My Vietnamese friends like "Aunty Lucy" so we decided to have our Valentine's Day lunch at Figos after watching and reading about the good reviews from Magazine, Online and TV.

First we have to show ourselves to our seat even though there were only 2 diner when we entered the restaurant. We waited for the menu ... and one by one the set meal promotion being dished to us ....

We decided not to go for the set meals as we would like alcoholic beverage - cocktail but when placing our order we were told the cocktails are not avaliable ( very sure it is not indicated on the menu ).

Service was extremely slow on that day and we were told that they paced the appetitisers (Ordered soup and Crabcake) and our main but seriously I think the pacing was ridiculously long. At that time the place had only 5 diners (incldg us).

Billing came which we waited forever (The place then had only 7 diners, turnaround of 2 initial diners ) and we were told we weren't entitled 15% discount using UOB card for the Salmon we ordered as advertised because Valentine's Day is a Public Holiday .. Seriously??? Come on !!! I did not want to reason with them as I had overseas guest with me. We would appreciate if told when we placed the order. I feel very cheated !!!

Any better Management would have throw in dessert or charge us set meal which items do make up a set as we did not get to order our cocktail for the endless wait (The Management knows that we were upset for the wait). In any case, our total bill came out to be S$133 ++ (excluding take aways) for the following - which reviewed and totally not worth the money and time spent. S$40+ for lunch WITHOUT dessert/ alcoholic drink :

1) 3 mushroom soup - nice & creamy but believed have left on the shelf for too long and a thin film forms on top of the soup (this is despite we waited for quite a while for them to be served after our crabcake)

2) 1 crabcake - the oil overpowered the sweetness or freshness of the seafood. Only tasted OIL.

3) 1 chongqing fried rice - this is the most burnt fried rice I have ever tasted perhaps it was supposed to be that way. My friend ordered 2 to go 'coz I told her this is the restaurant signature dish. I was embarressed by the taste so I had to pick up the tab.

4) 1 salmon - fresh !

5) 1 cajun chicken - Was too hungry from the long wait that I devoured without tasting.

6) 1 ribeye steak - Pink and the only dish that makes sense and thus the price.

7) 2 orange juice

8) 1 mocktail

Seriously Aunty Lucy we are disappointed with the service even though the management did apologies that one of the service staff was supposed to turn up but did not. Despite that lame excuse, the place had only 7 diners including 2 which just had their starters when we asked for our bill. For the price we paid it was way overpriced !!! So we and our friends will not have good reviews of your restaurant as we are very disappointed with the Management that day. Nope I will not advise any of my friends to your restaurant unless they love to queue when there is no line in the first place. And we purposely took a cab that afternoon to your restaurant to show our support <Sigh> I am totally embarressed !!!

Pictures here

A new travel themed restaurant, Figo's Grail made it's way along the stretch extensive dining options along Tanjong Katong road. It all started when local celebrity/DJ Dennis Chew fell in love with the Cajun Chicken Chop at Figo's Grail, which then was a humble western food stall at the Katong Student Hostel. Together with several other investors, Figo's Grail a restaurant serving cuisines inspired by the owners various travels all over world was established opposite the road, sandwiched between Pasta Fresca & Bruno's Pizzeria.

Opting for a simple and quick dinner, I opted to share two of Figo's Grail signatures with my dining partner, namely their signature Cajun Chicken Chop and Chongqing Brown Fried Rice with Chicken & Shrimp after browsing through numerous reviews and recommendations.

Cajun Chicken Chop ($13.90+)

The chicken chop came in the form of a tenderized chicken thigh marinated in Cajun seasoning then smoked and char-grilled upon order. The chicken had a nice and smoky flavor, while the meat inside probably wasn't as moist/tender/succulent as I had expected, turning out rather dry probably due to the meat being tenderized before grilling. Nonetheless the Cajun seasoning made it rather tasty, while the shallot mashed potatoes served alongside were forgettable.Overall I felt that this dish was rather overpriced as for the same quality and quantity, a western food stall in a hawker center would probably as good a job for half the price, or even Astons.

Chongqing Brown Fried Rice with Chicken & Shrimp ($12.90+)

Every grain of brown rice possessed an elusive aroma and savory flavor, making it the winning dish of the night. Not a single grain of the dish was overly soggy or overly charred, along with the generous pieces of chunks of chicken that were sadly a tad dry and two Individually Quick Frozen Prawns, which I personally feel they could be more generous with. But overall the Fried Rice was rather excellently executed, probably once of the best i've tasted yet.

Some hits, some misses,but their signature Chongqing Brown Fried Rice with Chicken & Shrimp definitely saved the day. Service could be more attentive, where my glass of water wasn't refilled throughout the meal, rendering the lack of intiative.

Verdict: 6/10. I'm still left unsure if a return visit would be viable, but if it does really occur, the hongqing Brown Fried Rice with Chicken & Shrimp would solely be the compelling factor.

Visited on a Friday night, made reservations prior. This place was not hard to find as its signboard can be seen from across the street.

We had mushroom soup and Hawaii seafood cake for starters, and for mains, we had Figos chicken chop, Chong Qing fried brown rice and Aussie fish and chips. And for desserts, we ordered the Molten Chocolate cake.

The seafood cake was cute but rather small. A bit dry on its inside though. The mango salsa I liked and it was cut into such tiny eeny cubes that it was such a teaser to the tastebud. Mushroom soup, hahaa, some reaction from other customer was kind of hilarious when they first saw the plate.

Next, we attacked the fried rice like there was no tomorrow. Or rather, I attacked the fried rice...was hungry, what to do? The fried brown rice, all of us liked it. A tad oily, but tasty. Just wished the portion is slightly more. The chicken chop has moreish portion, nice juicy tender meat and well-marinated equates to a yums. I spied one of my friends (girl) eating the meat with the skin. There goes health consciousness when temptation is abound. Mashed potato with shallots was nice but nothing spectacular here.

By 830pm, the place was packed. Hence, do make a reservation to avoid disappointment. The noise level in the restaurant can get quite loud at times, hence not the place for intimate conversation. Maybe it was because everyone ordered at almost the same time, hence our last main course, the fish and chips only managed to come to our table much later, after waiting for some 20-25 minutes for it.

The fish and chips was served piping hot, and its batter was crispy but too thick. The fish flesh disintegrated pretty fast. The sweet mayonaise/tartar sauce was nice.

The dessert is a favourite. Oozing with chocolate, it was polished off in no time.

Service was friendly and mostly functional. We also got 10% off our final bill without us even asking for it. That was a nice gesture.

For more pictures, you may wish to visit here.