Discover this Treatsure trove of affordable buffet lunchboxes!
- LeAnn
- Jul 14
- 3 min read
Let me set the scene: this all started when I was doom-scrolling on Xiaohongshu. I found myself down a rabbit hole of content creators reviewing buffet foods from luxury hotels all over the island in a surprising vessel, a lunchbox.
"Interesting," I thought to myself. "Could this be a story?"
These lunchboxes, with their distinctive red sticker on the lid, led me to the Treatsure application. Known for its Buffet-In-A-Box programme, they aim to reduce food wastage by providing value for both consumers and merchants. Most importantly, this was the perfect opportunity to try buffet foods at a fraction of the cost (I immediately pitched this to my editor).
Thanks to Treatsure, we landed ourselves amongst the tall skyscrapers and busy junctions of the Central Business District. Of the variety of hotels offered on the app, we chose to try out the one at the Seasonal Taste Restaurant, Westin Hotel.
Upon (thankfully) confirming that there were indeed lunchboxes ($13.10) available, we took a seat and waited for the allocated lunchtime slot. In true kiasu fashion, we reached almost 20 minutes earlier than the stated time to maximise our chances of getting a box.
Located on the 32nd floor, we were greeted with amazing views of the city skyline
Once we'd secured our boxes, we were ushered into the buffet area by a staff member who explained to us which sections were open to us. Most importantly, he reminded us that the lunchbox has to close (this sent our brains into a tinkering frenzy).
We’ll be upfront: You can’t take any of the raw seafood, charcuterie items, and a top-up is optional if you would like to try the made-to-order stations. However, this might vary from hotel to hotel.
This beauty caught our eye the minute we walked in
With the rules explained, we were ready to start tackling the stations. We moved along the buffet line, playing Tetris with all our food items, squeezing as much as possible into our seemingly shrinking lunchbox. After circling the buffet line like hawks, we finally walked away with lunchboxes that were just about ready to burst!
Settling at the lobby area just outside the restaurant, we were more than ready to feast after all that strategic planning. My colleague and I definitely had different priorities when it came to packing our lunchboxes, but we can confidently say that we took 90% of all the different foods offered.
So let’s start with the standouts!
Our favourites were the Baked Salmon and Cereal Prawn. The baked salmon was flaky and creamy, the taste enhanced by a mysterious white sauce that was to be paired with. My colleague and I could not agree on what it tasted like; she says peanut, I say clam chowder. Nonetheless, an absolute must-try when you’re there.
Moving on to the Cereal Prawn, which is what most people (including us) would gravitate towards. Bright red succulent prawns sitting there waiting to be taken. Best believe, we were enticed. The prawns were just as tasty as they looked: firm and creamy, lightly coated with cereal crumbs. While we wished the cereal taste could have been stronger, the prawn itself still shone as high-quality seafood.
There’s just way too much of a variety for us to go through every single thing we could try, so here are our general takeaways. All the protein items were deliciously high quality and extremely flavourful.
Carbohydrates were good, nothing out of the ordinary, nonetheless still reliable to fall back on. Most dessert items were again standard; however, there was more emphasis on traditional local desserts, so fill up on the kuehs and local pastries if they’re your thing!
So was it worth it? For us, it’s a resounding yes! It’s a great way to try new foods and discover hotel buffets for a fraction of the cost. If you play the game strategically, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.
While it might be a little heavy for your daily lunch, it’s a nice treat(for)sure. Make sure to bring a friend along for a fun pack-to-win challenge to see who can pack the most food!
Application:
Comments