, Tête de Moine and Vegetable Relish. We were also free to get bread from the bread counter if we want. Also had the Grilled Farmhouse Veal Bratwurst with Rosti ($18). No complaints for this dish. :)

Service was good, even for trainee wait staffs.

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