The Cheesecake Cafe

okay, hits and misses for this cafe found along the siglap stretch.

lets talk about the hits first. the ambience of the cafe is really qt quaint and comfortable. totally suitable for nua-ing the lazy afternoons away (: i've been here a coupla times, but it's only on my last visit that i got a seat indoors, prolly cos this is the only time when i visited in the afternoon rather than at night. the interior boasts of a victorian feel, with many many paintings, statues, and ornaments adorning the place. i thot it seemed a lil' messy actually. haha. but that aside, it was really cosy sitting on the daybed-styled cushy seats listening to the fountain spewing water. oh, the cheesecakes are quite yummy too.

for the misses, i for one dont quite fancy their strict policy of requiring one order per customer. i thot it's a little inflexible? tho i understand that it's to ensure they get their revenue esp since they experience fullhouse v often. still, i didnt like the pressure of HAVING to order something. it's qt pricey too, so it's certainly not a place i'll choose to visit often.

To offer a balanced view, i must say that having stepped in, the physical ambience is very pleasant.

a pity though about the attitude and inflexibility of the staff.

we went as a big group of 8 people, plus 3 kids. the kids were 2, 4 and 5 years old. when we got to the cafe, the kids had a box of crisps they were holding and happily eating it by themselves.

upon entering, we were told "no outside food or drinks" in a very firm manner. i would have accepted the requirement/rule had it been a dripping ice cream, some packed food or something the adults were eating. but telling the kids to not come in was not pleasant. when i tried to speak to the manager behind the counter, he very curtly and condescendingly said "sorry no outside food" without any eye contact and whilst walking away. we were left to tend to the kids outside as a result.

i am an advocate of nice cafes like this, but to have inflexible rules imposed with an attitude is really an unpleasant experience. one can say where do we draw the line if we allow kids to come in with crisps, but will you stop parents with mild bottle or babies food?

Service and flexibility is of utmost importance in this day and age. sincerity of delivery of these rules also helps in customer acceptance. In this case, it was sorely lacking. i will not be visiting this cafe ever again. there are many many other cafes that are uncompromising in making a customer feel at home, that also serve cheese cakes: eg, hilton, borders cafe(amazing american cheesecake), NYDC etc. Singapore has enough good food places to visit without having to support places with attitude, and that, no matter how good the food, leaves a BAD TASTE.