My Korean-food lover friend picked this for a Friday night dinner and said we should go early as its always crowded. She was not wrong in the end, and luckily we reached at 6:40pm; and got the last available 4-seater upstairs as the ground floor was already full by then.
It was a good mistake that we ordered the side dishes first while waiting for 2 more friends, reasons below. They also serve little side dishes in accordance to the usual Korean tradition and here's what were plonked onto our tables (although we spied that the 2 Korean ladies seated next to us got more variety):
Kimchi - didnt try as I actually dislike kimchi but looked authentic Spicy anchovies - Terribly addictive. I'd imagine it'll go very well with porridge. Potato Salad - Very nice, with peanuts mixed in it, which gave it an unusual crunch. Cold beancurd - Cold pieces of beancurd. Quite bland. Mixed veg kimchi - like achar....very good achar.
Seafood omelette with leek - this must be the biggest omelette I have ever seen for an appetizer. It came all fluffy and rather plumped up with squid pieces and was really good as it was served hot off the stove. The only thing was I couldn't find any other seafood besides squid in it, so the title was a bit misleading I felt.
Spicy rice cake - best korean rice cake, ever, and in big portion too. I tried this dish when I was in Korea and didnt remember liking it this much. The sauce was just nice, not tongue-pricking spicy yet very flavorful. It was not only rice cake as well - there were squid pieces and dumplings in the mix too.
BBQ chicken - This was less wow than than the rice cake, but we had fun wrapping the chicken in lettuce before chomping them. The chicken had more fat than I would have liked though, but no worries health conscious nuts like me can remove them easily.
Spicy beef soup - I dont take beef but tried the soup which looked scarily red but not spicy at all. Not too bad but was too full to take a proper bowl of it.
Hite - Korean beer served very chilled. What's not to like.
We had intended to order mains after the appetizers but got ambushed by the big omelette and rice cake. I was full even before nibbling on the chicken and soup, but also because we over-refilled on the appetizers which was just too addictive along the way.
Service is nothing to complain about; they still managed to be quite efficient although the place was packed. There are also limited private saections on the 2nd floor which can be adjusted according to group sizes using partitions, but it doesnt mean you'll get less of the chatter and clatter, although nothing too loud.
I will really recommend coming early to avoid the queues. Prices are reasonable given I spent only about $24 per person including beers and drinks. This is now my favourite Korean restaurant and this visit totally changed my mind about not liking Korean food~
I had my first tea dance experience thanks to a special invitation from the hotel~
The setting itself is all posh and nice, with staff busy flitting around attending to guests including pulling out of chairs. Mostly made up of leisure ladies and the occasional families and couples looking for a nice quiet cosy afternoon with live music to boot.
The high tea cost $48 per person for a 3-tier comprising finger sandwiches, scones, a choice of one hot savoury (chicken / beef satay, curry puff, quiche of the day, or dim sum of the day), then desserts / cakes / pastries. Add $10 for a glass of champagne. There's also a nice selection of TWG teas, coffees etc.
3-tier - The stafff also explains to you what is being served when they bring you the tier. On ours were plain scones, raisin scones, sandwiches: crab, artichoke, salmon, and curry sandwiches - the scones were served warm but a tad dry for my liking. The sandwiches were all rather tasty except the curry which tasted like bo ji wan or some kind of chinese powder medicine (both of us agreed on that, I'm not kidding!). I wonder which type of curry they used?
Hot savoury - we picked the satay and dim sum which was prawn dim sum. The beef satay was excellently done, with no hint of the beefy taste at all. The chicken was less impressive in comparison, and the peanut sauce was more watery than usual which may not be a bad thing. The dim sum was only okay, but I thought one piece per person was a strange portion, especially tricky to serve for one pax
Desserts - We saw a dessert trolly being pushed around and waited in anticipation as it looked really good. But for some reason, the trolley did not come to us and instead we were brought 5 different tarts on a plate. The 5 came from the trolley itself no doubt but we would have appreciated the novelty of having a choice to pick right off the trolley. Didnt quite understand the system but oh well. The tarts were not memorable although not too bad.
Service was attentive and efficient and matched what you would have expected from St Regis. And people do actually dance! They created a nice little dance floor in the middle, in front of the 2-man band, and guests were happily enjoying themselves admist the chatter and champagne. There were even 2 dance instructors hired to dance with or teach interested guests, but I rather sit and enjoy the music.
I had expected much more of the quality though; and the price I felt was abit too high, but of course it comes with the whole experience and all that. ea was very good though.
Stumbled upon this place for a weekend late lunch at about 3pm and the place was about 5 tables filled. Mostly families since its a heartland place and cuisine is chinese.
The menu reminds me of crystal jade la mian or similar set ups, but this kind of menu is I think what most people dont mind, which is good. Settings are cosy with some booth seats available; otherwise its the usual chinese rounds table sittings.
The food a hungry group of 4 had:
Carrot cake ($2.20) - 3 pieces but it was a bit too hard to taste home-made. Perhaps other dim sum will fare better?
Braised chicken feet ($4) - Its braised in the more orange-red sauce instead of the dark brown sauce which I preferred but still not a bad choice if you happen to be craving for it.
Jellyfish appetizer ($4) - this was good! Tossed with carrot, cucumber, and mushroom strips with just the right amount of light dressing and chilled nicely, it was an winner.
Soup ($6.50) - we ordered the old cucumber and pork rib soup - excellent. Mushrooms, dates, dried scallops were all part of the brew, making it refreshingly healthy and reminscent of mum's cooking.
Stir fried french beans ($8) - Disappointing. Came with chicken and mushroom strips (everything has mushrooms!) which overwhlemd the miserable portion of the veg. And because they deep fried the veg, they became scrawny and rather sad looking, plus the plate was way too oily for my liking.
Stir fried Shanghai la lian ($8.50) - This was the best main course amongst the lot. Long beans, chicken strips, carrots etc accompanied the noodle wok fried in a dark sauce, plus not too oily. The best part of it was the wok hei which seemed to be missing in most places nowadays.
Zha Jiang mian ($6.50) - Didnt taste this but it looked dry and bland.
Spanish fried rice ($9) - Not good. For all its name, we could only taste rice and tomato, maybe some eggs in there. No wok hei, and rice felt a tad mushy for fried rice as well.
Service was okay, although you may get some clueless staff. I thought the prices were quite reasonable and I may try this again should I happen to be in the mall and looking for food. Some hits and missed, but I would think it is a good option for people staying in the vicinity.
Picked this for a luxurious weekend stayacation with a close girl friend – to relax and chill out despite not getting out of the country.
The difference hits you when you enter the lobby via the main entrance, greeted by a few chorus of ‘good afternoon’s. The check-in counters are not typical – it’s a few sit down counters for one-to-one service instead of standing front desks. Check in was quick and efficient; we were also escorted to the lift which I felt was a nice touch. I appreciated the complimentary upgrade to a Lady Astor room too.
The distinction with St Regis is its butler service. Coffee and tea are ordered with the butler and they bring it to your room. There are almost 10 choices of tea, along with coffee, cappuccino, hot chocolate, as well as an extensive pillow menu to pick from, although the bed itself comes with plenty of them already.
The Lady Astor room itself is big – 56sqm: 2 oversized single beds, a huge bathroom with a bathtub, 2 separate sinks, a makeup table, a shower, and a toilet. Plus a C-shaped couch and a coffee table. Cleanliness is excellent; nothing to fault.
Some of the spa facilities are complimentary for in-house guests: steam chambers, Jacuzzi, hydro massage pool, and sauna (non in-house guests have to pay SGD85 to use them) – they were all quite good.
The variety at breakfast was not as extensive as I thought, and quality honestly was just average for me. There’s also a complimentary daily wine appreciation for all in-house guests from 5:30pm – 6:30pm at the Decanter on level 1, which was a unique touch.
There was indeed a difference throughout my stay because its St Regis – there were more smiley faces and plenty of good mornings and afternoons. We felt more looked after and very welcomed anywhere in the hotel.
But as with all things, there are things to be improved:
1. Butler service – when we checked in, we were told that the butler will be at the room soon, so we waited. After half an hour, we called and the operator sounded a bit confused and asked what we need the butler for. We were in fact waiting for the butler to start our stay by telling us what his / her services are! The butler services was listed in a book set on the table, but I thought what they should have done is to get the butler to inform the guests what is available upon check in; otherwise the people who missed the book will not know that there is complimentary pressing of items upon arrival etc.
There were also 2 occasions where 2 different butlers came into the room without pressing the doorbell – they probably used the master key and entered while we were still in the room. It is unacceptable, especially so for St Regis – it is only basic courtesy to ring the doorbell when entering an occupied room. Admittedly they were delivering tea etc on the 2 occassions but if their hands were fully occupied, what they should have done is to place the tray on the floor to free their hands for pressing the doorbell. It would have been a disaster if we were in the middle of changing our clothes or worse, a couple engaging in some acts of affection.
2. Turn down service – the 1st night I was there, a lady rang my doorbell and tried to explain in English what she was there for - the turn down service. But she couldn’t, and eventually had to explain in Mandarin instead which I understood. But I thought the staff should be trained to at least be able to inform in English the purpose of them appearing at the door – what happened if it was a hotel guest who could not understand Mandarin (and given the clientele of the hotel; very likely). The turn down service also included a bar of chocolates – nice touch.
3. Breakfast – during one of my 2 breakfasts, I encountered a very strange aftertaste in my orange juice – suspiciously like soap. I alerted one of the staff who nodded her head and took it back into the kitchen, but the issue was never addressed thereafter.
4. Spa garden – The spa garden is a outdoor Jacuzzi in the spa which I tried for both days – but on the 2nd day, the water looked obviously more murky than previously, which made me wonder if the water needs to be changed / cleaned more frequently.
Outside of the above issues, my staycation was excellent. I’ll be back if I have the budget again of course.
Picked Harris as recommended by my friend for a relaxing tour with 3 close friends. We paid SGD172 per person for 2d1n including 3 hours of spa and 1 free pizza per room.
There are 2 wings at Harris, the funky and the trendy which is the new wing. But we were told Trendy does not have connecting rooms which was our priority so we took the funky wing eventually.
The rooms are indeed bigger than most resorts or hotels but the rooms are very aged and look its age too. The furniture are poorly maintained and there are very obvious stains on the sofas and seats. There were stains on the bedsheets too but because its for 1 night only and they were faint stains, we didnt ask to change it. The foor felt abit sandy too and we had to wipe it over oursleves to make it cleaner. The bathroom was adequate but perhaps too stingy on the toilet paper even for 2d1n.
The pool was a free-form pool which was excellent for pool lovers but we didnt get to try it. Harris is also very family friendly as they have a whole host of activities to prevent hotel guests from getting bored. Spa, bowling, foot massage, KTV, F&B, Lounge, sea activities etc. We had a foot massage for 1 hour for only SGD17 per person which was a steal.
The 3-hour spa we had comprised of 1 hour scrub, 1.5 hour massage (aromatherapy or stone), and 0.5 hour bath. The masseurs were not bad, but the spa was outdoors and it was very warm, esp when the fan in the hut stopped working for a while midway through. The towels and spa facilities in the hut was also very poorly maintained, as there were insect droppings on a lot of things. The privacy of the spa huts outdoors is a huge concern to me, as the huts basically have no doors, just curtains and blinds which is not total privacy. While we were undressing, there were also male guests walking around. Plus they allowed male construction workers to be in the same area as us, which is potentially very dangerous for female guests. They seriously should do something about it.
We also felt misled by the lady at the spa counter. When we asked about the choice of aromatherapy or stone massage, she said for the aromatherapy, they use essential oils, so we picked that. But during the massage, we found out that they were using normal lotion instead. We queried the same lady at the counter after we were done -she said what she meant by 'use essential oils' was that they burn essentials oils in a burner during the treatment, not use on the body. And for that matter, we didnt even smell anything in the hut throughout.
The variety and quality of breakfast leaves much to be desired, although we had ala carte lunch orders the previous day and it was not too bad. The complimentary pizza was also quite good, surprisingly - thin crust.
I also do have to say, the staff at Harris were quite smiley and accommodating and exhibits a fun character that made the short stay more bearable. The cleanliness issue is my main gripe but perhaps the trendy wing is much better. The spa too should do something about the security of female guests - it is an accident waiting to happen.
Took the Truly Spa FullBoard Package offered by New Century Tours Corporation in Singapore for a very quick getaway with 3 friends. The draw of the package was the 3 hours spa treatment which you get to choose from 4 options they offer you. Also included are breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which we thought added up to a fantastic trip. For twin sharing, each pax only had to pay SGD185nett (inclusive of whatever taxes etc). And you pick from almost hourly timing for your departure and return ferry. The only thing is you need to indicate what time you would like your spa upon booking so they can block the slots for you, especially important when you have a big group. Spa options are preferred to be selected prior to departure but you can also make changes when you arrive at the resort.
The resort has staff in yellow to bring you to their yellow mini van for the 15mins ride to the resort. The resort looks extremely old from the outside but I think they have done a good job in refurbishing the insides.
The lobby looks more hotel than resort and was a welcomed change to the typical beach resort look. The staff was friendly and smiley, maybe because it was a weekday than weekend when you get the crowds. We arrived at 10am batam time (1 hour behind Singapore time) and they said they'll try and get the rooms ready by 10:30am. Welcome drinks were soursop juice.
The hotel can get you a taxi for SGD5 per pax, which amounts to SGD20 per one-way ride to the nearest shopping mall 30mins away. The shuttle bus costs the same per pax but you'll have to adhere to the restricted timings which was only one departure and one return per day.
Rooms were roomy enough for 3 to share even with an extra bed fitted in. Clean, adequately fitted, and well maintained - much better than what I expected from one of the oldest resort in batam. Beds were nicely comfortable although not luxurious. Bottled water was also provided in the rooms.
The resort has a nice pool which we did not try, and its own private beach. If you go on weekdays, it practically feels you have the whole place to yourself.
Breakfast was a good spread, although quality for some items can be improved. Buffet lunch which was included in the package was not good as they were basically leftovers items recycled from breakfast. The packaged dinner for Kelong Restaurant was very good though, with black pepper crab, deep fried calamari, butter prawns, sweet sour fish, tom yam soup, vegetables, which was all good and fresh. Its a good 10mins walk from the main lobby though, but I guess its a good short workout to balance out all the good food.
This was my choice for a family high tea, and I wanted some place which I've never tried. Gave it a shot despite not knowing what I'll get. Tried Orchard Hotel a few weeks back and it was so not worth it.
Maybe because I never expected much, I thought the food and spread was not so bad after all. Bread and pastry- Variety is not big but it didnt look very warm fresh-out-of-the-oven either so gave this a miss. Also saw cold sandwiches and scones but I didnt try it either as both looked dry.
Cold stuff - plenty of appetizers like achar, potato salad, jellyfish, pasta salad, corn nibblets, sushi, prawns, mussels: the prawns were of good size and quite fresh. The achar was very good, the pasta salad too. The rice on the sushi was too hard so I ended up eating the ingredient on top.
Hot stuff - otah omelette, curry puffs, stewed veg, ngoh hiang, dim sum, fried rice, stir fried beef. otah omelette was quite bland with neither the otah nor egg taste. Ngoh Hiang was surprisingly tasty, dim sum so so, and fried rice deceptively named as it was only rice with fried egg.
Soup - There were 2 the day I went: cream of brocolli and old cucumber with spare ribs. The cream was strangely orange in colour so I took the other. It is excellent and seemingly boiled for very long, with no porky taste at all. Mushrooms and dates were added for that extra touch.
Laska station - although it looks promising, taste was only so so, with the gracy being overly thick. Serving portion was also too big for ladies I feel.
Coffee / tea - 2 coffee machine and comprehensive choice of tea bags. Coffee was quite good for a cafe coffee.
Desserts - The mini sized desserts looked good but they were not. Cakes were dry and disappointing in taste too. I ended up having a better time with ice cream.
Serivce was nothing to complain about, with the place about 3/4 full, although clearing of plates can be faster.
Some dishes obviously needed improvement, but I will still say its not too bad an attempt especially when the hotel is just trying to reposition itself. Orchard HOtel was about $4 cheaper than this, and the spread and quality was worse. For an okay experience, I have no problems with Cafe Mosaic. Although at $38 they are not the cheapest around either.
When my friends suggested this place for a catch-up dinner, I went 'huh??'. I didn't knew the building, least to say the restaurant, existed. So I went with apprehension and expected sub-standard western fare, like some of the places that call themselves cafes nowadays. I went away with fond memories at the end of the night.
The place itself is sort of opposite the Cantonment Police Complex, and parking's available at the basement car park; restaurant diners park for free. But I think it is a fair walk if you take the train to Outram Park station.
The place itself is decked out in old wooden tables and chairs, with warm soft lightings, it feels like a place that's been there for ages. I likeed the decor and the ambience, pretty good for catching up.
Salad bar - for any main course, you'll just have to add $4.30 to have a set meal: salad bar, soup, coffee/tea/soft drinks, and dessert of the day. Why not? The salad bar does not have your fancy rocket leaves etc but more really basic items like mixed peas, corn nibblets, lettuce, onions, cucumbers etc but for me its really more about the feel that yay, I have a salad bar! Feels like sizzler all over again. Dressings are basic too: thousand island, vinegrette or french.
Soup - pumpkin soup was for the day. It actually tasted not too bad, with just the right thickness and didnt taste like it was from a can.
Buffalo wings - served with normal thai chilli sauce, these were excellently deep fried and served piping hot. Didnt taste too much of any marinate though.
Drunken Mussels - Very good, please order this. The mussels were fresh and firm, served in a hot pan in wine white (if I remember correctly) and garlic. Order some bread to mope up the super tasty sauce. You can use the complimentry bread they serve, although I have to admit those were very tough and way too chewy for my liking.
Prawns & chicken ($18) - 2 good-sized prawns halfed for your convenience, with chicken filet. You can have either mushroom or black pepper for your filet. Prawns were not too bad, although the chicken wasnt lean enough for me.
Dessert ($7.50 each) - You can igmore the slice of dry pound cake that was served as dessert of the day and order as ala carte the now more commonly seen frozen italian gelatos. Smart move huh. We had the green apple gelato that was too cute; taste wise I expected more though at least on the taste of green apples. We also had the tartufo which was dark chocolate and could do no wrong.
Coffee - Coffee was better than I expected, with coffee foam although I think it came from a machine.
Service was excellent and smiley throughout, thumbs up!! Crowd that trickled in mostly around 8pm on a Friday night was made up of families and dinners for older age working class, so the place was thankfully not noisy and more cosy instead.
Price is not exactly cheap I think but worth a revisit ~ I didnt know the total bill as it was a treat but I will be more than happy to pay my own. Total amount spent is based on my own estimate ~
A girl friend picked this place for a night out for us 3 ladies; said they served nice pizzas. I've never seen this place although I used to frequent Robertson Quay, but later realised its nearer the Park Hotel side so you'll probably not walk past it unless its a deliberate attempt to eat there.
We walked pass Bella Pasta on our way there but it was empty. Bella Pizza was the opposite, with bustling tables and busy staff trying to manage the small-ish place.
Im guessing the indoor sits probably at most 25pax, with some alfresco tables outside but in no big numbers as well. Reservations are recommended because the place fills up quite quickly.
PORTOBELLO RIPIENO ($18) - Oven baked stuffed portobello mushroom, served with porcini mushroom sauce - this is our 2nd choice as the avocado salad was not available. And the staff could have informed us when he saw us discussing about it instead of telling us AFTER we told him. This came in 2 huge portobello drowned with diced porcini and its sauce. It's a basically a mushroom lover's delight as the 2 kinds of mushrooms blended really well and the fragrance really outstanding. But for some reason the presentation made it look like meat patties when it came.
PIZZA CON RUCOLA ($25) - Pizza with tomato, mozzarella, arugula, Parma ham and shavings of parmesan - This is near excellent, with just the right thickness of the pizza base. Everything else was in good proportion; my only gripe is that the arugula was too limp.
PIZZA MASCARPONE ($24) - Pizza with mozzarella, mascarpone, mushrooms and black truffle oil - the mix of mozzarella and mascarpone was too je lart for me. There could have been more mushrooms, and I was quite glad for the truffle as it lifted the whole dish.
Portions are huge, considering the 3 of us leaving behind 5 slices of pizzas even after sharing. So small eaters are better off sharing with at least 1 or 2 more persons.
Service was really basic, like taking orders and bringing the bill. Nothing above that. But perhaps they're just really busy running around.
And even if its a small place, I feel it is reasonable to at least ensure that there is enough space at the table for 1 main course per person, no? The 2 pizzas filled up our table for 3 too much; perhaps they can re-think that abit.
Was recommended this place by a good friend and this was the 1st time I've heard of it despite living in the neighbouring estate. I don't have a good impression of Jack's Place and knowing this is under the same management made me hesitate for a bit, but you'll never know until you try right?
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~
This place changed my mind~
My Korean-food lover friend picked this for a Friday night dinner and said we should go early as its always crowded. She was not wrong in the end, and luckily we reached at 6:40pm; and got the last available 4-seater upstairs as the ground floor was already full by then.
It was a good mistake that we ordered the side dishes first while waiting for 2 more friends, reasons below. They also serve little side dishes in accordance to the usual Korean tradition and here's what were plonked onto our tables (although we spied that the 2 Korean ladies seated next to us got more variety):
Kimchi - didnt try as I actually dislike kimchi but looked authentic
Spicy anchovies - Terribly addictive. I'd imagine it'll go very well with porridge.
Potato Salad - Very nice, with peanuts mixed in it, which gave it an unusual crunch.
Cold beancurd - Cold pieces of beancurd. Quite bland.
Mixed veg kimchi - like achar....very good achar.
Seafood omelette with leek - this must be the biggest omelette I have ever seen for an appetizer. It came all fluffy and rather plumped up with squid pieces and was really good as it was served hot off the stove. The only thing was I couldn't find any other seafood besides squid in it, so the title was a bit misleading I felt.
Spicy rice cake - best korean rice cake, ever, and in big portion too. I tried this dish when I was in Korea and didnt remember liking it this much. The sauce was just nice, not tongue-pricking spicy yet very flavorful. It was not only rice cake as well - there were squid pieces and dumplings in the mix too.
BBQ chicken - This was less wow than than the rice cake, but we had fun wrapping the chicken in lettuce before chomping them. The chicken had more fat than I would have liked though, but no worries health conscious nuts like me can remove them easily.
Spicy beef soup - I dont take beef but tried the soup which looked scarily red but not spicy at all. Not too bad but was too full to take a proper bowl of it.
Hite - Korean beer served very chilled. What's not to like.
We had intended to order mains after the appetizers but got ambushed by the big omelette and rice cake. I was full even before nibbling on the chicken and soup, but also because we over-refilled on the appetizers which was just too addictive along the way.
Service is nothing to complain about; they still managed to be quite efficient although the place was packed. There are also limited private saections on the 2nd floor which can be adjusted according to group sizes using partitions, but it doesnt mean you'll get less of the chatter and clatter, although nothing too loud.
I will really recommend coming early to avoid the queues. Prices are reasonable given I spent only about $24 per person including beers and drinks. This is now my favourite Korean restaurant and this visit totally changed my mind about not liking Korean food~
Rating given:
I had my first tea dance experience thanks to a special invitation from the hotel~
The setting itself is all posh and nice, with staff busy flitting around attending to guests including pulling out of chairs. Mostly made up of leisure ladies and the occasional families and couples looking for a nice quiet cosy afternoon with live music to boot.
The high tea cost $48 per person for a 3-tier comprising finger sandwiches, scones, a choice of one hot savoury (chicken / beef satay, curry puff, quiche of the day, or dim sum of the day), then desserts / cakes / pastries. Add $10 for a glass of champagne.
There's also a nice selection of TWG teas, coffees etc.
3-tier - The stafff also explains to you what is being served when they bring you the tier. On ours were plain scones, raisin scones, sandwiches: crab, artichoke, salmon, and curry sandwiches - the scones were served warm but a tad dry for my liking. The sandwiches were all rather tasty except the curry which tasted like bo ji wan or some kind of chinese powder medicine (both of us agreed on that, I'm not kidding!). I wonder which type of curry they used?
Hot savoury - we picked the satay and dim sum which was prawn dim sum. The beef satay was excellently done, with no hint of the beefy taste at all. The chicken was less impressive in comparison, and the peanut sauce was more watery than usual which may not be a bad thing. The dim sum was only okay, but I thought one piece per person was a strange portion, especially tricky to serve for one pax
Desserts - We saw a dessert trolly being pushed around and waited in anticipation as it looked really good. But for some reason, the trolley did not come to us and instead we were brought 5 different tarts on a plate. The 5 came from the trolley itself no doubt but we would have appreciated the novelty of having a choice to pick right off the trolley. Didnt quite understand the system but oh well. The tarts were not memorable although not too bad.
Service was attentive and efficient and matched what you would have expected from St Regis. And people do actually dance! They created a nice little dance floor in the middle, in front of the 2-man band, and guests were happily enjoying themselves admist the chatter and champagne. There were even 2 dance instructors hired to dance with or teach interested guests, but I rather sit and enjoy the music.
I had expected much more of the quality though; and the price I felt was abit too high, but of course it comes with the whole experience and all that. ea was very good though.
Rating given:
Nice cosy spot in the heartlands~
Stumbled upon this place for a weekend late lunch at about 3pm and the place was about 5 tables filled. Mostly families since its a heartland place and cuisine is chinese.
The menu reminds me of crystal jade la mian or similar set ups, but this kind of menu is I think what most people dont mind, which is good. Settings are cosy with some booth seats available; otherwise its the usual chinese rounds table sittings.
The food a hungry group of 4 had:
Carrot cake ($2.20) - 3 pieces but it was a bit too hard to taste home-made. Perhaps other dim sum will fare better?
Braised chicken feet ($4) - Its braised in the more orange-red sauce instead of the dark brown sauce which I preferred but still not a bad choice if you happen to be craving for it.
Jellyfish appetizer ($4) - this was good! Tossed with carrot, cucumber, and mushroom strips with just the right amount of light dressing and chilled nicely, it was an winner.
Soup ($6.50) - we ordered the old cucumber and pork rib soup - excellent. Mushrooms, dates, dried scallops were all part of the brew, making it refreshingly healthy and reminscent of mum's cooking.
Stir fried french beans ($8) - Disappointing. Came with chicken and mushroom strips (everything has mushrooms!) which overwhlemd the miserable portion of the veg. And because they deep fried the veg, they became scrawny and rather sad looking, plus the plate was way too oily for my liking.
Stir fried Shanghai la lian ($8.50) - This was the best main course amongst the lot. Long beans, chicken strips, carrots etc accompanied the noodle wok fried in a dark sauce, plus not too oily. The best part of it was the wok hei which seemed to be missing in most places nowadays.
Zha Jiang mian ($6.50) - Didnt taste this but it looked dry and bland.
Spanish fried rice ($9) - Not good. For all its name, we could only taste rice and tomato, maybe some eggs in there. No wok hei, and rice felt a tad mushy for fried rice as well.
Service was okay, although you may get some clueless staff. I thought the prices were quite reasonable and I may try this again should I happen to be in the mall and looking for food. Some hits and missed, but I would think it is a good option for people staying in the vicinity.
Rating given:
Picked this for a luxurious weekend stayacation with a close girl friend – to relax and chill out despite not getting out of the country.
The difference hits you when you enter the lobby via the main entrance, greeted by a few chorus of ‘good afternoon’s. The check-in counters are not typical – it’s a few sit down counters for one-to-one service instead of standing front desks. Check in was quick and efficient; we were also escorted to the lift which I felt was a nice touch. I appreciated the complimentary upgrade to a Lady Astor room too.
The distinction with St Regis is its butler service. Coffee and tea are ordered with the butler and they bring it to your room. There are almost 10 choices of tea, along with coffee, cappuccino, hot chocolate, as well as an extensive pillow menu to pick from, although the bed itself comes with plenty of them already.
The Lady Astor room itself is big – 56sqm: 2 oversized single beds, a huge bathroom with a bathtub, 2 separate sinks, a makeup table, a shower, and a toilet. Plus a C-shaped couch and a coffee table. Cleanliness is excellent; nothing to fault.
Some of the spa facilities are complimentary for in-house guests: steam chambers, Jacuzzi, hydro massage pool, and sauna (non in-house guests have to pay SGD85 to use them) – they were all quite good.
The variety at breakfast was not as extensive as I thought, and quality honestly was just average for me. There’s also a complimentary daily wine appreciation for all in-house guests from 5:30pm – 6:30pm at the Decanter on level 1, which was a unique touch.
There was indeed a difference throughout my stay because its St Regis – there were more smiley faces and plenty of good mornings and afternoons. We felt more looked after and very welcomed anywhere in the hotel.
But as with all things, there are things to be improved:
1. Butler service – when we checked in, we were told that the butler will be at the room soon, so we waited. After half an hour, we called and the operator sounded a bit confused and asked what we need the butler for. We were in fact waiting for the butler to start our stay by telling us what his / her services are! The butler services was listed in a book set on the table, but I thought what they should have done is to get the butler to inform the guests what is available upon check in; otherwise the people who missed the book will not know that there is complimentary pressing of items upon arrival etc.
There were also 2 occasions where 2 different butlers came into the room without pressing the doorbell – they probably used the master key and entered while we were still in the room. It is unacceptable, especially so for St Regis – it is only basic courtesy to ring the doorbell when entering an occupied room. Admittedly they were delivering tea etc on the 2 occassions but if their hands were fully occupied, what they should have done is to place the tray on the floor to free their hands for pressing the doorbell. It would have been a disaster if we were in the middle of changing our clothes or worse, a couple engaging in some acts of affection.
2. Turn down service – the 1st night I was there, a lady rang my doorbell and tried to explain in English what she was there for - the turn down service. But she couldn’t, and eventually had to explain in Mandarin instead which I understood. But I thought the staff should be trained to at least be able to inform in English the purpose of them appearing at the door – what happened if it was a hotel guest who could not understand Mandarin (and given the clientele of the hotel; very likely). The turn down service also included a bar of chocolates – nice touch.
3. Breakfast – during one of my 2 breakfasts, I encountered a very strange aftertaste in my orange juice – suspiciously like soap. I alerted one of the staff who nodded her head and took it back into the kitchen, but the issue was never addressed thereafter.
4. Spa garden – The spa garden is a outdoor Jacuzzi in the spa which I tried for both days – but on the 2nd day, the water looked obviously more murky than previously, which made me wonder if the water needs to be changed / cleaned more frequently.
Outside of the above issues, my staycation was excellent. I’ll be back if I have the budget again of course.
Rating given:
Harris has shown its age...
Picked Harris as recommended by my friend for a relaxing tour with 3 close friends. We paid SGD172 per person for 2d1n including 3 hours of spa and 1 free pizza per room.
There are 2 wings at Harris, the funky and the trendy which is the new wing. But we were told Trendy does not have connecting rooms which was our priority so we took the funky wing eventually.
The rooms are indeed bigger than most resorts or hotels but the rooms are very aged and look its age too. The furniture are poorly maintained and there are very obvious stains on the sofas and seats. There were stains on the bedsheets too but because its for 1 night only and they were faint stains, we didnt ask to change it. The foor felt abit sandy too and we had to wipe it over oursleves to make it cleaner. The bathroom was adequate but perhaps too stingy on the toilet paper even for 2d1n.
The pool was a free-form pool which was excellent for pool lovers but we didnt get to try it. Harris is also very family friendly as they have a whole host of activities to prevent hotel guests from getting bored. Spa, bowling, foot massage, KTV, F&B, Lounge, sea activities etc. We had a foot massage for 1 hour for only SGD17 per person which was a steal.
The 3-hour spa we had comprised of 1 hour scrub, 1.5 hour massage (aromatherapy or stone), and 0.5 hour bath. The masseurs were not bad, but the spa was outdoors and it was very warm, esp when the fan in the hut stopped working for a while midway through. The towels and spa facilities in the hut was also very poorly maintained, as there were insect droppings on a lot of things. The privacy of the spa huts outdoors is a huge concern to me, as the huts basically have no doors, just curtains and blinds which is not total privacy. While we were undressing, there were also male guests walking around. Plus they allowed male construction workers to be in the same area as us, which is potentially very dangerous for female guests. They seriously should do something about it.
We also felt misled by the lady at the spa counter. When we asked about the choice of aromatherapy or stone massage, she said for the aromatherapy, they use essential oils, so we picked that. But during the massage, we found out that they were using normal lotion instead. We queried the same lady at the counter after we were done -she said what she meant by 'use essential oils' was that they burn essentials oils in a burner during the treatment, not use on the body. And for that matter, we didnt even smell anything in the hut throughout.
The variety and quality of breakfast leaves much to be desired, although we had ala carte lunch orders the previous day and it was not too bad. The complimentary pizza was also quite good, surprisingly - thin crust.
I also do have to say, the staff at Harris were quite smiley and accommodating and exhibits a fun character that made the short stay more bearable. The cleanliness issue is my main gripe but perhaps the trendy wing is much better. The spa too should do something about the security of female guests - it is an accident waiting to happen.
Rating given:
Much better than expected
Took the Truly Spa FullBoard Package offered by New Century Tours Corporation in Singapore for a very quick getaway with 3 friends. The draw of the package was the 3 hours spa treatment which you get to choose from 4 options they offer you. Also included are breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which we thought added up to a fantastic trip. For twin sharing, each pax only had to pay SGD185nett (inclusive of whatever taxes etc). And you pick from almost hourly timing for your departure and return ferry. The only thing is you need to indicate what time you would like your spa upon booking so they can block the slots for you, especially important when you have a big group. Spa options are preferred to be selected prior to departure but you can also make changes when you arrive at the resort.
The resort has staff in yellow to bring you to their yellow mini van for the 15mins ride to the resort. The resort looks extremely old from the outside but I think they have done a good job in refurbishing the insides.
The lobby looks more hotel than resort and was a welcomed change to the typical beach resort look. The staff was friendly and smiley, maybe because it was a weekday than weekend when you get the crowds. We arrived at 10am batam time (1 hour behind Singapore time) and they said they'll try and get the rooms ready by 10:30am. Welcome drinks were soursop juice.
The hotel can get you a taxi for SGD5 per pax, which amounts to SGD20 per one-way ride to the nearest shopping mall 30mins away. The shuttle bus costs the same per pax but you'll have to adhere to the restricted timings which was only one departure and one return per day.
Rooms were roomy enough for 3 to share even with an extra bed fitted in. Clean, adequately fitted, and well maintained - much better than what I expected from one of the oldest resort in batam. Beds were nicely comfortable although not luxurious. Bottled water was also provided in the rooms.
The resort has a nice pool which we did not try, and its own private beach. If you go on weekdays, it practically feels you have the whole place to yourself.
Breakfast was a good spread, although quality for some items can be improved. Buffet lunch which was included in the package was not good as they were basically leftovers items recycled from breakfast. The packaged dinner for Kelong Restaurant was very good though, with black pepper crab, deep fried calamari, butter prawns, sweet sour fish, tom yam soup, vegetables, which was all good and fresh. Its a good 10mins walk from the main lobby though, but I guess its a good short workout to balance out all the good food.
Definitely a good place for a quick getaway!
Rating given:
Better than expected....
This was my choice for a family high tea, and I wanted some place which I've never tried. Gave it a shot despite not knowing what I'll get. Tried Orchard Hotel a few weeks back and it was so not worth it.
Maybe because I never expected much, I thought the food and spread was not so bad after all.
Bread and pastry- Variety is not big but it didnt look very warm fresh-out-of-the-oven either so gave this a miss. Also saw cold sandwiches and scones but I didnt try it either as both looked dry.
Cold stuff - plenty of appetizers like achar, potato salad, jellyfish, pasta salad, corn nibblets, sushi, prawns, mussels: the prawns were of good size and quite fresh. The achar was very good, the pasta salad too. The rice on the sushi was too hard so I ended up eating the ingredient on top.
Hot stuff - otah omelette, curry puffs, stewed veg, ngoh hiang, dim sum, fried rice, stir fried beef. otah omelette was quite bland with neither the otah nor egg taste. Ngoh Hiang was surprisingly tasty, dim sum so so, and fried rice deceptively named as it was only rice with fried egg.
Soup - There were 2 the day I went: cream of brocolli and old cucumber with spare ribs. The cream was strangely orange in colour so I took the other. It is excellent and seemingly boiled for very long, with no porky taste at all. Mushrooms and dates were added for that extra touch.
Laska station - although it looks promising, taste was only so so, with the gracy being overly thick. Serving portion was also too big for ladies I feel.
Coffee / tea - 2 coffee machine and comprehensive choice of tea bags. Coffee was quite good for a cafe coffee.
Desserts - The mini sized desserts looked good but they were not. Cakes were dry and disappointing in taste too. I ended up having a better time with ice cream.
Serivce was nothing to complain about, with the place about 3/4 full, although clearing of plates can be faster.
Some dishes obviously needed improvement, but I will still say its not too bad an attempt especially when the hotel is just trying to reposition itself. Orchard HOtel was about $4 cheaper than this, and the spread and quality was worse. For an okay experience, I have no problems with Cafe Mosaic. Although at $38 they are not the cheapest around either.
Rating given:
Hidden find~
When my friends suggested this place for a catch-up dinner, I went 'huh??'. I didn't knew the building, least to say the restaurant, existed. So I went with apprehension and expected sub-standard western fare, like some of the places that call themselves cafes nowadays. I went away with fond memories at the end of the night.
The place itself is sort of opposite the Cantonment Police Complex, and parking's available at the basement car park; restaurant diners park for free. But I think it is a fair walk if you take the train to Outram Park station.
The place itself is decked out in old wooden tables and chairs, with warm soft lightings, it feels like a place that's been there for ages. I likeed the decor and the ambience, pretty good for catching up.
Salad bar - for any main course, you'll just have to add $4.30 to have a set meal: salad bar, soup, coffee/tea/soft drinks, and dessert of the day. Why not? The salad bar does not have your fancy rocket leaves etc but more really basic items like mixed peas, corn nibblets, lettuce, onions, cucumbers etc but for me its really more about the feel that yay, I have a salad bar! Feels like sizzler all over again. Dressings are basic too: thousand island, vinegrette or french.
Soup - pumpkin soup was for the day. It actually tasted not too bad, with just the right thickness and didnt taste like it was from a can.
Buffalo wings - served with normal thai chilli sauce, these were excellently deep fried and served piping hot. Didnt taste too much of any marinate though.
Drunken Mussels - Very good, please order this. The mussels were fresh and firm, served in a hot pan in wine white (if I remember correctly) and garlic. Order some bread to mope up the super tasty sauce. You can use the complimentry bread they serve, although I have to admit those were very tough and way too chewy for my liking.
Prawns & chicken ($18) - 2 good-sized prawns halfed for your convenience, with chicken filet. You can have either mushroom or black pepper for your filet. Prawns were not too bad, although the chicken wasnt lean enough for me.
Dessert ($7.50 each) - You can igmore the slice of dry pound cake that was served as dessert of the day and order as ala carte the now more commonly seen frozen italian gelatos. Smart move huh. We had the green apple gelato that was too cute; taste wise I expected more though at least on the taste of green apples. We also had the tartufo which was dark chocolate and could do no wrong.
Coffee - Coffee was better than I expected, with coffee foam although I think it came from a machine.
Service was excellent and smiley throughout, thumbs up!! Crowd that trickled in mostly around 8pm on a Friday night was made up of families and dinners for older age working class, so the place was thankfully not noisy and more cosy instead.
Price is not exactly cheap I think but worth a revisit ~ I didnt know the total bill as it was a treat but I will be more than happy to pay my own. Total amount spent is based on my own estimate ~
Rating given:
Good Pizzas~
A girl friend picked this place for a night out for us 3 ladies; said they served nice pizzas. I've never seen this place although I used to frequent Robertson Quay, but later realised its nearer the Park Hotel side so you'll probably not walk past it unless its a deliberate attempt to eat there.
We walked pass Bella Pasta on our way there but it was empty. Bella Pizza was the opposite, with bustling tables and busy staff trying to manage the small-ish place.
Im guessing the indoor sits probably at most 25pax, with some alfresco tables outside but in no big numbers as well. Reservations are recommended because the place fills up quite quickly.
PORTOBELLO RIPIENO ($18) - Oven baked stuffed portobello mushroom, served with porcini mushroom sauce - this is our 2nd choice as the avocado salad was not available. And the staff could have informed us when he saw us discussing about it instead of telling us AFTER we told him. This came in 2 huge portobello drowned with diced porcini and its sauce. It's a basically a mushroom lover's delight as the 2 kinds of mushrooms blended really well and the fragrance really outstanding. But for some reason the presentation made it look like meat patties when it came.
PIZZA CON RUCOLA ($25) - Pizza with tomato, mozzarella, arugula,
Parma ham and shavings of parmesan - This is near excellent, with just the right thickness of the pizza base. Everything else was in good proportion; my only gripe is that the arugula was too limp.
PIZZA MASCARPONE ($24) - Pizza with mozzarella, mascarpone,
mushrooms and black truffle oil - the mix of mozzarella and mascarpone was too je lart for me. There could have been more mushrooms, and I was quite glad for the truffle as it lifted the whole dish.
Portions are huge, considering the 3 of us leaving behind 5 slices of pizzas even after sharing. So small eaters are better off sharing with at least 1 or 2 more persons.
Service was really basic, like taking orders and bringing the bill. Nothing above that. But perhaps they're just really busy running around.
And even if its a small place, I feel it is reasonable to at least ensure that there is enough space at the table for 1 main course per person, no? The 2 pizzas filled up our table for 3 too much; perhaps they can re-think that abit.
Rating given:
Was recommended this place by a good friend and this was the 1st time I've heard of it despite living in the neighbouring estate. I don't have a good impression of Jack's Place and knowing this is under the same management made me hesitate for a bit, but you'll never know until you try right?
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~
Rating given: