The perfect way to welcome a new friend or see someone off with a full stomach is to grab a bite at Crowne Plaza's Azur in Changi Airport. The decor is sleek and modern with pale wooden planks and brilliant tiles that stretch up the walls and culminates to several starry lit fixtures. Azur is truly the ideal environment for meeting clients, a meal with friends or family, or perhaps even an international traveller.

Azur’s first class international buffet has a Western section and Asian section divided by a tantalizingly sweet dessert bar. Chefs are always on hand to cater to your every need at live stations and to replenish the buffet with fresh food. Even the salad bar is well stocked with a variety of salads ranging from mushroom to Thai chicken salads. For cheese connoisseurs, award-winning gourmet cheese from New Zealand is specially flown in and best enjoyed with a glass of pure fruit juice.

Gourmet food is made available throughout the day with a special à la carte menu while the buffets are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a special brunch on weekends. The attentive staff will pamper you with tender loving care, ensuring that your glass is always full, empty plates are timely cleared, and your appetite is more than appeased. (Jun 2012)

"We enjoyed the international dinner buffet at Azur, especially the tiramisu by pastry chef Frankie Yeo. The restaurant – helmed by chef Eric Neo, formerly of the Marina Mandarin – features an all-day à la carte menu with everything from hokkien mee to pizza, though its influence is predominantly Western. The extensive wine list is also worth a mention." -Time Out Singapore

Above all, we love moving at our own pace and diving in to sample everything, because hunger should never wait! Of course, we also enjoyed taking a moment in between bites to admire the über chic atmosphere as we reminded ourselves that we were at Changi Airport.

We loved the Spinach and Cheese Ravioli cooked and seasoned on the spot for us at the pasta station. The scrumptious green ravioli sauce disappeared from our plates in a flash. And then there is the chilli crab. No tools needed to dig into the soft Sri Lankan crab to enjoy this local delicacy. We were delighted to learn that pepper crabs, another local favourite, also features on the menu together with the chilli crabs on alternate days.

Tender roast beef with gravy reminded one of our tasters of home. Flavour overload hit us all as our plates had cheese, seafood, soba noodles, seasoned fish, cold cuts, vegetable curry, roasted pork belly with a sesame seed glaze, basmati rice, and Fish Tikka. Then we grabbed sushi and asked for freshly cut sashimi of swordfish, tuna, and salmon. With full stomachs and grins, we soldiered on for the dessert bar.

Like kids in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, we attacked the desserts and returned to our tables victorious. British apple tarts, brownies, puddings, mousse, fruits, and bites of bliss in small glasses were quickly devoured. Executive Sous Chef Alvin Leong proudly recommended we try the different flavours of Haagen Dazs ice-cream and the New Zealand luxury ice-cream brand, Kapiti. Our verdict: creamy and delicious!

As we regretfully left, our hostess winked and reminded us that Azur serves arguably the best breakfast buffet in town. Azur is worth the trip to taste international cuisine even without the flight. (Jun 2012)

Citibank Gourmet Pleasures: 10% off total food bill. Offer valid till 31 December 2013.

UOB Dining Privileges: 10% off total food bill (excludes kids menu). Offer valid till 31 Mar 2014.