Greeted at the level which Nautilus was situated, we were led past private dining rooms, through a long, dark and ominous passage way, then up a flight of steps before the dining area of Soht and Baay finally came into view. What an elaborate walk just to enjoy a meal. One side of the restaurant had a nice view of Orchard Road facing Shaw and Marriott and the other side was adorned with rows of mini glass Thai Buddhas shelved against a mirror wall. The decor was aimed to look atas, abit too pretentious for my like.

Huffing and puffing up the stairs, the waiter attempted to make small talk only to laugh at his own joke. I applaud him for the weak attempt at humour but that was pretty awkward.

An amuse bouche was served and no one could tell me what it was until a 3rd staff was referred. I’ve pretty much forgotten what it was except that there were shreds of coconut, onions and peanuts arranged on a green leaf and I didn’t like it. I nearly barfed it out only to force myself to swallow it, Sorry for the gross illustration, not a fan of coconut.

Crispy Jasmine Rice Crackers ($16.90) came with Shrimp and Chilli Paste. It was good at the first few chomps, especially paired with the shrimp paste that had absolutely no hint of chilli but law of diminishing marginal utility started to set in from the 3rd piece onward, I’m not quite sure why cos it assayed pretty good to me at first.

Wok Fried Soft Shell Crab with black pepper and kaffir lime leaves ($25.90) was crispy and addictive even though I didn’t like the subtle licorice astringency in the gravy.

Tom Yum soup ($18.90) was flavourful, had an adequate amount of oyster mushrooms and only 1 piece of deshelled jumbo prawn in it. I liked the broth alot but look, patrons usually order a few dishes to share, why only 1 piece of prawn?! I don’t need the prawn to be jumbo size, a few more pieces of fresh prawns would be nice so one does not have to fight tooth and nail over that single crustacean in the soup.

Approbated by the waiter taking our orders, we ordered the Charcoal Grilled Squid ($20.90) with lime, garlic and chilli dip which was bereft of any other flavour other than the grilled charred taste. I guess that’s where the chilli dip comes in, and mine it was spicy hot. I didn’t think much of this dish.

Shredded Morning Glory ($19.90) cooked in sweet basil, garlic and oyster sauce bore a resemblance to jade green noodles but it fell short of glory with its insipidity. It was rather forgettable.

The dutiful waitress came around a few times to top up our respective orders of warm and iced waters. We had an order of rice which we requested to be cancelled but it came anyway. We sent it back only to find it being reflected on the receipt. Well, maybe the operations of the budding restaurant had not fully streamlined yet, hence the breakdown in communications.

One thing I didn’t like about dining here was that there is no toilet to be found within the premise of the spacious restaurant. Imagine we had wanted to go to the washroom at the beginning of the meal and was told to go down the way we came up and use the loos in the shopping mall. Well, we chose to suck it up and wait til the meal is over. Too much of a hassle to walk up and down. :/

For such normal Thai fare at such ritzy prices, I doubt I'd be coming back here.

2nd time I’m here in 2 years. Had a quick lunch with some colleagues and ordered half bowl of soup, half a roasted chicken, half a steamed chicken and a plate of veggies to share.

Both styles of chicken were tender and served with generous slices of cucumber. Chicken rice has gotta be one of the few carbos I like and partake willingly in a heartbeat and the chicken rice here was fragrant with a right degree of oiliness.

Soup and veggies were flavourful and gratifying.

Service was friendly with the auntie immediately leading us into the coffeehouse for seats upon our arrival. Serving of food was fast too. My gripe was that no warm water was served here. And the PRC waitress only came by 10 minutes later to inform. After the end of the meal, then did my colleagues realised their barley drinks weren’t served. We asked for a cancellation. When one of the aunties asked how the meal was and we brought the oversight up, she merely said that they will take note "next time". IF there’s a next time...which probably will la. I'm a sucker for good chicken rice. :p

I intended to visit APS around 1 year ago for a friend’s birthday celebration but it was closed on Sunday. Fast forward to 1 year later, I’ve finally had the chance to lunch here on a weekday after hearing so much about the set lunch menu.

Housed in a classic standalone black and white building on its own, APS looked imperturbable in its own compound away from the cluster of eateries at Dempsey area. However, all notion of the serenity image dispelled the moment the restaurant came into view. It was jam packed with patrons and the cacophony of the lunch crowd was even more unbearable in the enclosed enclave as compared to the al fresco area.

We were brought to a table near the entrance, to which I requested to be shifted to an empty table where I won’t be distracted with the shuffles of entrances and exits. The waitress declined flatly by giving an excuse that the table had been reserved for a potential patron who called in earlier than I did. Although I was sure the other patron would be none the wiser who made the reservations first, I reserved my internal processing to myself. So I sat down grudgingly and while waiting for the menu to be served, I started snapping some pics of the restaurant. Almost immediately, another waitress came by and offered me the exact same table I asked to be moved to. Hmph. Seemed like one of the ways to get your request acceded to is to whip out a camera. :/

Slices of warm crusty baguette with soft cottony middles were served to quell some hunger pangs in a bread basket as soon as orders were made.

For starters, we had the Escargots and Pork Rillette. The Burgundy snails were baked to perfection with just the right level of garlicky taste. The shredded pork paste was equally ambrosial in its own subtlety, served with mesclun salad in walnut dressing.

Onglet Beef, ordered in medium rare came exactly the way I asked for it, with caramelised shallots atop and crispy thin straight cut fries as sides.

“Crispy Filo”, the other main, was executed flawlessly with the paper thin outer layer crackling with crispiness when bite into, revealing the tender shredded braised duck meat within. The mushroom puree hidden beneath the pastry was gratifying as well.

I’ve had Profiteroles once before at Bakerz Inn and was totally not impressed with it. APS’s rendition was so much better. The choux buns remained crusty despite being buried in the heap of vanilla ice cream. However, I’d prefer if they were more generous with the sliced almonds.

Cake “Financier” served with mixed berries compote and vanilla whipped cream was nothing to shout about. I did not finish this dessert.

Other than the initial flap, service was alright and non-intrusive with the warm waters being topped up and plates cleared efficiently.

I’m inclined to revisit but not before I check out its other outlet at Chip Bee Gardens first, I guess.

We had our annual agency lunch here.

Just in case you are wondering where to park, you can always turn into Smith Street from the main road and park at the multi storey carpark. And even as you exit from the carpark and walk towards Smith St, there’s a big signboard of Yum Cha at the shop house that will eventually lead you there, on the 2nd level of the row of shop houses on Trengganu Street.

We ordered quite a lot of items to share; out of which I shall just comment on some of the more memorable ones.

The normal staple dim sum items of Hargow, siewmai and Deep Fried Beancurd roll were good. I liked the Chicken Claws too even though a couple of colleagues complained it was too spicy. I thought it was braised to perfection and was pretty well-marinated.

I was rather sceptical of the Duck Liver Xiao Long Bao at first cos I hate foie gras. Luckily for me and unfortunately for the rest who expected much, there was no hint of the fat liver. The skin of the dumpling was too thick and a dearth of soup in it. Likewise, Sharksfin XLB failed to impress.

Fish slice Chee Cheong Fun was rather special as we don’t get that elsewhere. Fish assayed of freshness and was light on the palate.

Most of my colleagues loved the Deep Fried Mango & Prawn Fritters and Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab, which I thought was nothing to shout about. Maybe cos I don’t really like fried items too much.

Char Siew Sou, one of my perennial favourite for dim sum, was disappointing as the BBQ sauce was not savoury enough.

Egg Tarts come in mini size and was so oh cute and dainty. They tasted even better than they look, with the neon yellow custard complementing well with the flaky crusted pastry.

I agree with what one of the reviewers mentioned about the congee here. We had the Abalone Congee and it was kinda like rice powder in soup form. The abalones looked like baby clams and one of my colleagues commented they were not real. If you must know, there were about 5 small abalones in a bowl of congee.

Well, at least I got to end my meal on a sweet note. Most of us had an order of the cold Hashima with red dates and I must say they were very generous with the ingredients. Hashima came aplenty, the red dates were sweet and juicy and the broth was simply addictive.

Service wasn’t tip top as most of the waitresses were busy serving the patrons who were having the hi-tea buffet. All of the orders came chop chop but it was when we asked for extra condiments of chilli or warm water that needed several reminders; make it at least 2-3 reminders. That was the only frustrating part, I guess.

I’m not sure of the individual prices as Lao Ban paid for this meal.

This was not my first visit as I had a weekend dim sum brunch here around 2-3 years ago. Food fare has improved considerably and prices were rather reasonable. This restaurant is still worth a visit or 2 if you haven't tried it already. Morever, it's stratgically situated in the heart of Chinatown; gives Singaporean an excuse to rediscover his/her heritage and foreigners another place to explore in Singapore. ;)

My sis brought me here for what she thought would be some nice western food near our house.

I was quite excited about the variety of salad here; coleslaw, potato , egg, greek, caesar, seafood, chicken avocado salad and ordered the lamb rib (which I hardly see elsewhere) to go with my 3 choices of Caesar, seafood and egg salads. The salads were served refrigerated cold and I doubt they were fresh; still a palatable eat regardless. Lamb ribs came all chopped up and laced heavily with fats; I was disgusted. The lamb also had a moderate gamy taste that I tried to mask by dousing my meat in the self service BBQ and chilli sauce.

Sis had the ¼ chicken and salad of Caesar, potato and greek salad. She gave some for me to try. I must say the potato salad tasted quite good. Chicken was dry and chalky.

Both orders had sides of thick cut fries sprinkled with some sort of paprika powder which were crispy, spicy and yummy!

The coffeeshop styled western food only impressed me with the salads and fries it offers as sides. The mains were terribly disappointing. On the bright side, the stall is ratherish near home and I could visit for some selections of salad if I ever get the craving.

I was surprised there was no listing of this restaurant when I came home to write a review for it. I don’t blame you. I didn’t know of its existence before too, until Lao Ban brought me for lunch here as he had a well-disposed meal from a prior visit. We are so lucky this restaurant is rather near our office.

Situated in the Metropolitan YMCA along Stevens Road, I’d think this restaurant caters mainly to the guests of the serviced apartments, which shouldn't be the case. No, the restaurant should do more awareness advertising so that non-denizens like me would know of its existence..

The restaurant was casually lined with tables and chairs and could easily pass off as a clean and well-managed canteen.

I had the western set of Pan Fried Fish Fillet which came with a bowl of minestrone soup and bread roll, choice of a scoop of vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream, and coffee/tea. The fish itself was fresh and flaky and came with generous servings of broccoli and carrots and a dollop of mayonnaise sauce. All these for $11 only. In town area. Just when I got sick of the mediocrity of Newton Hawker Centre. Woohoo!

Lao Ban ordered the claypot rice. I think it was priced in the 8ish. Claypot dish is one of my most hated dishes of all time cos of the revolting chao tar smell that emanates from the rice. And yes, I abhor carbo so this is a no-go dish for me. But Lao Ban seemed rather contented mixing and ingesting the black pile of gunk so claypot rice lovers may wanna have a go at it.

The servers were pretty amicable. Plain water was served here if you ask for it but there was no automatic topups. I wasn’t really expecting much from the laid back eatery anyways.

Oh and parking is free in the YMCA premises. :)

Well, we needed a lunch place after church and before our Reverie: Cirque on Ice matinee show, so I thought I’d check out the Singapore Indoor Stadium website for the list of dining choices available. Le Bistrot came up tops, especially with its Weekend Brunch from 10:30 am - 2:30 pm. I called for a reservation and asked whether there was a brunch menu, to which the person on the other end of the line affirmed. He even told me last order was at 2pm when I told him my reservation was for 2 at 130pm.

I was very taken with the whimsical and cosy cottage/grass shed decor of the restaurant with partial glass ceiling allowing natural lighting streaming into the main dining hall. We were led past an eclectic hodgepodge of framed pictures, accolades and ornaments hanging off the walls, which lent a vintage feel to the entire restaurant, into a smaller room with ambient lighting from the overhead caged bulbs.

We were given the normal ala carte menu at first, and were told brunch ended at 12pm when I asked about it. Feeling slightly miffed, I told the junior non-native waiter that the website stated brunch ends at 230pm and I was told last order for brunch was at 2pm over the phone. Alarmed, he brought a more senior steward over, who then assuage my missy hissy fit by graciously allowing the brunch menu to be extended to me. On hindsight, I should have checked the restaurant’s personal website for the details instead of relying on SIS’s website. Kudos to the senior waitstaff for efficient service recovery on the spot that was through no fault of his.

The Brunch Prix fixe ($28) consisted of a choice of tomato, orange or grapefruit juice, as well as a hot drink of coffee, tea or hot chocolate. One could also choose from a selection of butter croissant, pain au chocolat or sultana Danish for the pastries. You could have your eggs done in any style of omelette, scrambled or sunny side up with additional 2 choices of ingredients; natural, fine herbs, tomato concassoe, wild mushrooms or cheese. Toasted country bread, with butter was also included in the menu. If jams are preferred, you’d be spoilt for choices at the myriad of jams; orange, blueberry, fig, etc displayed at the main dining hall. Last but not least, a salad of marinated artichokes and mango-passionfruit sorbet were also served.

The toasted country bread was served tepid and wasn’t as crusty as I’d liked. The pain au chocolat satisfied the sweet tooth in me with the delish layer of melted chocolate within the pastry. When the marinated artichokes first arrived at the table, I’d thought it was steamed white chicken. A bite into it and I was proven once again looks can be deceiving. I also decided that artichokes are not my favourite greens. I‘d think that the mango-passionfruit sorbet was a dessert but it was one of the first items to be served. Hmph. Maybe it’s a French thing to have desserts before their main courses? I don’t know. I’m no expert in this field.

The omelette came enveloping the mushroom and layer of melted cheese within and was every bit as enjoyable as it looked. The salad greens on the side was very gratifying for some chomps. We also added an order of garlic pork sausage for $5++. Oily but delicious.

Hot Chocolate came in a thick mixture in a small pot with another small pot of skimmed milk. We could customised the thickness/milkiness of our hot drink. I liked the innovative and fresh idea.

For some variety, we also ordered an entree of Chicken Leg & Hokkaido scallops with Tarragon Polenta and Fennel Radish. Chicken Leg was juicy and tender but the scallops tasted pretty raw. Somehow Hokkaido scallops tasted fresher in Hokkaido than in Singapore. Hmph. We didn’t like the Tarragon Polenta, maybe cos we are not used to the uncommon staple.

Service was polite and impeccable after the initial dissent blew over. Waters were refilled attentively. Like I mentioned, I was impressed with the service recovery of the staff here. :)

By the pricing standards of Le Bistrot, it would be an expensive affair to dine here frequently. However, I found the brunch menu rather value for money. Hopefully, it would come up with a reasonable set lunch menu for weekdays as well?

So we came to Vivocity because of an errand to run in the area. I’ve long noticed Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant with its spaciousness and white-washed walls matched with blue ceilings Mediterranean decor but never had the chance to dine here. The restaurant also piqued my interest online cos of the gobs of dubious one-time reviewers’ writeups, some of which even had the same avatar pics (and I’m not talking about the default potbelly pic of HGW), which it seemed had been removed recently (good for the restaurant!). Well, to qualify, there were some positive mentions from a couple of acclaimed reviewers from the HGW community and so I was willing to take the plunge finally.

Traipsing gingerly into the restaurant, the first thing that greeted us at the door was the Singapore Top 100 Signature 2009 Award placed against the column of wall. This somewhat allayed some uneasiness about the standard of grubs served here.

We were quickly led into the cavernous area and the waiter asked us about the choice of seats. We decided to sink our butts into the comfiness of the orange plush sofa seats than the norm dining table and seats and the al fresco dining. The view was fantastic with the waterfront panoramic picture of Sentosa and the up and coming IR, which looked almost completed. The vibrancy of the Spanish culture was brought out over the catchy salsa music playing over the system.

Perusing the menu, we decided each on the Award winning signature dishes of Baby Lamb Rack ($32) and Salmon Papillote($30). We also had an order of Bacon Esparago ($12) from the range of tapas available.

Bacon Esparago was very gratifying with an adequate piece of bacon wrapping round stalks of asparagus. I liked the saltiness of the bacon that didn’t look or assay fatty nor oily. In fact, the sapidity of the bacon brought out the sweetness of the crunchy asparagus. I preferred partaking this on its own than with the tomato salsa that came with it or the chilli sauce we asked for.

Baby Lamb Rack, marinated in thyme and rosemary, was served with couscous and orange honey white wine sauce by the side. The baby lamb rack had a minimal gamey taste which was still tolerable and complemented wonderfully well with the orange sauce. I didn’t care for the couscous, however, which looked like tiny round version of rice. Nope, I’m not gonna get wasted on this carbo.

Salmon Papillote came wrapped in a white tracing paper and tasted very flaky and fresh, even with the heightened anticipation as the paper was tore open to reveal the steaming hot fish. Mashed potato and a couple of cherry tomatoes were served along as sides.

Service crew was efficient and eager to please. Our choice of waters was topped up very promptly without any prompting, even after we have asked for the bill. I have no complaints, whatsoever.

I’m glad to have dropped by for a satisfying lunch and honestly, Serenity most certainly didn’t need those shady reviews that created doubts over the integrity of the restaurant.

Amex cardholders have 15% off bill before service and GST.

This restaurant had been beeping under my radar due to the stellar reviews under its belt here at HGW. Finally made reservations for lunch and came full of expectations.

Located on the 1st level of Berjaya Hotel, there are 2 entrances to the restaurant; one via the hotel and the other from the walkway outside. The reception table was, however, placed at the other end of the hotel If you are coming in from the hotel, there was no signage for any indication of the restaurant and there was no one to greet you at the door. Well, linger long enough and a waiter would come eventually, as was my case.

We were brought to an inconspicuous corner of the restaurant, probably with good intentions as there was already a big group of patrons who were creating quite a cacophony. Despite the cool drizzle outside, Saraceno Ristorante radiates warmth and elegance with its orange lighting; classic white table cloths with brown weaved wooden chairs.

As soon as orders were made, a bread basket of 3 types of bread; plain, spinach and onion were served. I thought the spinach foccacia had a cheesy taste to it. Onion was my fave though with the chewy bits and fragrant foccacia. A pity all breads were served lukewarm.

Not wanting to overeat, we decided to share a main course and set lunch @ $28.80++.

Single main course of Confit of Duck with Asparagus and Orange Salad ($29.80) was sadly, disappointing. The skin of the duck was sticky and not crispy at all. It was also fringed with a layer of fat; I had to scrape it off with my knife. The meat was flaky but nothing to shout about. Sage remained my fave for serving up the best duck confit ever.

Out of all the choices available for each course of the set lunch , we chose the Prosciutto di Parma eon Melone for the starter, which was brilliant with the saltiness of the ham bringing out the juicy sweetness of the melon. Delizioso!

For the main course, Linguine with prawns, mussels and clams was elected. The molluscs were plenty and fresh. Tomato-based sauce was tangy without being over-flavored. I'm not a fan of pasta and this didn't change my mind.

Sweet of the day was the Almond Tart and it was served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and thoughtfully cut into half, for easier consumption or because the chef knew we were sharing it. I liked the slightly burnt surface with the crisp crust. However, overall, it wasn't especially mind-blowing. Maybe cos Almond Tart ain’t really my thang.

Service was polite but distant. As soon as we were seated, the waiter asked whether we wanted “Still or Sparkling”; to which I always answer with a “Warm water, please.” People who are not aware may fall into the trap and pay for premium bottled water. Well, water to me is water and I don’t see why I should pay if I could drink from a tap. A pot of water was placed on the empty table next to ours (cos the 2-seater table was really cramped), to which the waiter ignored throughout my entire meal. I had to reach over and pour myself the water, whereas iced water was topped up intermittently by the waiter. Maybe it’s my punishment for being troublesome? :/ It was hard to get the waiter’s attention after a couple more tables were filled up.

To be honest, I was a tad crestfallen by the standards delivered by the restaurant, given the glowing writeups here. I’d say it’s worth a visit but I think I’m done for now.

Recently renovated, Chatterbox is now located in an inconspicuous corner on the 5th level of Meritus Mandarin. One has to walk through a long stark white narrow passage that might set claustrophobics in a hyperventilating panic attack before reaching the entrance of the coffeehouse that paralleled a high class food court than an esteemed eatery in an established hotel.

Chicken Rice Set ($22) came with a bowl of soup, rice, steamed chicken garnished with cucumber, cherry tomatoes and lettuce topped with light soy sauce enough for 2 to share and 3 small dishes of chilli, dark soy sauce and ginger sauce. I’ve heard so much about the legendary fare since I was a little girl and was eager to just try a bit. Well, I didn’t exactly have a meal here. I stole a few bites from someone else’s dinner cos I had mine already. :p

The soup assayed of potent herbal broth and I had no doubt exquisite ingredients, care and time had been taken to simmer the consommé. The stock would be so perfect on a rainy day.

The rice was very fragrant! One of the best I’ve had. It was moist without actually being oily.

Now for the lead item of the evening, the Chicken itself was lacklustre. The meats I had weren’t exactly tender, even though I tried to pick the thigh. This was so disappointing. I definitely could get better Hainanese chicken rice in hawker centres without feeling being ripped off.

Service was horrendous for a 5 star hotel. Waters were only served 15 minutes after we asked for them. One of the waters was served iced cold instead of warm. I asked for a change and it came boiling hot. :/ A side dish order was placed along with the chicken rice but we were told it was not available along with my arrival of hot water. We realised an order of Iced Rambutan Shave never showed up and asked for it. The waiter left and came back in a jiffy. I think it had been left forgotten on the counter without anyone attending to it. Seriously, where's the pride, soldier?

Iced Rambutan Shave ($8), btw, conjures up image of an iced blended drink but it came in a small glass with rambutans soaked in what looked like syrup.

Amex cardholders have 15% off.

So the question is, would I be returning? I think I have done well without Chatterbox's Chicken Rice for the past 20 odd years of my life and I hadn't missed anything. Now you tell me.