Thursday (3 July 08). The group (RL, AG, ET) brought me here after our music practice for a birthday treat. They also helped to cheer me up and offered their listening ears to me.

I did not have any appetite, so I only ordered a dessert. I had the Grass Jelly with Watermelon Ice again, like on a previous visit. It was a monster dessert and I liked it very much, but I would have preferred if it were less sweet and less syrup was added to it.

Wednesday (2 July 08). My Singaporean Indian colleague brought us here for my birthday lunch. The sheer variety in the menu was amazing and mind-boggling. Even my Indian colleague was ignorant of some of the items in the menu. We ordered:

Corn Kebab
Choley Bhatura with the accompanying chickpeas curry
Salted Lassi
Mango Lassi
Masala Tea
Pau Bhaji
Garlic Naan
Masala Dosai
Some cheese and spinach ball in curry sauce (don't know the name)
Some cheese and toufu-like 'cake' in spinach sauce (don't know the name)
Kulfi

F&B:
I enjoyed the Corn Kebab and my Bhatura. My Mango Lassi was nice too. The Garlic Naan was ok.

I never had Pau Bhaji before, and so we ordered it. It turned out to be a deep-fried bread bun with a vegetable curry. We scooped the curry like a topping onto the bread bun. It was nice.

My favourite item in the whole meal was the curry sauce that came with the "cheese and spinach ball" (don't know what's it called in the menu). I was just scooping the curry spoon after spoon into my mouth. (I was not so hot about the "cheese and spinach ball", though.)

I did not really like the Kulfi here because it tasted "dusty".

A/S:
It has a very clean and comfortable air-conditioned dining environment.

Value:
NA because it was a birthday treat and I do not know how much the bill came up to.

Service:
The service was alright, but a little aloof. It took some effort to get their attention because they seemed to be staring into space.

Saturday (29 June 08). Came here for my birthday dinner with JC, AC, NS, QQ and CP. I was asked to choose the venue. I chose 103 because of the numerous positive reviews and felt assured that it would be a positive experience.

Italian Bruschetta
Salmon & Crab Meat w/Spaghetti in tomato
Salmon & Crab Meat w/Spaghetti in cream
Salmon & Crab Meat w/Spaghetti aglio olio (special request)
Saucy Beef Chunks w/Wild Mushroom sauce, Cajun Potatoes & Mesclun Mix
Ham & Cheese w/Herbal Tomato Wrap
Chicken, Cheese & Sun-dried Tomato
Flat White

F&B:
We had the Italian Bruschetta for starters. It was not the best that I've ever had, but still quite nice. It had a rich taste of olive oil and the bread was lightly toasted.

I had the Salmon & Crab Meat w/Spaghetti in tomato for my main course. It came with a slice of salmon and a decent quantity of crab meat mixed into the sauce. I liked the tomato sauce because it was watery and is my preference over a pasty/lumpy sauce.

A/S:
A very laid back and casual atmosphere that feels quite homely, but they should seriously do something about the wonky tables. The 6 of us were seated at 2 tables that were joined together and both of them had legs that were unbalanced!

Value:
Good.

Service:
The service was very polite with good initiative, but my impression was marred when I asked for ground black pepper. I was told that it is not available and was presented with the normal white type that comes as powder in a shaker. I pointed out that there was ground black pepper corn on my salmon, so how come I am being told that there is no ground black pepper available?!? Only after the lie was caught out did the pepper mill finally make its appearance. =(

Overall, I had an ok dining experience, but felt that it was over-hyped by the previous reviews. My thoughts about coming back here is that it is rather inconvenient by public transport and really lacks accessibility.

We had a 15% discount off the bill by making payment with a HSBC credit card.

Friday (27 June 08). We (JC, EO, JL+1 and myself) proceed here for drinks after our dinner from next door. KL+1 subsequently joined us. During the evening, I had 2 drinks.

Moscow Mule $15++ Vodka, Angostura and Ginger Beer
Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel $16++

I really like the music that they played here very much. I did recognise some oldies from way back like :
Needin' U (David Morales, 1998)
Moving Too Fast (Artful Dodger feat. Romina Johnson, 1999)
Out Of Control (Darude, 2000)
Innocente (Delerium feat. Leigh Nash, 2001)

As well as something old, but still relatively new as compared to the rest:
He's A Pirate (DJ Tiësto, 2006)
Faster Kill Pussycat (Paul Oakenfold feat. Brittany Murphy, 2006)


There was this silly encounter that I had when I was trying to order my White Zinfandel, that displayed the staff's utter ignorance.
RL – I want a White Zinfandel. (holding up the menu and pointing to the item)
Staff – Zinfandel? Oh, Beringer. That (Zinfandel) is the name of the country.
And I was like, yeah right, whatever you think that makes you happy…

Friday (27 June 08). Had dinner here with JC and my other friends, EO and JL+1. I made a reservation for 7PM, but when we arrived, it did not seem necessary because the restaurant was almost empty except for about 2 other tables that were occupied. We ordered the Chinatown Heritage Cuisine Set Menu for 6 at $11.80++ which consists of:
Samsui Ginger Chicken
Steamed Uncle Lapan
Beggar Rib
Beggar Bowl Tofu
Stewed Mushroom w Broccoli
Boiled Soup of the Day
Teochew Olive Rice

The food was enjoyable and generally tasty, but nothing extraordinary.

The service was good and efficient

Thursday (26 June 08). JC and I adjourned here for dessert after our dinner from directly across the street at Madras New Woodlands Restaurant.

RL – Khulfi Bar Special $7.50
JC – Tango Mango $6.90

F&B:
It was my first time eating Khulfi and I enjoyed it.

A/S
Seems like a 'junk' shop that sells all sorts of knick-knacks. It has a very laid back and relaxing atmosphere.

Value:
I found it really expensive.

Service:
Good. The owner was friendly enough to explain and recommend items.

Thursday (26 June 08). Had dinner here with JC. We ordered:
Poori Bajji
2x Chola Battura with Chenna
Salted Lassi
Mango Lassi

F&B:
The Chola Battura was not too bad, but I enjoyed the one at Annalakshmi 2 weeks ago a lot more. It was my first time trying Poori Bajji. It looks like a mini-battura since it is served "inflated" as well. The taste reminds me of chapatti.

It was also my first time trying Salted Lassi. It did not appeal to my taste buds and tasted absolutely vile to me. I did not mind the salty taste, but it was the strange "cheesy" taste that bothered me very much and I could not bring myself to have more than a few sips of it.

The Mango Lassi was ok, but lassi isn't really my thing.

A/S:
Simple and no-frills, yet clean.

Value:
Good.

Service:
Excellent. The waiter was patient and friendly to explain to us the items in the menu. I noticed that he was more than happy to explain the items that were being served to the tourist at the adjacent table. The service was indeed sincere.

Saturday (21 June 08). Had dinner here with JC. We were seated at a nice and quiet corner, near to the rear of the eatery. We had browsed through the menu outside before entering, so we were able to order quite promptly upon being seated.

RL - Black Pepper Crispy Chix $8.80
Crispy Chicken thigh, that just explodes with crunch. Topped with a fiery pepper sauce. If you're wondering, it's boneless!
JC - Black Angus Prime Sirloin $18.80
Who can resist 200g of prime striploin medallion, served with sautéed mushroom, caramelised onions & natural jus.

F&B:
The chicken was indeed crispy and I loved it. I was surprised to find 2 pieces of chicken thigh as I was only expecting one to be served. The fried chicken thighs came served with vegetables and potatoes. I felt that the potatoes would have been better if they were baked a little longer to make it slightly crispy on the outside. The pepper sauce topping would have been better if it were more peppery potent.

A/S:
Lighting is very dim here. Good for a cosy atmosphere, but not good if you want to have a good look at your food before putting it into your mouth. It is impossible to check for "special ingredients".

Value:
Good. All prices are net.

Service:
Each table is served with a jug of iced water and cups. Help yourself to the ice water.

Friday (20 June 08). Came here for supper with the whole group (9 in total) after our event nearby. It was chosen because it was within walking distance to where we were coming from. I ordered a Garlic Naan and Yellow Daal.

F&B:
I did not like the Garlic Naan because it was glistening with butter and had several generous lumps of butter on it. (I hate the taste of butter.) This is the first time that I have been served a garlic naan with so much butter on it. I could taste the garlic and the texture of the naan was nice though.

The Yellow Daal was nice. I devoured every bit of it. If I were at home and not in a public place, I would have licked the pot clean.

I also tried some of the satay and otah that was ordered for communal sharing. I did not like the chicken satay as it was tough. Maybe it was just one of those days. We all agreed that the mutton satay did not have the strong odour that is distinctive of mutton. I liked eating the otah.

A/S:
Coffee shop seating on rickety tables on the pavement and side-road, so don't expect too much.

Value:
NA because someone else paid and I do not know how much the bill came up to.

Service:
Fair.

I will probably come back next time to try the Tandoori Chicken.

Wednesday (18 June 08). There will always be certain places where some individuals have never dined at before. In my case, I had never dined at Aijsen before. Today was my first time trying out Ajisen. JC and I ordered the Lunch Special for $10.90++ which consists of 1 Ramen + 1 Ala carte + 1 drink.

RL - Scallops Ramen + Vegetable Croquette + Ice Lemon Tea
JC - Cha Shu Ramen + Octopus Wasabi Fishcake + Ice Lemon Tea

My Scallops Ramen was ok, but I do have a comment on the ramen itself. I was under the impression that ramen was springy and wavy like maggi mee. But the ramen I had was stiff and what I would describe as almost like 'spaghetti al dente'.

The Vegetable Croquette was delightful as it was served piping hot. The breadcrumb coating was light and crispy.

The Octopus Wasabi Fishcake was ok and had chewy bits of octopus, but no taste of wasabi at all.

Be warned that the Ice Lemon Tea is not freshly brewed. It had the unmistakable taste of it being made from either concentrate or powder. It tasted exactly like the tea issued in the SAF combat rations.

Most of the tables are spaced absurdly close to one another. If you have a fat bum with a tendency to bump into tables, please save yourself the embarrassment and insist on being seated in one of the booths instead.

At one point during our meal, the restaurant became incredibly noisy even though it was less than half full.