Opening hours
- Lunch
12pm – 3pm
Dinner
6.30pm – 10.30pm
| Definitely 64% | Probably 20% |
| Not Sure 2% | Probably not 7% |
| Definitely not 7% |
Average
Approx. S$44 – 54 per pax
Based on 36 reviews
Specialities
duck confit, ribeye steak
-
Do you really want to wait 70 minutes for your food to arrive?
Nov 12, 2009I have dined at several excellent restaurants in Singapore and worldwide and I promise I'll be writing reviews about the good ones in Singapore soon. Chalk is unfortunately a restaurant that I would not recommend to anyone and here's why:
1. The bread is nice and warm, and the foccacia bread is tasty. But we were not offered any, despite having sat down for over 30 minutes. And the restaurant was not crowded on a Thursday evening (12 Nov). The bread eventually arrived after (a)we realised that other tables (perhaps it should be added that they were mainly non locals) were being served bread fairly promptly and (b)we asked them for it. Lets add that the one refill of bread was given only after we asked for it.
2. The ambience is pretty cosy, and hey they even have a couple of chalkboards listing their daily specials placed a distance away. Sounds like a fun dining experience. A local celebrity couple, recently married, then arrived with 3 friends (wow doesnt Chalk sound hip!) and 2 waiters appeared by the table promptly with the chalkboard, and the explained the specials to them. However, the chalkboard never arrived at our table of 9 friends. It later came to our attention that the waiters/waitresses were prompt in bringing the chalkboards to the other tables (oh have I said they comprised mainly of non-locals yet?) and in explaining the specials to them. Hmm.
3. The waitress took all our orders correctly and repeated them to confirm. And our glasses of water were refilled on a fairly regular basis. While we got off to a shaky start with the service, we thought perhaps things would improve from here. But it wasn't meant to be. My order of veal shank ossobuco with saffron risotto never appeared, even after waiting 60 minutes for it and after my other 8 friends had finished with their main courses. At this point I should add that the duck parppadelle and the trio of seafood is alright and the dessert sampler is good. But we could not finish our starter of foie gras and a main dish of gnocchi because we did not enjoy them. The initial taste of the foie gras is yummy, but there is an aftertaste, not common and not to our liking. The gnocchi was too soft for our liking. It would have tasted better if it was a bit more firm. I have read another review on a blog where the reviewer had the same view on the gnocchi.
For the record, it usually takes about 20-30 minutes for a risotto to be prepared and served in a restaurant, and the waiter/waitress should inform you when you order so you can consider if you wish to order something else if you are hungry (well, at least at restaurants which pride themselves on offering service anyway). Well, the waitress at Chalk certainly didn't tell me how long it would take for Chalk to serve a risotto, but surely (a) if it usually takes one hour to arrive, then it would be reasonable to expect them to inform you upfront, and (b) it isn't reasonable to take one hour to cook a dish of risotto, period.
Attempts by my table to hail the service staff at various moments for attention to check on my order were not successful. Perhaps it was because they were too busy with their one table of celebrities and serving the other tables of non-locals? I'm not really sure why. I would like to think not, and to give Chalk the benefit of the doubt that usually their service is consistent and it so happened we were just very very unfortunate on this occassion.
Because local or not, celebrity or not, everyone has to pay for service, no? And even if a restaurant does not impose service charge, it does not follow that they can choose to please certain tables only.(On hindsight, I also recall the one and only earlier visit to Chalk on a lazy Sunday afternoon at about 3pm a month plus ago, when it was rather empty, and I also had difficulty in getting service. It took quite a while to get attention to ask for milk for a cup of tea I had ordered, and then for the milk to eventually arrive. As there were no non-locals or celebrities there that time, I am hard put to think of a reason what is the cause for the dismal service.)
Eventually, we caught the attention of one waiter, who went to check on my order and returned to say "oh, they are cooking it and we can serve you in 3 to 5 minutes". No apology given. Wow.
5 minutes passed. No risotto appeared. My patience and appetite had waned completely by now. I considered cancelling the order. My friends started to feel really sorry for me, and by this time, hailed the person in charge at Chalk (lets call her "Chief") to check on the order.
Chief went off to consult the kitchen and returned a couple of minutes later to say the food will be here very soon, to which I replied "I'll cancel the order, I'm not very hungry". Chief then disappeared and re-appeared very quickly to say "I offer you my apologies. Do you really want to cancel the order? It will be with you in a minute." By this time, it was about the 70th minute (925pm) since I placed my order and I had begun to feel rather cross about the whole experience. Perhaps Chalk's view is that hey, no harm in waiting 1 more minute since you've already waited about 69 minutes right?
I asked for an explanation as to why the food took so long.
Chief's response was "I really don't know. They may have missed/skipped your order in the kitchen". Her "explanation" left me astonished. Well either Chalk's kitchen screwed up or Chalk's waiters who were supposed to serve us and to notice that food has not been served, screwed up. Or both kitchen and waiters screwed up. And I highlight it isn't a case of someone "may have" screwed up, the fact is someone or some people "must have" screwed up. Isn't checking that all orders have been served the most basic 101 of running a restaurant? Was there not going to be any attempt to sound more apologetic or offer to make any amends in any way? How about an assurance that "I don't know yet how this happened but rest assured I'll find out and ensure this won't happen again"? Some form of reassurance at least that this is a one-off incident and it won't happen again to any customer including us if we ever return. Even something like a "I'm really really sorry about this, please let us make it up to you" would have been more acceptable.
It was only after I said "this is not acceptable", did the Chief make the offer "I'll offer the risotto on the house". Shortly after, the risotto appeared. Without a spoon to eat it with. The spoon only appeared about, lets see, almost a minute later. Did Chalk notice the missing spoon because my colleague had gotten up to try to find cutlery from another table for me? Was I supposed to have attempted to eat risotto with a fork and knife? *gasp*
A little too late, would you agree? The damage was already done. Even if the risotto was fantastic (and objectively, it was alright but really nothing to rave about), the dining experience was marred and made all of us rather unhappy. I felt rather bad about the incident really because we were there to celebrate a birthday and it should have been a happy occasion.
I hear Chief is a co-owner of the restaurant. I would be happy to hear her views and while I hope the service improves here, I will never return to Chalk. My friends won't be either. Suffice to say, this place is not on my "must return!" chalkboard, and much like how chalk would taste, this Chalk leaves a bad aftertaste.Spent about
S$30 / paxWould You Return?
Definitely Not -
Good view, nice ambience, away from the crowd
Jan 9, 2009If you are looking for a place that fits the title, this is it.
Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Orchard Rd at the foot of Mt Sophia is this second tenant at Old School. Used to be another restaurant which name I can't recall, this restaurant is perfect for nice quiet birthdays with loved ones, a date, or simply a nice dinner with a bunch of friends.
The food is above average and service was attentive though slow. The presentation of the food's not bad, and the taste isn't far from the looks.Must Tries
Duck Confit, pizza
I also recommend this place for
Type of meal : Supper/Night Dining, Dinner Occasion : Large Groups/Gathering, Romance/First Dates, Boys Night Out, Girls Night Out, After Work, Private Dining Atmosphere : Quiet/Peaceful, View/Scenery, Alfresco/Outdoor Dining, Hidden Find Others : Wine Lists -
Best Duck Confit ever tasted in Singapore!
Apr 3, 2009Best duck confit I have ever tasted!
Hear that chef Marcus was ex Maxim's (paris) and ex Les Amis.
The Spaghetti Bolognaise and Mushroom Consome were also exceptional.
Felt the place could be a little brighter and interior more "designer". But the open deck area at the back was very nice. Also, at least the paintings were original, including some works by Namiko Takahashi Chan, who was an ex MGS girl (Old School was formerly MGS).
Almost forgot to mention that chef Marcus' wife Lauren (ex Laurent Bernard Chocolatier) helms the pastry and dessert section.
Tried the dessert sampler, Verdict : heavenly!
-
an girly afternoon... =D
Mar 16, 2010met up with a friend to do some catching over a simple lunch at chalk. being the lazy us we met up beforehand at centrepoint and took a cab up to mount sophia. =D the feel the restaurant emits was those of a spacious and airy room with lots of sunlight streaming in. very very comfortable. if only i had a room like that at home. =P service was good. the staff were attentive and polite. and so we ordered escargots. a salmon confit and their famous duck confit. the escargots were good. i like the garlicky yet buttery feel it gives after you bite into them. and the gravy tastes so good till i feel like asking for rice to spread them all over it. =) the salmon confit was interesting. it was served with fruits on the side and the fish was baked and steamed or steamed and then baked... and the fruits was refereshing too. there were bits on onions mixed in though. which i did not like at all. =X the duck confit was ok. i liked the crispy skin on the outside but the meat was still very tender on the inside. and it was served on a bed of pumpkin mash. i heart the mash lo! but the salmon confit still wins hands down. will definitely go back again for the ambience and the salmon confit. can i ask for salmon confit on the bed of pumpkin mash instead? =DMust Tries
escargot, salmon confit, duck confit
I also recommend this place for
Type of meal : Brunch, Lunch, Dinner Occasion : Large Groups/Gathering, Romance/First Dates, Chillout Atmosphere : Quiet/Peaceful, Alfresco/Outdoor Dining, Hidden Find Others : Wine Lists Spent about
S$37 / paxWould You Return?
Definitely -
average
Mar 14, 2010A casual eatery given character more for its location at the old school building on top of Mt. Sophia than the actual interior/ decor of the restaurant itself, which was quite minimalistic.
Waiters are young and friendly and refilled our water quite often! We like their no service charge policy.
The menu is quite basic and includes pizza, classic pastas (carbonara, vongole...), caesar salad and other comprehensible dishes.
We ordered the escargots that many reviewers raved about, but found it mediocre. We would have expected that it came in its shell, but it was served as snails drenched in herb-butter in a stoneware.
The two slices of baguette and focaccia had no texture nor flavor and actually looked quite pathetic by the generous butter, oil & vinegar.
Entrees were fair, but slightly amateurish in presentation and definitely do not deserve a price tag of over $30.
Dinner for two (2 starters, 2 entree, no drinks, no dessert) came to about $115, and for this amount, we have had much better food.I also recommend this place for
Type of meal : Lunch Occasion : After Work Atmosphere : Alfresco/Outdoor Dining Spent about
S$58 / paxWould You Return?
Probably Not -
good food.. good ambience..
Feb 26, 2010Serves excellent food... ordered starter foie gras and escargot.. was delicious..
Our mains were ribeye and seared duck breast.. done to our likings..
Must say we really enjoyed the food and ambience..
However when comes to service it needs a little improvement..
The lady who seated us was ok but was however friendlier towards a caucasian couple. She went through the menu board with them and held on to the board on the table.
She did not recommend any dishes when it came to us and she merely left the menu board on the floor.
Our server (if i am not wrong his name is Keegan) was exceptionally friendly and checked on us periodically.
Overall it was a value for money dinner.Must Tries
foie gras, seared duck.
I also recommend this place for
Type of meal : Dinner Occasion : Romance/First Dates Atmosphere : Quiet/Peaceful, View/Scenery Spent about
S$58 / paxWould You Return?
Definitely -
Great food but deteriorating service it seems
Feb 21, 2010I have had very good dining experience at Chalk in 2009. But towards the end of 2009, they did change the menu alittle. And I missed one of their pasta (I think it's potato pasta like gnocchi) with scallop flavoured with orange, which is now not in the menu.
However, I love their apple/celery soup, cant remember the precise name. The Date Pudding was fantastic, no one can imagine date pudding can be that great.
My last experience was abit scarred as I sat outdoor and I was bitten by an insect on my foot, either a big ant or something (seems like a big one as I crushed it when bitten). 3 days later, it swell up big and red, so bad that I had to pay $40 to see a doctor and given antibiotics and medication for a week! Indoor seats are cosy but just thought it's alittle noisy as crowd comes in.
In terms of service, it has deteriorated alittle. Waitresses are less attentive, did not top up ice water as frequent as before. Takes rather long to be served as well. Maybe their business has took off and are now short of staff. But I'll still go back to check it out where I can. They deserve a second chance. Food and wine quality is still great !
I also recommend this place for
Type of meal : Dinner -
Not any ordinary Chalk
Feb 7, 2010We wanted to go Timbre and also to celebrate my friend's b'day. So we checked out cosy Chalk at 8pm Sat night, Timbre was crowded & noisy but Chalk wasn't packed, just a few tables occupied. We sat outdoor, it was dark and quite warm but we could see the night scenery of mac house. The friendly waitess came over to intro their specialities for the night and served bread. The bread was just nice-crisp. We ordered smoked duck salad, supreme pizza and salmon confit with fruits. The smoked duck was well-sliced and it blend in very well with the sauce. Pizza was quite spicy because of the sliced tiny chili. The toppings is quite little. I loved the salmon, very fresh and soft. Overall, food is not bad and not that expensive. Also, nice ambience and Good Service.
Must Tries
smoked duck salad, salmon confit wih fruits
I also recommend this place for
Type of meal : Dinner Occasion : Romance/First Dates, After Work Atmosphere : Quiet/Peaceful, View/Scenery Others : Wine Lists Spent about
S$25 / paxWould You Return?
Definitely -
A disappointment
Feb 5, 2010We had heard good things about this place and decided to check it out. The decor is typical minimalist modern, with lots of hard surfaces which would make the space very noisy if it was more than half full. A terrace outside looked inviting but it was a bit too warm. Inside it was icy cold, but the server quickly turned down the fan when we asked.
We shared an appetizer of calamari confit, which was appalling. Poorly conceived and executed, it appears to be salmon flakes in a mild dressing inside calamari tubes, with a vinegary salad to cut the richness. Canned tuna would have tasted better. Our first choice, the parma ham, figs and rocket, was unavailable because they had run out of parma ham.
The mains - duck confit and duck leg with pappardelle. The duck confit was oddly dry, while the duck leg was obviously reheated, and poorly so, as the inside was room temperature. The homemade pappardelle, on the other hand, was excellent, with more al dente bite than I had expected from fresh pasta. That offset a rich but somewhat confused sauce which had no obvious anchor flavours and did not play on the strengths of the duck. It was studded with plum tomato halves and oddly tough peas (like something you find in your freezer two years later).
Unlike some other reviews, we found the service was largely ok, but slowed dramatically as soon as a big table (perhaps 30 pax) started drifting in. If we had arrived later, I suspect we'd have waited a long, long time.
The wine list was surprising limited, with only two reds listed from Italy. We didn't bother looking at the desserts. Despite a server or manager who looked incredibly like red haired actress Julianne Moore, we wouldn't give it a second try.
Spent about
S$110 / paxWould You Return?
Definitely Not -
Really really good!
Jan 31, 2010Husband and I went last night, we were really impressed. The ambience is great, service great, decor great, food great, price good! We decided to sit inside, we thought it was nicer inside and the air con is set at the right temp.Also as soon as we sat down the gave us complimentary iced water straight away, really nice touch. We ate: - lovely bread; snails - nice and garlicy (not chewy); calamari confit - which was delish - must try! Main course - duck confit - melt in the mouth and quail with a gorgeous madeira sauce, we also ordered extra veg then for pudding panna cotta with berries. All really really good. The only improvement is that they should make sure the dishes come out at the same time - all our dishes came out with quite a few mins gap. Including 2 bottles of sparkling mineral water the cost was S$130. We will be backMust Tries
calamari, duck confit, quail, panna cotta
I also recommend this place for
Type of meal : Supper/Night Dining, Lunch, Dinner Occasion : Children/Family, Romance/First Dates Atmosphere : Alfresco/Outdoor Dining, Hidden Find Spent about
S$65 / paxWould You Return?
Definitely -
Just our luck?
Jan 26, 2010A couple of friends and myself decided to go check out Chalk after hearing about it and reading some reviews on this site. So here's my take on the place.
The good - I would say the ambience is good and that the service is pretty decent. It was a Saturday evening but it wasn't crowded so that's a plus for me. The starters that we ordered, salad and carpaccio, were also decent.
Now for the bad - It must have been our unlucky day. 4 of us decided to order one of the specials, which was the rib eye steak and 3 out of 4 of the steak was overcooked. We decided to send the 3 overdone steak back. Waitress came back and informed us that they can only replace 2 of the steak as they have ran out of rib eyes. They will replace the 3rd order with a tendorloin and charge us accordingly. We decided that it was fine and waited again (I forgot to mention that it did take them a while to get the orders served).
Our orders came back and AGAIN 2 out of 3 was overcooked! We decided to give up but we did feedback to the staff who was apologetic. I'm gonna skip right to end where I only remember checking the bill after leaving. Realized that they charged us for 4 rib eyes instead of 3 rib eyes and 1 tenderloin!
So overall, my experience there was disappointing. And I figured, never go there for steaks caused they couldn't even get it right the second time round! Best stick to just having drinks and enjoy the ambience!
I also recommend this place for
Type of meal : Dinner Occasion : Romance/First Dates Atmosphere : Quiet/Peaceful, View/Scenery, Alfresco/Outdoor Dining Spent about
S$67 / paxWould You Return?
Probably Not -
Nice Food And Ambience At This Ulu Place !
Jan 15, 2010I've heard of this place thru afew sources and finally ventured there when a good friend bought me lunch one fine day... Having looked thru the menu...we ordered the following : 1) Pumpkin soup = Good 2) Beef Stew = Good 3) Duck Confit = Better than expected 4) Chocolate Fondant = Decent To make the trip there for those who don't drive can be a hassle...but the food and ambience is worth the trouble... -
Never failed me!
Jan 9, 2010Maybe I am biased. But I met Marcus couple of years at another establishment and when he opened Chalk, I was quite happy. But it took me a while to visit the first time and subsequently I have been there quite a few times. Apart from the friendly staff, efficiently headed by Lauren (who is also Marcus's wife). The restaurant is cozy with just the right ambience, right lighting and right mood for a date or even a small group dinner. The food is excellent and I have never found myself lacking in the selection. I have eaten most of the menu, which changes over time and have always been satisfied. So much so that I always take a walk down to Handy road using the long stairs so as to settle the bloated stomach. In my culture, this is an indication that you enjoyed the food. There is a decent wine list and of course, the staff will come to you with a black board of specials that is being served, if you fancy something different than the menu. I have always believed that a happy place always makes the food taste better. If you see the staff smiling and milling about like bees and not hovering all the time but available just about a wave away, the food will automatically taste better. I mean would you enjoy your dinner if a grouch faced staff served you?I also recommend this place for
Type of meal : Dinner Occasion : Romance/First Dates, After Work, Chillout Atmosphere : Quiet/Peaceful, View/Scenery Spent about
S$65 / paxWould You Return?
Definitely
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