We’ve been seeing this $7 unlimited lunch buffet all over our social media, and with such an unbelievable price, we just had to go and try it out for ourselves. 131 Mookata at Jiale Kopitiam in Jalan Besar has recently launched an eat-all-you-can weekday lunch buffet for just $7 nett per person.
There’s no catch or additional charges for the buffet: simply show up during the buffet timing and eat your fill, with no dining limit. The lunch buffet features cai fan-style dishes like meats, seafood, curries, vegetables, fried foods, rice and noodles; all of which are cooked in-house. The dishes served will change daily, and are all laid out in multiple heated buffet serving trays for you to self-serve. During our visit, there were about 10 different dishes to choose from, including: Chicken Curry, Soy Braised Chicken, Indonesian-style Curried Vegetables (sayur lodeh), Sweet & Sour Fish, Stir-fried Squid Rings, Fried Rice, Stir-fried Hong Kong Noodles, Assorted Fried Snacks and more.
At first glance, there’s nothing fancy about the buffet—it’s basically your classic cai fan selection, albeit on a smaller scale—but we do have to applaud the variety they provide given the affordable price point. We tried a little bit of everything and some of the standouts include the Chicken Curry, which was a pretty textbook rendition of the dish, with generous chunks of chicken pieces swimming in a flavourful curry sauce. We will say that the curry is a little on the waterier side and not as thick or rich as we’re used to.
We were also quite surprised to see not just one but two different seafood dishes on display: the Sweet & Sour Fish and Stir-fried Squid Rings. The hefty pieces of fish were nicely battered and coated in tangy sauce, and is quite satisfying if you like sweet & sour dishes. Unfortunately the squid dish wasn’t the best, we felt that the squid itself lacked bite and tasted like they used frozen squid instead of fresh ones—though it’s understandable if they’re offering a buffet at such an affordable price.
We’re also told that on Mondays they will even have a “live station” for laksa, which is also included in the $7 nett buffet price. Aside from the main dishes, they even offer fresh-cut fruits and small desserts like mini cakes as part of the buffet, so you can wrap up your hearty meal on a sweet note. Overall, we had a pleasant experience at the $7 buffet, and we can definitely see why it’s blowing up. At just $7 nett, we really can’t complain about the value: the taste is comparable to your standard cai fan stalls, and you get to eat till you’re satisfied, even with dessert included.
The buffet is available on Mondays to Fridays from 10am to 2pm. You’ll need to pay first at the counter to receive your plate (1 plate per $7 paid), and you can then go ahead to load up your plate with the buffet items. We arrived bright and early before opening time, and there was already a queue of people waiting for the buffet as well; so if you’re looking to try out the buffet, we definitely recommend coming early. But not to worry, the buffet trays will be constantly refilled until 1.30pm, so there’s still plenty of food to feast on.
$7 Weekday Lunch Buffet
Address: 131 Mookata, 28 Kelantan Rd, Singapore 200028
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday, 10am-2pm
