Brunch at the Bar & Billiard Room

We decided to treat ourselves one Sunday and headed to Raffles hotel to the Bar & Billiard Room for brunch.  It was so last minute (that morning in fact) we hadn't even booked and just turned up on the off chance, fully prepared to go somewhere else.  However the staff managed to fit us in and we had a lovely table out on the verandah.

Just as a little background the Bar & Billiard Room was established in 1896 and has two original billiard tables in it from the turn of the century.  There are three price options for the Sunday brunch, $158++ including unlimited flow of the Sommelier’s selection of red and white wines, beer, soft drinks, juices, Singapore Sling and Bloody Mary, $178++ including unlimited Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve and $198++ including unlimited Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé.  We opted for the middle option on our visit.

We began with starters, of course, though I always try not to go too crazy on them from past experience at brunches of getting too full too soon and then struggling with the rest!  There was an extensive seafood selection including various different types of oysters.  So, whilst I'm not a fan, my husband was very happy to partake of these as well as some of the lobster.  These are all items I wouldn't choose to eat myself so as a result things he doesn't get to have very often.  Thankfully for those, like me, who aren't so keen on seafood there were plenty of other options including various different breads, cold cuts, salads and lots of other delicious options.  I didn't try it but my husband highly recommends the chilled green pea soup with ricotta, crouton and mint.  The breads and meat we had were all amazing and went down incredibly well.

Just a few of the many starters on offer

After attempting to be sensible with the amount of starters I ate I moved on to the main courses.  Again there was a multitude of amazing dishes on offer including a meat carving station.  I began with the roast chicken with 'piperade' and some vegetables but it wasn't long before I moved on to the meats from the carving station.  There was quite a queue here so clearly this is a very popular part of this brunch!

One of the highlights for me here was the Welsh lamb, certainly not something I get to eat much of in Singapore so a real treat.  The lamb was served with mint sauce, of course, and was well worth it.  I guess we'll have to return again someday to get our lamb fix once again.  We really enjoyed our meat though at this brunch and as well as the Welsh lamb also had plenty of beef, once again with all the condiments and vegetables.  For me the lamb was cooked just a little better than the beef but that's only my personal taste.

Roasted Welsh lamb

Happily and despite all that meat I still had some room to sample a few of the many desserts on offer.  I've said it before but I do enjoy desserts when I have them and this brunch did not disappoint.  The options were very extensive and I certainly got my fill.

As I mentioned we had only decided that morning to see if we could get a table and were lucky to have been able to.  We ended up sitting outside on the verandah but as a result we only had a handful of others sitting near us and were perfectly positioned to sip our champagne (with our glasses constantly being refilled) and pass the afternoon in a very decadent and relaxed fashion.  We felt unhurried and simply able to enjoy ourselves to the maximum.  A fabulous last minute decision!

Our lunchtime view from the verandah