Chalk Restaurant

Went to Chalk on Sunday which was my third time to the restaurant. Only five tables were occupied - good for us customers to have a nice conversation over dinner, good for staff to be not over-stretched, but probably bad for business. Food was as usual good but not exactly "wow" to convince you to overpay for it (which in my opinion is overpriced and lacks variety vs. other comparables like Etna, hence the low rating for value). Took me the third trip there to realise that because the first two trips I was just happy to get away from the crowd plus the attentive staff.

What puzzled me though was that in spite of the few customers served by attentive waiters/waitresses, our bread (four mildly warm bite-size pieces) took so long to come that our mains arrived a minute after I took a bite of the bread (which by then I was already starving). I did politely check on the bread with one of the waitresses during the long wait but got a "our chef is still preparing the bread" response in a why-are-you-so-impatient look and tone - maybe I was expecting too much of her to actually take the effort to check with the kitchen instead of giving me a presumptive answer (even though they were not exactly busy).

All in all a restaurant I will give a miss for some time until I feel I don't mind overpaying for...

If you want to impress your date and yet not break your wallet; bring her to CHALK.
Great food:
The pizzas are out of this world!
Pastas are tasty.
Soups are generous and delicious.
Salads are fresh, tasty and a great healthy option.
Foie Gras is a must!!!
Duck and Pork dishes are yummy - then again, I'm a meat lover!
Desserts are out of this world - my favourites the Souffle and Creme Brulee.

Weekday lunch or dinner are best then you get great attention from the staff as they are not over-stretched.

So I've eaten at Chalk before, and I liked the food (though I didn't review it previously). My colleagues wanted to give me a farewell dinner and I suggested going to Chalk, since I enjoyed myself the last time I was there. We trekked up the long long flight of stairs from Dhoby Ghaut to Old School, and arrived perspiring and breathless only to realize that Chalk wasn't open. We thought we had merely arrived too early (6.15pm) since the opening time for the restaurant was 6.30, and we decided to hang out for a bit.

What we didn't realize was that Chalk was closed on Mondays. When one of us went in to ask, Marcus Lau - the executive chef - informed us very apologetically that Monday was a rest day for the restaurant. What we definitely did not expect was Marcus opening a bottle of wine for us free-of-charge as a gesture of apology (though it really wasn't his fault at all that the restaurant was closed!). Even after we asked to pay for the wine several times, he insisted that we have it on the house. What I was even more impressed by was Marcus suggesting other similar nearby venues for us to dine at, such as Wild Rocket or District 10, and even going to the extent of offering us a lift to the place! Of course we felt really bad already about him giving us a bottle of wine, and we did not want to impose on his hospitality further.

Besides his extremely gracious manners, I was also very inspired by the way Marcus talked about Chalk while showing us around the place and as he discussed his future plans for Chalk. I'm definitely an even greater fan of Chalk now after this experience, and I can't wait to go back to try their food again. I've only reviewed the service this time around, since I didn't actually eat anything, but trust me the food is definitely worth going for as well. I am looking forward very much to the next time I go to Chalk!

First impressions through the door got me a lil psyched, chill out decor, un pretentious, totally my kinda of place to wrap up a Sunday weekend.

 

Menu arrived and well that was the point i realised we had gone passed the precipice of this maiden experience. I couldn't find a single dish that i would order for a starving dog. If you don't know me by now, I'm the eaisest diner to please, Meat, Beef, steak, minced, chopped, rib, bone, stewed......that's me. So the wife ordered the mushroom risotto and i asked the server - Stewed beef (20++) or steak (35++)?? He din bat an eyelid and said: Steak!! I was sceptical with the less 1/2 a sec response but went with it...and the wife gave a last min shout for a tuna carpaccio starter..oh ordered a glass of house red too.

 

Open yr eyes and imagine....

 

First up, I think my dog gets fresher bread then the dried up cardboard they served me.  

 

The tuna arrived pronto, this is gonna be tough to described, so bear with me. You know how you get the chinese white raw fish at hawker centres, that was pretty much it. Toilet bowl moment.

 

Now pay special attention to what i'm gonna tell you about the the mushroom risotto. Picture This: Mushroom risotto infused with Carrots, dates, Corn, Green Peas and maybe some Radish. Did Han's come to town or what??? Is there some recipe exchange going on??? We abandoned half the bowl in abt 2 mins.

 

The supposedly Ribeye, was at best a mexican entrecot steak.

 

Wine was not half bad but the size of the glass was be-fitting an egg head.

 

We scooted in 40 mins.

 

I hope i never find out who put this restaurant in my head!

 

 

 

One of my favourite restaurants, Chalk is relatively hidden from the masses(mainly due to it’s inaccessability by public transport and the deterring 136 step climp up the “Stairway to Heaven” to Mount Sophia’s Old School for non-drivers, definitely not for the faint-hearted). I was here this time on a double date and Chalk provides the atmostphere for such a meetup. It’s not posh enough to rouse one’s insecurity but elegant and cosy enough for a nice dinner among friends and loved ones.

Pizzas clearly aren’t the forte here. We had the 4-cheese pizza which I felt lacked depth and came across to me as being very one-dimensional in taste. Probably no one will understand my rantings so I will put this way. There are 3 types of pizzas; The great, the average and the scum of the earth. The one here was just a thin-crusted average.

While I don’t want to believe it, I’m forced to come to terms that Chalk’s Duck Confit with Sweet Potato Mash is just not good as it used to. Or maybe because I have just found better elsewhere. Actually, it’s probably both. Chalk’s rendition is dry for the most part, too salty for my tastebuds(though the mash does provide some relief) and the portion was also undeceptively shrivelled and rather petite. That said, I have heard great things about Saint Pierre’s Duck Confit available in their weekday set lunch and I’m eyeing that as a potentially sustainable alternative for all Duck Confit enthusiasts!

Fortunately, Justin has a penchant for a nice beef stew and ordered it, causing any disappointments I have had till now to fade into obscurity. The Beef Stew with Red Wine Sauce was absolutely stellar! I couldn’t ask for more; The beef was tender, it’s flavours robust and though the velvety mash was slightly bland on it’s own, dipping it in red wine sauce really works wonders.

My first love, an old flame. Drifted apart yet with latent feelings that have ceased to diminish. Of course, I have gotten in and out of relationships since but at the back of your mind, she had always been the benchmark to beat. I have always been on the lookout for someone similar in tastes, character and background but I have not found anyone as genuinely warm and uncloyingly sweet. A year’s past before I saw her again. Pent up emotions gushed forth like the escaping crude from BP’s oil well off the gulf of Mexico and I unleashed a smile that extended from ear to ear. My mouth met hers and a tear slid down my cheeks, with the thankful realisation; I was lost but now am found…The Sticky Date Pudding with Ginger Ice-Cream(requested to change the ice-cream to vanilla and it ended up being a bit too sweet to me compared to the ginger ice cream). A match made in heaven, sweet and utter bliss.

I had high hopes for the Passionfruit Souffle. After all, we waited 25 minutes after our mains while it was being freshly baked in the oven. Refreshing and light, it had all the attributes of a well-executed souffle. Everyone liked it but me though(passionfruit really isn’t my thing). Beauty does indeed lie in the eyes of the Beholder. 

Amid some minor disappointments, I’m left with 2 lingering thoughts.

1) If my school ever had Chalk Restaurant in it, I wouldn’t have ponned school so often.

2) Sticky Date Pudding

 

Bon Appetit!

For the full review/pics, do visit http://yumyumformytumtum.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/chalk-warm-sticky-date-for-a-double-date/

I visited twice at Chalk. The food was real nice, especially the Duck confit (with the sweet potato sauce). And the service was very good, the most special part is they actually brought a "Board" menu right infront of your table to inform you of today's specials.

And the ambience was real good n cosy. I would suggest to go in the night for the best effect.

Had dinner last Friday at Chalk at a friend's recommendation, and got pretty excited about her rave review.

We were a table of 9 and were seated outside, which was lovely and a good choice as the indoor section was heaving on a Friday night, and really noisy. Ordered some wine to start with as we perused the rather delectable-sounding menu. Then had to wait about half an hour before any bread appeared at the table, and the 9 of us were given just 2 little side plates of bread. Asked for more bread which never came. 

When the food finally appeared, it was delicious for the most part. I had one of the specials - a lamb rack which was juicy and tender and very, very tasty. One of my friend's sea bass was also very good, as was the duck confit - which unfortunately was a miserably-sized portion. The duo of pork was a letdown though. Whilst the crackling was crisp and nicely savoury, the meat was dry and hard. Of the starters, the duck salad and the foie gras were notable, though one of my dinner companions found the latter slightly bloody tasting (I liked it just fine). Was keen also to try the escargots, but was going to keep that for the next visit.

As the 8 of us were happily chowing down (we were waiting for everyone to be served but quickly realised that this would take quite a while as the food was appearing a plate at a time, at least 5 minutes apart), those of us at the other end of the table realised that guest number 9 of our table had yet to receive his food. It took us 10 min before we could get the attention of the waiter, and when we asked where his food was (at this point some of us had practically finished our food) we were told that they had forgotten his order. Found this quite appalling, and my friend was understandably peeved. We asked for some bread to tide him over whilst he waited (the bread that never came the first time I asked), and were willing to let it go at that. However yet again, no bread. And this after missing out on an order. 

But we are a forgiving lot especially when the food is good, and I was fully intending to come back again to sample some of the other offerings (including the squid ink pasta that I was craving but wasn't on the menu that night). However, upon requesting the bill we were made to wait half an hour, and when it finally arrived we'd discovered that they'd overcharged us by an astounding $350! A quick tally showed that they'd charged us for no less than FIFTEEN main courses when there were only 9 of us at the table, and also an additional starter. Didn't know whether to laugh or to cry at the irony of it all - surely if they'd keyed in additional orders we should have had MORE food appear at our table instead of less? 

Called the waiter over and explained the discrepancy, whilst he gave us a blank stare throughout. Ended up having to write down our orders for him, which he then took back to the cashier. We waited close to another full hour before he was back with the bill - an hour where surely it wouldn't have been remiss to offer us a beverage on the house for the several incidents throughout the night. But that would have been way too much to ask - we didn't get so much as a refill of ice water. 

It took so long that we gave up waiting and went over to the cashier counter to ask what was going on, and finally were presented our bill. Imagine my embarrassment when one my my (foreign) guests asked if it was a common occurence for restaurants in Singapore to try and cheat their patrons. To add insult to injury, we were snootily stared down by the cashier who informed us that we had put down some UK coins (accident by another foreign friend) - as if we were trying to cheat them of 20 miserable cents (erm, pounds actually more actually) when we very nearly overpaid by $350. 

And all this, with no apology from anyone. Should have asked to speak with the manager but at this point we were already shockingly late for our next destination so I just asked the cashier very quickly how this could have happened, and mentioned that their handling of the situation could be improved. Imagine my shock when she just stared at me and said it wasn't her fault. 

And by the time we managed to get to our next destination it was past midnight and it was shutting. Joy.

Suffice to say that good food is not enough for me to be back. Chalk, you've lost a group of foodies who would otherwise have definitely been evangelists and repeat customers.

met 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? =D

A 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.

  We 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.