I was at Vivo for some window shopping and dropped by at Kiehl's which is located near the taxi stand. It's well-known for their quality skincare so I decided to give it a try.
Once I stepped in, I was greeted with smiles but there wasn't any hounding. The staff stayed at a reasonable distance, ready to help when it is called for. That I did, and Ms. Joey Huang immediately appeared. I told her I was looking for a good moisturizer for people with sensitive skin. She asked some basic questions about my lifestyle and recommended me two types. After advising me on the benefits and differences between the two, she also showed me the different sizes available. What I liked was that she wasn't pushy about asking me to take the biggest bottles and such.
After paying, she also gave me 4 sachets of samples to try as I had told her that I was apprehensive about buying new products thanks to my sensitive skin. The service provided was definitely good.
The product I bought: Creme de Corps - The Original Rich Nourishing Cream 250ml for $54 Its yellow colour made me think that it was very thick at first but it came out watery. Once on the skin, a 20 cent dollop managed to cover quite a bit of area. As my skin is pretty dry, it was absorbed fast and didn't leave any greasy after-feeling. In fact, the area was immediately softer (slightly). I've applied it thrice since and my skin doesn't feel as parched as usual. Thanks to its texture I think this would last me about 1 and a half months which I find reasonable for its price.
Sage the restaurant is situated at Robertson Walk. It is a tastefully designed restaurant tucked away in the corner of the 2nd level. Warm cosy lights and soft jazz playing in the background made up a wonderfully romantic ambience. So it was no surprise there were couples enjoying themselves in little corners. There were two other small groups that Friday night. Our group of 10 trotted in happily with our trigger-happy fingers at 8 , ready to attack.
The food…
Amuse Bouche (Complimentary) A small shotglass of minced pork topped with tomato puree. I’m really not a fan of pork and was very apprehensive when this arrived first. But I was pleasantly surprised. The savoury tasteof the meat combined with the tangy tomatoes certainly prepared my stomach for the dishes to come.
Scallops Seared King Scallops on a salad of homemade squid ink capellini, marinated ocean trout and avruga caviar, braised scallop lips and leek & potato vichyssoise First up was the very fresh scallop served with on a creamy soup (potato vichyssoise). The scallop was well-cooked with a slight crisp on the outer layer, while still maintaining its texture inside. The soup that came with it was not too creamy and had many of us grabbing the bread for a good dip.
Foie Gras Pan-seared Duck Foie Gras with pistachio crust and fig compote, Granny Smith apple puree and a dressing of red grape mustard vinegar I have to admit. This is my first time and I’m glad it was here at Sage. The crisp on the outside and the lightness of the inside was a great combination of texture. The foie gras practically melted in my mouth and was definitely far from overwhelming. I loved the apple puree too!
Cod & Bouillabaisse Effeuille of Cod and and grey prawns in a seafood bouillabaisse with ratte potatoes and garden vegetables accompanied with rouille on toast I was so happy that I picked this dish! (There was Beef and Lamb) It’s because it’s not on Sage’s regular menu and if I didn’t pick it, I wouldn’t have tasted such goodness! The cod just melted in my mouth… and the bouillabaisse tasted just right. I can still imagine the taste.
Crème Brûlée Lavender Crème Brûlée with blood orange sorbet on redcurrant jelly and Navel orange meringue When the dessert was served, I was really full and satisfied by the main already and didn’t feel ready to tackle anymore. But the nicely sour sorbet helped a bit. I liked how the jelly and sorbet went together as the jelly was a little bland but gave a different texture to the sourness of the sorbet. I enjoyed the crème brûlée but not the meringue which was too sugary sweet for my liking.
The damage: $1022 for 10 of us (inclusive of a bottle of wine) Individual damage: $96 (I didn’t drink)
It was expensive, but strangely enough I didn’t feel any heartache. Maybe that’s what great food and good ambience does to people.
Whee Fashion Fusion @ Suntec! It was held on the 24th and 25th (which is TODAY) in Room 325. I was there as a Vendor (a mini one) and a shopper!
As a Vendor... I knew that there were some grievances that there was little space, however I liked it that way! It's a bazaar! And I think it should certainly look like one. Everyone managed to place their items somehow in the end so there wasn't much problems. There was sufficient space for people to move about, so that was fine too.
The place is air-conditioned so that's a big plus compared to other places where you'll die in the sweltering heat (like today).
The location is very good and I'm sure everyone knows where Suntec is. So regulars could drop by easily without getting lost. It's also more convenient for people as they could go for a movie or dinner after hopping by for a short shopping spree. So I think that's a motivating factor for people who know about this event beforehand. Also, at times when business was slower, the staff dashed down to give out flyers so that people who were already in the mall would drop by. That helped a lot. Can you imagine if you were in some warehouse flea market? Where are you going to do last minute publicity stunts? So this was a great location.
The team also made efforts to put up posters and banners all over to inform people of the event on the 3rd floor.
I liked how the staff got along with people and are receptive to feedback.
But I think there should have been two mobile dressing rooms in the shopping area itself. Although it was already cramped, but I think it was a little nerve-wrecking for vendors to let customers take the clothing out of the toilet to try without paying first. (Luckily I didn't sell clothing)
As a Shopper I would love to see MORE vendors! But one good thing was that the items sold were not very similiar. Most of the items were for women, if not all... So that's a plus for me. But I think it would be great if there were things that appealed to men too, so that the male companions wouldn't be tapping their feet or looking at their watches.
I think the limiting factor could be.. the theme... Fashion Fusion. If it were ... "THE BAZAAR" there could be car-related items or toys to entertain the men. But that's my two cents.
I liked how many modes of payment were accepted. That really helped some of the customers, so that no one had to walk to find an ATM.
As a Yebber.. the overall experience...
IT WAS FUN! I LOVED IT. I was excited the night before and the whole experience really didn't disappoint. Although I didn't make a lot of money but I managed to let people know about my blogshop and I got to know many friendly nice people! In fact, I got so ecstatic, I started posing for pictures all over (which is a first, mind you.) I wouldn't miss the next one for anything.
Tutu Kueh! Yummy! Guess I was lucky, as I was the last customer who ordered the Durian filling ones. So they stuffed all the remaining bits of fresh durian into my kueh!
As it was late, there were many diners at Food Republic. And many ordering their Tutu. Although I was very full, I couldn't resists trying the durian tutu. They're slightly more expensive, 3 for $2. But for me, I find that its surely worth it.
Can't compare the usual fillings with those in my photos as I was lucky to be the last customers. You can see that the filling was so much that it cracked the surface of the tutu!
I will surely go back for more durian tutus. Yummilicious!
Thanks to Great Sage for posting his reviews. It reminded me about my encounter with them! :)
I decided to try this branch that's newly opened. The place was not cluttered while the aircon was too cold for my liking. Perhaps it was a rainy day.
I tried the soup of the day (tomato) and a half sandwich that contained mushrooms (my favourite). The wait wasn't that long as the place was not full. I liked the sandwich because it was just enough for me. However, my soup and tea got cold too easily due to the low temperature.
It would have been more enjoyable if the temperature wasn't too cold. Cost wise is about $15 per person.
Hong Kong Café along East Coast Road. is one of the more authentic hong kong style cafes compared to those like Central or XinWang. The ambience makes you feel like you're in HK...We can feel the small flies buzzing around while we wait for the food. haha
We had : -
Golden Fantasy Not fantastic although it is recommended by the media and the chef(it had 2 blue and red stars). The mango puree is very watery .The taste I had was from the mango ice cream instead.The seed toppings were bitter which was suppose to contrast with the natural sweetness of the mango puree,but in the end,no.. All I had to taste was the articifial sweetness from the mango ice cream.Not recommended at all.
Fried Hor Fan with fish & Bean Sprouts One look at the picture.It is actually FRIED BEAN SPROUTS with fish and hor fan… I asked my friend : “ Did I order a vegtable meal instead?" They are overly generous with the bean sprouts. Although I m a bean sprouts fan but its too much… Overall, I like it still because it’s a light meal. You can taste the old style frying, typical of a hawker u will find in the olden days in smith street. Very Cantonese.I would recommend it.But at $7.50, it’s a bit steep.
The service was good.They had the “customer is always right” attitude. The customer sitting beside me spilled his drinks all over himself while drinking it. The supervisor was quick to react. She was so apologetic, while helping him clean up. It was obvious that it was not her fault because she was miles away from him. But her attitude is commendable.I think a typical Singaporean waitress who start to roll eyes…etc… I would go back again in the evenings.
But sometimes the queue really puts me off and the lack of parking.... take the bus if you can :)
**Updated** I went again recently and had two delicious dishes which I HAVE to share with you guys.
I was there just a couple of days ago for a late night supper.
Item 609 Spicy Salt and Pepper Deep Fried Squid $7.20 Yes it is calamari... :) The batter was light and and very tasty. I liked how it wasn't oily and we were using eating every single last bit of it.
Item 684 Golden Fried Crispy Mushroom $6.20 I had this once and had a good impression of it, so I ordered it again. This time was even better than the last! They changed the kind of mushrooms they used and it does suit the batter more now. Ultra delicious and it is a must try!
Waraku (Katong) is one place which I keep walking past many times, peer in but never walk in. Finally I managed to drag my colleague there with me one lazy weekday afternoon. There weren't any customers then since it was technically tea time so we had all the attention.
The servers were very polite and were very smiley. The ambience was pretty casual but it was really cramp with all the tables close to each other. A little claustrophobic, so luckily it wasn't crowded. But it's a full house at dinner time so you might want to make reservations if you intend to go then.
We ordered:- Horenso and Bacon Cream MMmmM It smelt so good when it came in its HUGE bowl. I was really apprehensive about the cream because I'm never a fan of cream based sauces... but I tried it anyway. It wasn't as thick as it looked yet it had a lot of flavour. It was served on Noodles and with rice on the side. Lots of ingredients to go ard. I'd say this is good value for $12.90...
Katsu Curry Don I regret ordering this the moment I ordered. Not because it looked horrible but because the other things looked so interesting and I chose such a safe option! So Dumb. A safe option it might be... it wasn't good enough. The curry is one of the salty-est I've tasted. And there was SO MUCH sauce but no rice. And 3 pieces of chicken. How does it add up?! So I ended up eating only half of it... the rest was just too salty to take.
Amazingly I would be going back. We paid about $28-$30 for the two of us...Which is not really value for money but the rest of the things on the menu really enticed me and I think it deserves another try. :)
But service did falter when they had more people... we got our bill really slow.... :P
Royal China at Raffle Arcade. Interestingly, the 1st Royal China Resturant is in London. I found it amazing that they have food that suit Asians. The ambience of the restaurant is great. The decor is beautiful and even the setting of the table matches the rest of the restaurant. Its not noisy compared to a typical Yum cha resturant
We had : -
Cha Siew Buns Good..The fillings are just right and very savoury.There weren't any fatty bits and I liked it very much. Royal China Speciality Cheong Fun It is the combination of Cha Siew, prawns and scallop. Texture of the cheong fun is good. Not the typical kind where it just crumbles easily once pick it up. It is very Q~.
Glutinous Rice Very fresh fillings with bits of prawns mushrooms etc.the rice was soft but not that sticky nor dry. Just right.
Scallop dumplings Recommended. The skin is thin but didn't break easily. There scallop inside was fresh.
XiaoLong Bao (shanghai dumplings) I didn't find anything nice about this dish. It was just normal. There wasn't much soup inside and the filling wasn't as savoury as I had hoped.
Steamed Beancurd The filling on top was a bit too overpowering for my liking. Too much for so little beancurd that it destroyed the balance. Not really what I expected.
Deep Fried Beancurd rolls One of the dishes I enjoyed most. It was crisp and not oily like what I taste in other restaurants.
Mango Rolls A combination of Mango and prawns is pretty unique, I must say. It's worth a try as the taste is quite soothing.
Cha Siew Sou (roasted pork puff) I loved it. The crust outside was baked just right.Not overly baked. I like the sweet filling of the cha siew.
Custard bun Not recommended.I had better custard buns.The fillings tasted a bit weird for my liking.
Chicken porridge I LOVED THIS DISH! Although it's a really common dish but it was excellent. The texture is perfect and the slices of chicken are big enough. It wasn't too bland nor too salty. Just right.
Century egg porridge Similiar texture with century egg.
Fried Turnip cake It's just another normal dish. It is not crisp enough.
Ou Ni (Yam paste) I'm a yam paste fan, but this is not up to my standard. No doubt, the yam paste is made from fresh yam. The paste was a bit too dry and lumpy. It was not soft enough.One thing I m quite surprised with was that the paste came with Almond sauce instead. Quite a interesting combination. I love almond paste also.I would order it again only because of the combination.
Herbal jelly with mango (GuiLing Gao w mango ) Very nice presentation. The Guiling Gao was very concentrated. The bitterness of the herbal jelly contrasted with the sweetness of the mango puree.It goes well.
Mango Sago Plum (You Zi Piao Xiang) It tasted pretty much like what is served in other places.
The bill came out to $95,which I find reasonable for 4 people. The service is excellent. The aunties were very nice and kept our Tea had been topped up constantly. The plates were changed constantly.
I would definitely go back. Reservations are needed though.
I visited Cafe Cartel twice. It seems that their service level varies according to the time. My 1st time was rather smooth, I got my orders and ice water without much prompting.
The 2nd time, it was nearly full and we sat next to a group of students. The servers were busy and there was no ice water for 15 minutes. While the food is not that bad, we were rather disappointed that we had to ask for a refill for the ice water.
While there were many tables, the arrangement of the tables and chairs are too close to each other, one has to practically squeeze or suck in the stomach in order to get to the table where there is a free flow of bread. If there is no way to get past between the chairs, one will have to walk around other tables to get to the free flow.
Their cheesecake is good. However, since it was late, I couldn't get the cheesecake I wanted. So, if you love cheesecakes, ask them for the availability.
-----
Update: 12 Jul 2008 The table given was simply too small to squeeze into. They seriously need to change the way the sofa seats are placed in front of the tables.
We asked for warm water. The waiter got us warm water and placed the jug on the table. He said "Help yourselves" and left.
The service charge should be waived as they don't do anything much except to bring the utensils and food to the tables. The iced water had to be refilled by ourselves too.
Pasta de Waraku is tucked away in the corner of Marina Square.. but it's certainly not quiet. We arrived at 6pm, thinking of grabbing an early dinner without making reservations. There were only two of us so we confidently thought that we would be able to get in with ease since the Restaurant was empty. But we were asked to wait for almost 10 minutes whilst they tried to figure if they were fully booked. So MAKE RESERVATIONS... but finish reading this review first.
The overall decor was casual and modern. It's quite comfortable with suitable lighting but it's definitely more for families and casual friends. Not quite a place you would bring a date you want to impress.
We ordered: Wafu Unatama Pasta (Eel with Egg on Pasta) Dry Curry Pilaf (Jap Style Curry Fried Rice with Pork Bacon) Ichigo Sundae Shirafama Redbean Sundae
In appearance, the pasta was not impressive. You could hardly find any eel anywhere and it was covered with egg. In taste, it was worse. It was very dry and the pieces of eel all flaked into pieces. They were so soft that it became difficult to taste it. I could hardly bring myself to eat the egg, which was tasteless. The only consolation was that it was a sizeable serving, but in this case I'm not sure it is a good point.
The rice was not much better. In appearance it looked even worse... The serving was small and it looked like a mash of yellow bits with little of anything else. It tasted salty, with a tiny taste of the Jap style curry. You could count the bits of meat with your fingers.
I regretted ordering the two desserts. They tasted exactly the same and looked nothing like the pictures in the menu. Not to mention both were already swimming in liquid when they arrived.
We paid $52 for both of us, which I find expensive for such mediocre food. The only thing I was happy with was the service. They were quick to respond and always smiling.
1=SGD 0.0587
I was at Vivo for some window shopping and dropped by at Kiehl's which is located near the taxi stand. It's well-known for their quality skincare so I decided to give it a try.
Once I stepped in, I was greeted with smiles but there wasn't any hounding. The staff stayed at a reasonable distance, ready to help when it is called for. That I did, and Ms. Joey Huang immediately appeared. I told her I was looking for a good moisturizer for people with sensitive skin. She asked some basic questions about my lifestyle and recommended me two types. After advising me on the benefits and differences between the two, she also showed me the different sizes available. What I liked was that she wasn't pushy about asking me to take the biggest bottles and such.
After paying, she also gave me 4 sachets of samples to try as I had told her that I was apprehensive about buying new products thanks to my sensitive skin. The service provided was definitely good.
The product I bought:
Creme de Corps - The Original Rich Nourishing Cream
250ml for $54
Its yellow colour made me think that it was very thick at first but it came out watery. Once on the skin, a 20 cent dollop managed to cover quite a bit of area. As my skin is pretty dry, it was absorbed fast and didn't leave any greasy after-feeling. In fact, the area was immediately softer (slightly). I've applied it thrice since and my skin doesn't feel as parched as usual. Thanks to its texture I think this would last me about 1 and a half months which I find reasonable for its price.
Rating given:
Sage the restaurant is situated at Robertson Walk. It is a tastefully designed restaurant tucked away in the corner of the 2nd level. Warm cosy lights and soft jazz playing in the background made up a wonderfully romantic ambience. So it was no surprise there were couples enjoying themselves in little corners. There were two other small groups that Friday night. Our group of 10 trotted in happily with our trigger-happy fingers at 8 , ready to attack.
The food…
Amuse Bouche (Complimentary)
A small shotglass of minced pork topped with tomato puree. I’m really not a fan of pork and was very apprehensive when this arrived first. But I was pleasantly surprised. The savoury tasteof the meat combined with the tangy tomatoes certainly prepared my stomach for the dishes to come.
Scallops
Seared King Scallops on a salad of homemade squid ink capellini, marinated ocean trout and avruga caviar, braised scallop lips and leek & potato vichyssoise
First up was the very fresh scallop served with on a creamy soup (potato vichyssoise). The scallop was well-cooked with a slight crisp on the outer layer, while still maintaining its texture inside. The soup that came with it was not too creamy and had many of us grabbing the bread for a good dip.
Foie Gras
Pan-seared Duck Foie Gras with pistachio crust and fig compote, Granny Smith apple puree and a dressing of red grape mustard vinegar
I have to admit. This is my first time and I’m glad it was here at Sage. The crisp on the outside and the lightness of the inside was a great combination of texture. The foie gras practically melted in my mouth and was definitely far from overwhelming. I loved the apple puree too!
Cod & Bouillabaisse
Effeuille of Cod and and grey prawns in a seafood bouillabaisse with ratte potatoes and garden vegetables accompanied with rouille on toast
I was so happy that I picked this dish! (There was Beef and Lamb) It’s because it’s not on Sage’s regular menu and if I didn’t pick it, I wouldn’t have tasted such goodness! The cod just melted in my mouth… and the bouillabaisse tasted just right. I can still imagine the taste.
Crème Brûlée
Lavender Crème Brûlée with blood orange sorbet on redcurrant jelly and Navel orange meringue
When the dessert was served, I was really full and satisfied by the main already and didn’t feel ready to tackle anymore. But the nicely sour sorbet helped a bit. I liked how the jelly and sorbet went together as the jelly was a little bland but gave a different texture to the sourness of the sorbet. I enjoyed the crème brûlée but not the meringue which was too sugary sweet for my liking.
The damage: $1022 for 10 of us (inclusive of a bottle of wine)
Individual damage: $96 (I didn’t drink)
It was expensive, but strangely enough I didn’t feel any heartache. Maybe that’s what great food and good ambience does to people.
More pictures here
Rating given:
Whee Fashion Fusion @ Suntec! It was held on the 24th and 25th (which is TODAY) in Room 325. I was there as a Vendor (a mini one) and a shopper!
As a Vendor...
I knew that there were some grievances that there was little space, however I liked it that way! It's a bazaar! And I think it should certainly look like one. Everyone managed to place their items somehow in the end so there wasn't much problems. There was sufficient space for people to move about, so that was fine too.
The place is air-conditioned so that's a big plus compared to other places where you'll die in the sweltering heat (like today).
The location is very good and I'm sure everyone knows where Suntec is. So regulars could drop by easily without getting lost. It's also more convenient for people as they could go for a movie or dinner after hopping by for a short shopping spree. So I think that's a motivating factor for people who know about this event beforehand. Also, at times when business was slower, the staff dashed down to give out flyers so that people who were already in the mall would drop by. That helped a lot. Can you imagine if you were in some warehouse flea market? Where are you going to do last minute publicity stunts? So this was a great location.
The team also made efforts to put up posters and banners all over to inform people of the event on the 3rd floor.
I liked how the staff got along with people and are receptive to feedback.
But I think there should have been two mobile dressing rooms in the shopping area itself. Although it was already cramped, but I think it was a little nerve-wrecking for vendors to let customers take the clothing out of the toilet to try without paying first. (Luckily I didn't sell clothing)
As a Shopper
I would love to see MORE vendors! But one good thing was that the items sold were not very similiar. Most of the items were for women, if not all... So that's a plus for me. But I think it would be great if there were things that appealed to men too, so that the male companions wouldn't be tapping their feet or looking at their watches.
I think the limiting factor could be.. the theme... Fashion Fusion. If it were ... "THE BAZAAR" there could be car-related items or toys to entertain the men. But that's my two cents.
I liked how many modes of payment were accepted. That really helped some of the customers, so that no one had to walk to find an ATM.
As a Yebber.. the overall experience...
IT WAS FUN! I LOVED IT. I was excited the night before and the whole experience really didn't disappoint. Although I didn't make a lot of money but I managed to let people know about my blogshop and I got to know many friendly nice people! In fact, I got so ecstatic, I started posing for pictures all over (which is a first, mind you.) I wouldn't miss the next one for anything.
Way to go Yebber!
** I'm happy I'm first!**
Rating given:
Tutu Kueh! Yummy! Guess I was lucky, as I was the last customer who ordered the Durian filling ones. So they stuffed all the remaining bits of fresh durian into my kueh!
As it was late, there were many diners at Food Republic. And many ordering their Tutu. Although I was very full, I couldn't resists trying the durian tutu. They're slightly more expensive, 3 for $2. But for me, I find that its surely worth it.
Can't compare the usual fillings with those in my photos as I was lucky to be the last customers. You can see that the filling was so much that it cracked the surface of the tutu!
I will surely go back for more durian tutus. Yummilicious!
Thanks to Great Sage for posting his reviews. It reminded me about my encounter with them! :)
Rating given:
I decided to try this branch that's newly opened. The place was not cluttered while the aircon was too cold for my liking. Perhaps it was a rainy day.
I tried the soup of the day (tomato) and a half sandwich that contained mushrooms (my favourite). The wait wasn't that long as the place was not full. I liked the sandwich because it was just enough for me. However, my soup and tea got cold too easily due to the low temperature.
It would have been more enjoyable if the temperature wasn't too cold. Cost wise is about $15 per person.
Rating given:
Hong Kong Café along East Coast Road. is one of the more authentic hong kong style cafes compared to those like Central or XinWang. The ambience makes you feel like you're in HK...We can feel the small flies buzzing around while we wait for the food. haha
We had : -
Golden Fantasy
Not fantastic although it is recommended by the media and the chef(it had 2 blue and red stars). The mango puree is very watery .The taste I had was from the mango ice cream instead.The seed toppings were bitter which was suppose to contrast with the natural sweetness of the mango puree,but in the end,no.. All I had to taste was the articifial sweetness from the mango ice cream.Not recommended at all.
Fried Hor Fan with fish & Bean Sprouts
One look at the picture.It is actually FRIED BEAN SPROUTS with fish and hor fan…
I asked my friend : “ Did I order a vegtable meal instead?" They are overly generous with the bean sprouts. Although I m a bean sprouts fan but its too much…
Overall, I like it still because it’s a light meal. You can taste the old style frying, typical of a hawker u will find in the olden days in smith street. Very Cantonese.I would recommend it.But at $7.50, it’s a bit steep.
The service was good.They had the “customer is always right” attitude. The customer sitting beside me spilled his drinks all over himself while drinking it. The supervisor was quick to react. She was so apologetic, while helping him clean up. It was obvious that it was not her fault because she was miles away from him. But her attitude is commendable.I think a typical Singaporean waitress who start to roll eyes…etc…
I would go back again in the evenings.
But sometimes the queue really puts me off and the lack of parking.... take the bus if you can :)
**Updated**
I went again recently and had two delicious dishes which I HAVE to share with you guys.
I was there just a couple of days ago for a late night supper.
Item 609 Spicy Salt and Pepper Deep Fried Squid $7.20
Yes it is calamari... :) The batter was light and and very tasty. I liked how it wasn't oily and we were using eating every single last bit of it.
Item 684 Golden Fried Crispy Mushroom $6.20
I had this once and had a good impression of it, so I ordered it again. This time was even better than the last! They changed the kind of mushrooms they used and it does suit the batter more now. Ultra delicious and it is a must try!
Rating given:
Waraku (Katong) is one place which I keep walking past many times, peer in but never walk in. Finally I managed to drag my colleague there with me one lazy weekday afternoon. There weren't any customers then since it was technically tea time so we had all the attention.
The servers were very polite and were very smiley. The ambience was pretty casual but it was really cramp with all the tables close to each other. A little claustrophobic, so luckily it wasn't crowded. But it's a full house at dinner time so you might want to make reservations if you intend to go then.
We ordered:-
Horenso and Bacon Cream
MMmmM It smelt so good when it came in its HUGE bowl. I was really apprehensive about the cream because I'm never a fan of cream based sauces... but I tried it anyway. It wasn't as thick as it looked yet it had a lot of flavour. It was served on Noodles and with rice on the side. Lots of ingredients to go ard. I'd say this is good value for $12.90...
Katsu Curry Don
I regret ordering this the moment I ordered. Not because it looked horrible but because the other things looked so interesting and I chose such a safe option! So Dumb. A safe option it might be... it wasn't good enough. The curry is one of the salty-est I've tasted. And there was SO MUCH sauce but no rice. And 3 pieces of chicken. How does it add up?! So I ended up eating only half of it... the rest was just too salty to take.
Amazingly I would be going back. We paid about $28-$30 for the two of us...Which is not really value for money but the rest of the things on the menu really enticed me and I think it deserves another try. :)
But service did falter when they had more people... we got our bill really slow.... :P
Rating given:
Royal China at Raffle Arcade. Interestingly, the 1st Royal China Resturant is in London. I found it amazing that they have food that suit Asians.
The ambience of the restaurant is great. The decor is beautiful and even the setting of the table matches the rest of the restaurant. Its not noisy compared to a typical Yum cha resturant
We had : -
Cha Siew Buns
Good..The fillings are just right and very savoury.There weren't any fatty bits and I liked it very much.
Royal China Speciality Cheong Fun
It is the combination of Cha Siew, prawns and scallop. Texture of the cheong fun is good. Not the typical kind where it just crumbles easily once pick it up. It is very Q~.
Glutinous Rice
Very fresh fillings with bits of prawns mushrooms etc.the rice was soft but not that sticky nor dry. Just right.
Scallop dumplings
Recommended. The skin is thin but didn't break easily. There scallop inside was fresh.
XiaoLong Bao (shanghai dumplings)
I didn't find anything nice about this dish. It was just normal. There wasn't much soup inside and the filling wasn't as savoury as I had hoped.
Steamed Beancurd
The filling on top was a bit too overpowering for my liking. Too much for so little beancurd that it destroyed the balance. Not really what I expected.
Deep Fried Beancurd rolls
One of the dishes I enjoyed most. It was crisp and not oily like what I taste in other restaurants.
Mango Rolls
A combination of Mango and prawns is pretty unique, I must say. It's worth a try as the taste is quite soothing.
Cha Siew Sou (roasted pork puff)
I loved it. The crust outside was baked just right.Not overly baked. I like the sweet filling of the cha siew.
Custard bun
Not recommended.I had better custard buns.The fillings tasted a bit weird for my liking.
Chicken porridge
I LOVED THIS DISH! Although it's a really common dish but it was excellent. The texture is perfect and the slices of chicken are big enough. It wasn't too bland nor too salty. Just right.
Century egg porridge
Similiar texture with century egg.
Fried Turnip cake
It's just another normal dish. It is not crisp enough.
Ou Ni (Yam paste)
I'm a yam paste fan, but this is not up to my standard. No doubt, the yam paste is made from fresh yam. The paste was a bit too dry and lumpy. It was not soft enough.One thing I m quite surprised with was that the paste came with Almond sauce instead. Quite a interesting combination. I love almond paste also.I would order it again only because of the combination.
Herbal jelly with mango (GuiLing Gao w mango )
Very nice presentation. The Guiling Gao was very concentrated. The bitterness of the herbal jelly contrasted with the sweetness of the mango puree.It goes well.
Mango Sago Plum (You Zi Piao Xiang)
It tasted pretty much like what is served in other places.
The bill came out to $95,which I find reasonable for 4 people.
The service is excellent. The aunties were very nice and kept our Tea had been topped up constantly. The plates were changed constantly.
I would definitely go back. Reservations are needed though.
Rating given:
I visited Cafe Cartel twice. It seems that their service level varies according to the time. My 1st time was rather smooth, I got my orders and ice water without much prompting.
The 2nd time, it was nearly full and we sat next to a group of students. The servers were busy and there was no ice water for 15 minutes. While the food is not that bad, we were rather disappointed that we had to ask for a refill for the ice water.
While there were many tables, the arrangement of the tables and chairs are too close to each other, one has to practically squeeze or suck in the stomach in order to get to the table where there is a free flow of bread. If there is no way to get past between the chairs, one will have to walk around other tables to get to the free flow.
Their cheesecake is good. However, since it was late, I couldn't get the cheesecake I wanted. So, if you love cheesecakes, ask them for the availability.
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Update: 12 Jul 2008
The table given was simply too small to squeeze into. They seriously need to change the way the sofa seats are placed in front of the tables.
We asked for warm water. The waiter got us warm water and placed the jug on the table. He said "Help yourselves" and left.
The service charge should be waived as they don't do anything much except to bring the utensils and food to the tables. The iced water had to be refilled by ourselves too.
Rating given:
Pasta de Waraku is tucked away in the corner of Marina Square.. but it's certainly not quiet. We arrived at 6pm, thinking of grabbing an early dinner without making reservations. There were only two of us so we confidently thought that we would be able to get in with ease since the Restaurant was empty. But we were asked to wait for almost 10 minutes whilst they tried to figure if they were fully booked. So MAKE RESERVATIONS... but finish reading this review first.
The overall decor was casual and modern. It's quite comfortable with suitable lighting but it's definitely more for families and casual friends. Not quite a place you would bring a date you want to impress.
We ordered:
Wafu Unatama Pasta (Eel with Egg on Pasta)
Dry Curry Pilaf (Jap Style Curry Fried Rice with Pork Bacon)
Ichigo Sundae
Shirafama Redbean Sundae
In appearance, the pasta was not impressive. You could hardly find any eel anywhere and it was covered with egg. In taste, it was worse. It was very dry and the pieces of eel all flaked into pieces. They were so soft that it became difficult to taste it. I could hardly bring myself to eat the egg, which was tasteless. The only consolation was that it was a sizeable serving, but in this case I'm not sure it is a good point.
The rice was not much better. In appearance it looked even worse... The serving was small and it looked like a mash of yellow bits with little of anything else. It tasted salty, with a tiny taste of the Jap style curry. You could count the bits of meat with your fingers.
I regretted ordering the two desserts. They tasted exactly the same and looked nothing like the pictures in the menu. Not to mention both were already swimming in liquid when they arrived.
We paid $52 for both of us, which I find expensive for such mediocre food. The only thing I was happy with was the service. They were quick to respond and always smiling.
I'm never going back again.
Rating given: