One-Ninety Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel has revamped its concept: it now serves “Market Fresh semi-buffet,” that is the dinner buffet changes daily according to what is fresh that day. The appetizers and desserts are presented buffet-style, while you can order one entree out of 30 choices. It’s priced at $64++.

Their buffet selection isn’t extensive, but every morsel is delightful. The appetizers consist mostly of European cuisine: pates, cheeses, salads, and charcuterie. Usually, these are the items I’d skip at a buffet restaurant, but these are excellent.

I usually hate smoked duck because it’s usually tough or overly salty but One-Ninety’s version is tender. The tuna, seared at the edges, is also good. The prawn-scallop salad is good for anyone (i.e. me) who is averse to greens. There are also dips like hummus that go excellently with the freshly baked sourdough from their brick oven.

Not to be missed: the cheeses imported from Italy and France. They also have burrata, which I love. I enjoyed the appetizers very much; they are elegant and of high quality.

For the main course, you can choose one dish out of the 30 options from “From The Grill,” “Italian Selection” and “Asian Specialties.”

From the “Italian Selection,” the slow-cooked pork belly is freaking amazing. It’s tender with a super crackling skin, rivalling that of Ember Restaurant‘s, which people commonly acknowledge it as the best pork belly in Singapore. It is worth the $10 supplement.

The Mediterranean octopus (above) is my favorite because it’s Greece-like, complementing with the buffet table, and because it’s elegant. It’s first sous-vide, and then grilled, fired by apple wood. It’s super tender.

The Asian section is surprisingly delicious. Their bestseller, One-Ninety Laksa, is atas-fied with scallops. It’s rich, robust, thick, and spicy. Superb.

They have an India-Indian chef and a tandoori oven, so you know their Indian food is good too. The butter chicken is not bad, but it isn’t as worth it as the rest of the choices.

One surprising winner, Cantonese styled hor fun, has wok hei. This is Mr Fitness’s favorite.

“From the Grill” offers food from the apple-wood fired grill. The Australian prime cut (supplement $32) is a 200-day, grain-fed, 280g rib-eye. It has deep and long flavors.

If you come in a group and still have stomach space, order the signature foccacia ($32) to share. It has shaved black truffle and 4 different cheese in the middle of the thin foccacia. Mind-blowing.

Back to the buffet table after the mains. Most hotels cater their desserts to save cost, but Four Seasons has their own pastry chef. However, this is the section I savored the least, mostly because the selection isn’t extensive. The banana chocolate mousse cake, red velvet cake, lemon tart, and bread pudding are competent but not great. Their macarons are the best dessert on the table: light and crisp.

By the way, One-Ninety also has a great adjacent bar with delicious cocktails, usually rare spirits, but those are extra charge.

The buffet is not extensive, and usually, I’d complain about that, but the selection is amazing; the food is clean, polished, and light, allowing the freshness and flavors to shine. Even the entrees are moreish. One-Ninety has to be one of the best hotel buffets in Singapore.

One Ninety at Four Seasons Hotel
190 Orchard Boulevard, Singapore 248646
T: +65 6831 7250
6.30pm-10pm

Food: 8/10
Price/value: 5.5/10
Decor/ambience: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Overall rating: 3.688/5

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.