Only $9.80 for this buffet downtown

 PULL up a chair in a foodcourt in any mall today, and a lunch consisting of chicken rice ($4), a soft drink ($1.80) and a shaved ice dessert ($2.50) will add up to $8.30 - a sum that still mildly shocks this grew-up-in-the-1990s child weaned on $2 chicken rice.

Yet owners of bottomless stomachs - coupled with bottomed-out wallets - can take heart: nestled snugly in town are veritable gems of cafes offering all-you-can-eat lunch buffets with under-$15 price tags that would bring a sparkle to any Singaporean eye.

Granted, one will not be polishing off oysters or guzzling chocolate from fountains at these places, but these eateries do provide a decent alternative to the legions of Western and Japanese buffet places out there.

Their profferings of traditional ethnic cuisine ranging from Chinese to Indonesian to Peranakan will soothe the hearts of those seeking home-cooked comfort and quicken the pulse of the adventurous.

Mr Percy Khambatta, manager of Bombay Cafe Xpress, which serves Indian fare, said: 'Some companies have weekly office lunches, so the Chinese will take their colleagues to try Chinese food, and the Indians sometimes take their colleagues here.'

Indeed, the 'cultural exchanges' and word of mouth result in brisk business for the cafe - which in turn allows them to keep prices low, the genteel 50-year-old said.

'The expats, who would otherwise hesitate to try Indian food by themselves, often come back again with their families for dinner,' he added.

This chicken-and-egg business approach is reiterated by Rice Table Indonesian Restaurant's owner Mr Kevin Sih, 44, who strives to keep prices in the 'friendly range' to attract customers, which then translates to lower costs when buying in bulk.

Mr Sih added: 'Additionally, costlier items like the beef rendang are offset by lower-priced ones like tahu telor (beancurd omelette) so customers get a wide variety of food, and also value for their money.'

Other strategies employed at another eatery, Joaquim's Buffet Restaurant, include proper estimation of the average amount of food consumed, which is then prepared as needed to minimise wastage.

Customers seem to be lapping this up.

Mr Yap Zu Wei, who was at Rice Table for dinner with his cousins, was pleased with his virgin outing.

The 23-year-old, who is waiting to enter university, said: 'The food was good, though I found the price a bit steep.'

However, he thought that the lunchtime buffet - $9 cheaper than dinner with five fewer items - offered good value, adding that he 'will definitely go back again'.

Over at Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe, executive assistant Adelyn Tan readily divulged that the cheap, good food was a draw for her, and that she would patronise the cafe whenever she could find colleagues willing to go with her.

Joaquim Buffet Restaurant
Time: 11am - 3pm (Mon - Fri) 11am - 4pm (Sat, Sun, PH)
Where: Suntec Singapore Level 1, 1 Raffles Boulevard
Go if you: Crave some hot, comfort food. Plain, sweet potato or peanut porridge cooked Teochew style, accompanied by an extensive spread of braised, broiled, pickled, stewed and stir-fried dishes.
Go for: Roasted soy chicken - which disappears fast, traditional desserts like pulut hitam (black glutinous rice paste).
Cost: $9.80++ (Mon - Fri)
$12.80++ (Sat, Sun and PH)

Eat more for less

Quality Cafe
Time: 11am - 2.30pm
Where: Quality Hotel Level 1, 201 Balestier Road
Go if you: Must have rice at every meal. There's pineapple, yam and chicken rice to choose from. Also available are a variety of unpretentious local fare like stir-fried vegetables, mee siam, yong tau foo and Chinese soups.
Go for: Laksa, chicken rice and chilli flower crabs with 'mantou' (buns).
Cost: $11.80++ (Mon - Thu) $13.80++ (Fri - Sun, eve of PH, PH)

Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe
Time: 11am - 2.30pm
Where: Northbridge Commercial Complex, #01-02, 470 North Bridge Road
Go if you: Like authentic Peranakan cuisine, rich in coconut milk and generous amounts of chilli. One of the highlights must be the desserts - a bright confetti of kuehs, durian chendol and pulut hitam (black glutinous rice paste).
Go for: The lontong, fish maw soup and, of course, the desserts.
Cost: $13.30+, no tax. (Mon - Fri) $14.30+ (Sat, Sun, PH)

Rice Table Indonesian Restaurant
Time: Noon - 3pm (Last order at 2.15pm)
Where: International Building #02-09/10 (Beside Shaw Centre), 360 Orchard Road
Go if you: Detest walking to and fro during buffet meals. Here they serve samplers of all 13 dishes once you sit down, and you simply order more of those you've taken a shine to. Meat and vegetable dishes are hearty, flavourful and often spicy.
Go for: The chicken satay with its addictive peanut sauce, sambal prawns and full-bodied chicken soup.
Cost: $14.80++ (Daily)

Bombay Cafe Xpress
Time: Noon - 2.30pm
Where: Suntec City Mall, #B1-020
Go if you: Love spicy food and Hindi movies, which play constantly on several wall-mounted TVs. It has eight different curries, so you can expand your horizon beyond 'curry chap chye' (mixed vegetable curry) in this vegetarian restaurant. Naans (free flow) are freshly made upon ordering at the counter, and there is a variety of Indian street snacks at the counter too.
Go for: The paneer masala (a curry), the fluffy, buttery naans and the DIY yoghurt salad.
Cost: $14.90++ (weekdays) $16.90++ (weekends)

This article was first published in The New Paper on July 14, 2008

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