Sep 7, 2007
It is a cafe that serves good food, they play jazz and blues (but only on Fri and Sat), and the service it the best I've had in a long time, even at some of the top restaurants. Great "old Singapore" ambience not found at Clarke Quay and other more hip joints, and won't break your bank too. Been there twice in a week.
Reservation: Yes, they do reserve and in a very friendly way too. Since it does get crowded on Fri and Sat, suggest you reserve a table. When we went a Saturday ago, we had to sit on high stools at a very awkward angle to the stage and it was not a good position to sit for long.
Food / Beverage: I'll start with the drinks. $20 gets you a jug of beer at all hours. Beer could be colder, but they;'ll give you ice to chilll your beer if you want to. Other drinks were reasonably priced....... and the serve iced water (for free) if you order food. Food: Ordered the nachos and dip last Sat, they were awful, stale and not crunchy. The dip was OK. This time around tonight, we ordered the main courses and most were good. The calamari rings were well prepared and tasty, the fried rice and seafood noodles were good, the marinara spaghetti was tasty, a bit spicy but the chicken wings were not good. Most main courses were priced $6 to $10 per dish. No cover charge.
Ambience: Not the best of decor but the surrounding area at Bali Lane is so unique. The back lane is filled with diners and has loads of fans cooling the area. It is wonderful to sit in the open area and keep cool at night in Singapore. The path in front of the cafe has seats that are fanned by tornado fans that draw in the cool sea air (the marina is close by). The crowd, the bicycles, passing by, strange people peeping in to check out the action, jazz playing in the background, suits walking around - all contribute to the ambience. Did not see any bugs or rats running around as this is a fairly old area of Singapore.
Value: Great for dinner and drinks, all reasonably priced.
Service: This is where they excel. Mainly Burmese waiters and waitresses - "I 'm from Yangoon" speaking with a slur to the end of the sentece, headed by a white shirted beautiful lady, hair tied up in a long ponytail, always on the move, they help you anytime. Want an extra chair - they'll get it for you, need a bar stool, they borrow it from their friendly neighbouring restaurant, clear dishes - in a jiffy, no evil eye if you do not order drinks a second round. 8 persons ordering a slice of cheesecake and one serving of brownie, please bring 8 forks to share - yes sir, with no stunned look and upward extension of the eyebrow. Most friendly service staff around, even when compared to the better restaurant. Great stuff, hard to find in commercial Singapore.
Must tries: Calamari rings, jazz on Fri and Sat.
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