Oscar’s at Conrad Centennial has revamped its Sunday Champagne Brunch after listening to feedback to its customers. There are two important changes: firstly, the buffet has gone hipster. They now have an extensive superfood salad bar with 8 different homemade dressings. And they even have protein shakes! Whey protein is added to juices. Or if you don’t want muscles, how about antioxidants? Chia seeds and Jarrah honey added to yogurt. Welcome to the 21st century!

The second overhaul is that instead of serving the food a la minute, Oscar’s expands the food selection. Since the menu expanded, it is not possible to cook the food a la minute. However, some dishes, such as organic pasta, Asian noodles, crepe suzette, and foie gras, unlimited foie gras, are still cooked on the spot, upon ordering.

The major sections include: cheeses and cold seafood (Boston lobsters, Mont Saint Michel oysters, etc); Japanese sushi and sashimi (including my favorite swordfish sashimi); superfood salad bar; roast meats (suckling pig, London fat duck, roast beef); Asian cooked food (mostly Indian curried meats, and a Chinese vinegared pork trotters, and crabs); Western cooked food (like sous vide pork belly and chicken fricassee); and desserts (such as nitrogen ice cream).

First, the good things: the superfood salad bar is good. Swordfish sashimi is a surprise. Suckling pig‘s skin is crispy and meat is moist. London fat duck is everyone’s favorite. The poached egg with spinach in truffle-foie gras espuma (above) is fantastic, like a carb-less egg benedict.

Vinegared pork trotters

Then there are some areas to improve: the crabs and prawns are limp and flat, almost mash-like, indicating they are not fresh. The foie gras is overcooked, hardened. The Indian food doesn’t have enough spices. The Asian noodles are placed outside the restaurant; some signs will be good. The  desserts are monotonusly sweet, hard to differentiate the flavors, except for a light matcha tofu, and a Mont Blanc tart.

As a whole, Oscar’s seems to want to please everyone—the seafood hunters, the superfood hipsters, the dessert theatrical goers, the carnivores, and the alcoholics—that it seems to lose its identity. I’d like to see more focus. And from some of the delicious food, I know Oscar’s can do better.

Oscar’s Conrad Centennial
2 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore 038982
T: +65 6432 7481 / +65 6432 7463
M-Th 6am-1 am, F-Sun, Eve of PH & PH 24 hours
Sunday Brunch 12.30pm-3.30pm
Sunday Brunch Price: Adult: $98++/ $118++ (sparkling wine)/ $158++ (champagne)
Child: $40++

Food: 5.5/10
Value: 6/10
Decor/Ambience: 6.75/10
Service: 7/10
Overall: 3.156/5

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.