SWENSEN'S. That's a brand that almost everybody knows of! The iconic red and white restaurant originating from San Fransisco is a staple in every Singaporean kid's birthday.
Almost everybody has had that birthday sundae at least once!
When Swensen's at Terminal 2 shutdown, it was a pretty sad goodbye as my family and I visited that exact store for as long as I can remember!
But now it's back! And it's a huge 200-seater buffet-style restaurant, serving international cuisine and boasting a sizeable dessert menu. You can tuck in to whatever's on the buffet line-up however, you're only allowed 90 minutes!
Let's read on to see if it's worth it.
The International Buffet Experience
Situated at the same location as the old restaurant, the buffet has 5 sections: Live station, Western + Asian, South Asian, Seafood and Desserts!
We first dropped by the seafood to check out what's offered.
There are mussels, clams, flower crabs split in half, prawns and more! There were 3 sauces available but the ranch was the best in our opinion!
The Live Station had a variety of offerings: Roast Beef and Rotisserie Chicken carving, baked rice, pasta, freshly-made pizzas (really good!), laksa and hor fun! The roast beef was delicious and we went back for seconds!
There are many Asian dishes too such as Nasi Briyani, Butter Chicken, Pie Tee, Laksa and more. I would say there are the same amount of Western dishes available too. There were sliders, fish and chips, and sausages at the buffet lineup.
The dessert section had a lot to offer. Ever heard of a Singapore Laksa ice cream? Want to try Hokkaido Snow? What about Creme Brulee? Just get a bowl (or their classic sundae bowl!) and choose the flavours you want.
The ice creams were delicious and the flavours they offered caters to all tastebuds! Best part is that it's unlimited so you can come back for seconds, thirds, fourths etc.
You can add on a variety of toppings such as chocolate chips, marshmallow sauce or dip your strawberries into the chocolate fountain to add more pizzazz.
You can DIY your own birthday sundae by adding a banana onto it too!
Don't know where to begin? They have instructions that may inspire your DIY sundae!
The assorted kueh, chendol and pastries were an amazing addition too! We added a croffle to our ice cream concoction and it was delicious!
The pastries are ready-made too so you can expect a fresh batch when you're there. The chendol machine was a fun addition where you can make your own and add the amount of gula melaka and chendol you want.
The agar-agar at the assorted kueh section was our favourite but the ondeh-ondeh wasn't to our liking, sadly.
Is it worth going?
So, is it worth it? Yes if you come on a weekday or have a sweet tooth.
Definitely do come on a weekday. Their weekday prices are an absolute steal! For $31 (lunch) and $35 (dinner), you're going to eating twice the amount you paid! However, because of that, the buffet can get very crowded.
I haven't dropped by during the weekend, so I'm not entirely sure how packed it is, but the Thursday evening we went down was already pretty packed!
It might be good to let the hype simmer a bit before going! remember, you do have 90mins only at the buffet!
If you have a sweet tooth, it's a great buffet to go to! With the 48 flavours (some I've never heard of before), DIY sundaes, chocolate fountain, pastries, DIY chendol and assorted traditional kueh, it'll be a big hit for kids and adults alike!
If you are visiting Singapore, the Swensen's buffet is a great bang for your buck restaurant where you can experience the quintessential Singaporean experience.
Prices are $31++ per adult, and $15++ per child. Children aged four and below dines for free.
Halal status: Halal-certified
Opening hours: Mon-Sun (11AM - 11PM)
Address: Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2, Arrival Hall, #01-03