Forum 4 Shopping: Pine Court @ Meritus Mandarin

On a sleepy weekday afternoon, we went to Meritus Mandarin for lunch. Till now, I am still confused with all the Meritus and Mandarins. There is a Meritus Mandarin (formerly Mandarin Hotel), Meritus Marina and Mandarin Oriental (formerly Oriental Hotel). It was only in recent years when I start to go to these hotels for meetings, that I finally get all their names correct.

Pine Court, an established Chinese restaurant in the heart of Orchard Road, has recently undergone a revamp. They now serve a buffet brunch on weekends, but standards seem to go down when they are serving brunch buffets. So perhaps it is better to come on weekdays where only the ala-carte lunch is offered.

Complimentary appetizer of oyster porridge. This got to be the best porridge I ever tried. It is sweet, savoury and full of dried seafood goodness. Pity that it is available only in a small appetizer bowl.