No sashimi, no lobster, no point? My first time trying this $10.70 buffet in a box

Buffets aren't the cheapest food option out there. But what keeps people coming back is the wide selection of food and the option to eat to your heart's desire.

So when I found out that, via the Treatsure app, buffet food can cost as low as $10, I was immediately intrigued and had to give it a try.

After downloading the app, I learnt that this local start-up is looking to tackle the issue of food wastage in Singapore one takeaway box at a time.

Its premise is simple enough. Surplus food from restaurants such as Asian Market Cafe at Fairmont Singapore and Clove at Swissotel The Stamford is sold to customers at a discounted price.

You head down to your restaurant of choice towards the end of service hours and once you're given a takeaway box, it's go time.

Tiffany Cafe & Restaurant 

I headed to Furama City Centre on a Sunday afternoon and made a conscious effort not to overindulge for breakfast.

I was keen on finding out if Treatsure could be an alternative food option if I'm ever near one of these buffet restaurants.

The app stated that Tiffany Cafe & Restaurant's lunch buffet for Treatsure users ran from 2pm to 2:30pm.

Being the uptight Singaporean that I am, I arrived five minutes ahead of time in hopes of being the first in line.

To my surprise, there were others already waiting around the hotel lobby. They, too, seem to have had the same idea.

When 2pm struck, I and four or five others paid for our boxes ($10.70 per box) before making our way to the buffet line. 

Before providing me with the takeaway box, a staff reminded me that a Treatsure box is not inclusive of raw seafood, sashimi, lobster or spanner crab.

I would soon find out that this wouldn't really matter.

Excuse me, there's no food left

I was genuinely excited to see what Tiffany Cafe & Restaurant had to offer.

But my excitement soon turned to despair when I found out there was not much food left at 2pm. Good luck to those who arrived 10 minutes later than me.

While I understood that there'll always be this risk (given that lunch service starts at 12pm), I did expect more options.

Forget the hit items like sashimi or shellfish. Where are the meats?

I even ran into a Treatsure app veteran who took a quick look around the restaurant before mentioning to me that she was "disappointed with today's spread".

During her last visit, she managed to grab some baked salmon, she told me. I could have sworn I heard an audible sigh from her as she trudged along.

Not a good start.

The meat options on offer were just beef rendang and roasted chicken. The fish curry had no fish left so I gave that a skip.

There was plenty of rice but I controlled my almost instinctive need to pair my dishes with it. I needed to make my $10.70 investment worth it.

If the salad bar is your go-to spot during a buffet, then you're in luck. I found plenty of roasted mushrooms, capsicums and sweet potatoes left untouched.

I duly added them to my box — a good chunk of what I took home came straight from this segment of the buffet line. 

$36 for a full lunch buffet or $10.70 for an elevated 'cai fan'?

That's the ultimate question.

Are you prepared to pay the full price for a buffet experience or go buffet-lite and grab this box instead?

While the variety of food was rather underwhelming, I'd be lying if I said I had trouble filling up my box — I ended up filling my box to the brim. My only gripe was that it didn't really include many dishes I was fond of.

One thing I did appreciate is how much of a cost-saver my lunch was. This mishmash of food from Tiffany Cafe & Restaurant easily fed three people for lunch. So that's about $3.50 per head — pretty decent.

Will I give Treatsure another go? Maybe at a different restaurant, just to see if I'd get a similar experience.

While the concept of solving food wastage is laudable, my tip to potential Treatsure users is not to go in with high hopes.

Filling up that takeaway box can be a fun experience but don't expect to be feasting on the same dishes as those who pay full price for their buffet meal.

Take note that Treatsure users aren't allowed to pre-book a box. This means that an option to book a box will only appear in the app within the restaurant's stipulated timeframe, so head down early to avoid missing out.

Another tip is to have a quick glance at the buffet line once you're in. Don't commit yourself too early, it's a strategic game after all.

You don't want to end up in a situation where there are heaps of your favourite baked salmon at the back of the buffet line but your takeaway box has little space for more food!

ALSO READ: 5 ways Singaporeans can limit food waste

amierul@asiaone.com

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