Todai: The Mother of All Seafood Buffets

I did not come up with that title. That was merely a quote from the late Elmer Dills, a famous Los Angeles food critic, verbatim. Being crowned as "the mother of all seafood buffets" by an influential food critic of his time, was certainly a bragging right for Todai. 

Seafood fans would certainly be delighted to know that good quality, fresh seafood does come in a bucket and at relatively reasonable price, for an upscale Singapore restaurant standard. Todai is not just your nextdoor seafood buffet restaurant where quantity matters over quality. In fact, I observe that Todai maintains its quality by serving the food in small portion at a time, but they are replenished frequently and promptly. I believe it is a good strategy to ensure the food that customers pick will be always fresh and warm, just as if it is served the a la carte way, fresh from the kitchen.

Not a big seafood craze myself, I only tasted the boring seafood item, the salmon sashimi. My friends in our trip group gladly handled the task to being my testers for the other raw stuff like the oysters, snow crab legs, green mussels and cocktail shrimps, etc. Their verdict was a resounding unison: tip-top fresh! I find it interesting how Todai positions itself as an upscale seafood buffet, casual family-oriented restaurant. The latter was realized in the form of weekly magic performance.

Todai Restaurant had first opened in Santa Monica circa 1985 and had since spread its fins across the United States, until it began to franchise the concept in 1997. As of May, 2011, Todai runs 24 Todai restaurants operating worldwide, including those in Hawaii, Hong Kong, China, Korea and Singapore. Although it may have its roots from the States, Todai is owned by Koreans, which explains the presence of a permanent Korean food station and the presence of "wall of fame" with framed photos and signatures of famous Korean artists, the likes of Se7en, Wonder Girls, 2PM, Rain, etc.

Here is the list of stations available for diners to choose from (the ones in bold are my personal recommendation):
Ø Seafood (fresh raw tuna, salmon, green mussels, oysters, snow crab, baby octopus, etc)
Ø Sushi & Roll (california roll, gunkan, nigiri sushi, etc)
Ø Chinese & noodle (chili crab, siew mai, fried rice, laksa, udon, ramen, soba, etc)
Ø Deep Fried (tempura and anything fried)
Ø Churrasco (beef, chicken, sausage, steak and its side dishes)
Ø Oven Food (takoyaki, bacon roll, la galbi, prawn gratin, miso shisamo, duck with caramel, etc)
Ø Korean (kimchi, Korean soup, fish pancake, bulgogi beef, etc)
Ø Italian (crsipy thin Italian pizza, pasta, garlic bread)
Ø Cold Food (caprese, seafood ceviche, half-shell scallop, cold cuts, salad, cut fruits, etc)
Ø Grill & Western
Ø Pastry (basically all dessert, cookies, cake, pudding, souffle, etc)

As I was struggling with the borrowed DSLR camera, I spent quite some time snapping failed photos, but no worries, I was improving (you can notice the difference in the next Marina Bay Sans series posts). Thanks to my expert & helpful friends (Reza & Jed) who patiently answered my questions. Alas, as always the case with me (and I guess everyone else!) whenever dining at buffet restaurants, I left the place half-heartedly, as I still had not completely scoured and tasted every single stations there.

Sushi Station

The rear dining area

Korean artists Wall of Fame"

Churrasco Section

Pastry Selection

Chinese Hot Food

Miso Soup served from a machine!

My Korean Food Platter

And the Churrasco Platter

Price
LUNCH
Monday - Friday: Adult: $42++ | Child (below 1.30m): $22++
Sat, Sun & Holiday, Holiday Eve: Adult: $58++ | Child (below 1m 30cm): $26++

DINNER
Monday - Thursday: Adult: $54++ | Child (below 1m 30cm): $26++
Fri, Sat, Sun & Holiday, Holiday Eve: Adult: $58++ | Child (below 1m 30cm): $26++

NB: Price is inclusive buffet and a pretty decent selection of carbonated drinks, hot and chilled coffee and tea; All alcohol drinks will be charged accordingly.

Operation Hours
Monday - Friday: Lunch (11:30 - 15:00) | Dinner (17:30 - 22:00)
Saturday: Lunch (11:30 - 15:00) | Dinner (17:00 - 22:30)
Sunday: All Day Dining (11:30 - 22:00)

*) Price is subject to 10% Service Charge and 7% GST
**) Exchange rate: 1 SGD ≈ IDR 7,800 (as of 14 Sept 2012)

Todai Singapore
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Singapore #b2-01
Phone: +65 66887771
Facebook: Todai Singapore

Todai International
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