Perfecting a buffet spread can be tricky, no matter if it’s a huge one-time event, or a weekly office meal.
You might have a certain theme in mind, but the caterer might not have a suitable menu; or you might be leaning towards a specific cuisine, but the dishes offered might not suit the dietary requirements of your guests.
Here at Catersmith, we understand the need for customisation when it comes to buffet spreads. To help you make every buffet spread work for you and your event theme and goals, here are the 5 most versatile dishes to order:
1. Mango Sticky Rice
No Thai buffet spread is complete without this classic Thai dessert!
Typically, sweet and juicy Thai honey mangoes are pre-sliced and displayed on a porcelain plate, with a plateful of glutinous rice, topped with coconut milk and yellow beans, served separately.
Customise it!
Mango sticky rice is great as it is, but a whole lot more entertaining when you served it on a live station!
Your guests will surely be mesmerised by the chef as he skilfully slices each mango and plates it up with sticky rice.
This is great for important occasions when you want to impress with some theatrics, or have so many guests that it’s best to keep the buffet line moving quickly.
Sweet mango is extremely popular, so a common issue faced by our corporate clients is the mango is running out faster than the sticky rice.
2. BBQ Satay
You can order satay skewers via Catersmith from our Indonesian premium catering Tambuah Mas Catering or our Malaysian premium catering Penang Culture Catering.
Satay skewers are usually lined up on white porcelain plates and displayed under heat lamps to keep the grilled meat tender and warm.
Customise it!
Have an outdoor or alfresco area in your office or event venue? Turn up the fun factor by requesting for a live grilling station, complete with a chef!
This is particularly apt if the whole objective of the meal or buffet is to have all your guests eating together. This small customisation can make your event a lot more cosy and interactive, as colleagues can hang and chit-chat around the live station while waiting for their satay to be ready!
3. Hainanese Chicken Rice
The humble Hainanese chicken rice is best for events where you have foreign guests — after all, it’s listed as Singapore’s national dish by our local tourism board.
The dish in itself is customisable, and everyone likes to have theirs differently. Some like to drizzle their rice with a copious amount of dark soya sauce or douse everything with tangy chilli sauce and ginger paste, while others prefer to have it as it is.
Customise it (further)!
Indulge in this Hainanese delicacy in its most traditional form and opt for chicken rice balls instead. These fun and delicious orbs, available from Loy Kee Chicken Rice via Catersmith, are hand-rolled personally by the mother-daughter duo who are part of the family helming the heritage local restaurant.
If you’re having a team meal, have your chicken rice served in communal trays with the chicken and rice displayed separately instead, so that your team can choose how much rice, chicken and condiments they want. Also, pick side dishes like roasted pork belly and bean sprouts to add variety.
4. Shepherd's Pie
Having an event with Italian food can be a nightmare for those who have guests that are gluten-intolerant or Muslim as the cuisine traditionally has a lot of wheat-based products and pork in its dishes.
However, the Shepherd’s Pie from Halal Italian restaurant, Kucina Italian, is a life-saver.
Customise it!
Shepherd’s Pie has no gluten in it, so it’s a great alternative to have, alongside pastas and pizzas, so that gluten-intolerants have something substantial for their meal.
These are just a few of the many ways you can customise your orders with Catersmith. If you need a tailor-made buffet spread for your next event, our Catersmiths are all trained and ready to help you nail it.
Call us at 6266 2696, or get a quote on our catering support page!
