10 Comforting Porridge Buffets In Singapore For The Whole Family
Warm your belly with these value-for-money Taiwan and Teochew porridge buffets picks in Singapore!
We can probably all agree that porridge is one of the best Asian comfort foods out there, hands down. It's something you can enjoy when you're feeling under the weather, or when you want something a little lighter than rice. Plus, it's the perfect meal to share with family, because you can pair plain porridge with an almost infinite combination of meats, veggies and more, zi char style.
So instead of hitting your regular hawker centre for Teochew mui, why not kick things up a notch and enjoy unlimited servings of porridge and dishes at a porridge buffet? We're sure ah ma will approve. Here are 10 Taiwan and Teochew porridge buffets in Singapore for a relaxing weekend family meal:
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Note: Although many Taiwan/Teochew porridge dishes are seafood-, egg- and veggie-based, braised pork is also one of the staple ingredients, so it goes without saying that all of these places are not halal. The most halal-friendly option would be the ART, which doesn’t use pork or lard in their cooking.
Marina Square’s somewhat infamous porridge buffet restaurant used to be called Hotpot Culture, but following a rat-related run-in with the NEA, they apparently reopened and rebranded themselves as iSteamboat. Despite the name, iSteamboat is better known for offering the cheapest porridge buffet in Singapore at just $8.80++ (less if you buy vouchers on Fave). That’s cheaper than some Teochew mui meals. You get free flow of 24 items including sweet potato porridge, sides like luncheon meat and chye poh eggs, plus unlimited drinks, ice cream and fried rice/bee hoon/kway teow.
Porridge buffet lunch: 11.45am to 2.45pm daily
Buffet price: $8.80++
iSteamboat is at #04-102a Marina Square, 6 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039594.
Quality Hotel’s porridge buffet has been around for so long that it’s the first place that comes to mind for many Singaporeans – especially those with late-night cravings for porridge. That’s because they have a really cheap supper porridge buffet at just $12.80++ on weekdays and $14.80++ on weekends. Apart from porridge and the sides like pickles and fermented tofu, there are also Asian buffet items like popiah, laksa, curry chicken, seafood dishes, and desserts. Super worth it!
Supper porridge buffet: 10.30pm to 12.30am daily
Buffet price: $12.80++ (Mon to Thu) / $14.80++ (Fri to Sun)
Porridge buffet dinner: 6pm to 10pm daily
Buffet price: $24.80++ (Mon to Thu) / $26.80++ (Fri to Sun)
Quality Hotel Marlow is at 201 Balestier Rd, Singapore 329926.
Steak joint Astons has opened Manle, a Chinese restaurant that successfully replicates its winning formula (namely, wallet-friendly prices) over to Teochew porridge and hotpot. At $12.90+, Manle’s Teochew porridge buffet lunch may be a little more expensive than ordering Teochew mui at the hawker centre, but then it comes with air con so you can comfortably gorge on their 30 dishes.
Porridge buffet lunch: 11.30am to 3pm
Buffet price: $12.90+ (adult) / $8.90+ (child)
Manle Hotpot has two outlets: #B1-01/02 City Square Mall, 180 Kitchener Road, Singapore 208539; and #02-344-348 Market Square @ Downtown East E!Avenue, 1 Pasir Ris Close, Singapore 519599.
Although it’s not your typical porridge buffet place, we had to include The ART, the in-house restaurant of Assumption Pathway School. The ART is a training ground for students to hone their F&B and service skills. The cafe usually serves individually plated Western food, but once a month, they put out a porridge buffet to let the students practise cooking local food in larger quantities. It’s not halal, but they don’t use pork or lard.
Since the students tailor their cooking to the number of patrons, the porridge buffet is by reservation only. Email the.art.aps@gmail.com to reserve.
Porridge buffet dinner: 6pm to 9.30pm every last Friday of the month
Buffet price: $13.50 nett (adults) / $12 nett (children & senior citizens)
The ART is at Assumption Pathway School, 30 Cashew Road, Singapore 679697.
Did you know that there’s actually a cheap Taiwan porridge buffet place along Orchard Road – and in a hotel, no less? It’s no Shangri-La, but Orchard Grand Court’s Crystal Cafe has a certain ‘80s hotel charm, complete with obiang patterned carpet. Anyway, the star of the show is the simple and comforting Taiwan porridge buffet spread at well under $20 per head. Yes, even for dinner. Plus, they have an extended lunchtime on weekends, so you can skip dinner after stuffing yourself with enough braised pork belly to feed a small Chinese army.
Porridge buffet lunch: 12pm to 2.30pm (Mon to Fri) / 12pm to 4pm (Sat to Sun)
Porridge buffet dinner: 6pm to 10pm daily
Buffet price: $14.80++ (Mon to Fri) / $16.80++ (Sat to Sun)
Crystal Cafe is at Orchard Grand Court, 131 Killiney Rd, Singapore 239571.
Getting random hankerings for porridge in the middle of the night must be quite a thing here, because in addition to Quality Hotel, you can also get a supper porridge buffet at One Farrer Hotel’s Escape restaurant. One Farrer’s Teochew porridge buffet is simple but nice, with sweet potato congee and the classic dishes like steamed fish, pickled veggies and mei cai pork belly. The ambience is quite nice too, especially when you think about how you paid only $16++ for a hotel buffet. The best/worst thing about One Farrer’s porridge buffet is that it starts and ends super late, so it’s definitely a plus for night owls looking for something other than prata. Check out other late-night eats here.
Supper porridge buffet: 11pm - 3am on Fridays, Saturdays and Public Holidays.
Buffet price: $16++
The only Teochew porridge buffet place in the CBD, Orchid Hotel’s porridge buffet is a godsend for corporates who just want to binge-eat all their problems away at lunchtime. On top of the Teochew mui classics, Orchid Cafe also serves quite a lot of veggies and even a salad bar for those who want to eat a bit more healthy.
Porridge buffet lunch: 12pm to 2pm daily
Buffet price: $18.80++ (adult) / $13.80++ (child)
Porridge buffet dinner: 6pm to 10pm daily
Buffet price: $20.80++ (adult) / $15.80++
Orchid Hotel is at 1 Tras Link, Singapore 078867.
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Goldleaf Restaurant is supposedly the very first restaurant in Singapore to serve Taiwan porridge – since 1971! – and it’s actually still around, albeit in a new location in Katong. Goldleaf now serves a Taiwan porridge buffet with over 30 dishes to choose from, which is a lot by porridge buffet standards!
Porridge buffet lunch: 12pm to 2.30pm daily
Buffet price: $20.90+
Porridge buffet dinner: 6pm to 10pm daily
Buffet price: $27.90+
Goldleaf Restaurant is at #01-02 Katong Square, 86 E Coast Rd, Singapore 428788.
Apologies in advance to Teochew porridge purists for including this particular Asian buffet, this option will satisfy both lovers and haters of porridge buffets who have to dine together. Spice Brasserie’s Asian buffet isn’t strictly a porridge buffet; it’s more a “normal” buffet with a decent-sized Teochew porridge counter (12 dishes). You also get the regular hotel buffet fare like seafood, live stations, desserts and so on. This way, all parties can have a satisfying buffet meal with minimal resentment.
Porridge buffet lunch: 12pm to 2.30pm daily
Buffet price: $32++ (adult) / $16++ (child)
Porridge buffet dinner: 6pm to 10pm daily
Buffet price (Mon to Thu): $42++ (adult) / $21++ (child)
Buffet price (Fri to Sun): $48++ (adult) / $24++ (child)
Spice Brasserie is at PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road, 181 Kitchener Rd, Singapore 208533.
If you feel like fancying it up, why not try Goodwood Park Coffee Lounge's legendary Taiwan porridge buffet that's been around since 1984? What’s special about it is that it’s the only a la carte porridge buffet on the list, so you’re getting food specially cooked just for you, not sitting there in its own semi-congealed juices. (Though there’s absolutely nothing wrong with semi-congealed juices.) Instead of the standard cheap dishes like salted egg and braised peanuts, you can get zi char-style dishes like steamed fish, stir-fried veggies/meat/prawn, and Japanese-style chilled tofu. There’s also a selection of desserts more typical of hotel buffets, e.g. cakes and puddings.
Porridge buffet lunch: 12pm to 2.30pm daily
Porridge buffet dinner: 6pm to 10.30pm daily
Buffet price (Mon to Thu): $39++ (adult) / $19.50++ (child)
Buffet price (Fri to Sun): $42++ (adult) / $21++ (child)
Goodwood Park Coffee Lounge is at 22 Scotts Rd, Singapore 228221.
Text: Clara Lim, Additional reporting: Elizabeth Liew
A version of this post first appeared on Moneysmart.