Discovering the Japanese buffet wonderland, Kuishin Bo
If there is one cuisine our family (kids included) could eat for every meal, it is Japanese.
So we were very excited to celebrate my mum's birthday at the recently re-opened Kuishin Bo now located at the new North Wing of Suntec City.
It was our first visit there and we were very taken by the sprawling interior fitted with wooden beams, sake barrel-shaped booth seats and vintage beer posters - the place reminded us of the cozy izakayas (casual bars) and alleyways we saw in Japan.
The regular buffet spread was nothing short of amazing. There are seven sections altogether: sushi, sashimi, seafood, teppanyaki, paper hot pot, fried food, soups, salad & appetisers and desserts. Suffice to say, we were thoroughly spoiled for choice.
And did I mention FREE FLOW OF SASHIMI?? Imported from Norway, the salmon sashimi is the most sought-after items in the entire buffet line-up. Proud to say my mum and I probably ate our weight in it :)
Our other favourites include the fresh tiger prawns and mussels, grilled Australian Angus sirloin beef, barbecued lamb garlic miso which uses premium shoulder blade chop from New Zealand, the paper hot pot soup and the nourishing ginseng scallop porridge cooked with Korean ginseng and dried scallops.
Besides their regular buffet fare, Kuishin Bo is well-loved for its quarterly thematic food fairs which showcase gastronomic highlights from various regions in Japan.
From now till 27 September 2015, the limelight is on Kyushu and Okinawa.
We enjoyed going round to sample the unique dishes and reading about the history and inspiration behind them. I didn't manage to try them all (there were A LOT, trust me!) but there were a few stars: Okinawan soki soba, braised soft bone spare ribs Okinawan style noodle soup (I think my boys had three bowls of this!), mentai takana chahan; a fried rice dish with pickled mustard leaf, sesame seeds and cod fish roe from the coastal prefecture of Kumamoto in Kyushu, Chicken Nanban; free-range chicken deep-fried and garnished with a special tartar sauce from Miyazaki prefecture in Kyushu; Rafute, meltingly tender Okinawan comfort food of pork belly stewed in soy sauce and brown sugar and our favourite, Sata Andagi, fluffy doughnuts with a light, crips exterior.
Some dishes like the Goya Tamago (sushi with Okinawan staple bittergourd and egg) and Karashi Renkon (lotus root stuffed with spicy mustard) were very unusual - definitely a first for me!
While we were there, there was also a special Chinbin-making session on stage. We tried our hand at making soft, rolled-up crepes using the famous Okinawan brown sugar made from sugarcane, and gamely devoured our freshly-made treats. So fun and yummy!
The kids too were kept plenty entertained at the Kids' Haven corner.
You won't miss the cool feature wall of masks depicting Japanese cartoon characters like Doraemon, Pikachu and Power Rangers, the popcorn machine, the ice shaving machine and colourful lanterns and sakura flowers hanging overhead.
There was a nice spread of chira barashi (yes, for kids!), chicken karaage, takoyaki, sushi and chicken ragout spaghetti. My kids were not that adventurous and stuck to their familiar soba noodles ;)
My boys helped themselves to the free flow of popcorn and iced Milo and even made their own ice kachang topped with syrup and sprinkles :)
Thank goodness we have separate stomachs for dessert. Of course, we couldn't go to a Japanese buffet without trying the pillowy-soft mocha dumplings and gorging on premium Japanese fruits like grapes and rock melon!
The boys went crazy with the chocolate fondue fountain (I couldn't reveal its location to them till they had finished their dinner). If only they were always that enthusiastic at mealtimes!
It was such an incredibly indulgent and satisfying lunch. We rolled out of the restaurant happy and stuffed with definite plans to return again!
Kuishin Bo, Suntec City
#03-334 Suntec City (North Wing, Tower 2)
Singapore 038983
Pricing
Lunch: 1130am-3pm
Mon-Fri $36.90++ per adult/$18.90++ per child
Sat, Sun & PH $38.90++ per adult/$18.90++ per child
Dinner: 530-10pm
Mon-Thu $54.90++ per adult/$18.90++ per child
Fri, Sat, Sun, PH Eve & PH $58.90++ per adult/$18.90++ per child
Family Affair (2 adults + 1 child): 1130am-3pm
Sat & Sun $84++ (second child @$12.00++)
Afternoon Delight 330-5pm
Sat, Sun & PH $18.90++ per adult/$9.90++ per child
60 Minutes Lunch: Check in and out of the restaurant within one hour to enjoy lunch buffet at $24.90++ per adult on weekdays only.
Giveaway
Good news - Kuishin Bo has kindly agreed to sponsor dinner for a family of 4 (2 adults + 2 children) at their Suntec City outlet (valid on Sunday-Thursday)!
To participate, all you have to do is:
1) Visit both the Olimomok and Kuishin Bo Singapore Facebook pages (it would be great if you could 'Like' them as well!)
2) Leave me a comment here telling me what you want to try at the buffet and why you want to go for it, together with your name and email address.
3) 'Like' and 'share' my Facebook post on Kuishin Bo and tag three friends.
4) Add me ('Olimomok') on Instagram.
Then complete the steps in the following Kuishin Bo raffle
by 9 Sep 2015 (next Wednesday) end of day (Singapore time).
Good luck!
Disclaimer: We were invited to a media tasting for the purpose of this review. The pleasure was ours and all opinions are, as always, my own.
So we were very excited to celebrate my mum's birthday at the recently re-opened Kuishin Bo now located at the new North Wing of Suntec City.
It was our first visit there and we were very taken by the sprawling interior fitted with wooden beams, sake barrel-shaped booth seats and vintage beer posters - the place reminded us of the cozy izakayas (casual bars) and alleyways we saw in Japan.
The regular buffet spread was nothing short of amazing. There are seven sections altogether: sushi, sashimi, seafood, teppanyaki, paper hot pot, fried food, soups, salad & appetisers and desserts. Suffice to say, we were thoroughly spoiled for choice.
And did I mention FREE FLOW OF SASHIMI?? Imported from Norway, the salmon sashimi is the most sought-after items in the entire buffet line-up. Proud to say my mum and I probably ate our weight in it :)
Our other favourites include the fresh tiger prawns and mussels, grilled Australian Angus sirloin beef, barbecued lamb garlic miso which uses premium shoulder blade chop from New Zealand, the paper hot pot soup and the nourishing ginseng scallop porridge cooked with Korean ginseng and dried scallops.
Besides their regular buffet fare, Kuishin Bo is well-loved for its quarterly thematic food fairs which showcase gastronomic highlights from various regions in Japan.
From now till 27 September 2015, the limelight is on Kyushu and Okinawa.
We enjoyed going round to sample the unique dishes and reading about the history and inspiration behind them. I didn't manage to try them all (there were A LOT, trust me!) but there were a few stars: Okinawan soki soba, braised soft bone spare ribs Okinawan style noodle soup (I think my boys had three bowls of this!), mentai takana chahan; a fried rice dish with pickled mustard leaf, sesame seeds and cod fish roe from the coastal prefecture of Kumamoto in Kyushu, Chicken Nanban; free-range chicken deep-fried and garnished with a special tartar sauce from Miyazaki prefecture in Kyushu; Rafute, meltingly tender Okinawan comfort food of pork belly stewed in soy sauce and brown sugar and our favourite, Sata Andagi, fluffy doughnuts with a light, crips exterior.
Some dishes like the Goya Tamago (sushi with Okinawan staple bittergourd and egg) and Karashi Renkon (lotus root stuffed with spicy mustard) were very unusual - definitely a first for me!
While we were there, there was also a special Chinbin-making session on stage. We tried our hand at making soft, rolled-up crepes using the famous Okinawan brown sugar made from sugarcane, and gamely devoured our freshly-made treats. So fun and yummy!
The kids too were kept plenty entertained at the Kids' Haven corner.
You won't miss the cool feature wall of masks depicting Japanese cartoon characters like Doraemon, Pikachu and Power Rangers, the popcorn machine, the ice shaving machine and colourful lanterns and sakura flowers hanging overhead.
There was a nice spread of chira barashi (yes, for kids!), chicken karaage, takoyaki, sushi and chicken ragout spaghetti. My kids were not that adventurous and stuck to their familiar soba noodles ;)
My boys helped themselves to the free flow of popcorn and iced Milo and even made their own ice kachang topped with syrup and sprinkles :)
Thank goodness we have separate stomachs for dessert. Of course, we couldn't go to a Japanese buffet without trying the pillowy-soft mocha dumplings and gorging on premium Japanese fruits like grapes and rock melon!
The boys went crazy with the chocolate fondue fountain (I couldn't reveal its location to them till they had finished their dinner). If only they were always that enthusiastic at mealtimes!
It was such an incredibly indulgent and satisfying lunch. We rolled out of the restaurant happy and stuffed with definite plans to return again!
Kuishin Bo, Suntec City
#03-334 Suntec City (North Wing, Tower 2)
Singapore 038983
Pricing
Lunch: 1130am-3pm
Mon-Fri $36.90++ per adult/$18.90++ per child
Sat, Sun & PH $38.90++ per adult/$18.90++ per child
Dinner: 530-10pm
Mon-Thu $54.90++ per adult/$18.90++ per child
Fri, Sat, Sun, PH Eve & PH $58.90++ per adult/$18.90++ per child
Family Affair (2 adults + 1 child): 1130am-3pm
Sat & Sun $84++ (second child @$12.00++)
Afternoon Delight 330-5pm
Sat, Sun & PH $18.90++ per adult/$9.90++ per child
60 Minutes Lunch: Check in and out of the restaurant within one hour to enjoy lunch buffet at $24.90++ per adult on weekdays only.
Giveaway
Good news - Kuishin Bo has kindly agreed to sponsor dinner for a family of 4 (2 adults + 2 children) at their Suntec City outlet (valid on Sunday-Thursday)!
To participate, all you have to do is:
1) Visit both the Olimomok and Kuishin Bo Singapore Facebook pages (it would be great if you could 'Like' them as well!)
2) Leave me a comment here telling me what you want to try at the buffet and why you want to go for it, together with your name and email address.
3) 'Like' and 'share' my Facebook post on Kuishin Bo and tag three friends.
4) Add me ('Olimomok') on Instagram.
Then complete the steps in the following Kuishin Bo raffle
by 9 Sep 2015 (next Wednesday) end of day (Singapore time).
Good luck!
Disclaimer: We were invited to a media tasting for the purpose of this review. The pleasure was ours and all opinions are, as always, my own.