hburn10's Reviews
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I have to warn that the older versions of the street directory (2007 and before) printed the location of Anchorvale CC wrongly. It is shown as located opposite Compass Point at Sengkang MRT (NE line) but it is actually 2 LRT stops away from that, at Farmway LRT (a short walk away from the station). If driving, please use the Sengkang Sports Complex as a landmark as it is next to the CC, or just use the road name. Parking can be a problem as the parking in the CC is limited but there are also public lots along the CC itself.
Once you reach the CC, you are on the ground level, which is level 2, so you have to take the stairs down to level 1 and walk straight. You'll see a banner on level 2 but no arrow of direction signs that you need to go down 1 level.
It was a sparsely populated Tuesday night, and outdoor seats seem to be more popular despite the heat. Service staff was a young team which explains the lacklustre service but the food first:
Crispy Sampler Platter (for two) ($13.00) - Combination of chicken pockets, oriental chicken wings, spring rolls, onion and calamari rings - the calamari had a very light batter and chicken wings nicely marinated. Spring rolls were disappointingly soft and the onion rings too let down by a thick tasteless batter. Didnt try the chicken pockets which looked like the chinese coin bags you see in some restaurants.
Lobster and Crab stuffed Mushrooms ($10.80) - Mixture of slipper lobster and crab meat, baked with Chef’s seasoning and stuffed into button mushrooms. Topped with cheese. - The presentation made it look like escargots and I liked it being served in a hot pan. While the button mushrooms were good, the combination of crab meat and slipper lobster made it impossible to taste the freshness of either (if any) which I thought was a waste. The melted cheese did made the dish more palatable though.
Slipper Lobster & Chicken ($18.00) - Slipper lobster & boneless chicken topped with fried garlic - this was my main course which I thought was not too bad! The boneless chicken was chicken-chop like and came nicely browned and a good layer of skin which I took out. The fries and carrots that came on the side was a good touch. The lobster could have been fresher though. And I have no idea what was the accompanying sauce that came with it and did not bother to find out as it was not good.
Grilled Cod Fish Fillet ($19.80) - Boneless fillet of cod fish grilled to perfection and served with potato and seasonal vegetables - didnt try this but looked good.
Silver Fern Farm N.Z. Tenderloin ($24.50) - The most tender and lean cut of beef, char broiled to your liking - didnt try this but the request for medium looked like it was done well.
American Black Coffee ($2.50) - A light black coffee with percolated creamer on the side - didnt try this as well but it looked like it was done properly with the coffee creamer evident in the cup.
Australian Long Black ($2.90) - A serving of espresso, lengthened to produce a regular cuppa. Boasts of a silky smoothness with a wonderful elegant aroma. - the staff couldnt tell me the difference between this and the american black coffee except that it was a bigger cup, and it was. Much bigger. Taste wise was not bad coffee but probably too diluted.
Some may just settle for the set meal instead of ala carte but I decided against it when I realised the 'soup of the day' was watercress and 'day's dessert' was just a scoop of ice cream.
Hiring a young staff team does make the place more 'vibrant' but there is a need to really train them well, which Brewbaker's unfortunately does not.
The young chaps gather around to chat when they think there is no need for service. So they missed a few of our attempts for attention even though we were only the 4th or 5th indoor table occupied.
Then they got 1 order wrong, after they've repeated the correct order.
And for a place which has a rather impressive list of wines, they really do need to to train staff on how to serve them. We ordered a bottle of house red, which never came. And when we asked to check on it, a young girl brought a glass to our table, and asked "did you all order 1 glass or 1 bottle"? My friend gave up and told her to just give him that glass. If unsure, ask BEFORE you bring the one glass over. And it makes me wonder if we had still insisted on 1 bottle, would she have put the glass down and told us she'll bring the remaining of our bottle over?
The bill came up to $100 for 3 pax which was average i think. I'll still grade this higher than Jack's Place~
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Friend picked this place as it looked nice and a good enough spot to catch up; plus he said he has dined there before. So of the 4 of us went, and took the last couch seat available. The couch seats number around 8, with plenty of other proper dining tables scattered in the main dining hall. Each couch seat sits 4 comfortable, although 6 is possible with a tiny squeeze.
The place has a good view and location of looking out towards the sea towards Sentosa, but it also means you get a lot of the ongoing construcion view too. Its semi-alfresco as they open up a few panels of its sliding glass to create the alfresco feel for the entire place, but this means the seats closer to the opened doors are abit warm despite the aircon and the meek few fans whirling above. But beware of which couch you choose as some have the aircon vents directly above which was leaking when we went, and luckily another couch seat was vacated soon after.
With 3 if us dining there for the 1st time, we asked for recommendations and went ahead half excited about trying out Spanish food for a change:
Calamares a la plancha ($13) - "the natural taste of freshly grilled squid" - we picked this against the fried squid as we thought the wedges were already fried. The portion was small and the chunks of squid too big; it was also deliberately done slightly undercooked which I did not take to. It was served with 2 dry pieces of bread which I guess is supposed to help mop up the sauce it came in, which tasted like a marriage of squid ink and vinegrette. Not my cup of tea.
Wedges with home-made curry sauce ($10) - This was one of the 2 best dishes of the evening unfortunately. The wedges were piping hot and came with their home-made curry sauce which was very good. Tasted a bit like McDonald's curry sauce but more tasty and less 'chemical'.
Ensalada de Pescado ($12) in sherry vinnegrette or olive oil vinegrette - "grilled dory fish in the nest of vegetable salad, potatoes, eggs and parmesan cheesese" - Didnt try this but it looked under-portioned for the price.
Salmon Papillote ($30) - "baked salmon with julienne vegetable and fresh herb serv with mashed potato and cherry confit" - the disappointment of the night. The mashed potato was bland, the fish was bland, the vegetables were bland.
Paella Valenciana ($40 for 2pax) - "saffron, chicken, Spanish chorizo, tiger prawns, squid, half shell mussels, rice" - The other best dish of the evening. Although I think the portion can be larger, the saffron infused rice was really good, with the seafood very fresh and in good numbers. Orders take 30mins to arrive as it is apparently cooked only when ordered, which I appreicated.
House red ($56) - Dont know too much about wine but I have always thought Spanish wines are good, and this was not too bad.
Service was quite good, with more than sufficient staff hovring around and water refilled quite quickly. They also had the same 'still or sparkling?' reply when I asked for some water. The staff who took our order also took the trouble to come over and ask how was the food.
I feel the dishes esp the salmon and paella was overpriced, resulting in a hefty bill of $176 for 4pax. With only the paella being good and wedges memorable (but I can get good wedges elsewhere too), I will probably not return. Too expensive for me for a normal dinner without any special occassion.
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It was a re-visit to a familiar place but at a different outlet. It helped that they were having the 1-for-2 promotion - for every main course or pasta ordered, you get another plus a coffee / tea (the course with the lower value is free). If you do not want to settle for just a normal coffee / tea, you can pick any drinks on the menu and they'll deduct $4.80 off that drink. Cool promotion~
Wild Garden Salad - a mix of greens, tomatoes, mushrooms topped off with what tasted like deep fried soba strips. Fresh and tossed in a nice clean vinegrette, it was a good choice if you want to whet your appetite.
Spicy-hot Wings - 5 medium size wings deep fried in a marinate that is suspiciously close to curry. Nice to not have them too oily and yet fragrant and tasty sufficiently.
Pan-seared Chicken Breast with Shogayaki Sauce - the chicken was fresh but the sauce was way too strong and very tiriing for the tastebuds. The lotus root slices lends a good crunch but didnt seem to go too well with the sauce. Cooked onion slices was quite an extra sidekick to the whole dish.
Sea Perch with Wasabi Vinaigrette - the fish was good but except for me, the others couldnt quite get used to wasabi vinegrette, an aquired taste. The broccoli provided some colour to the otherwise dull-looking dish. Potato medallions were average as well.
Seafood Aglio Olio - I thought this was the best main of the dinner. Medium portion of the pasta done al dente, with good-sized prawns and scallops seared nicely.
Chilli Beef Lasagne - didnt try this but looked okay.
Iced Kaffello Latte - the refreshing caffeine kick was dampened by the soggy coffee jelly inside the drink. Too bad.
The place was packed on a Saturday night at 730pm, perhaps because other people knew of the deal too. Food came quite quickly despite the crowd, but staff manning tables seemed to be a but shorthanded esp when the queue for tables starting filling out. They didnt remember to deduct $4.80 off my 2 drinks when the initial bill came, but that was rectified very quickly.
The staff was unsure when the promotion will end but my suggestion is go soon. I'm not sure if the promotion is valid across the island, but I remember the bugis outlet having the same banner. Food is not fantastic obviously but for the comfort and all that, its worth a shot with this promotion.
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A grabbing standing banner that read "40min foot massage foot herbal bath" for $18 got my attention when I walked past. It sounded like too good a deal to pass up, so went with a friend one Monday evening.
The tiny set up of about 8 foot massage and 3 back massage chairs were quite filled up when we reached at 7:30pm. You take off your shoes and wear their plastic gigantic slippers to go in.
The foot bath is fitted right below the massage chair for your convenience. I actually dont know what herbs there was as all I could see was a pool of murkey brown water; kept very warm (the temperature may be too hot for some). But was good of the masseurs to ask hows the temperture and they adjust for you if need be.
After about 15mins of soaking, they dry your feet and proceeded with the massage proper. The petite chuerbic lady who was my masseur was really good! The right amount of strength plus all the right technics; it was a blissful 40mins of massage for my tired feet. But of course they can adjust their strength depending on whether you're seasoned or a foot massage virgin.
I didnt get her name but I will look out for her the next time I go, which I surely will.
And to think I didnt expect much when I first decided to try it out. Reservations are advised.
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Popped by for a quick lunch on a quiet Saturday afternoon at about 2pm and there was only 1 indoor table occupied. They have quite a comprehensive choice of starters, mains, and desserts for the 3-course set lunch ($38 per pax), but note that a fair number of them require a 'supplementary' $8 or $10.
Bread basket - 3 types of bread which was served barely warm. Other than the brown walnut bread, the others were sliced white bread and normal bread roll - not impressed for Novus's standards. The basket was served with herb butter but didnt qujte taste the herb.
They served a complimentary mango sorbet with beetroot after the bread basket, which was only average I feel.
Short seared yellowtin tuna with tomato marmalade: pistachio, tomato cubes, ginger foam, black & white sea salt - done just nice with the centre of the fish nicely pink. The tomato provided a very refreshing crunch, and the ginger foam was mild and not too bad, although I didnt quite figure out where it came in in the dsh.
Crispy snapper fillet and octopus: marinated granny smith apples, puree of granny smith apples, sliced fennel, cider foam - The fish was very fresh but the chef was too heavy handed with the salt, so much so I ate probably about 1/4 of it. The octopus, think just blanched without any seasoning, was very fresh too, but it came in 2 huge chunks which made cutting it up and finishing it really tricky. The apples were tasty!
Walnut Genoise: Walnut Genoise, banana ice cream, chocolate cloud, mini banana chip - genoise is an italian cake which is supposed to be light but didnt quite taste like it. I liked the banana ice cream which did not have the very 'chemical' banana taste in most cakes or ice cream. The chocolate cloud was typical, and the banana chip was really just one chip.
My lunch mate had a sorbet with tapioca pearls as her choice of dessert, but it was utterly disappointly bland and presentation haphazard.
Coffee - decent coffee that was served with a cracked macaroon, which was way too sweet as well.
Service was quite good but perhaps because we were the 2nd occupied table. Requests for vinegrette and balsamic vinegar was accommodated quite quickly. I was also pleasantly surprised that they actually have small place cards to show what each of your choice of dish includes, with nuggets of info ahout some of the ingredients. That was quite cute, and you dont have to keep guessing what's on your dish anymore.
Ambience was very good, and I would assume it will have a more romantic feel come evenings. The food surprised me because I had expected more usual set lunch stuff instead of the slight slant towards molecular cuisine, although it could be better.
I find $38 a tad pricey for me so even though ambience and all others were not too bad, I'll probably think about it before I return.
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