Jianghu Buffet Orchard gateway

Jianghu Buffet is a buffet hotpot restaurant which takes inspiration from the hotpot and Chongqing grilled restaurants in China. They bring its all-you-can-eat concept to Singapore, with a fusion hotpot and grill dining concept with a pretty affordable price to boot. Let’s take a dinner dine-in today at Jianghu Buffet at Orchard Gateway, in the bustling Orchard Road.

Located on the ground floor of Orchard Gateway, the restaurant offers a unique combination of hotpot, barbecue, and grilled fish under one roof. The setup feels casual and lively, built more for feasting than for aesthetics. You find conveyor belts zipping around the tables, delivering endless trays of ingredients. On top of that, an overhead rail system delivers special orders straight to your table. It’s a little chaotic at first, but you get used to it after a few minutes.

What’s simmering

Dining here follows a straightforward process. Your table is dominated by an electric cooker comprising of both a grill as well as a hotpot. It takes up most of your table space, but offers a full suite of how you wish to cook your meal. Strangely I found the hotpot soup container does not boil evenly on my table. One side always simmers hotter than the other, though your experience might differ. The restaurant ordering method takes an inspiration from Japanese sushi restaurant.

Also, it uses a fusion of automated food delivery system and QR code ordering. It even uses a Shinkansen delivery train found in conveyor belt sushi eateries, like Genki sushi for instance. Do note you get 90 mins to eat as much as you want. First, you start by making all your orders via the app and QR code as a single source of ordering.

Here, you pick your soup base. Soup options include spicy mala, pork bone collagen, tomato, mushroom broth, and a few others. The mala broth is decently spicy without blowing your head off. The pork bone soup is comforting but can feel a tad bland if you don’t spice it up.

Also, as with all Chinese hotpot places, their forte be their mala soup. Hence, I would recommend their traditional spicy mala soup as the one to go for, paired with another non-spicy soup. Their signature vegetable spicy oil mala soup as a less fiery option. A recommended 2-soup mala pairing be with the non-spicy silkie chicken soup or the mushroom room as safe options. It can double up as a quencher soup too when the mala gets too spicy to your liking.

Go for their meat and skewer selections

Furthermore, there is plenty to choose from the menu. The food selection is impressively wide, though most of it is hidden within the depths of their online menu.

Their meat offerings are the highlight. You get sliced beef, marinated pork, chicken thighs, lamb slices as favourite staples to go for. Recommendations to go for here includes Jianghu Beef short plate and lamb shoulder.

They tad stand out the most for taste and tenderness. Also, for the adventurous, there are animal parts and offals. Examples include livers, intestines and beef tripe (beef stomach). You however, can’t find exotic options like brain or duck tongue like what we had during out hotpot visit to Chengdu, Sichuan in China previously.

Fish paste and roe

Beef tripe (beef stomach)

Pig intestines

Moreover, if you love seafood, you be happy to find large prawns, scallops, clams, mussels, and squid. Notably, prawns and scallops tend to disappear quickly during peak hours, so keep an eye out. Also, I found there’s a strong variety of vegetables, mushrooms, and tofu too.

The vegetables are served in little black pots which probably take an inspiration or two from Ikea potted plants. Though the greens selections do tad feel like an afterthought compared to the meat options. Expect standard choices like spinach, cabbage, enoki, shiitake, and lotus root. Not bad, but nothing really wowed me from the vegetable section.

Some of the best dishes I had included the marinated beef slices, handmade fish balls and their fried rice as a staple. These consistently tasted fresh and satisfying. The food do not feel mass-produced, and the staff will pretty much leave you alone though your dine-in nor try to stuff you with water either.

Sauces and small cooked food bar

One highlight that deserves a mention is the sauces bar. You can mix your own from a selection of ingredients. It takes in inspiration of the condiments counters first popularised at Hai Di Lao restaurants, and a staple offering in all Mala hotpot restaurants now. Here, you can find bowls of sesame paste, soy sauce, mala oil, chopped garlic. You also do get a large number of choices and permutations to make your own sauce. Making your own sauce feels like a mini project, but a fun one.

Also, the pre-made signature sauces are convenient if you’re feeling a tad lazy. Also, the restaurant also offers cooked food selection by the sauces bar. This self-help cooked food bar is small and comprises of a selection of pickled and deep fired dishes. You can find some deep-stirred fried chicken as well as century egg side dishes.

A full table

Cooked fried food

Food delivery

Also, if you love grilled fish, Jianghu allows you to add a free flow for an extra $3.80++. Though, it’s cooked separately and served directly to your already cramped table. The grilled fish is generously seasoned and tender, a solid upgrade to the usual buffet spread. It is one to try if you have room left, but not a staple offering on their menu as their main standard buffet is more than sufficient itself.

The desserts are simple, maybe a tad too simple. You find a selection of cold Chinese desserts and paste ordered via QR. There is self-help soft-serve ice cream, and cut fruits too. The ice cream is basic with a selection of 5-6 different freezer flavours on-stick, a refreshing choice after a heavy meal.

Watch the 90 min time limit and value

Notably, the restaurant enforces the dining time limit. You are unable to order more food from the QR code once your 90 minutes are up. So do monitor the time and make last-minute orders before the time runs out. Notably, unlike the persistently irritating Swensens Unlimited service staff, the at Jianghu staff do not bother you when your dine-in time is up, especially when the restaurant is not full.

Also, pricing is competitive given Orchard Road’s usual sky-high prices. On value, I found Jianghu menu offerings quite on for the budget and quality, priced at $32.80 per adult on Fridays and weekends. Weekend rates slightly higher. Dinner from Mon- Thurs costs cheaper at $29.80, while lunch sets you back $27.80. This includes free condiments, cold dishes, desserts fruits, water and ice cream. But less free flow of soft drinks. This range is competitive and comparable to similar all-you-can eat buffet like Goro Goro K-buffet at Central point, also in the $30 price point with similar quality.

Wrapping up

The restaurant recommends reservations on weekends when the queues get long. Though there wasn’t much of a queue when I visited on a Friday evening. Also, the dining environment gets noisy during peak periods, so don’t expect a quiet night out.

I found Jianghu setting perfect for casual gatherings, big groups, and even solo diners who want to indulge without judgment. Service is minimal since it’s largely self-service, but staff clear empty plates quickly enough. Upon payment, and if you hit the minimum spend for a claw run, you also get a sure-win chance to pick and item with return discount coupons as the base offering.

Free flow of ice cream

Sure win lucky claw

Buffet prices

All in all, Jianghu Buffet delivers good bang for your buck if you come with a big appetite. You get a generous spread of meats, seafood, and soups in a no-fuss setting. It’s not luxury dining, but it’s hearty, loud, and satisfyingly messy, just how a good hotpot experience should be. Come hungry, stay focused, and maybe leave feeling just a tad guilty from overeating. Check them out at 277 Orchard Road, #01-12/13/14/K1, Orchard Gateway, Singapore 238858. They’re open daily from 11:00 am to 10:30 pm with the nearest MRT station is Somerset, conveniently linked to Orchard Gateway itself.

This review is not sponsored by the establishment nor did they provide any editorial input or reimbursements into the content and outcome of this review. All meals were paid for in full out of my own pocket as a regular and anonymous patron.