Looking for the best brunch places in Singapore with free-flow drinks, unlimited craft cocktails or all-you-can-eat international buffet fare? There are plenty of choices for a weekend or Sunday brunch that Singaporeans, expats and tourists love! So, what are the best spots for breakfast and bubbles on the island? The Expat Living team has tried and tested a few fabulous free-flow champagne brunches to come up with some of our top picks from the hotels in Singapore. (Yep, it was hard work!) It’s a great thing to do – so plan ahead for birthdays and when guests are in town. Psst… Due to COVID-19, the restaurants have rolled out plated brunches instead of the usual buffet displays, so you don’t have to leave your seats to get your food! You can expect social distancing, contactless ordering and frequent sanitisation as some of the precautionary measures.
Beach Road Kitchen
When: Sundays from 12 to 3pm
What’s popping: Free-flow Moët Grand Vintage 2012 champagne, wines, beer, cocktails, juices and soft drinks are included in the $158 brunch price. There’s also a alcohol-free option at $108.
With over 40 new dishes to choose from, we were super impressed by the selection at this champagne brunch, which features chefs-on-show with roving live stations, chefs specialty pass-around and plated dishes served to the table. It wasn’t possible to try everything, but we certainly gave it a good try! We particularly loved the fresh seafood selection of poached lobsters, snow crabs, grilled lobsters, salt-crust barramundi and chili crab.
For the health-conscious bruncher, there’s an abundance of pretty salads, with cold cuts and cheeses to add on. Carnivores will find a great selection of Tomahawk steak and fresh New Zealand spring lamb. Another favourite of mine was the lobster laksa, freshly prepared from the local noodle bar. Local favourites like chilli crab with mantou and deep fried prawn paste chicken are also available – yum!
Complementing the delicious food is a great ambience. The space is bright and welcoming, and there’s a natural flow to how the food is arranged. The staff are wonderful and attentive, and great with kids. Brunch is $48 per child, or free for the under-six set). The entire dessert selection itself is amazing, with a lovely assortment of ice cream and toppings. It’s an Instagrammer’s dream!
– Jacqui Young
JW Marriott Hotel Singapore
South Beach 30 Beach Road
6818 1888 | marriott.com
Wooloomooloo Steakhouse
When: Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 3pm. Be sure to check before going as some days there are special occasions and brunch isn’t available.
What’s popping: The menu offers three price points, starting at $48 for an alcohol-free brunch. If you want some drinks with your meal, you can add $60 and, for $108, you get free-flow wine and beer with your meal. Add $20 more for free-flow Laurent-Perrier La Cuvee Brut N.V. and selected cocktails.
I often find a lot of the brunches in town are too big and I end up gorging myself because I want to get my money’s worth. That’s why Wooloomooloo was perfect for me. The brunch is four delicious courses, enjoyed while taking in a truly lovely view of the Padang and the skyline – and it doesn’t break the bank! With each course, you get a choice between two items (three for the main course). So, between my husband and me, we tried almost everything on the menu!
As a Southerner from the US, I know a thing or two about devilled eggs, but the Korean devilled eggs with kimchi, bacon and mint were new to me – unusual and downright tasty. The smoked salmon toast had just the right mix of capers, red onions and dill-honey-herb dressing, a delicious upgrade from the bagels and lox I used to eat all the time in New York. You can’t go wrong with the sweet corn chowder: it’s made with blue swimmer crab and crème fraîche. Heck, anything with crème fraîche is a winner in my book!
My husband’s main dish of pan-seared New Zealand king salmon came with cauliflower rice and grilled asparagus. The skin was so perfectly crispy that we asked the chef how he did it (like we’ll ever be able to recreate it at home – ha!). Meanwhile, my IconMS6/7 Wagyu petit tender with garlic mash, mushroom ragout and red wine sauce was simply scrumptious. I ate every last morsel!
The good news? I had room for dessert. I always love a good sticky date pudding, but surprisingly I preferred the Earl Grey lavender, a tea-scented chocolate mousse with brownie “soil” and raspberry sorbet. All in all, we had a lovely afternoon meal. I left feeling happily full, not lamenting I’d spent too much or overstuffed myself. A perfect brunch!
– Melinda Murphy
Wooloomooloo Steakhouse
Level 3, Swissotel The Stamford 2 Stamford Road
6338 0261 | wooloo-mooloo.com
Seasonal Tastes
Please note that Seasonal Tastes is temporarily closed in lieu of COVID-19. We will update here if there are any changes.
When: Sundays from 12 to 3pm
What’s popping: Optional two-hour free-flow prosecco, house wine and beer at $48 per person. The buffet itself goes at $58 per adult and $29 per child (four to 12 years). Children below four eat for free. For every two adults, one child (four to 12 years) can dine for free.
The Sunday Family Lunch at The Westin Singapore is a casual affair, with a focus on keeping both kids and parents happy during their meal. Located on the 32nd floor, the dining space is pleasantly filled with loads of natural light, and diners can enjoy views of the Marina Bay area. There’s a play space for children with fun activities to keep them entertained, and a child sized buffet of small bites, including fruit cups and sandwiches. During our lunch, balloon sculpting was a huge hit – there were many happy kids running about with balloon swords, butterflies and even unicorns.
You can expect the usual suspects here, from seafood on ice (prawns, crabs, lobsters, mussels and freshly shucked oysters) and a DIY salad station to live stations serving pasta, soup noodles and grilled meat (lamb, beef and pork) that you can get to your preferred doneness. Head down the buffet line and you’ll find a mix of international and local dishes: cheeses, cured meats and pizzas, as well as Asian fare such as pepper crab, cereal prawns and Indian curries. If you enjoy sashimi, right next to the sushi platter, fresh and generous slices of salmon are up for grabs.
For dessert, there’s a dedicated sweets station displaying a variety of cakes, tarts, jellies and a selection of gelato. My favourites for the day? The tangy mini yuzu tarts and crème brûlée. There are also some bite-sized nyonya kueh, and jars of biscuits and candy, including sour belts and jelly beans.
– Lindsay Yap
Seasonal Tastes
12 Marina View, Asia Square Tower 2
6922 6968 | thewestinsingapore.com
Colony
When: Sundays from 12 to 3.30pm
What’s popping: Enjoy your brunch with Champagne Barons de Rothschild Réserve Ritz Brut NV, as well as cocktails, selected spirits, house pour wines, draft beer, soft drinks and juices for $178 ($89 for children aged six to 12, $45 for children three to five).
Elegant and dynamic, Colony is an ode to Singapore’s colonial chapter. High ceilings, polished champagne flutes and refined service set the calibre while various memorabilia – weathered maps, pictures and postcards – adorn the walls, telling a tale of the British voyage to the East Indies. Seated booths and partitions successfully separate larger parties from the quieter duos, creating an illusion of intimacy, while garden views and sunlight stream in from floor-to-ceiling windows.
The buffet is divided into conservatory kitchens that highlight epicurean Singapore at its best. Begin with brunch staples, cold cuts and seafood favourites, from chilled crustaceans to an extensive sushi station, as well as the lobster eggs Benedict with a 65 degree Celsius onsen egg. The dishes are served directly to your table; all you need to do is access the digital menu on your phone via a QR code, and let the service staff know which dishes you’d like unlimited servings of.
There are several creative dishes worth sampling – from roasted jerk-rubbed spring chicken with kumquat béchamel to red snapper curry with cilantro chutney. For those pining for English Sunday comforts, the roast beef, rack of lamb and Yorkshire puddings are of true carvery standard. And the Singapore Heritage Corner is a must if you have guests in town! They’ll love the aromatic laksa with homemade lobster balls or the barbecue pork char siew and roti prata fresh from the tandoor oven.
For desserts, our favourite was the Crêpe Suzettes. Couple that with a scoop of homemade ice cream, and a selection of local nyonya kueh, to end with a sweet melody of East meets West.
– Leanda Rathmell
Colony
Level 3, The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore 7 Raffles Avenue
6434 5288 | ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/singapore/dining
Edge
Please note that Edge is temporarily closed in lieu of COVID-19. We will update here if there are any changes.
When: Sundays from 12 to 3.30pm
What’s popping: Free-flow Veuve Cliquot Brut Yellow Label Champagne, botanical gin cocktails, passionfruit mojitos, house-pour wines and beer with your brunch for $188; or, upgrade to Veuve Cliquot Rosé Champagne for $208.
Edge is a classic in the Singapore brunch scene, and for good reason. This Sunday brunch strikes the balance between being classy enough to make it feel like a special occasion, and relaxed enough so you don’t feel intimidated. The restaurant does a great job of catering to the needs of every single brunchgoer. My personal favourite, this time, was the burrata station with fresh heirloom tomatoes that was conveniently located right next to the raclette. The seafood station was also impressive, and I ate my body weight in fresh oysters. My inner child was beyond thrilled about the cotton candy machine, too!
The bottom of my glass had no opportunity to present itself – the staff were attentive and generous with their pours! There were families with kids of all ages (children aged six to 12 years eat for $64), and everyone appeared to be having a great time.
– Kate Marsden
Edge
Level 3, Pan Pacific Singapore 7 Raffles Boulevard
6826 8240 | edgefoodtheatre.com
MO Bar
When: Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 2.30pm
What’s popping: $156 per person for two hours of free-flow champagne and selected “Asia’s 50 Best Bars” cocktails. The non-alcoholic option costs $98 per person.
Inspired by the Pacific Ocean, Mandarin Oriental’s bar concept MO Bar – a collaboration with award-winning bar developers Proof & Company – features Polynesian-chic decor, with hand-carved wooden sculptures, woven tapestries and travel artefacts integrated throughout. We’d suggest sitting at the beautifully-designed contemporary bar, where, in addition to great cityscape views, you can see the bartenders hard at work.
Weekend brunch starts with a seafood platter of seasonal oysters, prawns, snow crab and Maine lobster. Then you’ll get to choose three of your favourite dishes; options include tiger prawns with masala mayo, Taiwanese beef noodles, Tagliatelle Tartufo with roasted mushrooms and creamy black truffle sauce, butter chicken and braised Angus beef short ribs. You’ll also be treated to an array of sweet treats, including the Gran Cru Chocolate – bitter dark chocolate mousse with cacao genoise and hazelnut praline feuilletine – and Matcha Yaki-Imo Cake – matcha soufflé sponge with mascarpone and roasted sweet potato bavarois.
MO Bar
Level 4, Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
5 Raffles Avenue, Marina Square
6885 3500 | mandarinoriental.com/singapore
This article first appeared in the April 2020 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase a copy or subscribe so you never miss an issue!
