Jostled with the crowds at Jurong Point's newly opened extension to have a go Lai Lai Casual Dining - a seemingly popular beef noodles cum pseudo Taiwanese eatery. There was a steady stream of people queuing up to get a seat in the eatery so we naturally assumed that this place was of a certain acceptable standard.
The bulk of the seating at this eatery is open concept, which means that people from the upper levels of the mall can view you from the top and tables are squeezed uncomfortably close to each other to maxmize revenue. And honestly, the cow on the menu looked like it had just been hit by mad cow disease.
Fried Beancurd - This dish was very run off the mill. Crisp on the outside but not soft on the inside, the beancurd was overly deep fried which resulted in a harder then usual exterior.
Pepper Salt Chicken - This dish was another disappointment. I mean, how bad can chicken taste like right? Wrong! The chicken had more flour then meat and came across as tough, bland and oily. Can someone tell me where the salt and pepper went?
Taiwan Beef Noodle - Lai Lai's purported signature/star dish and I have to admit that it was the best amongst all the other terrible dishes. Not that it was anywhere near what I had expected initially when I was still in the queue. The noodles were of the flatter variant and carried a bit of bite but the soup wasn't flavourful enough. The beef pieces, which amounted to about 4 - 5, came across as a tad too tough.
Taiwan Vermicelli - The only time I ate Taiwan vermicelli aka mee sua was when I was still a kid and my grandmother would cook it for me during my Chinese birthday. Though its been a long time since I last ate mee sua, I don't remember it tasting as awful as Lai Lai's rendition. The soup was very starchy and not to mention bland. Ingredients were minimal as well and half of bowl of the vermicelli remained, for obvious reasons.
On hindsight, the queues were probably formed due to the herd mentality of Singaporeans and definitely not for the food quality. Our dinner cost the 2 of us $30, which isn't expensive for a dinner, but definitely expensive for such quality of food. Never again!
This Happen to be one of my favorite hang outs in jurong point. Matter of fact.. You don't get much hang outs in jurong as its really quite in the surburb... Siam Kitchen has been there sitting quietly next to the OLD NTUC in today's JP1....
i don't think their food is that.. Great.. however with the set lunches going at S$11.90 with drink, main course and appetizer, its pretty worth it...
I particularly like the karapok they serve when you get sitted... dunk it in their yummy sweetie chilli sauce... Already quite yummy....
Their thai beef noodle is pretty nice... with the beef balls so real.... they always get stuck in between my teeth... Kway Teow so smooth.... I can slurp it all up in one go...
I also like the mango salad.... sour, spicy and full of Oomph.... Especially with cashewnuts... Its extra tasty.... However... Beware of the dynamites. Yes.. they are red and small.. If you chew on them.. You will guarantee to turn red and explode... The Baby Chilli Padis.... is quite an adventure... For those who love HOT HOT HOT STUFFS... ask for a spoonful from the waitress....
Green Curry also nice... especially with the koropok..... Ask for an extra serving to get your money's worth.....
Its pretty nice however, quiet which i don't understand why. Eversince they stopped having their buffets.. this place is more or less a dead town... Which is also a great thing for me.... imagine this.. No queues, No irrtating kids bumping you off the chair... No babies squeeling away.... No Old man putting his dentures into the cup of ice water.....
This place a super haven for me.......... MY COMPLETE HIDEOUT!
Visited for buffet lunch at this branch. First thing, the waitresses here are not a friendly lot though the waiters are good even though they are not fluent in English.
Deco not bad. Crowd very little even though it was lunch time. Since its buffet lunch, we order hand roll, chawanmushi, salmon/ika/tuna etc sashimi, teppanyaki of vege/bean sprouts/chicken/Salmon, Pumpkin Croquette, potato salad, peach salad, plain udon, Ebi Teriyaki etc etc.
Food we would give a high below average grade since there were some dishes that we particularly liked like the Teppanyaki Beansprouts, Tori Terriyaki and Pumpkin Croquettes
Things like udon which was overcooked and brittle, sashimi where only the first plate was nice with thick cuts though not very fresh. The next 2 plates had cuts from other parts of the fish and were too hard to bite and even turned black at some parts. Most of the dishes there tend to be too salty and the potato salad tasted weird with sour taste and peach salad with spicy (??) sauce.
This is the place where i had my birthday last year.. The food is great... I personally love the Chips.... They are REAL CHIP Slices from a real potato and thats both healthy and yummy.. No preservatives and I won't become a MUMMY.... The Egyptian Mummy i mean. The Burger is also one to die for... succulent beef.. juicy and yummy and the rest on the menu, i love it all.
But besides the food I have to say the ambience is great.... I personally love the string lights..... So Romantic..... One cannot help but want to run your fingers through the lights like you will do the same to your hair... And when you get a little more tipsy.. You might think you will burn your fingers on them... But before you run your hand and bring it near to your face, take cheesy pictures with the lights near to your face..... STOP AND STARE... While you stare think about how many hundreds of patrons already did that and not forgetting their OILY FACES... FINGERS... and whatever.. Not forgetting the Super Pukers who might have already puked on them a thousand times..... THINK,.......
The service is great.. waitress and waiters run around alot.. Not forgetting the occasional handsome waiters..... They are generally helpful and friendly...... and prompt with your request.... especially when you ask for the bill..
The Live Band is great... previously from China Jump at CHIJMES... BOY I STILL MISS THE DENTIST CHAIR.... ALL CHINA JUMP Fans out there...... Jive Talking is HERE...... and the band had changed some of the players but They are still very much their oldselves..... Love the music they play.... Its somewhere between the old and the new... and they have such great groove.. You can't help but will move to the beat..
The crowd is great too.. You see many yuppies and caucasians as well as local hot babes... A must go... for all you love clubbers....
If you like the cool afresco clubbing you will like peppermint park... Its wierd.. theres not a single peppermint plant there however.. there are many potted plants and baby trees around which is quite serene... The place is great for mini parties or perhaps just to chill out with a friend or two.. Sits are great... stiff sofas and hanging benches for those who love a little more dizziness...
Its even better when you have BUY 1 and GET 2 free Beers.... Come at 6pm and you have 3 hours of drink till you drop happy times. Snack with their great finger food... The chicken wings and fries are great.. The batter they use to fry the chicken with is both savoury and yummy.... One of the best chicky wings i ever had... I love their wedges and nacho basket as well... A good generous serving with cheesy cheese sauce and Cheeky Salsa......
Great place to hang out... Great place to Chilll.... Definitely great place to meet up with your pals...
A must go... for all those Cool Cute guys and gals.. Catch me there.. again n again n again.... * BURB*
I used to work nearby there when i just graduated and I simply love the whole setting. I can still remember my friends illegal parking their cars by the side of the road and having coffee with while scrambling off when MR TP come...
Its a great place to skive at work... Oh no.... I should say hold decent meetings and catch up with your customers.
Coffee is always great and the deco reminds us of the older singapore days... I personally love the thin crispy toast with COLD STORAGE BUTTER.. and the RUNNY Eggs... Runny eggs not runny nose.... To hell with weight watchers...... Its so worth it to splurge all the calories on a nice teabreak like this....
Its just not easy to make such wonderful runny eggs and yummy crispy ear crunching toast... REALLY GREAT HANGOUT..
When Boss Returns to Office you can immediately get back to office and appear like you just came out of the Loo... Beware of the tale - telling bread Crumbs....
Like many other CHOCO FANS OUT THERE.. Me too love Royce Chocolates. WHats with the extra calories... you're gonna get it even if you eat other food.... But eating ROYCE Chocolates is the only reason ITS WORTH GETTING FAT.....
Chocolate so smooth and aromatic... the Japs really know how to make it.......
I personally love the Au Liat... Its with Cherry Liquor and melts in your mouth, slides down your throat and you can feel JOY in your heart...
The Champagn taste great as well.... with the mild champagne titillating every part of your taste buds. Enjoy the pleasure of champagn and naked chocolate... Whats with the strawberry.......
The semi dark chocolate is great as well.. I think its with cognac.... and if you really like it PURE.. you can go for the TRUE DARK Chocolate..
I personally don't enjoy the flavour with coconut as i'm not quite a fan of that NUT.. BUt for NUT LOVERS out there... You can go crazy with the NUTS... I don't care.
The white chocolate taste as great as well.. but... I personally find white chocolate not chocolate rather just MILK... I prefer the REAL THING...
Super Must Try...... Locate it near to GODIVA..... If Godiva is the God of all chocolates.. Then Royce must be CHOCO God's FATHER.....
Don't forget to ask for their excellent wrapping services....
I need to declare that this is a feedback on the hotel's service, not the rooms etc.
I called this week to want to make a reservation for 14 rooms for a large group of overseas friends coming in this weekend, and I thought Gallery hotel would be a good choice because of the location and unique branding. So I called the room reservation number, and the moment the lady heard I wanted to book 14 rooms, she asked me to wait while she transfers me to the sales department, so I thought, great, there's someone dedicated and trained to handle large bookings.
The lady from the sales department first asked me if I am from a company, so I said no. Then she started telling me without a corporate account she cannot make the booking for the rooms. I told her its strange because I was transferred to her after I've made my intention clear, I don't see the point of being transferred to a department which can't help. She reiterated again that she cannot do large bookings for an individual, and said if I want to make large bookings without the corporate account, the only way I can do it is to book via the website. I was already on the website during the phone call and so tried to click on it, but realised the maximum number of rooms I can book is only 3 rooms.
I told her so, and her response was for me to click and book 3 rooms, then wait for a while, then go to the website again to book another 3 rooms etc. I was actually amused by her suggestion, and told her this would mean I have to go back and do the same thing 3-4 times! She just maintained her stand and said sorry, that's the only way.
I find it ridiculous that neither the room reservations department nor the sales department can accept my booking, just because I am not calling from a company. I can still provide my credit card details to guarantee the booking and names of the guests for the rooms, so I don't see a reason why I was turned away. If the sales department policy is ONLY to attend to valued corporate clients, fine. But why is then the room reservation not able to do it then? It shouldn't be called the "room reservation" at all if so. And I was furious to hear the lady from sales suggest I book through the website and re book 3-4 times, that would have been an absolute waste of my time.
The only conclusion I can come to is, simply, that the hotel does not entertain big bookings from individuals. In this case, I think the hotel should declare that publicly so we don't end up wasting our time and breath.
This is an outdated review, but I though better now than never??
Stayed at the Swissotel during their Xmas 2006 weekend promotion for SGD238 per night and found the stay only so-so. Not too much to scream about for a highly acclaimed 5-star hotel.
Time seems to be taking its toll on the hotel. I got a room on the 55th floor; the furniture are dated and looks worn out, with the wood peeling in some areas. Disappointed, I called room reservations and kudos to them, they offered me another room on the 61st floor. A porter promptly arrived to transfer our luggages to the new room, which was much better. View was excellent though.
There was complimentary high tea included in the package, but I went away disappointed. We had to wait 1 hour for our food, and it was just sad limp sandwiches and oily left-out-for-too-long puff pastries.
Cute of them to leave 2 gingerbread cookies on Xmas Day itself though.
I probably wouldn't choose to go back there again although the view was excellent. For a little more, conrad and raffles the plaza will be a much better bet.
I chose the Pan Pac Singapore for a short getaway, and turned out to be better than my experience at Swissotel the Stamford. I got a Paranomic Balcony room on the 29th floor, and it was accessible by the glass elevator facing the Marina, which offered a great view everytime we went up to the room.
The room was smaller than expected, but being recently reburbished, had a more classy feel and modern elements, evident in the mounted swivle plasma TV and hidden compartments in the counter which hides the mini bar, cups etc (a very nice change from the normal counter tops).
Very clean, and nice, with efficient room service and house keeping. Breakfast at Global Kitchen was only so-so...I had expected a bigger spread for the price (SGD82 for 2 persons!).
Also recieved a complimentary bottle of wine and chocolate cake as I had informed it was my birthday cum anniversary celebrations.
1=SGD 0.0587
Jostled with the crowds at Jurong Point's newly opened extension to have a go Lai Lai Casual Dining - a seemingly popular beef noodles cum pseudo Taiwanese eatery. There was a steady stream of people queuing up to get a seat in the eatery so we naturally assumed that this place was of a certain acceptable standard.
The bulk of the seating at this eatery is open concept, which means that people from the upper levels of the mall can view you from the top and tables are squeezed uncomfortably close to each other to maxmize revenue. And honestly, the cow on the menu looked like it had just been hit by mad cow disease.
Fried Beancurd - This dish was very run off the mill. Crisp on the outside but not soft on the inside, the beancurd was overly deep fried which resulted in a harder then usual exterior.
Pepper Salt Chicken - This dish was another disappointment. I mean, how bad can chicken taste like right? Wrong! The chicken had more flour then meat and came across as tough, bland and oily. Can someone tell me where the salt and pepper went?
Taiwan Beef Noodle - Lai Lai's purported signature/star dish and I have to admit that it was the best amongst all the other terrible dishes. Not that it was anywhere near what I had expected initially when I was still in the queue. The noodles were of the flatter variant and carried a bit of bite but the soup wasn't flavourful enough. The beef pieces, which amounted to about 4 - 5, came across as a tad too tough.
Taiwan Vermicelli - The only time I ate Taiwan vermicelli aka mee sua was when I was still a kid and my grandmother would cook it for me during my Chinese birthday. Though its been a long time since I last ate mee sua, I don't remember it tasting as awful as Lai Lai's rendition. The soup was very starchy and not to mention bland. Ingredients were minimal as well and half of bowl of the vermicelli remained, for obvious reasons.
On hindsight, the queues were probably formed due to the herd mentality of Singaporeans and definitely not for the food quality. Our dinner cost the 2 of us $30, which isn't expensive for a dinner, but definitely expensive for such quality of food. Never again!
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
This Happen to be one of my favorite hang outs in jurong point. Matter of fact.. You don't get much hang outs in jurong as its really quite in the surburb... Siam Kitchen has been there sitting quietly next to the OLD NTUC in today's JP1....
i don't think their food is that.. Great.. however with the set lunches going at S$11.90 with drink, main course and appetizer, its pretty worth it...
I particularly like the karapok they serve when you get sitted... dunk it in their yummy sweetie chilli sauce... Already quite yummy....
Their thai beef noodle is pretty nice... with the beef balls so real.... they always get stuck in between my teeth... Kway Teow so smooth.... I can slurp it all up in one go...
I also like the mango salad.... sour, spicy and full of Oomph.... Especially with cashewnuts... Its extra tasty.... However... Beware of the dynamites. Yes.. they are red and small.. If you chew on them.. You will guarantee to turn red and explode... The Baby Chilli Padis.... is quite an adventure... For those who love HOT HOT HOT STUFFS... ask for a spoonful from the waitress....
Green Curry also nice... especially with the koropok..... Ask for an extra serving to get your money's worth.....
Its pretty nice however, quiet which i don't understand why. Eversince they stopped having their buffets.. this place is more or less a dead town... Which is also a great thing for me.... imagine this.. No queues, No irrtating kids bumping you off the chair... No babies squeeling away.... No Old man putting his dentures into the cup of ice water.....
This place a super haven for me.......... MY COMPLETE HIDEOUT!
Rating given:
Visited for buffet lunch at this branch. First thing, the waitresses here are not a friendly lot though the waiters are good even though they are not fluent in English.
Deco not bad. Crowd very little even though it was lunch time. Since its buffet lunch, we order hand roll, chawanmushi, salmon/ika/tuna etc sashimi, teppanyaki of vege/bean sprouts/chicken/Salmon, Pumpkin Croquette, potato salad, peach salad, plain udon, Ebi Teriyaki etc etc.
Food we would give a high below average grade since there were some dishes that we particularly liked like the Teppanyaki Beansprouts, Tori Terriyaki and Pumpkin Croquettes
Things like udon which was overcooked and brittle, sashimi where only the first plate was nice with thick cuts though not very fresh. The next 2 plates had cuts from other parts of the fish and were too hard to bite and even turned black at some parts. Most of the dishes there tend to be too salty and the potato salad tasted weird with sour taste and peach salad with spicy (??) sauce.
Will not visit again.
Rating given:
This is the place where i had my birthday last year.. The food is great... I personally love the Chips.... They are REAL CHIP Slices from a real potato and thats both healthy and yummy.. No preservatives and I won't become a MUMMY.... The Egyptian Mummy i mean. The Burger is also one to die for... succulent beef.. juicy and yummy and the rest on the menu, i love it all.
But besides the food I have to say the ambience is great.... I personally love the string lights..... So Romantic..... One cannot help but want to run your fingers through the lights like you will do the same to your hair... And when you get a little more tipsy.. You might think you will burn your fingers on them... But before you run your hand and bring it near to your face, take cheesy pictures with the lights near to your face..... STOP AND STARE... While you stare think about how many hundreds of patrons already did that and not forgetting their OILY FACES... FINGERS... and whatever.. Not forgetting the Super Pukers who might have already puked on them a thousand times..... THINK,.......
The service is great.. waitress and waiters run around alot.. Not forgetting the occasional handsome waiters..... They are generally helpful and friendly...... and prompt with your request.... especially when you ask for the bill..
The Live Band is great... previously from China Jump at CHIJMES... BOY I STILL MISS THE DENTIST CHAIR.... ALL CHINA JUMP Fans out there...... Jive Talking is HERE...... and the band had changed some of the players but They are still very much their oldselves..... Love the music they play.... Its somewhere between the old and the new... and they have such great groove.. You can't help but will move to the beat..
The crowd is great too.. You see many yuppies and caucasians as well as local hot babes... A must go... for all you love clubbers....
See you there on fridays......
Rating given:
If you like the cool afresco clubbing you will like peppermint park... Its wierd.. theres not a single peppermint plant there however.. there are many potted plants and baby trees around which is quite serene... The place is great for mini parties or perhaps just to chill out with a friend or two.. Sits are great... stiff sofas and hanging benches for those who love a little more dizziness...
Its even better when you have BUY 1 and GET 2 free Beers.... Come at 6pm and you have 3 hours of drink till you drop happy times. Snack with their great finger food... The chicken wings and fries are great.. The batter they use to fry the chicken with is both savoury and yummy.... One of the best chicky wings i ever had... I love their wedges and nacho basket as well... A good generous serving with cheesy cheese sauce and Cheeky Salsa......
Great place to hang out... Great place to Chilll.... Definitely great place to meet up with your pals...
A must go... for all those Cool Cute guys and gals.. Catch me there.. again n again n again.... * BURB*
Rating given:
I've got great memories for this place.....
I used to work nearby there when i just graduated and I simply love the whole setting. I can still remember my friends illegal parking their cars by the side of the road and having coffee with while scrambling off when MR TP come...
Its a great place to skive at work... Oh no.... I should say hold decent meetings and catch up with your customers.
Coffee is always great and the deco reminds us of the older singapore days... I personally love the thin crispy toast with COLD STORAGE BUTTER.. and the RUNNY Eggs... Runny eggs not runny nose.... To hell with weight watchers...... Its so worth it to splurge all the calories on a nice teabreak like this....
Its just not easy to make such wonderful runny eggs and yummy crispy ear crunching toast... REALLY GREAT HANGOUT..
When Boss Returns to Office you can immediately get back to office and appear like you just came out of the Loo... Beware of the tale - telling bread Crumbs....
Rating given:
Like many other CHOCO FANS OUT THERE.. Me too love Royce Chocolates. WHats with the extra calories... you're gonna get it even if you eat other food.... But eating ROYCE Chocolates is the only reason ITS WORTH GETTING FAT.....
Chocolate so smooth and aromatic... the Japs really know how to make it.......
I personally love the Au Liat... Its with Cherry Liquor and melts in your mouth, slides down your throat and you can feel JOY in your heart...
The Champagn taste great as well.... with the mild champagne titillating every part of your taste buds. Enjoy the pleasure of champagn and naked chocolate... Whats with the strawberry.......
The semi dark chocolate is great as well.. I think its with cognac.... and if you really like it PURE.. you can go for the TRUE DARK Chocolate..
I personally don't enjoy the flavour with coconut as i'm not quite a fan of that NUT.. BUt for NUT LOVERS out there... You can go crazy with the NUTS... I don't care.
The white chocolate taste as great as well.. but... I personally find white chocolate not chocolate rather just MILK... I prefer the REAL THING...
Super Must Try...... Locate it near to GODIVA..... If Godiva is the God of all chocolates.. Then Royce must be CHOCO God's FATHER.....
Don't forget to ask for their excellent wrapping services....
I LOVE ROYCE
Rating given:
Worst ever service~
I need to declare that this is a feedback on the hotel's service, not the rooms etc.
I called this week to want to make a reservation for 14 rooms for a large group of overseas friends coming in this weekend, and I thought Gallery hotel would be a good choice because of the location and unique branding. So I called the room reservation number, and the moment the lady heard I wanted to book 14 rooms, she asked me to wait while she transfers me to the sales department, so I thought, great, there's someone dedicated and trained to handle large bookings.
The lady from the sales department first asked me if I am from a company, so I said no. Then she started telling me without a corporate account she cannot make the booking for the rooms. I told her its strange because I was transferred to her after I've made my intention clear, I don't see the point of being transferred to a department which can't help. She reiterated again that she cannot do large bookings for an individual, and said if I want to make large bookings without the corporate account, the only way I can do it is to book via the website. I was already on the website during the phone call and so tried to click on it, but realised the maximum number of rooms I can book is only 3 rooms.
I told her so, and her response was for me to click and book 3 rooms, then wait for a while, then go to the website again to book another 3 rooms etc. I was actually amused by her suggestion, and told her this would mean I have to go back and do the same thing 3-4 times! She just maintained her stand and said sorry, that's the only way.
I find it ridiculous that neither the room reservations department nor the sales department can accept my booking, just because I am not calling from a company. I can still provide my credit card details to guarantee the booking and names of the guests for the rooms, so I don't see a reason why I was turned away. If the sales department policy is ONLY to attend to valued corporate clients, fine. But why is then the room reservation not able to do it then? It shouldn't be called the "room reservation" at all if so. And I was furious to hear the lady from sales suggest I book through the website and re book 3-4 times, that would have been an absolute waste of my time.
The only conclusion I can come to is, simply, that the hotel does not entertain big bookings from individuals. In this case, I think the hotel should declare that publicly so we don't end up wasting our time and breath.
I really needed to vent :D AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Rating given:
Time has taken a toll on Swissotel
This is an outdated review, but I though better now than never??
Stayed at the Swissotel during their Xmas 2006 weekend promotion for SGD238 per night and found the stay only so-so. Not too much to scream about for a highly acclaimed 5-star hotel.
Time seems to be taking its toll on the hotel. I got a room on the 55th floor; the furniture are dated and looks worn out, with the wood peeling in some areas. Disappointed, I called room reservations and kudos to them, they offered me another room on the 61st floor. A porter promptly arrived to transfer our luggages to the new room, which was much better. View was excellent though.
There was complimentary high tea included in the package, but I went away disappointed. We had to wait 1 hour for our food, and it was just sad limp sandwiches and oily left-out-for-too-long puff pastries.
Cute of them to leave 2 gingerbread cookies on Xmas Day itself though.
I probably wouldn't choose to go back there again although the view was excellent. For a little more, conrad and raffles the plaza will be a much better bet.
Rating given:
Great experience marred by room reservation staff
I chose the Pan Pac Singapore for a short getaway, and turned out to be better than my experience at Swissotel the Stamford. I got a Paranomic Balcony room on the 29th floor, and it was accessible by the glass elevator facing the Marina, which offered a great view everytime we went up to the room.
The room was smaller than expected, but being recently reburbished, had a more classy feel and modern elements, evident in the mounted swivle plasma TV and hidden compartments in the counter which hides the mini bar, cups etc (a very nice change from the normal counter tops).
Very clean, and nice, with efficient room service and house keeping. Breakfast at Global Kitchen was only so-so...I had expected a bigger spread for the price (SGD82 for 2 persons!).
Also recieved a complimentary bottle of wine and chocolate cake as I had informed it was my birthday cum anniversary celebrations.
Rating given: