About Oscar’s and the Sustainable Seafood Festival

We won’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of the Sustainable Seafood Festival, which is being hosted in Singapore for the very first time this year. What may surprise most though, is the fact that 87% of the world’s oceans today are being overfished. This is why the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) believes we’ll run out of fish in a few decades. I can’t imagine a world without sambal stingrays and Chilli crabs, so I hope that day never comes.

To help raise awareness for this issue, the WWF has launched the Sustainable Seafood Festival in partnership with some of the top restaurants in Singapore. Restaurants such as Conrad’s Oscar’s have participated in this “Pick the Right Catch” movement – which is all about educating diners to be more selective with their choices.

Over the course of a week, these restaurants will prepare a special menu using only stringently vetted MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified seafood food, along with their usual offerings. By consuming sustainable seafood, we consumers can enjoy our meals responsibly without worrying about depleting our oceans. The Sustainable Seafood Festival started on the 8th of June and will run to the 15 June 2014.

The interesting bit about Oscar’s involvement is how they are the only restaurant to incorporate the sustainable menu into their buffet. I find that generous of them because MSC certified products are priced at a premium, and their buffet is priced only slightly more expensive than usual.

I also happen to like buffets a lot so Chloe and myself were really excited to check out their Sustainable Seafood buffet the other day!

The Regular Food at Oscar’s at Conrad

We last visited Oscar’s when our friends had cravings for freshly shucked oysters. Their usual buffet is seafood centric, with a bit of Japanese and local dessert.

Here’s their local Noodle station which is located so far outside the restaurant that it’s something you will miss unless you know its there. Here’s a random fact – Oscar’s is the only hotel restaurant I know which is open 24 hours a day. Now here’s a look at some of their buffet offerings.

The new MSC Certified Items

In addition to their regular offerings, you’ll get to treat yourself to MSC certified items on their menu such as the Rock Lobster, Pacific Salmon, Chilean Sea Bass and Alaskan Pollock. This section was the highlight of the buffet. We just pigged out non-stop on the MSC items which can be cooked in three different styles – Grilled/Baked/Steamed and served in 3 different sauces from Terriyaki to Pesto.

We ended up having three of these MSC certified plates because it was that good. The fish came to us piping hot from the live station, served in the styles we ordered. The steamed Atlantic Cod was particularly amazing and I recommend it being cooked for you pure in that way. Something like that would easily end up as main at a good restaurant.

Fries are something I try to avoid at buffets, but I couldn’t help myself having a few rounds of them here. Here’s a picture of their bite-sized version of fish n chips.

Verdict

Oscar’s buffet is seafood heavy, so its most suitable for those into seafood as apart from that, the variety isn’t large. I’m not sure if I would enjoy their buffet as much on regular days, but during this festival I absolutely loved it, because of the generous MSC items on the menu. We basically just ate from the MSC section, and then it was straight to their well-stocked dessert stations.

What’s also notable here is their service. I sometimes struggle balancing my plates on my way back to the table. And several times, instead of idling around, the wait staff had a pro-active attitude and approached me, offering to carry my plates back to the table for me. It’s something I’ve not seen at any hotel restaurant and I’ve been to a lot of them – so it left a strong impression on me.

The Fishing Well for Kids

The Fishing Well for kids is a little something that Oscar’s has put together, to help create a fun and educational experience for kids. There are also small giveaways for the kids, given to those who participate in it. Speaking of kids, they dine at 50% off the regular prices here!

Chloe, learns the importance of fishing for sustainable food!

Getting to Oscar’s and Prices

Dress Code: Smart Casual
Operating Hours: 24 Hours (A la carte) | Lunch 12-4:30pm | Dinner 6-10pm
Prices: Monday to Thursday $78++ | Friday to Sunday $ 90++
Reservations: 6432 7481
Address: 2 Temasek Blvd, 038982, Conrad Centennial Singapore Hotel.

This post is part of TSL’s community initiative, which raises awareness pro bono for notable causes.