While the food variety at Sessions might feel a little limited compared to other hotel breakfast buffets in its price range, the quality is good and worth your belly space.
The Hard Rock Hotel serves its daily breakfast buffet in its Sessions restaurant. We were initially taken aback when we discovered how few stations there were in this buffet. But while we felt the variety of food was limited compared to other hotel breakfast buffets in this price range, we were pleasantly surprised by how good most items were. The live egg station produced one of the better omelettes we’ve tasted in a buffet. We also enjoyed the bah kut teh herbal pork rib soup which came with vermicelli (bee hoon). These, and other highlights like the congee, nasi lemak, and fried vegetarian vermicelli (bee hoon), make this one of the best breakfast buffets we’ve reviewed, second only to the Capella Singapore’s. The service though was a little relaxed — not even an offer of coffee or tea as we were being seated.
We review anonymously and pay for everything. All opinions expressed here are our own and all information is correct as of our last stay or visit and subject to change without notice.
The American breakfast items didn’t seem especially exciting. But its live egg station shut us up when it produced one of the better omelettes we’ve tasted in a buffet. The secret: precooking its fillings of tomato, onion, mushroom, and ham to sweat the excess water out. By adding precooked fillings and a generous heap of cheese to the eggs, our omelette didn’t weep water on the plate and its fillings were browned to smoky perfection.
Other items weren’t bad either. The roasted potato — an unassuming and simple item common to most buffets — was also lifted above mediocrity by its spicy seasoning. We also liked the fried eggs here which were done over medium: yolks partly set but still runny. The scrambled eggs were soft and creamy, though we found it a little under-seasoned and detected a hint of dairy. The chicken sausages and baked beans looked but didn’t taste obviously processed. We weren’t fans of the pork bacon though: we would’ve liked it less salty and more crispy.
The Asian breakfast items were a delight. We especially enjoyed the bah kut teh herbal pork rib soup with vermicelli (bee hoon). This was done in the darker and more herbal Malaysian style than the light peppery Singapore version and came with a piece of pork rib — tender and rich with fat. The vegetarian fried vermicelli (bee hoon), infused with smoky charred wok hei flavours, was another highlight as well as the sticky and gooey congee — especially the century egg version. We also liked the many soft and silky layers of the chee cheong fun (rice noodle rolls) and its tasty sauces. Fans of spicy food will likely appreciate the nasi lemak (coconut rice) which paired well with the crunchy ikan bilis (fried anchovies) and the sweet sambal chilli paste.
Less exceptional but also easier to eat was the mildly spicy vegetable curry with peas and potato. While still not at the level of a proper dim sum restaurant, the siew mai dumplings were above average with thin skins that beat the mushier versions of most hotels. The glutinous rice in lotus leaf was a little more divisive — some may like that it was soft rather than chewy. The lotus bao buns and fried rice were decent but not especially memorable.
The bakery selection wasn’t bad in general. The pancakes were a highlight: they were a little dry on the outside, crumbling nicely as we cut into them, but turned out to be fluffy inside. Skip the honey, maple syrup, and chocolate sauce — the pancakes were a joy with a drizzle of the gula melaka (palm sugar) syrup.
We also enjoyed the cinnamon rolls — not only were they wonderfully chewy, they were less sweet than usual, allowing the cinnamon and nuts flavours to shine. The pandan cake was also excellent, its softness and flavour marrying well with its topping of crunchy shredded coconut. The brownies were also good — we like that it wasn’t as sweet as most — and topped with pumpkin seeds for a contrast in chew and texture.
Other items were less impressive. We felt the chicken floss donut could have been more savoury than sweet. The crusts on the egg tarts weren’t as flaky or buttery as we would have liked either, though their fillings were fine. We were excited to see churros in the buffet — a rarity — were disappointed by its hard and stale texture. The sesame coconut croissants weren’t great either — neither flaky on the outside, soft inside, nor noticeably sesame or coconut-flavoured for that matter. We weren’t sure if the Hainanese bread was worth a try either — it wasn’t all that soft untoasted but kept getting stuck in the conveyor toaster.
8 Sentosa Gateway, 098269
+65 6577 6567 / +65 6577 6688
