Swensen’s Cafe Restaurant (Causeway Point)

This appreciation dinner for the committee members really came as a total surprise. For their hard work throughout the year, we were treated to a dinner at Swensen. Breaking new ground, this was a first, according to the old bird in the company, and I hope that this tradition will still continue even after the change of command on october 20. =p

As we get to choose our own main course, I decided on the Beef Stroganoff Baked Rice for 3 reasons below:

1) I am sick and tired of the popular Fish and Chips from Swensen as I have eaten that countless times. 2) From my experience, the steaks they offer are small in portion and not filling, plus they are not that good tasting anyway. 3) The Beef Stroganoff are the latest addition on their menu and from the pictures, they look appealing. =p

Well, to be truthful, the beef itself are good. They have almost everything you wish for: soft and tender, juicy, and with each chew, there is a faint stint of BBQ taste. The let down for this dish, in my opinion, lies in their baked rice. The cheese they put was plentiful, and I have no issue with that, but serving just plain white rice under the cheese, I think they could do better. The least they could do is to put some seasoning to the rice to make them smoother and better flavored, and one suggestion from me could be black pepper (idea copied from NYDC). =)

Filling not very satisfied, and since there is still cash to spare in the budget, the organizer decided to order the Swensen Earthquake to share for each table. This must be the best invention by Swensen thus far and I simply love their earthquake. Be it fulfilling to your taste bud (ice-cream) or visual (seeing the dry ice flowing out of the container like a volcano erupting), they have it all. With the excellent blending of their caramel and sticky chocolate syrup, together with the nice, tasty and smooth ice-cream, eating it can really send your emotion sky high!

Rate:7/10

Beef Stew

Beef Stew is what the dish is called, going at around $15 a dish. Coupled with their 1 for 1 lunch treat promotion, this seems like a good catch. There is always a risk involved trying out the new dish of the outlet, and today, I wish I had try another dish instead. Overall, the meal is not that horrible, but I feel that there are better beef stew elsewhere. Given the small amount that they are serving, it seems not justifiable for the price I had paid. Besides, I feel the dish is a bit on the salty side and the beef chunks given in the stew is pathetic, with most of the contents making up of carrots and celery. I wish Swenson should just try and stick to serving its fish and chip!

Rate: 5/10