Was here for the high tea with a friend some time ago and I do apologize for writing this review until much later.

We arrived early at around 1.30pm and so instead of waiting at the hotel lobby, we went straight up to the holding area at 37th floor to wait. I must say there are many lifts around but only 2 that will go up to the 37th storey. So you will have to wait quite a while especially if there is a big group of people waiting to take the lifts, be it coming down or going up.

Luckily for us, as we were early birds, it was quite a breeze for us to get up and we found ourselves sitting at the comfortable sofa seats at the holding areas (but we did register with the duty staff as we had place reservation few days ago). Within the next 20 mins, we saw bug groups of people coming up and within a short while, there was a small crowd at the holding area.

The staff on duty was surprised by the large turn out and so initiated to let the diners go in early although the high tea was supposed to start at 2.00pm. After a short while, we were showed to our seats. In order to get to Chatterbox, you will need to walk a flight of staircase to the 38th floor.

Wow, I can say it was fantastic view! You can have really a good bird eye's view on Orchard and the island of Singapore. You could walk around and see different part of the island! It was awesome and nice! You will feel you are really at the top of the world looking down on small building, cars and people walking around, with birds flying near you at the windows pane outside.

The spread of the high tea, to be honest, was not fantastic and was limited. Main dishes included the black pepper tiger prawns (very tasty and well marinated), nonya curry chicken that come with bread (gravy was good as it was not too thick with coconut milk), satay (chicken, which was good), nice roast duck, nonya laksa (which I feel was good too) and self made rojak. Shark Fins and Fish Maw soup was served that day which made our day! It was great!

Other dishes include fried popiah, curry puff, baos, pastries and nonya kuehs, salad, hams, siew mai, desserts of agar agar, black glutinous rice and longan in syrup etc, all the latter were normal.

My friend and I enjoyed ourselves with the food. Although the high tea was supposed to end at 5pm, but we stayed there to chit chat until about 6.15pm before we took our leave. We were not being chased away by staff who were busy clearing the place to get ready for the dinner to be started at 6.30pm.

Service wise. Needs improvement. Service was slow. We had to initiate and waited for quite a while before a waiter came forward to fill our glasses with cold water. Clearing of used plates was slow and we also had to remind waiter a few times for our coffee and tea! Even we had to wait for quite a while for our bills!

One thing which was unique was the coffee and tea containers. They came in a look like 'soy sauce bottle' container, which was in red and black colour. Very creative and interesting!

As for the price, as my friend had some discount kind of privilege, we paid about $38 for the 2 of us, which we felt was quite a value for money!

During our makan there, we noticed quite a good number of the diners order the famous chicken rice which most could not finish it. Either it was too filling or the standard had dropped, we don't know. (of course we felt paying $25 for a chicken rice set is not worth it as we can get good and cheaper one elsewhere)

We may not go back here for the chicken rice but for buffet, maybe next time for lunch or dinner!

Ever since Top of the M closed down with much fanfare in early 2008, Meritus Mandarin's iconic coffeehouse, Chatterbox, has moved up the levels (literally) to occupy what used to be the crowning glory of this centrally located hotel in Orchard Road.

Perched on the 39th floor of the hotel, the interior now sports bright red tables and pillars to give a very traditional coffeeshop feeling, yet still offering a panoramic view of the surroundings. Note that the restaurant doesn't revolve anymore, leaving that honour solely to Prima Tower.

Chicken Rice Set - Chatterbox has been known for its excellent chicken rice and of course its exorbitant prices. Consisting of only a bowl of rice, soup and a relatively generous serving of chicken meat, this dish is definitely not for the value conscious.The soup was very tasty probably due to the high MSG content while the chicken was sufficiently tender with an appropriate amount of bite. Personally I felt that the rice wasn't fluffy or tasty enough, coming across as a tad dry and limp.

Flowering Chinese leaf cabbage - The Cai Xin was as normal as it gets but portions were really small for the price ($9++).

Apple & Raisin Tart - In all honesty, I was quite surprised to find a "western" dessert on a menu that featured mainly Chinese/local fare and since my initial choice of homemade coconut ice cream was out of stock, I settled for the tart. Which wasn't exactly a bad choice considering that the tart was quite crusty with a nice oven baked taste to it. Add a couple of sweet apple slices, raisins and a scoop of ice cream for a rather nice ending. But hey, its $12++.

I shudder to imagine the ridiculous price I would have to pay in the absence of my 1 for 1 chicken rice voucher. Even so, the bill for 2 pax came up to about $53 ($81 without voucher), which is really quite off the chart if you ask me. Service was decent but I seriously doubt I will return, not for the food and definitely not for the high prices.

See all my pictures here.

I can think of many places that serve chicken rice at a fraction of the price Chatterbox charges. After all, I love this dish and have had the opportunity to have some wonderful and yet inexpensive chicken rice meals at places like Far East Plaza (5th floor), Alexandra Village hawker centre, Maxwell hawker centre etc etc.

Having said that, eating at Chatterbox can be considered an experience. Yes, it is extremely pricey and most would consider it "not value for money". However, I would encourage chicken rice fans to give it a shot. There is a hugh serving of chicken (enough for 2 if you're having supper) which is tender and tasty, but could have been more delicately sliced. (please order the drumstick!) The rice is grainy and tastes good, without being too oily and heavy. The set comes with a clear chicken broth (nothing fantastic) but I would give a special mention to the ginger. It is fragrant without being overpowering. Dunk a slice of chicken into the ginger, with some dark soya and rice and you will be able to experience the joy of a $20 plus dollar plate of chicken rice! The chilli is not bad as well (although I don't really fancy it with my chicken, ginger will do just fine).

I don't think many locals would actually make their way to Chatterbox to order anything else other than the famed chicken rice. Their lobster laksa costs in excess of $40, the prices of drinks and desserts are just way too high! But since the establishment is famous for the chicken rice, do give it a shot if you're feeling in the mood for a little indulgence.

Located at the 39 storey of Meritus Mandarin, it has a nice view. The setting is unique and orangey. With the yellow lights, red table settings, the whole place feels "orange-red". I like the nice and peaceful ambience. There are many Japanese patrons.

I had the Chicken Rice set and a glass of Chin Chow. The set includes chicken rice, chicken breast meat, soup and 3 different sauces (dark sweet soya sauce, chilli and garlic). It looks very attractive. I love the rice most because it is really yummy. I do not like chicken breast meat though. The Chin Chow is sweet but not cold enough.

It is like having a high class chicken rice... I think I still prefer the hawker style chicken rice for the chicken meat at a more value for money price. I missed the thigh meat...

The chicken rice at Chatterbox Meritius Mandarin has always been on my to-go wishlist ever since it made headlines for its "$25 chicken rice" many years back (yeah, I was a poor young schoolboy then). So when the chance came along with a 1-for-1 promotion at Chatterbox for its famous chicken rice, my girlfriend and I jumped at the chance immediately!

There are some major renovations ongoing at Mandarin Hotel, and Chatterbox has since moved up to 38/39th floor, which means an enticing view of the Orchard Road area. I deliberately made reservations beforehand requesting for a window seat to ensure my partner and I had a feast not just for the tummy, but the eyes as well. The tables were positioned rather close to each other and being crowded on a Friday night, there wasn't much privacy or ambience in the restaurant itself to talk about. Then again, we are there for the chicks, right?

Scanning through the menu, it seems that chicken rice wasn't the only item that was overpriced. We ordered a drink of Chin Chow for a princely sum of $8, which complements our meal pretty well. The chicken rice didn't take too long to be delivered. However, we were quite disappointed to find that both our sets were chicken breast meat - wonder if it's because we were enjoying a 1-1 offer? Each set was served with 3 sauces - chilli, dark sauce, and ginger paste, which meant we were able to try out different tastes with the chicken.

The chicken meat was tender and juicy enough, and went perfectly well with the spicy chilli sauce. The portion of meat was pretty huge, and more than enough to finish the bowl of rice, to which special mention also goes out. The rice was fragrant and had just the right moisture, only pity that the bowl size (too small? hehe).

Overall I am happy to have fulfilled a life-long wish to savour the famous Chatterbox Chicken Rice, but I guess it remains as that - one time is good enough for me.