Buffets tend to sell themselves on abundance: more stations, more seafood, more desserts and more dishes than anyone could realistically eat in one sitting.

Verandah Rooftop Rotisserie’s Weekend Roast & Grill Brunch isn’t really that sort of buffet.

The spread at Momentus Hotel Alexandra is relatively compact, and there were a few areas where I wished there had been more choice. Yet my husband and I kept going back for seconds. And thirds.

That probably tells you more about the food than the number of dishes on offer.

More importantly, the brunch is currently priced at S$98++ for two adults, which works out to S$49++ per person when dining as a pair. At that price, the question isn’t whether this is the biggest hotel buffet in Singapore. It clearly isn’t.

The better question is: does the quality make S$49++ feel well spent?

For us, mostly yes.

Disclosure: We were invited to experience the Weekend Roast & Grill Brunch. As always, the opinions in this review are our own.

A smaller buffet where we actually wanted seconds

My first impression after walking around the buffet was that there wasn’t a huge variety.

There are roasts, grilled meats and seafood, chilled seafood, pizza, charcuterie, salads, satay, desserts and sides, but don’t come expecting the sprawling buffet lines you get at some of Singapore’s larger hotels.

Oddly enough, that didn’t bother us very much once we started eating.

Rather than taking tiny portions of 30 different dishes just to say we’d tried everything, we found a handful we genuinely liked and went back for them repeatedly. Personally, I’d rather have a smaller buffet where I want thirds than a giant one where I don’t want seconds.

It was also one of the easier buffets we’ve visited with a young child. There were plenty of approachable dishes, alongside three types of juice, coffee and a decent variety of teas. Between the meats, pizza, sides, fruit and desserts, there really was something that most members of a family could find to eat.

The kombu beef was tender, but the pork stole the show

The headline meat is the 14-Day Kombu Butter Aged Black Angus Oyster Blade, so naturally that was one of the first things I tried.

The beef itself was tender, and the kombu gave it a very subtle hint of the sea. Don’t expect anything overtly briny or seaweed-heavy; it sits quietly in the background.

My main issue was that I didn’t get as much of a roasted character as I expected, and the slices cooled down very quickly after being served. It was enjoyable, but surprisingly, it wasn’t my favourite roast of the afternoon.

That honour goes to the pork porchetta.

The pork was good. The crackling was outstanding.

It had exactly the sort of crunch that makes you think, “I should film this for the ASMR.” Unfortunately, I only had that thought after I had started eating it. I was clearly too focused on lunch.

There was also Peking duck when we visited, although it wasn’t labelled. I only realised what it was after spotting the steamed pancake skins and asking a member of staff. A little sign would have saved the detective work.

Corn ribs: yes. Scallops: not so much.

The corn ribs were another easy favourite. Smoky, sweet and very snackable, they were the sort of side dish I kept adding to my plate even when I was supposedly going back for “just one more thing”.

The satay seemed to be equally popular with everyone else.

Possibly too popular.

We arrived at around 12.30pm and there was already no mutton satay left. On several trips back to the station, I somehow kept arriving to find literally one stick sitting there. I took that as a sign that I was definitely not the only person hunting for it.

For a buffet, I do think popular dishes need to be replenished more quickly, particularly that early into service.

The miso butter scallops, meanwhile, were one of the weaker dishes for me. I liked the idea more than the execution: the scallops didn’t taste as fresh as I had hoped, and the miso butter wasn’t enough to make them particularly memorable although I did like the cheese.

The chilled seafood gets bonus points for the Thai chilli sauce

There was also chilled seafood, and I was very happy to find a Thai-style seafood chilli sauce sitting alongside it.

It sounds like a small detail, but I appreciated having something sharp, spicy and punchy to go with the seafood instead of only the usual condiments.

I did run into a practical problem with the gong gong: there weren’t any toothpicks that I could find.

My solution was apparently buffet survival instinct — I reused my satay stick to get the meat out.

On a related note, I loved that finger bowls were already placed on every table. Anyone who has dealt with prawns, shellfish and sticky grilled food at a buffet will understand why this is such a thoughtful little touch. Extra star would be if the finger bowls were changed once they got cloudy.

They grow some of their herbs and vegetables onsite

One unexpected part of our visit had nothing to do with the buffet line.

Some of the vegetables and herbs are grown onsite for use by the restaurant and you can see some of them on display at the entrance. “Farm-to-table” gets thrown around rather loosely these days, so I appreciated actually seeing produce growing just a short distance from where we were eating.

It also suits the setting. Verandah sits beside the hotel’s rooftop infinity pool, and the view across the water made lunch feel pleasantly relaxed. You’re not coming here for a dramatic Marina Bay skyline, but the pool, greenery and open-air feel (although we were nice and cool in the air-conditioned restaurant) make for a very easy weekend afternoon.

A chocolate fountain where the chocolate actually hardens

I don’t usually get very excited about chocolate fountains.

They’re fun in theory, but eating the results often involves trying to stop liquid chocolate from dripping onto your hands, plate and possibly your clothes.

This one surprised me because the dark chocolate actually hardened around the fruit and marshmallows.

Finally, a chocolate fountain where I didn’t have to race gravity.

The other dessert I would happily have again was the sticky date pudding, especially because of the hot caramel sauce.

My husband liked that the pudding itself was unusually light and airy. I’m on the opposite side of this debate: I prefer the usual dense, sticky version.

We both agreed on the sauce, though. That hot caramel sauce was amaaayyyzing.

The rest of the dessert section could be stronger

Outside those two standouts, dessert was probably the weakest part of the buffet for us.

There were other sweets available, but nothing that particularly tempted me to make another round.

There was also an “artisanal cheese” board, although that description created slightly bigger expectations than what was actually there. During our visit, I saw cheddar and what I believe was a Bûcheron-style goat’s cheese.

To be fair, I really liked the latter and went back for seconds. I also liked that there were dried fruits and walnuts to pair with the cheese.

But there were no crackers and with only a couple of cheeses available, it felt less like a full cheese board and more like the beginnings of a rather good one. A few more cheeses and some decent crackers would make a noticeable difference.

So, is S$98++ for two good value?

I asked my husband this towards the end of lunch because he is usually a useful reality check when deciding whether we’d actually pay for something ourselves.

His answer was straightforward: yes.

In fact, he said he wouldn’t mind coming back again — even on his own.

That is worth qualifying because the pricing changes quite dramatically depending on whether you’re dining solo. A single adult pays S$68++, while two adults together pay S$98++. So the value proposition is much stronger when you come as a pair.

At S$49++ per person for two adults, though, we both thought the Weekend Roast & Grill Brunch was good value for the quality of food we had.

No, there isn’t an enormous selection. The satay replenishment needs work. The scallops didn’t quite land for me. The dessert and cheese sections could be stronger.

But there was enough good food (I’m still thinking about the pork and stingray) that we went back for multiple servings rather than simply working our way through the buffet once for the sake of trying everything.

Verandah is a different proposition: smaller, more relaxed and, at the promotional price for two, considerably easier on the wallet.

If your idea of a great buffet is an enormous seafood station, dozens upon dozens of dishes and endless dessert counters, there are bigger options elsewhere.

But if you’d rather spend S$49++ per person on a more manageable spread with good roasts, excellent pork crackling, plenty of family-friendly food and a relaxing poolside setting, Verandah makes a surprisingly convincing case.

Weekend Roast & Grill Brunch details

Where: Verandah Rooftop Rotisserie, Momentus Hotel Alexandra
When: Saturdays, Sundays & Public Holidays, 12pm–3pm
Price: S$98++ for two adults; S$68++ for one adult; S$32++ for children aged 6–11; children aged five and below dine free

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Images: Moments Hotel Alexandra