Todai Tasting Session

Todai Tasting Session
2 Bayfront Avenue
#B2-01A The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands

Opening Hours:
Monday – Saturday: 11.30am – 3pm (Lunch), 5.30pm – 10pm (Dinner)
Sunday: 11.30am – 4pm (Lunch), 5pm – 10pm (Dinner)

http://www.todai.com.sg/

This was an invited media review.
Attended with representatives from HungryGoWhere, Rubbish Eat Rubbish Grow, The Food Nomads, and SG Food On Foot.

Healing Foods At Todai – July 2013 Promotion

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 9
Value for Money: 8

Price Of Buffet Per Person:
Lunch: SGD $42 ++ On Monday, Wednesday; SGD $46 ++ On Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; SGD $64 ++ On Saturday, Sunday, Public Holidays
Dinner: SGD $58 ++ On Monday, Wednesday; SGD $68 ++ On Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Public Holidays

Described as ‘The Mother Of All Seafood Buffets’, Todai is an international buffet restaurant franchise with branches worldwide. While Todai claims to position itself as an international seafood and sushi buffet restaurant, a more accurate description for Todai is to describe it as an international buffet with Korean influence.

In conjection with the launch of their theme for July 2013, we were invited for a tasting session of ‘Healing Foods at Todai’ on 16-July-2013, Tuesday. Several of us were at Todai for the first time, so we started with a restaurant tour. I noticed that Ambience at Todai differs greatly depending on your seating location, it’s generally quieter the further you are from the buffet spread. Tables nearer the buffet area also tend to be packed quite closely, and conversations may carry over. Furniture is comfortable and rather spacious.

Todai Signage

 

Todai Restaurant Tour

Desserts are the first thing you’ll see, situated at the entrance of the buffet spread. The Macaron Pyramid stands out for its eye catching visual appeal, though the actual Macarons themselves are just average in taste. Beside the pretty looking Selection Of Cakes stands a sex looking Chocolate Fountain overflowing with abundance of milky chocolate goodness.

Macaron Pyramid

 

Selection Of Cakes

 

Chocolate Fountain

All kitchen stations here are open concept, and part of the appeal is watching the chef prepare the food. Catch the Sashimi Chef slicing the fresh fish, before laying it on a stunning beautifully presented platter Selection Of Sashimi.

Sashimi Chef

 

Selection Of Sashimi

Asian decor is prominent around the buffet spread, with touches such as Rice Wine Cask Barrel and Carved Figurines.

Rice Wine Cask Barrel

 

Carved Figurines

At the Churrasco Grill station, the Selection Of Churrasco Grills seems rather plain to me. The more appetizing sight was the Carving Board With Whole Rack Of Lamb, which looked totally juicy and succulent.

Carving Board With Whole Rack Of Lamb

 

Selection Of Churrasco Grills

The Korean station is the pride of Todai, boasting authentic Korean pickles (Kimchi), Korean desserts, and Korean street snacks. Beside the Korean station is the Wall Of Fame, with pictures of Korean celebrities, and international celebrities who have previously dined at this Todai outlet.

Chef Frying Korean Pancakes

 

Wall Of Fame

The Todai Private Dining Room is large enough to comfortably accomodate 12 people, and this was where we were hosted. Lighting is sufficient, though I felt the TV quietly playing Korean music videos was unnecessary. Service at Todai that night was efficient and well-organised, but as we were dining with the manager, I can’t say for sure that the service is typical of everyday service at Todai.

Todai Private Dining Room

 

Setting Up For Photoshoot

The first new dish on Todai menu for their ‘Healing Foods’ promotion in July 2013 is the Abalone Ginseng Chicken Soup. Consisting of a firm and meaty Korean abalone in a thin consomme / broth of chicken soup, with Korean ginseng, chestnut, Korean red date / jujube, and ginko nut. It’s served in a specially imported bowl designed to look like Korean bamboo. It is said to be able to build healthy muscle tissue and re-energize the body.

Abalone Ginseng Chicken Soup 01

 

Abalone Ginseng Chicken Soup 02

 

Abalone Ginseng Chicken Soup 03

The second new dish is the Sea Eel BBQ, also known as ‘Unago’, a beautifully grilled piece of sweet and meaty sea eel, garnished with spring onions and ginger. It is said to aid the rejuvenation of cells.

Sea Eel BBQ 01

 

Sea Eel BBQ 02

 

Sea Eel BBQ 03

A highlight at Todai is their supply of King Crab, Red Crab and Alaskan Snow Crab, which many would consider to be their most popular item. Fortunately, their crab is fresh, and replenished at the buffet spread quite regularly!

King Crab

 

Alaskan Snow Crab

Todai uses specially imported Korean Abalone. The difference is that Korean Abalone is slightly firmer and more meaty. It is considered a luxury item in Korean cuisine.

Korean Abalone 01

 

Korean Abalone 02

Todai has a large spread of good quality Sushi available, the trick is to pace yourself as sushi rice tends to make you full really quickly. I generally tend to cut the Sushi open and just consume the ingredients and toppings without the rice. Of those I tried, I thought the best was the Alaska Roll, the Yakidori Roll and the White Dragon Roll.

Alaska Roll

 

Yakidori Roll

 

White Dragon Roll

The Octopus display looks slightly intimidating, with a baby Octopus propped up on ice. Beside it is the spread of fresh / raw seafood and sashimi, also another popular section of the buffet. Again, replenishment of items here takes place quite regularly, but you have to be quick as it get snapped up quite quickly as well.

Octopus 01

 

Octopus 02

Tried the Korean Pancakes, and I felt the Korean Seafood Pancake was a little flat and greasy, not that good. But the Korean Fish Pancake was better, as fresh fish was used. Good.

Korean Seafood Pancake

 

Korean Fish Pancake

I loved the Smoked Duck In Red Wine And Fig Sauce from the Western Cooked Food section! The duck meat isn’t too dry, and there is a nice smoky taste that coems through.

Smoked Duck In Red Wine And Fig Sauce

Of the various meats and sausages at the Churrasco Grill section, I felt the Grilled Beef Flank Steak was probably the best, tender, juicy and with a nice aroma from the grill. The Grilled Pork Belly was pretty good as well, with very little fat. Don’t miss out on the Grilled Pineapple, I just loved the sweetness of it!

Grilled Beef Flank Steak

 

Grilled Pork Belly

 

Grilled Pineapple

Salmon is used in various forms at Todai, but besides the Sashimi version, the Salmon Steak With Digon Sauce is probably the next best. I have this nagging feeling that ‘Digon’ actually refers to ‘Dijon Mustard’.

Salmon Steak With Digon Sauce

Wide range of Selection Of Desserts, including Mango Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheecake, Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Banana Gateau Cake, Green Tea Mousse Cake and Walnut Pie. These were all good, with the most outstanding being the incredibly soft Green Tea Mousse Cake which just crumbles when touched, and the lovely and sweet Chocolate Banana Gateau Cake. The bland, dry and hard Chocolate Muffin was the worst thing I ate here, and Todai has promised to improve on it.

Selection Of Desserts

 

Chocolate Muffin Dry

The Coffee Cream was the best dessert I had at Todai. A layer of whipped vanilla cream sits on top of a thick caramel and coffee syrup, garnished with crunchy pistachio nuts. Absolutely lovely and decadent, and so sweet that I couldn’t finish it myself!

Coffee Cream 01

 

Coffee Cream 02

Ended the evening with drinks and fun conversations! The question of the day that incredibly, stumped a room full of Singapore’s best food bloggers and foodies, was “Where is the best economy fried bee hoon in Singapore?”. Such as simple dish that is common everywhere, yet none of us could name a place in Singapore. Challenge accepted!

Drinks

 

The 9 Of Us

 

The 9 Of Us

Todai now has several commercials airing, I quite like their playful nature of the videos!