Chiso Zanmai is a Japanese fusion buffet place located right in the heart of Clark Quay, Singapore on the second floor of the Central mall. You can recognize the restaurant from the front of the mall through the large curved façade facing the Singapore river and Eu Tong street. The buffet place is known for reasonably good food at a very low price from $15++ per adult (and $25++ for dinners), which makes it very popular with large families and students looking to get a decent buffet meal at a bargain.
Things to go for here have to be the Sashimi, though not to best quality Sashimi, it is OK for the price. There is also an extensive selection of Mochi as well as self-help Japanese soups. The restaurant also serves a variety of cooked foods, such as ramen, oden, curry and assortment of western fried dishes, coupled with free flow of drinks and tea. This completes the meal rather well, leaving you mostly satisfied at the end of meal.
Having dined there a handful number of times, the restaurant was promoting a new Japanese steamboat option there on one of my visits, offering it free for a limited time with the regular buffet, which it will soon replace. I welcomed the idea of a new concept, but I felt that the steamboat options are rather cumbersome, limited in food options, and distracts from the tried-and-tested casual buffet dining which, though dated, is what the restaurant is known for. Moving to a full steamboat buffet idea could be a letdown and definitely not something I would look forward too.
In the meantime, Chiso Zanmai gets my pick as a very affordable dining area under $25 right in the heart of Singapore CBD.
