Ai Mien Bar

I snapped up the Deal.sg deal for $3 per portion of either noodles or rice before I had the chance to see the reviews. Opps.

I've been around this area for meetings and have been curious about this place as honestly the setup is quite chic and nice. And since its been around for some time, the food should not be too bad, no?

Crispy Egg Noodles with shredded chicken and capsicum ($11.80) - This was not my main but I had a taste and it was actually not too bad with the noodles not soggy and the shredded chicken fresh. But I feel it is overpriced for its ala carte order as above. Wok-fried fragrant rice with chicken cubes and preserved vegetables in hot stone pot - Looked unappetizing and indeed, very bland. There was no effort to put some colour in the dish at all. The chicken cubes were alright but they were extremely stingy with the preserved vegetables - I couldnt see them and would randomly bite on one. No seasoning whatsoever resulting in basically a super bland rice rice, no fragrant to speak of, and because of the teeny presence of the preserved veg, not even remotely saltish. The only saving grace was that it was served in the hot stone pot which at least maintained its warmth. (this was not on the ala carte menu for some reason thus no price)

Deep fried eggplant with pork floss ($5.80) - Actually quite moreish but the egg plant pieces were too small resulting in the thick (although nice) batter covering any hint of the veg at all. The pork floss was an interesting addition.

They have a weekday promotion (Mon-Fri 5pm onwards) where a selection of bites (they call it chinese tapas), drinks, and cocktails are available at $5 per portion, which includes Heineken on tap for half pint. But even that, I feel they really need to buck up on the quality of food on offer, especially when these are items easily obtainable (and better too) elsewhere.

They also need a reality check on the pricing. I spotted one of their set lunches at $38 per pax. Granted that there are cheaper set lunch options but I will not risk a return visit if what I had was reflective of their standards.

Service was bad - staff who didnt see us when we entered the front door, staff who disappears randomly etc.

So, they're for sure, NOT Singapore's Finest Noodle Restaurant & Bar as they highlighted on their website.

Go elsewhere.

*Prices are reflective of what I paid on top of the $3 promo which includes the eggplant and 4 drinks from the $5 promotion.