The trainers here are the most pushy ones amongst all their outlets. Everytime I come here for a workout, there would be at least 1 trainer who would approach me to ask me to sign up for personal training, TRX classes etc. I always decline politely but it is getting on my nerves how I cant seem to get a decent workout without being disrupted every single time. I just got a call from a lady from the same branch asking me if I want to try out a free pass as well as get a body analysis done. I had to remind her to please update their database as I am already an existing member plus have already completed my body analysis text. It is really really annoying! It is a good gym with plenty of choices of classes and full flexibility of outlets to choose from but this is still something that irks me although I understand that these guys survive on commission.
Finally tried this - have been curious about this one. Armed with a $10 voucher which can be used with minimum spending of $50 before taxes, me and my friend trooped down on a Sat evening to find it surprisingly not full.
Tomato soup ($5.80) - surprisingly, not too bad! I've never been inclined towards tomato soup as they've always been sourish and nothing else. But this was quite light and had bits of tomatoes in it which provided a bite. Salmon Caparccio ($8.80) - Good! Fresh slices of salmon with diced onions and dressed with some sesame oil thingy.
Curry katsu udon ($15.80) - Average unfortunately, with the katsu already soggy when served. and the meat very tough to bite into. Not worth the price for me.
Hokkai curry ramen ($15.80) - This fared a bit better and ramen went well with the curry soup. The scallops and salmon in it made it a better value choice than the katsu udon.
Service leaves much to be desired with all very young staff acting clueless. I asked for a Heineken and was met with a confused slow drawl repeating "Hein....e...ken?".
I find some items overpriced and suspect people are here because they are curious more than wanting to eat good food. Prob will not return.
I had the luck to be given their member card, the Granton card, as the buyer of the card didnt want to go so I made a booking for 2pax on a Friday night to try out the 1-4-1 main course and also redeem the bottle of wine which the card entitles me to.
Layers of sliced eggplant filled with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and basil ($12.90) - this was really really good. The eggplant was in generous slices and not overcooked, the fillings were all good, and it came sort of in a tomato base which mixed very well with the melted cheese. I miss this already! (there's an option to have this as your main for $19)
Grilled green shell lobster with extra virgin olive oil served with pasta ($39.90) - the lobster was surprisingly of a good size and came with baked cheese on top - simple and nice! The pasta serving was almost too generous as a 'side' and came perfectly al dente but was overly doused in cracked pepper for me. Still good though, just that I needed plenty of water to go with it. Oven baked black cod crusted with herbs and served with garden greens ($36.90) - I had a bite of the black cod and it was firm and fresh without the need for any over-seasoning. Redeemed white wine - came chilled and was refreshingly fruity and extremely easy to drink.
Service was poor as the place was obviously understaffed for a Fri evening although the seating capacity was not big. Staff hurried to take orders, pour wine, serve, and present bills and sometimes can be quite curt. Most of the crowd had the Granton card too and were obviously enjoying the deal as I was. Guests were turned away or asked to wait starting from about 8pm onwards so make reservations if you plan to come.
The prices reflected were after the 1-4-1 so it will obviously be alot pricier if you're dining without the Granton card.
Pardon me for the very dark photos - blame my iphone and the fact that I felt camera flashes there didnt do very well for the almost too cosy atmosphere.
Was scouting for a nice place for a leisure high tea with friends and decided to take a shot at 10Scotts since I've never been there before (Goodwood was full and just recently been to Rose Veranda too).
10Scotts replaces the previous Scotts Lounge and what a welcome refurbishment it was. The dark and moody place was replaced by warm lightings and cosy furniture. The middle buffet area is set up to resemble a someone's kitchen which I thought was a cute touch.
The ambience was super cosy and was bustling with people but chit-chatting doesnt get drowned out. They have library seats (big sofa / cushion) on top of the normal dining tables which makes for more choices. They also have a private room that can sit maybe 14 in one long table.
The high tea is $48 without champagne; $78 with champagne. I liked that the items on the tray are all refillable and also have a mini buffet line to bulk up your choices.
On the 2-tier tray:
Egg mayo roll / salmon & cucumber roll - cucumber sandwich was quite classically nice and the salmon nice too, but the best was the egg mayo sandwich roll was very soft and the blend of mayo just nice and not too salty.
Curry puff - A little oily but the short crust pastry was stuffed with potatoes and (cant remember if there was chicken in it) and tasty. But 1 is enough.
Crab cake - read too much about it which may have led me to feeling a little disappointed. Nice and crispy and chokeful of crab meat but it was slightly bland for me.
Vietnamese spring roll - Disappointingly soggy rice skin and vege sticks not crispy.
Popiah - I dont have a preference for popiah so this was alright for me.
Buffet line
Items on offer were duck roll, dim sum, salad, desserts, freshly shaved parma ham and melon, cheese - while the items did bulk up the choices, most were not bad but non had that wow factor.
Service was good and the tea and coffee were all good. But they could have a system to leave at least 1 copy of the menu at each table instead of clearing all of them after each order, which made ordering your 2nd (and onwards) pot of teas a tedious process.
I like this place and would definitely return, although some of the items were misses. While one of my friends commented that the items on the tier was too asian, I welcome the difference. But I still think this place offers strikes a good balance between a tier and a high tea buffet.
Hyatt Gold Passport members can also earn dining points here - a bonus!
I am reviewing this after my treatment on Sat 11 Feb and realized that actually I did not get what I paid for on Groupon. The deal I purchased was: "$35 for 90 min Antioxidant Blackberry Body Polish Full Body Massage at Jean Yip Loft in Outram (Worth $249). Ginger Treatment Option Available." but I did not recall any body polish done. I received only a body massage plus the ginger treatment on my tummy.
I did not reconfirm the deal when I passed the voucher to the staff who attended to us because I trusted their staff to be professional, plus Jean Yip has a good reputation, so I did not worry too much.
I know there are 2 options to the voucher as below: 90 min Antioxidant Blackberry Polish Full Body Massage or 75 min Special Healing Ginger Remedy Full Body Massage.
When I asked the staff, I was informed that my treatment was for 90mins which had to mean the one with the antioxidant, isnt it?
Although the massage was generally quite good, it did not mean the staff can shortchange me like this. I am disappointed at this how they can inform that the treatment is 90mins but instead did the 2nd option and hoping we won't find out.
I already emailed to the loft - let's see what happens.
Tried this for a late lunch with family before they left to go back to China and it was not a bad choice after all! 4 adults and 1 baby had the following:
Penang hokkien prawn mee ($6.20) - traditional yellow noodles simmered to perfection with succulent big prawns, pork ribs, fish cake, bean sprouts, and kang kong in special prawn-based soup made from our chef's secret recipe - for all its hype, I expected more. I expected the stock to be no short than excellent but I was actually a bit disappointed as it was nice but really an 'okay-nice' level. The prawns were big, and so was the pork ribs.
Premium seafood fried koay teow ($9.90) - our popular penang fried koay teow with added prawns, squids and cockles - nothing premium about this I felt, and with only 4 small prawns, I wonder what the normal version is like. Tasty though but a tad oily.
Grilled Stingray ($7.90) - succulent stingray grilled with special homemade sauce - very small portion for the price but thankfully it was grilled just nice and the sauce slightly spicy which was very appetizing. Grilled sotong ($6.90) - grilled tender sotong cooked in tasty special sauce that is chef's own creation! - fresh sotong but they could have been more grilled. The sauce was alright too.
Service was nothing to complain about, and the prices are really good too for a pre-departure hawker meal. The aircondition and the comfort more than made up for the price difference compared to a hawker centre. Would return to try their other things.
I have only tried Global Kitchen for a buffet breakfast many years ago and was excited when I saw that Citibank had a 1-4-1 buffet dinner that comes with free flow of Tiger beer (original price is $88 for 1 adult). So me and a girlfriend had a shot at it on the 7th day of CNY.
The place was rather quiet for a Sunday evening except for a handful of groups and the occasional hotel guests seeking a quiet and quick dining fix.
The buffet spread was how I remembered it to be: small. A quick walk around the spread but nothing really exciting.
Cold seafood - only 3 kinds: prawns, mussels, and oysters. Prawns were fresh and mussels alright. I didnt taste the oysters though.
Sashimi - only salmon which was nice, especially when tossed in the DIY Yu Sheng.
Appetizers - Squid salad, crab meat salad, mushroom salad, roasted vegetables, cold cuts, sushi etc. The squid salad looked promising but was overly salty, the crab meat salad salty too, the mushroom salad and roasted vegetables were oily and overcooked, and the sushi dry.
Mains -mostly Chinese to my disappointment, almost like a high-end zichar selection. Fried rice, fried noodles, vegetables with mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, beef fillets, lamb something. All very forgettable. The only western items were the roasted potatoes which were undercooked and ribeye which I didnt try. They also had a chicken rice station too.
Pasta station - you could have your choice of penne or spaghetti with either alio olio, cream, or tomato. My penne alio olio was bland and overcooked.
Hot soup - Soup Kambing and cream of cauliflower both of which I didnt try.
Hot noodles station - it was prawn mee that night and you can take your pick of condiments and blanch it with noodles. The stock was quite nice and the most memorable food item of the evening.
Indian food - the chicken tikka has been left out for so long it had turned absolutely dry.
Desserts - A decent selection of cakes and the one that made an impression was the small square of opera. The hot local dessert was Tao Suan and they had ice cream too but 2 boring flavours of chocolate and vanilla.
Dim Sum - Lobster and scallop dumplings both of which were dry after being left out for so long.
The stations I didnt try was salads and breads but I reckon no loss.
I had expected more given Pan Pac's reputation as a 5-star hotel. The variety and quality of the food leaves much to be desired - it almost feels like not much thought had been put into it. For $88 per person, some may argue that I was paying for the free flow of beer, but the buffet without beer is still $48 which is not worth it if you consider the high ratio of local dishes and boring selection.
Taking advantage of a free Saturday evening, we decided to have dinner at Pierside - a rather well established eatery under the Marmalade group of restaurants.
Just across the shore from the towering Marina Bay Sands, Pierside Kitchen occupies a corner of One Fullerton, playing neighbour to Chinese restaurant, Jing. There is an option of alfresco dining or a rather dim air conditioned interior. We opted for the former as the weather held out fine but it was the view that proved to be the deal clincher.
Complimentary Bread - Served piping hot, the complimentary bread was small but simple. And the butter melted effortlessly, which made for a nice stop gap measure against hunger pangs.
Hokkaido Corn Chowder - Smooth and creamy with a light hint of corn and a dash of pepper to accentuate the flavour, the chowder had bits of sweet corn in it to give it that nice crunchy texture. Pretty decent if you ask me.
Pan Roasted Foie Gras - It's been a while since I've had decent foie gras and Pierside didn't disappoint. While I wouldn't go as far as saying that it was great, the foie gras was respectable by many measures. A little crisp on the outside with a relatively smooth and quivery inside sans the overpowering gamy taste. Best eaten with the accompanying prune.
Crispy Duck Confit with Celeriac Puree - Crisp skin coupled with pinkish, chewy meat - no complaints really. But somehow the duck confit came up short in taste, coming across as a little pedestrian. Still a decent eat nonetheless.
300 Day Grain Fed Braised Beef Cheeks - I personally didn't quite take to the risotto that came alongside the beef cheeks, finding it a little too soft for my liking. The beef cheeks however, were reasonably tender and flavourful, with the only issue lying in the small portion size. The obligatory greens came in the form of a single stalk of asparagus chopped into half and topped with pepper and salt. Overall a decent eat.
Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Mousse - What I liked about this dessert was the fact that it tasted like one of my favourite snacks, Reese's peanut butter cups! The mousse had a very strong taste of peanut butter (not so much salted caramel) and sat on a crunchy hazelnut base. Accompanying it was a nice dollop of vanilla bean ice cream and a few slices of caramalised bananas. Only recommended for those who really like peanut butter.
Banana Creme Brulee - The banana creme brulee looked different from your regular creme brulee in a bowl/cup. It was rectangular and flat, with the less than quivery custard sandwiched between 2 layers of perfectly torched caramel. Adding weight to the dish were banana slices that were a little charred along the edges and a scoop of mascarpone ice cream. All in all a rather nice dessert!
With dinner for 2 hitting about $190, I wouldn't say it's anywhere near cheap or reasonable. And I am not sure the quality and quantity of food justifies the pricing. For me, it's probably going to be a one time off meal at Pierside.
Decided on this place for a Friday chillax evening, partly because I've never been here so wanted something refreshing amidst the crazy HV crowd.
The non-existent crowd here at 7pm should have been a sign, whereas Tangos and Wala Wala on the other side of the road was packed to the brim. They serve Archiepalego beers but strangely enough, no happy hour for them at all. They have a 1-4-1 on wines using Amex cards but that's about it.
Beers $10 for sampler & $14 for 1 pint) - Nice Archiepalego beers especially the Summer Ale. The Belgium Wit was too light for me; the Bohemian Lager was good. They also have a sampler of their 4x tiny portions of their main brews for $10 which is a good start if you are unsure of what you like.
Country Steak Sandwich ($26) - Huge portion of steak with ciabatta-style bread complete with a mountain of soggy wedges. The steak itself was really just steak and bread - didnt see any other greens in it.
Pizza (Seafood Mushroom) ($24) - thin-crust base but it was burnt and had a little biscuit-like bite at the edges. You can pick 2 halves of different flavours for this price - the mushroom came with aged brie cheese and rocket leaves which was a nice blend of flavours. The seafood one was disappointingly sparse with small bits of squid, prawns, and mussels.
The crowd only started coming in about 8pm. Ambience is quite nice actually, with a live band which starts around 9:30pm-10pm. But I think the quality is not there yet and the menu generally is a little overpriced. Plus no cheap beer either, which is quite a shame - they should really buck up more on being competitive.
Was recommended this place for a Sat chill-out - not a bad choice at all!
Occupying the previous 7atenine, Sauce has the advantage of having a 'waterfront' spot amongst the many other chillout places at Esplanade. The whitish decor has been replaced with a rather whimsical look complete with fake grass and mismatched but somehow quirky furniture which was actually quite nice for me. On a good day, the alfresco can be quite cool - also nice for people watching!
Sauteed mushrooms ($5) - nicely sauteed big button mushrooms although a tad heavy on the oil. Kudos to the chef for offering to re-do the dish for us as the first bowl has too much water / oil in it.
Chicken wings ($5) - Very nice! They use some sort of very fine flour from Japan to coat the wings and the result is absolutely delicious. They also very thoughtfully cut each mid-wing in half so its easier to eat. The spices dip accompanying it is also very good, with hints of ginger and garlic.
Spinach quesadilla ($5) - Alright with nothing to complain but gets tough when its no longer warm.
Asahi Premium ($9nett) - Their alcohol promotion is very good, with some offers at $5 for half pints but the Asahi premium is a good deal at $9 per print. And they are one of the rare places to have Asahi on tap.
The above lite bites are $5 each as each order of alcohol entitles you to order selected items at $5 as a promo price, good deal!
Service was nothing to complain about generally. But for the nice food and competitive prices, it was a pity that the place was less than half full on a Sat night. This place needs more publicity! I'll be back to try their mains.
1=SGD 0.0587
The trainers here are the most pushy ones amongst all their outlets. Everytime I come here for a workout, there would be at least 1 trainer who would approach me to ask me to sign up for personal training, TRX classes etc. I always decline politely but it is getting on my nerves how I cant seem to get a decent workout without being disrupted every single time. I just got a call from a lady from the same branch asking me if I want to try out a free pass as well as get a body analysis done. I had to remind her to please update their database as I am already an existing member plus have already completed my body analysis text. It is really really annoying! It is a good gym with plenty of choices of classes and full flexibility of outlets to choose from but this is still something that irks me although I understand that these guys survive on commission.
Rating given:
Finally tried this - have been curious about this one. Armed with a $10 voucher which can be used with minimum spending of $50 before taxes, me and my friend trooped down on a Sat evening to find it surprisingly not full.
Tomato soup ($5.80) - surprisingly, not too bad! I've never been inclined towards tomato soup as they've always been sourish and nothing else. But this was quite light and had bits of tomatoes in it which provided a bite.
Salmon Caparccio ($8.80) - Good! Fresh slices of salmon with diced onions and dressed with some sesame oil thingy.
Curry katsu udon ($15.80) - Average unfortunately, with the katsu already soggy when served. and the meat very tough to bite into. Not worth the price for me.
Hokkai curry ramen ($15.80) - This fared a bit better and ramen went well with the curry soup. The scallops and salmon in it made it a better value choice than the katsu udon.
Service leaves much to be desired with all very young staff acting clueless. I asked for a Heineken and was met with a confused slow drawl repeating "Hein....e...ken?".
I find some items overpriced and suspect people are here because they are curious more than wanting to eat good food. Prob will not return.
Rating given:
I had the luck to be given their member card, the Granton card, as the buyer of the card didnt want to go so I made a booking for 2pax on a Friday night to try out the 1-4-1 main course and also redeem the bottle of wine which the card entitles me to.
Layers of sliced eggplant filled with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and basil ($12.90) - this was really really good. The eggplant was in generous slices and not overcooked, the fillings were all good, and it came sort of in a tomato base which mixed very well with the melted cheese. I miss this already! (there's an option to have this as your main for $19)
Grilled green shell lobster with extra virgin olive oil served with pasta ($39.90) - the lobster was surprisingly of a good size and came with baked cheese on top - simple and nice! The pasta serving was almost too generous as a 'side' and came perfectly al dente but was overly doused in cracked pepper for me. Still good though, just that I needed plenty of water to go with it.
Oven baked black cod crusted with herbs and served with garden greens ($36.90) - I had a bite of the black cod and it was firm and fresh without the need for any over-seasoning.
Redeemed white wine - came chilled and was refreshingly fruity and extremely easy to drink.
Service was poor as the place was obviously understaffed for a Fri evening although the seating capacity was not big. Staff hurried to take orders, pour wine, serve, and present bills and sometimes can be quite curt. Most of the crowd had the Granton card too and were obviously enjoying the deal as I was. Guests were turned away or asked to wait starting from about 8pm onwards so make reservations if you plan to come.
The prices reflected were after the 1-4-1 so it will obviously be alot pricier if you're dining without the Granton card.
Pardon me for the very dark photos - blame my iphone and the fact that I felt camera flashes there didnt do very well for the almost too cosy atmosphere.
Rating given:
Was scouting for a nice place for a leisure high tea with friends and decided to take a shot at 10Scotts since I've never been there before (Goodwood was full and just recently been to Rose Veranda too).
10Scotts replaces the previous Scotts Lounge and what a welcome refurbishment it was. The dark and moody place was replaced by warm lightings and cosy furniture. The middle buffet area is set up to resemble a someone's kitchen which I thought was a cute touch.
The ambience was super cosy and was bustling with people but chit-chatting doesnt get drowned out. They have library seats (big sofa / cushion) on top of the normal dining tables which makes for more choices. They also have a private room that can sit maybe 14 in one long table.
The high tea is $48 without champagne; $78 with champagne. I liked that the items on the tray are all refillable and also have a mini buffet line to bulk up your choices.
On the 2-tier tray:
Egg mayo roll / salmon & cucumber roll - cucumber sandwich was quite classically nice and the salmon nice too, but the best was the egg mayo sandwich roll was very soft and the blend of mayo just nice and not too salty.
Curry puff - A little oily but the short crust pastry was stuffed with potatoes and (cant remember if there was chicken in it) and tasty. But 1 is enough.
Crab cake - read too much about it which may have led me to feeling a little disappointed. Nice and crispy and chokeful of crab meat but it was slightly bland for me.
Vietnamese spring roll - Disappointingly soggy rice skin and vege sticks not crispy.
Popiah - I dont have a preference for popiah so this was alright for me.
Buffet line
Items on offer were duck roll, dim sum, salad, desserts, freshly shaved parma ham and melon, cheese - while the items did bulk up the choices, most were not bad but non had that wow factor.
Service was good and the tea and coffee were all good. But they could have a system to leave at least 1 copy of the menu at each table instead of clearing all of them after each order, which made ordering your 2nd (and onwards) pot of teas a tedious process.
I like this place and would definitely return, although some of the items were misses. While one of my friends commented that the items on the tier was too asian, I welcome the difference. But I still think this place offers strikes a good balance between a tier and a high tea buffet.
Hyatt Gold Passport members can also earn dining points here - a bonus!
Rating given:
I am reviewing this after my treatment on Sat 11 Feb and realized that actually I did not get what I paid for on Groupon. The deal I purchased was: "$35 for 90 min Antioxidant Blackberry Body Polish Full Body Massage at Jean Yip Loft in Outram (Worth $249). Ginger Treatment Option Available." but I did not recall any body polish done. I received only a body massage plus the ginger treatment on my tummy.
I did not reconfirm the deal when I passed the voucher to the staff who attended to us because I trusted their staff to be professional, plus Jean Yip has a good reputation, so I did not worry too much.
I know there are 2 options to the voucher as below:
90 min Antioxidant Blackberry Polish Full Body Massage or 75 min Special Healing Ginger Remedy Full Body Massage.
When I asked the staff, I was informed that my treatment was for 90mins which had to mean the one with the antioxidant, isnt it?
Although the massage was generally quite good, it did not mean the staff can shortchange me like this. I am disappointed at this how they can inform that the treatment is 90mins but instead did the 2nd option and hoping we won't find out.
I already emailed to the loft - let's see what happens.
Rating given:
Tried this for a late lunch with family before they left to go back to China and it was not a bad choice after all! 4 adults and 1 baby had the following:
Penang hokkien prawn mee ($6.20) - traditional yellow noodles simmered to perfection with succulent big prawns, pork ribs, fish cake, bean sprouts, and kang kong in special prawn-based soup made from our chef's secret recipe - for all its hype, I expected more. I expected the stock to be no short than excellent but I was actually a bit disappointed as it was nice but really an 'okay-nice' level. The prawns were big, and so was the pork ribs.
Premium seafood fried koay teow ($9.90) - our popular penang fried koay teow with added prawns, squids and cockles - nothing premium about this I felt, and with only 4 small prawns, I wonder what the normal version is like. Tasty though but a tad oily.
Grilled Stingray ($7.90) - succulent stingray grilled with special homemade sauce - very small portion for the price but thankfully it was grilled just nice and the sauce slightly spicy which was very appetizing.
Grilled sotong ($6.90) - grilled tender sotong cooked in tasty special sauce that is chef's own creation! - fresh sotong but they could have been more grilled. The sauce was alright too.
Service was nothing to complain about, and the prices are really good too for a pre-departure hawker meal. The aircondition and the comfort more than made up for the price difference compared to a hawker centre. Would return to try their other things.
Rating given:
I have only tried Global Kitchen for a buffet breakfast many years ago and was excited when I saw that Citibank had a 1-4-1 buffet dinner that comes with free flow of Tiger beer (original price is $88 for 1 adult). So me and a girlfriend had a shot at it on the 7th day of CNY.
The place was rather quiet for a Sunday evening except for a handful of groups and the occasional hotel guests seeking a quiet and quick dining fix.
The buffet spread was how I remembered it to be: small. A quick walk around the spread but nothing really exciting.
Cold seafood - only 3 kinds: prawns, mussels, and oysters. Prawns were fresh and mussels alright. I didnt taste the oysters though.
Sashimi - only salmon which was nice, especially when tossed in the DIY Yu Sheng.
Appetizers - Squid salad, crab meat salad, mushroom salad, roasted vegetables, cold cuts, sushi etc. The squid salad looked promising but was overly salty, the crab meat salad salty too, the mushroom salad and roasted vegetables were oily and overcooked, and the sushi dry.
Mains -mostly Chinese to my disappointment, almost like a high-end zichar selection. Fried rice, fried noodles, vegetables with mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, beef fillets, lamb something. All very forgettable. The only western items were the roasted potatoes which were undercooked and ribeye which I didnt try. They also had a chicken rice station too.
Pasta station - you could have your choice of penne or spaghetti with either alio olio, cream, or tomato. My penne alio olio was bland and overcooked.
Hot soup - Soup Kambing and cream of cauliflower both of which I didnt try.
Hot noodles station - it was prawn mee that night and you can take your pick of condiments and blanch it with noodles. The stock was quite nice and the most memorable food item of the evening.
Indian food - the chicken tikka has been left out for so long it had turned absolutely dry.
Desserts - A decent selection of cakes and the one that made an impression was the small square of opera. The hot local dessert was Tao Suan and they had ice cream too but 2 boring flavours of chocolate and vanilla.
Dim Sum - Lobster and scallop dumplings both of which were dry after being left out for so long.
The stations I didnt try was salads and breads but I reckon no loss.
I had expected more given Pan Pac's reputation as a 5-star hotel. The variety and quality of the food leaves much to be desired - it almost feels like not much thought had been put into it. For $88 per person, some may argue that I was paying for the free flow of beer, but the buffet without beer is still $48 which is not worth it if you consider the high ratio of local dishes and boring selection.
A disappointment visit.
Rating given:
Taking advantage of a free Saturday evening, we decided to have dinner at Pierside - a rather well established eatery under the Marmalade group of restaurants.
Just across the shore from the towering Marina Bay Sands, Pierside Kitchen occupies a corner of One Fullerton, playing neighbour to Chinese restaurant, Jing. There is an option of alfresco dining or a rather dim air conditioned interior. We opted for the former as the weather held out fine but it was the view that proved to be the deal clincher.
Complimentary Bread - Served piping hot, the complimentary bread was small but simple. And the butter melted effortlessly, which made for a nice stop gap measure against hunger pangs.
Hokkaido Corn Chowder - Smooth and creamy with a light hint of corn and a dash of pepper to accentuate the flavour, the chowder had bits of sweet corn in it to give it that nice crunchy texture. Pretty decent if you ask me.
Pan Roasted Foie Gras - It's been a while since I've had decent foie gras and Pierside didn't disappoint. While I wouldn't go as far as saying that it was great, the foie gras was respectable by many measures. A little crisp on the outside with a relatively smooth and quivery inside sans the overpowering gamy taste. Best eaten with the accompanying prune.
Crispy Duck Confit with Celeriac Puree - Crisp skin coupled with pinkish, chewy meat - no complaints really. But somehow the duck confit came up short in taste, coming across as a little pedestrian. Still a decent eat nonetheless.
300 Day Grain Fed Braised Beef Cheeks - I personally didn't quite take to the risotto that came alongside the beef cheeks, finding it a little too soft for my liking. The beef cheeks however, were reasonably tender and flavourful, with the only issue lying in the small portion size. The obligatory greens came in the form of a single stalk of asparagus chopped into half and topped with pepper and salt. Overall a decent eat.
Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Mousse - What I liked about this dessert was the fact that it tasted like one of my favourite snacks, Reese's peanut butter cups! The mousse had a very strong taste of peanut butter (not so much salted caramel) and sat on a crunchy hazelnut base. Accompanying it was a nice dollop of vanilla bean ice cream and a few slices of caramalised bananas. Only recommended for those who really like peanut butter.
Banana Creme Brulee - The banana creme brulee looked different from your regular creme brulee in a bowl/cup. It was rectangular and flat, with the less than quivery custard sandwiched between 2 layers of perfectly torched caramel. Adding weight to the dish were banana slices that were a little charred along the edges and a scoop of mascarpone ice cream. All in all a rather nice dessert!
With dinner for 2 hitting about $190, I wouldn't say it's anywhere near cheap or reasonable. And I am not sure the quality and quantity of food justifies the pricing. For me, it's probably going to be a one time off meal at Pierside.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Decided on this place for a Friday chillax evening, partly because I've never been here so wanted something refreshing amidst the crazy HV crowd.
The non-existent crowd here at 7pm should have been a sign, whereas Tangos and Wala Wala on the other side of the road was packed to the brim. They serve Archiepalego beers but strangely enough, no happy hour for them at all. They have a 1-4-1 on wines using Amex cards but that's about it.
Beers $10 for sampler & $14 for 1 pint) - Nice Archiepalego beers especially the Summer Ale. The Belgium Wit was too light for me; the Bohemian Lager was good. They also have a sampler of their 4x tiny portions of their main brews for $10 which is a good start if you are unsure of what you like.
Country Steak Sandwich ($26) - Huge portion of steak with ciabatta-style bread complete with a mountain of soggy wedges. The steak itself was really just steak and bread - didnt see any other greens in it.
Pizza (Seafood Mushroom) ($24) - thin-crust base but it was burnt and had a little biscuit-like bite at the edges. You can pick 2 halves of different flavours for this price - the mushroom came with aged brie cheese and rocket leaves which was a nice blend of flavours. The seafood one was disappointingly sparse with small bits of squid, prawns, and mussels.
The crowd only started coming in about 8pm. Ambience is quite nice actually, with a live band which starts around 9:30pm-10pm. But I think the quality is not there yet and the menu generally is a little overpriced. Plus no cheap beer either, which is quite a shame - they should really buck up more on being competitive.
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Was recommended this place for a Sat chill-out - not a bad choice at all!
Occupying the previous 7atenine, Sauce has the advantage of having a 'waterfront' spot amongst the many other chillout places at Esplanade. The whitish decor has been replaced with a rather whimsical look complete with fake grass and mismatched but somehow quirky furniture which was actually quite nice for me. On a good day, the alfresco can be quite cool - also nice for people watching!
Sauteed mushrooms ($5) - nicely sauteed big button mushrooms although a tad heavy on the oil. Kudos to the chef for offering to re-do the dish for us as the first bowl has too much water / oil in it.
Chicken wings ($5) - Very nice! They use some sort of very fine flour from Japan to coat the wings and the result is absolutely delicious. They also very thoughtfully cut each mid-wing in half so its easier to eat. The spices dip accompanying it is also very good, with hints of ginger and garlic.
Spinach quesadilla ($5) - Alright with nothing to complain but gets tough when its no longer warm.
Asahi Premium ($9nett) - Their alcohol promotion is very good, with some offers at $5 for half pints but the Asahi premium is a good deal at $9 per print. And they are one of the rare places to have Asahi on tap.
The above lite bites are $5 each as each order of alcohol entitles you to order selected items at $5 as a promo price, good deal!
Service was nothing to complain about generally. But for the nice food and competitive prices, it was a pity that the place was less than half full on a Sat night. This place needs more publicity! I'll be back to try their mains.
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