My first cafe cartel recently experience was at Plaza Sg on my birthday..
I went there a few years back and remembered the free flow of bread and their unique ordering style.
I love the free flow of bread, mainly because I love bread. And the butter/margarine provided is nice too. Ordered the supreme platter,oriental chicken salad, seafood pasta and a burger for my bf. dissapointed with the supreme platter as even though the menu stated that it came with the cheese waffle fries, it came with normal fries. but the nuggets were goof though. boyfriend had that crispy chicken burger which he seemed to like.
My favourite 2 dishes were the oriental chicken salad and the seafood baked pasta..
the salad was fresh..love my lettuce and the chicken wasnt hard..small pieces that prepare me for my next meal..and while im not one who likes salad dressing, i find this dresing light and quite refresing. not creamy like thousand island.
as for my baked pasta..the servings are generous..the prawns were fresh..squid didnt taste like rubber bands and sauce was tasty..i get to choose my sauce..either tomato or cream..definitely the latter..plus anything with cheese baked on top of it gets thumbs up from me..esp if its well baked..aka not too burnt..juz nice and brown..the cheese isnt hardened n u get that effect that the cheese stretches with each fork/spoonful of pasta u take..
love the service too..theyre so patient with my many requests for my food..like
-salad without dressing..
-no carrots..
more sauce..
and they alwez get the bread for me..even tho i dont mind gettin it myself..
worth it..esp since no 10%..juz the 7% charge..
love Cafe Cartel's system of orderin the food usin those notepad thingys..
cos if the order is presented wrongly..well its the writers fault for writing wrongly..
The food has always been good..
I loved their supreme platter cos it has my favourite waffle fries, calamari n nuggets..
Seafood baked pasta cos of the delicious creamy sauce and cheese..
and most recently, I tried the grilled dory with sambal sauce..
while the dory did not smell or taste fishy at all.it went well with the sambal sauce..but i felt the sambal sauce was not very hot..i guess not everyone can stand overly hot food but i still liked it
and it didnt leave a weird aftertaste that i get after eatin dory @ sum restaurants..
My friend had the pan fried linguine..looked good n she seemed to enjoy it..
We indulged and got ourselves dessert...my tiramisu was presented beautifully..and i loved how it tasted..it was creamy not too overwhelming..nice n light..
liked the choc biscuit at the bottom
my friend had the all american classic..
and well..caramel n butterscotch=heaven..so no need to comment there..i love butterscotch so i added it to my tiramisu..yummy..
service was fantastic..for new staff who were attentive even after so many orders(my boyfren n his frenz were with us at first)..
to constantly refilling our drinks and enquiring if we wanted new drinks when we finished ours..
they were constantly smiling and even durin closing time(11 surprisingly late)..they werent chasin us out or anithin..
i really do love cafe cartel for providing good service great food..n not chargin us another 10% for it
It was way past 11 and i was craving calamari n of all things NYDC doesnt have calamari..so off to balcony bar...
I love love love the decor..with the old school seats and swings at the sides. even the tables are so pretty.
ordered a main to share, fish with butter cream sauce and chippolatas and calamari. it was part of a set meal so came with a drink and a cake..oreo chezcake...
fish was delish. light and slitely salty tho but not too msg-ey. enjoyed it esp cos of the sauce.
chippolatas was the best i ever had. juicy and very eady to bite. was quite angry my bf finished it.
calamari was good too..not like tyres and could be easily bitten into. not salty either.
service was ok..took quite a while to get my chilli sauce but at least i got it..and the ambiance was so relaxed. even tho we were near to two traffic lights didnt realli notice the crowd walkin past due to the huge curtains..
oh n the chezcake was alright..im not a cheezcake person but it was good..not too cheezey..
i love how munchy donuts are nice n crisp on the outside yet so deliciously soft on the inside. and it stays that way even after a few hours unlike other donuts that tend to harden. not only that but the fillings and toppings are generous and not too sweet. such as my favourite chocz o cream..i love the chocolate topping and the filling which is butter cream custard makes it a perfect balance n not too chocolaty..and the latte donut is a perfect weapon against sleepiness and hunger combined..but my two favourites are definitely the oreo donut and coco pops donut..compared with other oreo donuts, munchy's oreo is one u savour bite after bite..and makes u want more when u finish it. as for coco pops..well what can i say..its coco pops..although u might want to eat it right after u get it..if not the pops loses its pop-ness..and it has some intresting flavours too..i was a bit hesitant to try the putting green yet the red bean custard cream is not too sweet n the green tea topping isnt too overwhelming..thou im not a huge fan of the peppermint cheese donut..a bit tooo cheesey but the cheez donut is a must try for cheeze lovers..i was pleasantly surprised when i tried it..the parsely gives it more oomph..
n they have a new flavour, rocky road or sumthin. has both nuts and coco pops..im hooked to that now..
and as simple as it looks the munch me and power pop is delicous too. my mom loves them.
and i love how quick their service is..so mayb i came at a not so busy time but the servers were nice and very patient with me(cos i usualli dont know how many of wic to get)..no 2 hour waiting sessions for me so yay..
n now that theres one at bedok i no longer have to travel to tj katong to get my donut fix.
THe lady who manages this outlet is the Cousin of Miss Clarity herself..
My first Time
At first i thought of having the chicken baked pasta but i was craving chicken cutlet so i decided to have the Black Pepper Crispy Chicken..with the black pepper sauce on the side..and decided to make it a meal juz by addin 3 dollars..4 since i changed my drink to a 7-up..
i got a salad wic was well salad..not much to say therelah..but im glad that the veges all were fresh and didnt look like they were bought 2 days b4 this..
nxt up my chicken!!!it came pretty quick..arnd 10 minutes mayb...i was like pleasantly surprised to see that there were 2 chicken pieces..and they looked sooo nice..liked that it came with veges n roasted potatoes n not fries n coleslaw..while i love fries me tinks roasted is a more healthy choice..and coleslaw..well oredi im eating deep fried chicken..i dont wantt my arteries to be even more clogged thanks to mayo ok..so im happy with my dish..the chicken was very crispy and inside..it was tender and well i did end up sprinkling a pinch of salt on my chicken and the potatoes..but it tasted nice..enjoyed it very much..and the black pepper sauce went well with the chicken..although towards the end i just poured the sauce on the chicken..
After having bread n butter pudding at royal plaza on scotts im sorry but well obviously the winner will b royal plaza duh..but the bread n butter puddin i had for desert was nice. had a distinct vanilla taste and wasnt too sweet.
2nd time i had the garlic crusted dory wic i love and bf had the chicken ballotine wic was nice too..loved the mushrooms and i loved my dory wic was flaky and not too fishy.
Our third visit was the day b4 valentines. he had a corn beef baked rice, and me fish baked pasta. i hald expected the fish to be mixed with the pasta but i was given breaded fish yay!!!loved loved loved the pasta and the rice...would have liked if there was more cheeze on my pasta though. also had the gluttons platter though my favorite was the chippolatas. service was still good and i relly loved the laid back ambiance there unlike the one at bugis..
Iv ordered cupcakes from them a total of four times. And all four times I have been happy with my orders. Hanna(makes cupcakes) is friendly and made beautiful and not to mention delicious cupcakes for my bf.
There are plenty of choices for the cupcakes. and muffins too. A choice of sizes for them as well.
Prices are reasonable and u can choose what colour and design or words u want on them.
I have tried the oreo oh lala(all four times i have ordered that) the hersheys flavour(nice) and my ultimate favourite. the donutella.microwave it for abt 10 seconds and the nutella will ooze out..yes i love anithin that oozes out chocs..
even tho i so needed aircon we decided on sittin near the waterfront...n i now vote for waterfront dining all the time..soo romantica...
heres what we ordered...
1 - Chicken fingers $9.90
2 - Scallopine al funghi e vino bianco aka chicken breast - $23.90
3 - risotto alla catalina - $17.80
4 - Pizza marinara - $16.90..
tried all the food..execpt the risotto but my frenz seemd to enjoy it...liked how they accomodated my frenz request to peel off the prawns..
i loved the wedges..didnt have this weird kinda stale taste some wedges have...
the chcken dishes were good..but i found the chicken a bit the hard for my taste..reminds me of long john silvers chicken..
but i loved loved loved the pizza!!!it was light..the taste was subtle..and not too overwhelming..cos im not a tomato person..i was in heaven..loved the food..service too..and finalli the ambience...overall..thumbs up..
*New Review on 1/4/08*
Have yet to use the vouchers which Panerai generously gifted to me and a few other lucky individuals recently so with the expiry date nearing i decided to make a trip to AH on Sat 29th March..plus iv got a lunch date with my dear ice on Sun the 30th so one might say "is she crazy to go to the same place twice in two days". For food this good. I would go three times in two days!!.
Was going to be boring and go for the same things i ordered last but i decided to be adventourous and try the warm spinach and mushroom salad while my bf had a mushroom soup(i did try to persuade him to get the rocket salad but failed)..
I loved the salad!!!!came with 3 different types of mushrooms and was done perfectly. mushrooms were nice and juicy, just the right amount of vinagrette used and i savoured every single mushroom.
Soup was good too. No campbell soup here.
Ordered the seefood sampler and when Phyllis said it was big we thought we could still handle it but boy were we wrong.it was humongous. Usually for samplers most places would serve 1/3 of the ala carte dish but i tink we got the whole dish. Calamari was as good as ever, fish was okay, found it a bit weird, like those defrosted frozen fish..Prawns were gooood.Liked the batter used for all. Not too heavy and the dips!!!Beetroot was a nice pinkish hue, very nice too and the mango aioli dip was equally good..i was using my fork to dish out the dips even after i was done with the food. Oh and the fries..omg..there was alot..and was cooked well, not overdoused with salt and my fav, crunchy..
For mains, my bf had the tenderloin-medium rare(cut to my face cringing) and i had the lamb shank changin the rice to fries.
To be honest, the lambshank was cooked well, meat was tender my bf liked it but me on the other hand, found the lamb abit too overwhelming, ate the fats but gave my bf most of the meat. the tenderloin on the other hand was OMG!!after my last tenderloin disaster experience i had a huuuge phobia of tenderloins but now phobia gone, the meat was not too overdone not too bloody or chewy, went well with the onion shiraz sauce and the gratin.oh gratin, thin potatoes and chheese and it had a slight flaky crust thingy. i was enjoying every single bite.
For dessert we had the tiramisu and another OMG moment. It was deeeelish. I love my tiramisu/ cakes creamy and not too dry. the tiramisu was perfect. each layer tasted rich and i savoured every single spoonful, if the kitchen hadnt closed i would have ordered another one. I was heartbroken when i finished my tiramisu..
That was just saturday night.
Now Sunday for me was a total repeat telecast of Saturday.
I ordered the same things Spinach n Mushroom, main this time was tenderloin-medium and as if i wouldnt order my favourite tiramisu.
ice ordered the asparagus wrapped with bacon salad, the chefs special, Herb oil confit norweigan salmon with vanilla cream sauce with olive pilaf rice(changed to a avocado salad) accompanied with organic butternut pumpkin braised in earl grey tea. and she tried the chefs special dessert, mixed berries with this egg custard like pudding.
I wnt repeat my rave reviews for my food but what can i say, salad still rocked, tenderloin was ommph(and this time ALL MINE) and the tiramisu...OOOH!!!!!
Tried an asparagus from ice and i love love loved it, still retains its crunchyness and asparagus taste. very tasty.The salmon which i tried a bit was good. Fresh, didnt have that weird salmon taste that sometimes i experience and went well with the vanilla cream sauce.
But her dessert well had a weird taste. i did like the egg custard.
Service on both days were impeccable. Phyllis was patient in explaining to us the dishes in the menu, which was recommended and which were going to be replaced and to be placed in the new menu.
Gladly replaced out free soups with other salads instead and obliged our requests for changed to the items in our meals.
Oh oh n she knew i was MN!!!haha..that was so cute and even enquired abt my grandad(who is in the hospital) which i felt was truly sweet and thoughtful.
I felt that Phyllis genuinely wants her customers to enjoy their experience and not just be nice to chalk up points. The staff were polite, friendly and I remember them from my last visit a few months back.
That says a lot about an establishment. Many have everchanging staffs either due to unreliable staff or the staff were not happy working there. From what i have seen i am sure the staff enjoy their job promting them to stay commited to the establishment and provide the service that i have found no fault with at all.
And another thing that i have to mention. A few hours after we left today i got a call from Phyllis informing me that i was supposed to be entitled to a 20% discount as we had lunch today but i was given 10% instead and that the next time i dine there and paid with a citibank card i would be entitled to a 20% discount. Now firstly, the fact that we even got a discount when we used the vouchers was already something that impressed me. But it is really something else that she would make the effort to call me to inform me of the mixup. Honestly, given the quality of food and service provided to us i would not mind not being given the discount. I really have to applaud Phyllis for going that extra mile. Now i know that some would find it strange for someone to go all out raving about the food but i really did feel that the food was good and well i was honest abt what i did not like. I would definitely come here more often. And if i were in the area and in desperate need of a tiramisu fix, no questions on where i would go.
Prices for 1st dinner would have been around 45-50 per person
Prices for the 2nd would have been around 35-40 per person.
But with the vouchers generously provided by Panerai
The 1st dinner was only 18 per person
2nd was 14 per person..
The menu will be changed soon so my beloved tenderloin with the super onion shiraz sauce will be replaced with port wine instead..wonder if i can request for the onion sauce though...oh n both me n ice are hopin the cream of rocket soup is retained..she was crushed when we found out the soup had sold out
*Old Review Jan 2008*
Before even entering the restaurant, a caucasian patron had already gushed to us how good the food was
Nice decor, liked the yellow booth like chairs they gave us but requested for the table for 2 in the inside. It was slightly dimmer there but i liked being far from the main door*more ahem romantic*
Ordered the garden salad, calamari, buffalo wings, ribeye steak for myself and the seafood spag for bf(he actually wanted sumthin else but sumhow he ordered the ss)..for a girl who rarely drinks the plain water served, i liked the strawberry flavoured water. bf was puzzled since im nt a strawberry person either. OOh ooh and our drinks came without lemon slices in it!!YAY. if not so unglam to see me fishing out the lemon slice n dumpin it into bfs drink.
I liked the fact that my salad wasnt drowning in thousand island(dont see the point eating salad= healthy with ti= not so healthy)..instead there was balsamic vinegar..something i have grown to not hate..
Calamari rocked. Me tinks its the bestest calamari i had. yes even trumps my beloved fish n co calamari. bf didnt like the buffalo wings tho(too spicy) but i did. expected the bbq like version tho but prefer the fried.And i liked the sauce it came with so much that both times the manager n the waiter wanted to clear it i requested for it to be lefted on the table.
*i liked how they served the appetizers all together and only when we were finished did they clear everything, they even changed our plates for us in between the appetizers n at the end they changed our cutleries for us..
Since the chicken n fish dishes were out for me, i choze ribeye steak. Was worried i wouldnt like it since im more of a chicken gal but it was super nice. It was medium done or sumthin(basically no blood)..but wasnt hard or too chewy. And my only taste of potato gratin was at delifrance. The pathetic two layers of potato n a layer or cheese..AH's potato gratin was heavenly. They should put it as an appetizer too ;)
Didnt try bfs spagetti as it was well..green(pesto sauce). he liked it tho(plus prawn was peeled so i didnt have to).
Food was good, service was fantastic as opposed to other and it wasnt crowded at all so the whole romantic ambience was preserved. we skipped dessert as i purchased cakes frm gourmet carousel. But nxt time im so tryn the crepes.
Sumhow although it was 74(10% discount for citibank) for dinner. Looking at the receipt wasnt as heartwrenching as looking @ a $64 receipt(after 40% discount) from another restaurant i went to..
My first time was with my mom n gdad..ordered the cheese fries and the blue mountain burger..didnt know that the burger patty had carrots in it..n well im kinda allergic so in the end didnt eat it..guess the manager saw it and wanted to change it for me..i felt it wasnt necessary as it would b wastin food..i was juz gonna stick to my cheeze fries wic i loved cos of the spicy fries..but the manager actually gave us two complimentary cakes..felt the service was really good tho i guess couldnt really comment on the food..but gdads lamb chops were really nice..
2nd time i dragged my bf there..n firstly i wanted to kill all machines..both the atm machine at the store and shop n save werent workin n both me n the bf had a total of 6 bucks onli..but again the manager was so nice n told us we could pay the next time..i wanted to give him my contact details n stuff but he assured us it was ok..really cool guy...so this time was safer..i had the grilled chicken in black pepper sauce and ordered a side of foccacia garlic bread and chez fries..while the bf had the blue mountain burger..grilled chicken was so yummy..it was juicy and yummy..and i liked the salad on the side..very unique unlike the typical coleslaw..made a note to try the mushroom n cream sauce the nxt time..foccacia bread was nice too..not hard like sum garlic bread..throughly enjoyed that meal..
the next time i visited..i boringly stuck to my grilled chicken but this time with cream sauce..my fren had the salmon with cream sauce..n well my overall rating is..fish with cream sauce..very very good..chicken..not so very good..i recommend stikin to ol black pepper..we did try the oz brown..wic was brownie with ice cream...pure heaven i tell ya..i felt like such a pig cos after that we ordered the crazy choc nuts wic was a choc walnut cake..but compared to the oz brown it tasted dry..
the last time i visited, i finally tried the fish n chips..n we also ordered blur rings(calamari)..now the fish n chips i liked..cos it wasnt like those u get at norm western shops..the big breaded kind..this is the batter kind..n it was soo nice..bigger portion than han's n just as nice..i was tempted to order another..the calamari was not bad too..but i wished they didnt use such small calamari tho..
pricing is the same as botak jones but they charge 7% gst..
but overall ok for cheap and good
1=SGD 0.0587
My first cafe cartel recently experience was at Plaza Sg on my birthday..
I went there a few years back and remembered the free flow of bread and their unique ordering style.
I love the free flow of bread, mainly because I love bread. And the butter/margarine provided is nice too. Ordered the supreme platter,oriental chicken salad, seafood pasta and a burger for my bf. dissapointed with the supreme platter as even though the menu stated that it came with the cheese waffle fries, it came with normal fries. but the nuggets were goof though. boyfriend had that crispy chicken burger which he seemed to like.
My favourite 2 dishes were the oriental chicken salad and the seafood baked pasta..
the salad was fresh..love my lettuce and the chicken wasnt hard..small pieces that prepare me for my next meal..and while im not one who likes salad dressing, i find this dresing light and quite refresing. not creamy like thousand island.
as for my baked pasta..the servings are generous..the prawns were fresh..squid didnt taste like rubber bands and sauce was tasty..i get to choose my sauce..either tomato or cream..definitely the latter..plus anything with cheese baked on top of it gets thumbs up from me..esp if its well baked..aka not too burnt..juz nice and brown..the cheese isnt hardened n u get that effect that the cheese stretches with each fork/spoonful of pasta u take..
love the service too..theyre so patient with my many requests for my food..like
-salad without dressing..
-no carrots..
more sauce..
and they alwez get the bread for me..even tho i dont mind gettin it myself..
worth it..esp since no 10%..juz the 7% charge..
Rating given:
love Cafe Cartel's system of orderin the food usin those notepad thingys..
cos if the order is presented wrongly..well its the writers fault for writing wrongly..
The food has always been good..
I loved their supreme platter cos it has my favourite waffle fries, calamari n nuggets..
Seafood baked pasta cos of the delicious creamy sauce and cheese..
and most recently, I tried the grilled dory with sambal sauce..
while the dory did not smell or taste fishy at all.it went well with the sambal sauce..but i felt the sambal sauce was not very hot..i guess not everyone can stand overly hot food but i still liked it
and it didnt leave a weird aftertaste that i get after eatin dory @ sum restaurants..
My friend had the pan fried linguine..looked good n she seemed to enjoy it..
We indulged and got ourselves dessert...my tiramisu was presented beautifully..and i loved how it tasted..it was creamy not too overwhelming..nice n light..
liked the choc biscuit at the bottom
my friend had the all american classic..
and well..caramel n butterscotch=heaven..so no need to comment there..i love butterscotch so i added it to my tiramisu..yummy..
service was fantastic..for new staff who were attentive even after so many orders(my boyfren n his frenz were with us at first)..
to constantly refilling our drinks and enquiring if we wanted new drinks when we finished ours..
they were constantly smiling and even durin closing time(11 surprisingly late)..they werent chasin us out or anithin..
i really do love cafe cartel for providing good service great food..n not chargin us another 10% for it
Rating given:
Bought Macaroons and cakes from GOurmet Carousel located juz outside Carousel.
Cakes are devine. Tried Royal Noisiette and Black Pearl. Delicious choco mousse with praline in it(RN) and Black Pearl is also delicious..sinful.
Macaroons are good too. Best ones are the White Truffle, Vanilla, Caramel Sesame
Retails @ 1 for 1.80 and 5 for 8.50.
Cakes are 6.50 per piece
http://www.royalplaza.com.sg/catalog/index.php
Rating given:
It was way past 11 and i was craving calamari n of all things NYDC doesnt have calamari..so off to balcony bar...
I love love love the decor..with the old school seats and swings at the sides. even the tables are so pretty.
ordered a main to share, fish with butter cream sauce and chippolatas and calamari. it was part of a set meal so came with a drink and a cake..oreo chezcake...
fish was delish. light and slitely salty tho but not too msg-ey. enjoyed it esp cos of the sauce.
chippolatas was the best i ever had. juicy and very eady to bite. was quite angry my bf finished it.
calamari was good too..not like tyres and could be easily bitten into. not salty either.
service was ok..took quite a while to get my chilli sauce but at least i got it..and the ambiance was so relaxed. even tho we were near to two traffic lights didnt realli notice the crowd walkin past due to the huge curtains..
oh n the chezcake was alright..im not a cheezcake person but it was good..not too cheezey..
Rating given:
i love how munchy donuts are nice n crisp on the outside yet so deliciously soft on the inside. and it stays that way even after a few hours unlike other donuts that tend to harden. not only that but the fillings and toppings are generous and not too sweet. such as my favourite chocz o cream..i love the chocolate topping and the filling which is butter cream custard makes it a perfect balance n not too chocolaty..and the latte donut is a perfect weapon against sleepiness and hunger combined..but my two favourites are definitely the oreo donut and coco pops donut..compared with other oreo donuts, munchy's oreo is one u savour bite after bite..and makes u want more when u finish it. as for coco pops..well what can i say..its coco pops..although u might want to eat it right after u get it..if not the pops loses its pop-ness..and it has some intresting flavours too..i was a bit hesitant to try the putting green yet the red bean custard cream is not too sweet n the green tea topping isnt too overwhelming..thou im not a huge fan of the peppermint cheese donut..a bit tooo cheesey but the cheez donut is a must try for cheeze lovers..i was pleasantly surprised when i tried it..the parsely gives it more oomph..
n they have a new flavour, rocky road or sumthin. has both nuts and coco pops..im hooked to that now..
and as simple as it looks the munch me and power pop is delicous too. my mom loves them.
and i love how quick their service is..so mayb i came at a not so busy time but the servers were nice and very patient with me(cos i usualli dont know how many of wic to get)..no 2 hour waiting sessions for me so yay..
n now that theres one at bedok i no longer have to travel to tj katong to get my donut fix.
Rating given:
Been there a total of 3 times. Im hooked.
THe lady who manages this outlet is the Cousin of Miss Clarity herself..
My first Time
At first i thought of having the chicken baked pasta but i was craving chicken cutlet so i decided to have the Black Pepper Crispy Chicken..with the black pepper sauce on the side..and decided to make it a meal juz by addin 3 dollars..4 since i changed my drink to a 7-up..
i got a salad wic was well salad..not much to say therelah..but im glad that the veges all were fresh and didnt look like they were bought 2 days b4 this..
nxt up my chicken!!!it came pretty quick..arnd 10 minutes mayb...i was like pleasantly surprised to see that there were 2 chicken pieces..and they looked sooo nice..liked that it came with veges n roasted potatoes n not fries n coleslaw..while i love fries me tinks roasted is a more healthy choice..and coleslaw..well oredi im eating deep fried chicken..i dont wantt my arteries to be even more clogged thanks to mayo ok..so im happy with my dish..the chicken was very crispy and inside..it was tender and well i did end up sprinkling a pinch of salt on my chicken and the potatoes..but it tasted nice..enjoyed it very much..and the black pepper sauce went well with the chicken..although towards the end i just poured the sauce on the chicken..
After having bread n butter pudding at royal plaza on scotts im sorry but well obviously the winner will b royal plaza duh..but the bread n butter puddin i had for desert was nice. had a distinct vanilla taste and wasnt too sweet.
2nd time i had the garlic crusted dory wic i love and bf had the chicken ballotine wic was nice too..loved the mushrooms and i loved my dory wic was flaky and not too fishy.
Our third visit was the day b4 valentines. he had a corn beef baked rice, and me fish baked pasta. i hald expected the fish to be mixed with the pasta but i was given breaded fish yay!!!loved loved loved the pasta and the rice...would have liked if there was more cheeze on my pasta though. also had the gluttons platter though my favorite was the chippolatas. service was still good and i relly loved the laid back ambiance there unlike the one at bugis..
Rating given:
Iv ordered cupcakes from them a total of four times. And all four times I have been happy with my orders. Hanna(makes cupcakes) is friendly and made beautiful and not to mention delicious cupcakes for my bf.
There are plenty of choices for the cupcakes. and muffins too. A choice of sizes for them as well.
Prices are reasonable and u can choose what colour and design or words u want on them.
I have tried the oreo oh lala(all four times i have ordered that) the hersheys flavour(nice) and my ultimate favourite. the donutella.microwave it for abt 10 seconds and the nutella will ooze out..yes i love anithin that oozes out chocs..
Rating given:
even tho i so needed aircon we decided on sittin near the waterfront...n i now vote for waterfront dining all the time..soo romantica...
heres what we ordered...
1 - Chicken fingers $9.90
2 - Scallopine al funghi e vino bianco aka chicken breast - $23.90
3 - risotto alla catalina - $17.80
4 - Pizza marinara - $16.90..
tried all the food..execpt the risotto but my frenz seemd to enjoy it...liked how they accomodated my frenz request to peel off the prawns..
i loved the wedges..didnt have this weird kinda stale taste some wedges have...
the chcken dishes were good..but i found the chicken a bit the hard for my taste..reminds me of long john silvers chicken..
but i loved loved loved the pizza!!!it was light..the taste was subtle..and not too overwhelming..cos im not a tomato person..i was in heaven..loved the food..service too..and finalli the ambience...overall..thumbs up..
Rating given:
*New Review on 1/4/08*
Have yet to use the vouchers which Panerai generously gifted to me and a few other lucky individuals recently so with the expiry date nearing i decided to make a trip to AH on Sat 29th March..plus iv got a lunch date with my dear ice on Sun the 30th so one might say "is she crazy to go to the same place twice in two days". For food this good. I would go three times in two days!!.
Was going to be boring and go for the same things i ordered last but i decided to be adventourous and try the warm spinach and mushroom salad while my bf had a mushroom soup(i did try to persuade him to get the rocket salad but failed)..
I loved the salad!!!!came with 3 different types of mushrooms and was done perfectly. mushrooms were nice and juicy, just the right amount of vinagrette used and i savoured every single mushroom.
Soup was good too. No campbell soup here.
Ordered the seefood sampler and when Phyllis said it was big we thought we could still handle it but boy were we wrong.it was humongous. Usually for samplers most places would serve 1/3 of the ala carte dish but i tink we got the whole dish. Calamari was as good as ever, fish was okay, found it a bit weird, like those defrosted frozen fish..Prawns were gooood.Liked the batter used for all. Not too heavy and the dips!!!Beetroot was a nice pinkish hue, very nice too and the mango aioli dip was equally good..i was using my fork to dish out the dips even after i was done with the food. Oh and the fries..omg..there was alot..and was cooked well, not overdoused with salt and my fav, crunchy..
For mains, my bf had the tenderloin-medium rare(cut to my face cringing) and i had the lamb shank changin the rice to fries.
To be honest, the lambshank was cooked well, meat was tender my bf liked it but me on the other hand, found the lamb abit too overwhelming, ate the fats but gave my bf most of the meat. the tenderloin on the other hand was OMG!!after my last tenderloin disaster experience i had a huuuge phobia of tenderloins but now phobia gone, the meat was not too overdone not too bloody or chewy, went well with the onion shiraz sauce and the gratin.oh gratin, thin potatoes and chheese and it had a slight flaky crust thingy. i was enjoying every single bite.
For dessert we had the tiramisu and another OMG moment. It was deeeelish. I love my tiramisu/ cakes creamy and not too dry. the tiramisu was perfect. each layer tasted rich and i savoured every single spoonful, if the kitchen hadnt closed i would have ordered another one. I was heartbroken when i finished my tiramisu..
That was just saturday night.
Now Sunday for me was a total repeat telecast of Saturday.
I ordered the same things Spinach n Mushroom, main this time was tenderloin-medium and as if i wouldnt order my favourite tiramisu.
ice ordered the asparagus wrapped with bacon salad, the chefs special, Herb oil confit norweigan salmon with vanilla cream sauce with olive pilaf rice(changed to a avocado salad) accompanied with organic butternut pumpkin braised in earl grey tea. and she tried the chefs special dessert, mixed berries with this egg custard like pudding.
I wnt repeat my rave reviews for my food but what can i say, salad still rocked, tenderloin was ommph(and this time ALL MINE) and the tiramisu...OOOH!!!!!
Tried an asparagus from ice and i love love loved it, still retains its crunchyness and asparagus taste. very tasty.The salmon which i tried a bit was good. Fresh, didnt have that weird salmon taste that sometimes i experience and went well with the vanilla cream sauce.
But her dessert well had a weird taste. i did like the egg custard.
Service on both days were impeccable. Phyllis was patient in explaining to us the dishes in the menu, which was recommended and which were going to be replaced and to be placed in the new menu.
Gladly replaced out free soups with other salads instead and obliged our requests for changed to the items in our meals.
Oh oh n she knew i was MN!!!haha..that was so cute and even enquired abt my grandad(who is in the hospital) which i felt was truly sweet and thoughtful.
I felt that Phyllis genuinely wants her customers to enjoy their experience and not just be nice to chalk up points. The staff were polite, friendly and I remember them from my last visit a few months back.
That says a lot about an establishment. Many have everchanging staffs either due to unreliable staff or the staff were not happy working there. From what i have seen i am sure the staff enjoy their job promting them to stay commited to the establishment and provide the service that i have found no fault with at all.
And another thing that i have to mention. A few hours after we left today i got a call from Phyllis informing me that i was supposed to be entitled to a 20% discount as we had lunch today but i was given 10% instead and that the next time i dine there and paid with a citibank card i would be entitled to a 20% discount. Now firstly, the fact that we even got a discount when we used the vouchers was already something that impressed me. But it is really something else that she would make the effort to call me to inform me of the mixup. Honestly, given the quality of food and service provided to us i would not mind not being given the discount. I really have to applaud Phyllis for going that extra mile. Now i know that some would find it strange for someone to go all out raving about the food but i really did feel that the food was good and well i was honest abt what i did not like. I would definitely come here more often. And if i were in the area and in desperate need of a tiramisu fix, no questions on where i would go.
Prices for 1st dinner would have been around 45-50 per person
Prices for the 2nd would have been around 35-40 per person.
But with the vouchers generously provided by Panerai
The 1st dinner was only 18 per person
2nd was 14 per person..
The menu will be changed soon so my beloved tenderloin with the super onion shiraz sauce will be replaced with port wine instead..wonder if i can request for the onion sauce though...oh n both me n ice are hopin the cream of rocket soup is retained..she was crushed when we found out the soup had sold out
*Old Review Jan 2008*
Before even entering the restaurant, a caucasian patron had already gushed to us how good the food was
Nice decor, liked the yellow booth like chairs they gave us but requested for the table for 2 in the inside. It was slightly dimmer there but i liked being far from the main door*more ahem romantic*
Ordered the garden salad, calamari, buffalo wings, ribeye steak for myself and the seafood spag for bf(he actually wanted sumthin else but sumhow he ordered the ss)..for a girl who rarely drinks the plain water served, i liked the strawberry flavoured water. bf was puzzled since im nt a strawberry person either. OOh ooh and our drinks came without lemon slices in it!!YAY. if not so unglam to see me fishing out the lemon slice n dumpin it into bfs drink.
I liked the fact that my salad wasnt drowning in thousand island(dont see the point eating salad= healthy with ti= not so healthy)..instead there was balsamic vinegar..something i have grown to not hate..
Calamari rocked. Me tinks its the bestest calamari i had. yes even trumps my beloved fish n co calamari. bf didnt like the buffalo wings tho(too spicy) but i did. expected the bbq like version tho but prefer the fried.And i liked the sauce it came with so much that both times the manager n the waiter wanted to clear it i requested for it to be lefted on the table.
*i liked how they served the appetizers all together and only when we were finished did they clear everything, they even changed our plates for us in between the appetizers n at the end they changed our cutleries for us..
Since the chicken n fish dishes were out for me, i choze ribeye steak. Was worried i wouldnt like it since im more of a chicken gal but it was super nice. It was medium done or sumthin(basically no blood)..but wasnt hard or too chewy. And my only taste of potato gratin was at delifrance. The pathetic two layers of potato n a layer or cheese..AH's potato gratin was heavenly. They should put it as an appetizer too ;)
Didnt try bfs spagetti as it was well..green(pesto sauce). he liked it tho(plus prawn was peeled so i didnt have to).
Food was good, service was fantastic as opposed to other and it wasnt crowded at all so the whole romantic ambience was preserved. we skipped dessert as i purchased cakes frm gourmet carousel. But nxt time im so tryn the crepes.
Sumhow although it was 74(10% discount for citibank) for dinner. Looking at the receipt wasnt as heartwrenching as looking @ a $64 receipt(after 40% discount) from another restaurant i went to..
In other words..
So worth it.
Rating given:
My first time was with my mom n gdad..ordered the cheese fries and the blue mountain burger..didnt know that the burger patty had carrots in it..n well im kinda allergic so in the end didnt eat it..guess the manager saw it and wanted to change it for me..i felt it wasnt necessary as it would b wastin food..i was juz gonna stick to my cheeze fries wic i loved cos of the spicy fries..but the manager actually gave us two complimentary cakes..felt the service was really good tho i guess couldnt really comment on the food..but gdads lamb chops were really nice..
2nd time i dragged my bf there..n firstly i wanted to kill all machines..both the atm machine at the store and shop n save werent workin n both me n the bf had a total of 6 bucks onli..but again the manager was so nice n told us we could pay the next time..i wanted to give him my contact details n stuff but he assured us it was ok..really cool guy...so this time was safer..i had the grilled chicken in black pepper sauce and ordered a side of foccacia garlic bread and chez fries..while the bf had the blue mountain burger..grilled chicken was so yummy..it was juicy and yummy..and i liked the salad on the side..very unique unlike the typical coleslaw..made a note to try the mushroom n cream sauce the nxt time..foccacia bread was nice too..not hard like sum garlic bread..throughly enjoyed that meal..
the next time i visited..i boringly stuck to my grilled chicken but this time with cream sauce..my fren had the salmon with cream sauce..n well my overall rating is..fish with cream sauce..very very good..chicken..not so very good..i recommend stikin to ol black pepper..we did try the oz brown..wic was brownie with ice cream...pure heaven i tell ya..i felt like such a pig cos after that we ordered the crazy choc nuts wic was a choc walnut cake..but compared to the oz brown it tasted dry..
the last time i visited, i finally tried the fish n chips..n we also ordered blur rings(calamari)..now the fish n chips i liked..cos it wasnt like those u get at norm western shops..the big breaded kind..this is the batter kind..n it was soo nice..bigger portion than han's n just as nice..i was tempted to order another..the calamari was not bad too..but i wished they didnt use such small calamari tho..
pricing is the same as botak jones but they charge 7% gst..
but overall ok for cheap and good
Rating given: