I came across a couple of strong recommendations about the burgers at 2 Blur Guys so with an unintentionally free Saturday morning, we decided to give it a shot. Apparently the place is helmed by Chef Jimmy Chok, who used to be from Bistro Soori.
The shop occupies a tiny unit along the fringe of Orchid Hotel and is easy to miss because of its unassuming decor. So keep a look out for it. Seats are a premium at the place and you are looking at probably 5-6 two person tables tops. That's about 12-15 people. Talk about uncomfortable dining.
Prime Beef Hamburger - The highly raved about prime beef burger. To be be honest, I thought it was average at best. The patty had plenty of fluids but the meat was chopped way too fine (machine perhaps?), which resulted in a dry, unsatisfying texture. To compound matters, the patty was seriously lacking in brovine flavour - a definite must for a good beef burger in my humble opinion. Don't even get me started on the buns, which were insipid and tasted like off the shelf stuff. However, I did like the gruyère cheese and truffle mayo, though I did think that they could be a little more generous with the truffle mayo. Oh and did I mention that the burger was small aka fillet o fish size?
Grilled Spice Chicken Burger - I didn't quite take to this burger as well as the thigh meat was a little too oily for my liking. I could make out some form of asian/indian spice (special spice mix according to their website) which didn't quite sit well with the curry mayo sauce in my humble opinion. It made the whole burger feel extremely greasy and I felt uneasy after finishing it.
What can I say? $23 nett for 2 burgers isn't really that expensive if you take it quantitatively. But quality was average at best and portions weren't exactly generous. I don't know about you but sorry, I definitely won't be back.
I received a flyer in the mail about a Laneige promotion at NEX Isetan and decided to try it out since I have not tried their products before.
I had the promotion for a $45 60min facial and the value fully redeemable for Laneige products. The facial was done in a private room inside Isetan itself and was quite relaxing - the staff was quite skilled in facial techniques and also took pains to explain what were the products she was using when she applied them to my face. The 60mins whizzed by very quickly and I was left with a glowing face. Nice!
The same staff was also very patient with my queries while I was thinking of what to buy with the $45 and because she had such good service, I bought $90 worth eventually.
Another staff seemed very nonchalent and impatient - so hopefully I see the same nice staff the next time I go!
The products were nicely and clearly laid out with makeup on 1 side and skincare on the other. But it is located at a further corner which may be its disadvantage. But loyal laneige fans will probably go for it anywhere.
Staff at this new outlet didnt seem to be as friendly as the ones at Centrepoint - not sure if its because they are new or just grumpy that day. Questions were met with a little bit of impatience and were swift and short. Knowledge about promotions were good though, but I found it strange that they didnt try to ask more questions which will possible lead to sales. They sort of let it go and not too keen to retain the interest. Quite accommodating with the samples though I must say. But nonetheless, this is the first out of departmental store outlet so kudos to Biotherm for taking it a step further.
The outlet itself did seem a bit more comprehensive than those located at Departmental stores and easily visible with the bright colours. It is also strategically located at B1 where hordes of people pass through everyday. Nice move!
I went in to have a look out of curiosity and the staff was very warm in welcoming us and took the effort to ask us questions about our concerns and what we were looking for. We were even served tea, nice! We were further treated to a 'happy scent' - a scent which was supposed to make us happy - cute touch. I would like to come back and try the products but am also wary about wasting money on buying them just to find out that they are not suitable for me, thus a pity they dont have samples to try out. The only thing is that the staff I spoke to was not aware of the apparent Free Sensory Ritual that was advertised on the website which was strange because the Advertorial did say to approach any Aveda location.
But otherwise, this is a seemingly nice outlet complete with a salon chair and massage for 1 person to enjoy their service at any one time.
The products seemed to be of good quality too but I guess I'll come back when they are on sale :)
This is one of the coldest outlet ever. I went on a Sunday with a Groupon voucher at $28 for 2pax for 2hours and were ushered into the room very quickly.
Even for the 2 of us, they gave us quite a big room, maybe for 5pax? The interesting thing is, the room also comes equipped with a massage chair, the full-spectrum OSIM type - for those who are not so into singing but had to be there I guess. A cute touch nonetheless which I've not seen in other KTVs.
Service was okay but a 2nd round of drink orders took very long to arrive, and some of the older songs didnt work so well - there were screeching sounds in the songs and some sounded really odd.
It is also a pet peeve that you cant adjust the echo level on your own and have to get someone to come in just to do it. But oh well, it was just for 2 hours.
I chanced upon the fact that Clarins offer a Skin Time session which you can book for - its basically skin consultation and trying on sample of the products according to your skin type. I made an appointment for 4pm on a Sun, looking forward to it.
The lady who attended to me was a senior staff and she was very warm and attentive but was at the same time distracted by walk in customers as she was the only one at the counter. Parts of the session hence felt rushed but I could understand the difficulties. She tried to be as thorough as she could but barely got there.
I finish the session with 8 layers of stuff on my face which I felt uncomfortable with. And I got to know from another friend that her session's product sampling was done on her hand, not face. Strange that they arent standardized.
But at the end of the session, there was supposed to be 7-day sample of the V shape contouring serum but the outlet had ran out of some so the staff gave me other sample. Nice compensation.
The staff here is very knowledgeable about the products and are quite patient about answering queries. Also very knowledgeable about ongoing promotions and keen to serve.
Location is nice too, easily accessible either by bus or Somerset MRT.
The only thing is that in bid to make you buy, or decide to buy, they'll tell you some promotions are limited time only but in fact, lasts for about another week or so. I was going to buy anyway but did feel about cheated about having to buy on the spot rather than have time to think about for a while more.
Came here for the promotion in conjunction with Shape Run 2012 - present the anniversary card and get $80 off treatments available.
My appointment was for 6pm on a Saturday and I was surprised to see that it was not crowded. The spa is located a quiet corner of level 2 but I guess being away from the crowd was good for me.
I had to take the foot reflexology due to bad timing and I have to admit the masseur was not bad, or either that she was bored enough to be very precise about the service. Chair lied on was bright red and cheery and they provide magazines too - lighting can be adjusted if you want to read or rest. But day spas usually wash your feet first before a foot massage but this doesnt.
Overall experience was not bad BUT i will not return without any promotion because the foot reflex prices are mad - $54 for 40mins and $98 for 90mins. I paid $18 because of the promotion but otherwise stay away unless you feel like a carrot.
Randomly picked this after Shape Run and what an apt place because at 9:30am after a 5km run, what better than to stuff our faces with hearty breakfast-y stuff :)
Was surprised to see that at about 915am, there were people already queuing outside waiting for it to open. And I have to admit I didnt know about the social enterprise part of this place then (but I do now!) and was intrigued by the little items on sale while waiting for the food.
Full works ($18) - scrambled eggs, bacon, garlic mushrooms, chunky chicken sausage, hash brown, toasted brioche with thyme tomato salad - decided to be greedy and reward myself after the run, which on hindsight probably meant overcompensating the calories. It was a huge portion - and everything was good! The only struggle was to eat most of everything before it got cold, and of course that was not possible. Worth mentioning are the garlic mushrooms which came sauteed very nicely and the little balls of hash brown - cute! Banana Walnut pancake ($10.80) - Delicious~ We realized why this took the longest to come - the banana and walnuts are actually blended into the batter which makes it so dense but so tasty. A tedious way of doing it sure, but it won me over.
Coffee ($4) - Nice and strong, served with a dense chocolate cookie.
Service was okay with a young team, and the place was not that big to begin with so all is good. The full works is not exactly cheap but its a good choice to spoil yourself every now and then :)
We dropped by Hyang To Gol one Sunday evening and the place was packed with Koreans and a couple of Singaporeans. Initial service was great but started to go downhill after we placed our orders. Iced water was not refilled, the wait staff had a sour expression on their faces (most of them at least) and alot of them had difficulty understanding what we were saying. It even took a long time for the bill to come. Food wise was decent and reasonably priced. Just that portions can be a little underwhelming so chow down on the plentiful side dishes or simply order more.
If the service can be improved, I'll definitely be happy to go back.
I came across a couple of strong recommendations about the burgers at 2 Blur Guys so with an unintentionally free Saturday morning, we decided to give it a shot. Apparently the place is helmed by Chef Jimmy Chok, who used to be from Bistro Soori.
The shop occupies a tiny unit along the fringe of Orchid Hotel and is easy to miss because of its unassuming decor. So keep a look out for it. Seats are a premium at the place and you are looking at probably 5-6 two person tables tops. That's about 12-15 people. Talk about uncomfortable dining.
Prime Beef Hamburger - The highly raved about prime beef burger. To be be honest, I thought it was average at best. The patty had plenty of fluids but the meat was chopped way too fine (machine perhaps?), which resulted in a dry, unsatisfying texture. To compound matters, the patty was seriously lacking in brovine flavour - a definite must for a good beef burger in my humble opinion. Don't even get me started on the buns, which were insipid and tasted like off the shelf stuff. However, I did like the gruyère cheese and truffle mayo, though I did think that they could be a little more generous with the truffle mayo. Oh and did I mention that the burger was small aka fillet o fish size?
Grilled Spice Chicken Burger - I didn't quite take to this burger as well as the thigh meat was a little too oily for my liking. I could make out some form of asian/indian spice (special spice mix according to their website) which didn't quite sit well with the curry mayo sauce in my humble opinion. It made the whole burger feel extremely greasy and I felt uneasy after finishing it.
What can I say? $23 nett for 2 burgers isn't really that expensive if you take it quantitatively. But quality was average at best and portions weren't exactly generous. I don't know about you but sorry, I definitely won't be back.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
I received a flyer in the mail about a Laneige promotion at NEX Isetan and decided to try it out since I have not tried their products before.
I had the promotion for a $45 60min facial and the value fully redeemable for Laneige products. The facial was done in a private room inside Isetan itself and was quite relaxing - the staff was quite skilled in facial techniques and also took pains to explain what were the products she was using when she applied them to my face. The 60mins whizzed by very quickly and I was left with a glowing face. Nice!
The same staff was also very patient with my queries while I was thinking of what to buy with the $45 and because she had such good service, I bought $90 worth eventually.
Another staff seemed very nonchalent and impatient - so hopefully I see the same nice staff the next time I go!
The products were nicely and clearly laid out with makeup on 1 side and skincare on the other. But it is located at a further corner which may be its disadvantage. But loyal laneige fans will probably go for it anywhere.
Rating given:
Staff at this new outlet didnt seem to be as friendly as the ones at Centrepoint - not sure if its because they are new or just grumpy that day. Questions were met with a little bit of impatience and were swift and short. Knowledge about promotions were good though, but I found it strange that they didnt try to ask more questions which will possible lead to sales. They sort of let it go and not too keen to retain the interest. Quite accommodating with the samples though I must say. But nonetheless, this is the first out of departmental store outlet so kudos to Biotherm for taking it a step further.
The outlet itself did seem a bit more comprehensive than those located at Departmental stores and easily visible with the bright colours. It is also strategically located at B1 where hordes of people pass through everyday. Nice move!
Rating given:
I went in to have a look out of curiosity and the staff was very warm in welcoming us and took the effort to ask us questions about our concerns and what we were looking for. We were even served tea, nice! We were further treated to a 'happy scent' - a scent which was supposed to make us happy - cute touch. I would like to come back and try the products but am also wary about wasting money on buying them just to find out that they are not suitable for me, thus a pity they dont have samples to try out. The only thing is that the staff I spoke to was not aware of the apparent Free Sensory Ritual that was advertised on the website which was strange because the Advertorial did say to approach any Aveda location.
But otherwise, this is a seemingly nice outlet complete with a salon chair and massage for 1 person to enjoy their service at any one time.
The products seemed to be of good quality too but I guess I'll come back when they are on sale :)
Rating given:
This is one of the coldest outlet ever. I went on a Sunday with a Groupon voucher at $28 for 2pax for 2hours and were ushered into the room very quickly.
Even for the 2 of us, they gave us quite a big room, maybe for 5pax? The interesting thing is, the room also comes equipped with a massage chair, the full-spectrum OSIM type - for those who are not so into singing but had to be there I guess. A cute touch nonetheless which I've not seen in other KTVs.
Service was okay but a 2nd round of drink orders took very long to arrive, and some of the older songs didnt work so well - there were screeching sounds in the songs and some sounded really odd.
It is also a pet peeve that you cant adjust the echo level on your own and have to get someone to come in just to do it. But oh well, it was just for 2 hours.
Rating given:
I chanced upon the fact that Clarins offer a Skin Time session which you can book for - its basically skin consultation and trying on sample of the products according to your skin type. I made an appointment for 4pm on a Sun, looking forward to it.
The lady who attended to me was a senior staff and she was very warm and attentive but was at the same time distracted by walk in customers as she was the only one at the counter. Parts of the session hence felt rushed but I could understand the difficulties. She tried to be as thorough as she could but barely got there.
I finish the session with 8 layers of stuff on my face which I felt uncomfortable with. And I got to know from another friend that her session's product sampling was done on her hand, not face. Strange that they arent standardized.
But at the end of the session, there was supposed to be 7-day sample of the V shape contouring serum but the outlet had ran out of some so the staff gave me other sample. Nice compensation.
Rating given:
The staff here is very knowledgeable about the products and are quite patient about answering queries. Also very knowledgeable about ongoing promotions and keen to serve.
Location is nice too, easily accessible either by bus or Somerset MRT.
The only thing is that in bid to make you buy, or decide to buy, they'll tell you some promotions are limited time only but in fact, lasts for about another week or so. I was going to buy anyway but did feel about cheated about having to buy on the spot rather than have time to think about for a while more.
Rating given:
Came here for the promotion in conjunction with Shape Run 2012 - present the anniversary card and get $80 off treatments available.
My appointment was for 6pm on a Saturday and I was surprised to see that it was not crowded. The spa is located a quiet corner of level 2 but I guess being away from the crowd was good for me.
I had to take the foot reflexology due to bad timing and I have to admit the masseur was not bad, or either that she was bored enough to be very precise about the service. Chair lied on was bright red and cheery and they provide magazines too - lighting can be adjusted if you want to read or rest. But day spas usually wash your feet first before a foot massage but this doesnt.
Overall experience was not bad BUT i will not return without any promotion because the foot reflex prices are mad - $54 for 40mins and $98 for 90mins. I paid $18 because of the promotion but otherwise stay away unless you feel like a carrot.
Rating given:
Randomly picked this after Shape Run and what an apt place because at 9:30am after a 5km run, what better than to stuff our faces with hearty breakfast-y stuff :)
Was surprised to see that at about 915am, there were people already queuing outside waiting for it to open. And I have to admit I didnt know about the social enterprise part of this place then (but I do now!) and was intrigued by the little items on sale while waiting for the food.
Full works ($18) - scrambled eggs, bacon, garlic mushrooms, chunky chicken sausage, hash brown, toasted brioche with thyme tomato salad - decided to be greedy and reward myself after the run, which on hindsight probably meant overcompensating the calories. It was a huge portion - and everything was good! The only struggle was to eat most of everything before it got cold, and of course that was not possible. Worth mentioning are the garlic mushrooms which came sauteed very nicely and the little balls of hash brown - cute!
Banana Walnut pancake ($10.80) - Delicious~ We realized why this took the longest to come - the banana and walnuts are actually blended into the batter which makes it so dense but so tasty. A tedious way of doing it sure, but it won me over.
Coffee ($4) - Nice and strong, served with a dense chocolate cookie.
Service was okay with a young team, and the place was not that big to begin with so all is good. The full works is not exactly cheap but its a good choice to spoil yourself every now and then :)
Rating given:
We dropped by Hyang To Gol one Sunday evening and the place was packed with Koreans and a couple of Singaporeans. Initial service was great but started to go downhill after we placed our orders. Iced water was not refilled, the wait staff had a sour expression on their faces (most of them at least) and alot of them had difficulty understanding what we were saying. It even took a long time for the bill to come. Food wise was decent and reasonably priced. Just that portions can be a little underwhelming so chow down on the plentiful side dishes or simply order more.
If the service can be improved, I'll definitely be happy to go back.
Rating given: