Review: Sunday Brunch at 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung – The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore

15 Stamford by Alvin Leung – the inhouse restaurant of The Capitol Kempinski Singapore has taken a relatively bold move in its Sunday brunch by presenting it in a slightly different format from the “hotel norm.” The Sunday Brunch at 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung is presented as an ala carte “set” semi-buffet with 6 courses rather than a full-fledged buffet. The highlights – such as the mains and seafood – are limited to just one serving per person but after having tried this brunch myself, this decision seems to surprisingly work in the restaurant’s favor. 

This review is a course-by-course run through of the Sunday brunch at 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung to help readers decide if it is a brunch worth going to. I will also share my opinions on each dish and my overall verdict at the end.

Course 1: Seafood on Ice

The first course consists of cold seafood – namely oysters, prawns, mussels, salt-cured king salmon and one lobster. The seafood came extremely fresh, with the natural sweetness of items such as the prawns and lobsters highly evident even without putting any of the condiments. There are three sauces to choose from – ketchup shallot vinaigrette, assam vinaigrette and yuzu ponzu. I preferred the yuzu ponzu for the salmon while the other two went well with the crustaceans.

While other hotels have also incorporated the customary seafood platter in their buffets, hats off to 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung for the perceptible superiority in the taste and quality of its platter, even though the said platter does not necessarily win in terms of quantity.

Course 2: Charcuterie + Salad

The second course also comes as a sharing platter limited to one order per table. The cold cuts presented at 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung are quite varied with items like Jamon Iberico de Bellota ham, Beef Bresaola, Iberian Chorizo and different kinds of Salami. If you are the type of person who enjoys charcuterie – this is more than adequate simply because of the variety. 

This course also comes with a plate of salad which differs each time. During my visit, I had the La Ratte Potato Salad which came with bacon, egg, mayo and scallions.

Course 3: Pass Around Snacks

The third course comes in small plates comprising Foie Gras, Braised Angus Short Ribs, Bomba Paella, Crustacean Bisque and Smoked Salmon Trout. Diners can order unlimited portions of these items. I particularly enjoyed the Braised Angus Short Ribs which were cooked to perfection and marvelously tender.

Course 4: Mains

For the mains, diners can choose 1 item from 4 options. These are:  Chilean Sea Bass, Black Angus Beef Rib Eye, 15 Stamford Laksa, Rotisserie Free-Range Chicken and Bone-in Lamb Breast Char Siew. I opted for the rib eye, the highlight of which is the piquant Sarawak black pepper sauce which truly made the dish.

My companion had the lamb which I personally thought was better than the beef. The sweetness from the glazed char siew sauce helped to mask the naturally gamey flavor of the meat.

Course 5: Desserts

One of the perils about dining in a hotel Sunday brunch is that the desserts often look and taste mass-produced. Thankfully, it did not feel that way with the dessert platter at 15 Stamford’s Sunday brunch. The dessert selection here changes by the season. My platter came with no less than 7 kinds of desserts, each special in their own way. Biting into some commonly seen sweets such as the macaron for example, one can tell that the inhouse pastry team took special care as I perceived the filling in the middle to be denser than macarons I’ve had elsewhere. Other highlights in the platter were the Rosemary Mint Watermelon, Chendol Ice Cream and the Mango Curd Tart – the latter tasting very much like a pastry version of the Chinese mango sago dessert.

Course 6: Cheese Platter

Just when I thought the meal was over, the server came by with another dramatic presentation – this time it’s the cheese wagon filled with around 9 types of cheese when I counted. There was a good variety of both hard and soft cheeses though my personal preference is for the soft ones. I thoroughly enjoyed the Brie de Meaux, Camembert and Goat Cheese alongside some dried apricots. If there was anything else I would have wanted to see here, it would be fresh grapes. That would have made for a perfect cheese platter.

Verdict

Due to the semi-buffet format of the Sunday brunch, the meal felt rather more upmarket than the hotel Sunday brunches I am accustomed to. The overall vibe is quiet and intimate. I noticed most of the diners were couples rather than families. Taste and quality were also noticeably better – and I would like to think the perception was not purely psychological due to some of the dishes being limited to one serving per diner. One thing’s for sure, this is a Sunday brunch that won’t attract the typical buffet crowd – but that probably isn’t the clientele that the hotel is going after anyway. 

Prices:

Six-course at $118 per adult and $59 per child
With sparkling wine beverage +$48
With champagne beverage +$68
With vintage beverage +$118

You can also order a takeaway version of this Sunday brunch at 15% off with free delivery here

15 Stamford by Alvin Leung
The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore
15 Stamford Road
Singapore 178906

+65 6715 6871