White Rose Café – the all-day dining restaurant at York Hotel Singapore – has always been known for offering great and value-for-money local delights. I still have fond memories of having char kway teow and laksa there. The venue is always popular among families. Besides being known for having good local food, the property has what is probably one of the cheapest hotel buffets in Singapore.
I recently dropped by to check out two promotions that the restaurant is holding concurrently. First is the limited period Wok Hei Specialties promotion which consists of four hearty noodle dishes. I also had a peek at the Treasured Flavours of Singapore ala-carte buffet which goes for only SGD 29++ per person.
Wok Hei Specialties
For people who love things that pack a mean crunch, the Crispy Egg Noodles offered a delightful play of textures. The heat-controlled fried noodles contrasted nicely with copious amounts of prawns and fish. I typically love eating crispy noodles soaked with as little sauce as possible – but that’s just me.
My favorite noodle dish of the night has got to be the White Bee Hoon. A classic dish that I always order in zichar places, my plate came with sweet soup-y sauce made from chicken stock and pork bone. The sauce made the dish for me and had me scraping my plate for every last strand of bee hoon.
While I did not enjoy the Wok-Fried Crispy Bee Hoon with Sliced Beef as much as I did the previous two noodle dishes, I thought the striploin beef was notably tender – undoubtedly the highlight of this dish.
The Wok Hei Specialties are available now til 15th December 2016 from 12nn to 10pm daily. Each dish is priced at SGD 15++. UOB Credit and Debit Cardholders enjoy 20% off any Wok Hei specialties and receive a complimentary parking coupon with a minimum spending of S$50 nett. Valid from 1 October to 15 December 2016.
DBS/POSB Credit and Debit Cardholders enjoy third dish for free with order of 2 Wok Hei dishes. Valid from 7 October to 31 October 2016.
Treasured Flavours of Singapore
During the same night, I also tried White Rose Cafe’s current lunch buffet offering which happens to be Singapore-themed. Served in ala-carte style, it consists of 22 dishes that can be ordered as many times as one wishes to plus 1 serving of Fish Head Curry. It’s also priced very reasonably, at just SGD 29++ per person. At such a price point, it’s also quite possibly the most inexpensive hotel buffet in Singapore at the moment (or at least one of the cheapest).
The highlight of the buffet is the Fish Head Curry. Featuring a recipe that dates back from the 1970s, it is another one of White Rose Cafe’s signature dishes – having been featured in limited period menus in the past. It’s quite a large serving which is best shared. The fish was firm without being hard and came with a succulently sweet flesh. I also quite enjoyed the sauce that came with the curry – rich and not too spicy which is just right for me. It is also slightly sour thanks to the inclusion of what seemed like tamarind paste. Make sure to come with an appetite and soak it in white rice.
The Black Ink Sotong was my favorite among the ala carte buffet dishes. A well-known comfort food not just in Singapore but throughout Southeast Asia, I’ve tasted quite a few regional variations of this dish and particularly enjoyed the version concocted by White Rose Café. Though mildly spicy, it doesn’t mask the earthy flavors coming out of the deliciously dark squid ink sauce.
The Chicken Masala was another highlight. It decidedly differed from the traditional Indian masala. Their version didn’t come with as much sauce and came in a noticeably darker shade. The chicken was very fragrant and featured a wonderful blend of spices – cloves, fennel seeds and even a hint of cardamom.
We ended the meal with a couple of sweet endings that included Chendol and Ice Kachang.
The Treasured Flavours of Singapore is available as an ala carte buffet daily, from 12nn to 2:30pm. It is priced at $29++ per person, for a minimum of two persons (excluding Penang Hawkers Fare)
White Rose Cafe
York Hotel Singapore
21 Mount Elizabeth
Singapore 228516
+65 6737 0511
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