I was there entertaining some overseas guests. I soon realized that it was a mistake to have brought them to this restaurant.

Initial Greeting:
From the minute we entered the door, we were greeted with frowns all around, not even a shimmer of a smile. We were rushed and seated as if we just joined the army and it was chow time.

Ordering:
This part went ok. However, take note that the waitress serving us was rather impatient, and still missing that smile which one would expect of somebody in the service industry. We ordered a mere 5 dishes.

Food:
The food did not come at the same time. One dish came, then they remembered to serve the rice, then another two dishes came, and it is at this point that things really took a nosedive south. After the 3rd dish, we had to wait 25 minutes before the other 2 dishes came. That was even after reminding the waitress, every 5 minutes or so, about our order. Do you think this is a cause to be upset? Well, let’s just put it this way: You start eating and then you have to stop eating for a whole 25 minutes because there are no more dishes left on the table, and the seven people seating round the table start staring at each other blankly while their rice get cold. The minutes tick away and you keep giving the waitress constant reminders but to no avail. Your patience starts to grow thin—very thin. You ask for the manager, but he doesn’t show even after repeated requests. The waitresses start to panic as they see their customers start getting agitated. Only then, the food comes. But no one has any appetite left to eat. The rice is cold.

Payment
I went up to the cashier to pay and give the manager an earful. It turned out to be a waste of my breath. The manager was (and still is) incompetent at easing disgruntled customers. He kept making excuses after excuses without a shred of remorse for ruining the evening for seven of his customers. There was no sincerity in his tone of voice. If I could, I would have given him the Singapore Tourism Award then and there—the award for the worst service personnel in Singapore.

Wary travellers stay away.

PS: I have rated their service as 0.1 only because I cannot give a zero.

Let's not talk abt e food and ambience(as u can see from others review). i celeb my 1st month anniversary with my gf here last sunday evening, but i call her on friday nite at 1am to plan my special evening. Phyllis didn't sound disturbed or annoyed although i call her at wee hours long after she off work.
My important evening came finally, but 3 unexpected incidents happened when i reached...
1)Through the phone,phyllis recommend me drink dessert wine so i plan to open a bottle to place on table(shows a guy's generosity and romance), however they only hold a few bottles on their stock to test customers reaction b4officially placed it on e menu. Tat nite only less den a bottle left... But phyllis gave us 2 complimentary glass of dessert wine while we r having our dessert, mango cake...
2)and talking abt e cake,we can customize it by writing a short phrase for our loved ones on e plate. phyllis misunderstood my words to be written...
she told e chef to redo it again to my request. the wordings and design was beautifully done... with a lighted candle on e cake.
Wow...
3)i ordered 12 light blue roses,but e florist only sent phyllis 9 roses,we only realised when i reached.she say she wil find e other 3 roses and she vanished... i was chewing on my last mouthful of main course but stil didn't see her.i started to panic and sms her. she say e 1st flower shop don hav good blue colour,2nd shop only can find nice champange colour den she fianlly found e nice blue colour at e other shop and rushing back in 10 mins. 3 Dark blue roses was in e middle of e other 9 light blue, it was a beautifully done combination. i told my gf, phyllis went to 3 flower shop to search for it, very commendable. but phyllis reply actually she went to 5 shops and til as far as Holland. i had a "Drop Jaw" facial expression when i heard it.

At e end of dinner, phyllis took out a polaroid camera to help us take down our happy moments. i'm thinking, well... it's just another normal polaroid camera... But e photo size is special, it's a small "credit card" size photo paste onto a greeting card with her warmest wishes! it's so sweet of her!

It's not abt wat went wrong,but how she remedy it. Tis is wat i call service. My grading for her services...? Beyond words...

I must say that I went to Pietrasanta with fairly high expectations, having read the many reviews and heard from colleagues who'd dined there. I was told there was two seatings and for the first one, I had to leave promptly at 8.15pm. Fine with me as I prefer early dinners anyway.

We arrived at 7pm on a Friday evening and were the first diners there. By the time we left at 8.15pm, there were still a fair number of empty tables left and at no time was the restaurant at full capacity. It is also interesting to note that when I called the chef for the bill (the waiters were busy serving other tables and the chef happened to see me), he brought over the menu probably in anticipation of my ordering dessert.When I informed him it was the bill I wanted, a clear look of displeasure flashed across his face. Certainly not what I'd expected.

Service and capacity aside, the food at Pietrasanta was alright overall. The house bread were little pieces of soft and warm ciabatta-like rolls. Served with cold, unsalted butter, they were an absolute delight.

For mains, we ordered a squid ink with crab meat pasta, a ricotta and spinach ravioli with butter and sage, as well as a parma ham and rocket salad pizza to share.

The pastas passed muster and were fresh, al dente, and light but still flavoursome in its taste. The squid ink pasta in particular came with a heaped and generous portion of crab meat. My ravioli on the other hand while tasty, was a rather meagre 6-7 pieces for the price tag of $16/$18(?).

The pizza on the other hand disappointed somewhat. Both my dinner partner and I agreed that the ingredients were top-notch - the rocket leaves were not bitter in the least such that we found ourselves eating them on its own. The parma harm was also lightly cured and not lip-numbingly salty. The crust of the pizza however was a little too doughy and spongy for our liking. They could do with a thinner and crispier crust that would have better balanced the delicate flavours of the leaves and slivers of parma ham. In the end, we polished off the salad and ham and left two-thirds of the crust behind.

Overall, Pietrasanta offers quality ingredients in its dishes, allowing the natural flavours to shine through. It just needs to work on giving their food that elusive x-factor that would justify the trek out to Portsdown and the prices. And better service.

I totally enjoyed my dining experience at Covo.
Prior to seating, one of the waiters gave us an enthusiatic introduction to the various dishes available. (All this whilst we were still standing at the door!). Needless to say, the in-depth introduction continued once we were comfortably seated.
I ordered a set dinner and I must add that this is one of the best set dinner I've ever had.
It's full of creativity. A far cry from the usual boring set meals that most restaurants offer.

My appetiser was a tapas plate (with 3 varieties). I had previously informed the waiter that I do not take seafood and had requested that the chef avoid seafood in my tapas plate. Indeed, he did not disappoint: immaculately prepared pan-seared foie gras, baked to perfection escargot and innovative bamboo wrapped in smoked bacon. This has set the stage for a wonderful dinner to follow.

A delightful and ecclatic blend of lemon grass and cream of asparagus was my soup of the day. Smooth and tangy at the same time. Cleared my palate so that my taste buds can better appreciate the main course that is to follow.

My main was a rack of lamb laced with a accompanied by sauteed onions and potato wedges. The lamb did not fail me. It was done medium well (to my request) and there was not even a hint of the usual 'lamb taste' that we are all so turned off by. I enjoyed every single bit of my rack of lamb. The portion was adequate. And the delightful way in which the lamb was prepared leaves one begging for more.

To cap off the evening, the service rendered was nothing short of personal and warm. My questions about the food were answered ably by our waiters and waitress. It certainly is a joy to dine in a restaurant where people take pride in the quality of the food they prepare and serve.

Thumbs Up!

If you're looking for a colder place to save your Frolick yoghurt from melting, here it is. It's between Candy Empire and Munchy Donuts. There are only 2 tables with chairs for small groups, however, but there are benches elsewhere.

Impartiality goes out of the window as far as service is concerned, so I'm not going to rate that.

I like the fact that they use fresh fruit as opposed to frozen fruit, and that the natural yoghurt tastes precisely that - naturally sour and not icy or sweet.

This place obviously specializes in crab. Step into the kopitiam and you're greeted by a macabre display (if you're a crab, that is) of empty crab shells adorning the walls. We picked an alfresco seat just outside the shop and found ourselves shooting the pleasant Changi Road breeze (quite literally).

Since there were only two of us, we decided on the much-vaunted Crab Meat Fried Rice, and ordered a sambal kangkong and a pot of Chinese tea to wash it down with. A $10 portion was just nice, and came topped with chunks of crab meat, char siu and chinese sausage. It was a tad dry, but that also meant it wasn't as oily and unhealthy. The real scene stealer was the sambal kangkong, which my dining companion duly declared the best he ever had. I'll let you decide for yourself.

Service was prompt and cheery, and all these for only $10 a head. Word of caution about the other cze char dishes though: I tried the roast chicken and butter/black pepper crab on a return visit, and was not terribly awed. The Lor Marzuki area isn't particularly car-friendly, so try to avoid peak hour meal-times and you should be fine.

Tables were designed for drinks rather than food. Chairs were short and terribly uncomfortable for me. Music is too loud to dine "properly". Somehow, main courses were more respectable (surprisingly) than the bar food... French fries were terrible, better off with MacDonald. The problem is paying $20/30+ for mains and eating at the "cafe" table is just not my idea of good dinning comfort.

This place is designed for drinking and chilling rather than dinner with friends so take your pick of the Clarke Quay restaurants and hop over for drinks later if you are so inclined.

Had a craving for American style thick crust pizzas so ventured to California Pizza Kitchen's (CPK) sole Singapore outlet at Orchard. CPK is actually an international chain with 235 outlets worldwide and is well known for its extensive menu which features everything from creative pizzas to pastas, sandwiches and salads.

Occupying two levels at Forum the Shopping Mall, CPK offers air conditioned dining on both levels and al fresco dining on the lower level as well. Tables are spaced comfortably apart and if you sit downstairs, you can get a partial view of the kitchen and the counter where the pizzas are placed to be served. All in all a family style cosy interior with the option of booth seats if you so wish.

BBQ Chicken Pizza - Branded as a hot favourite amongst customers in the US, the BBQ Chicken pizza has withstood the test of time by being on the menu since the first CPK restaurant opened up in Beverly Hills in 1985. Sizing in at 10 inches and 6 slices, the BBQ chicken was relatively heavy on the tastebuds with BBQ chicken breast cubes (duh!) and onions. Cheese was also plentiful and complemented the mild tomato base which covered the chewy and hearty pizza dough. But it could probably do with alot more ingredients for the price. Heck, pizza hut gives more for roughly the same price!

Hawaiian Pizza - The Hawaiian was much much lighter on the palate then the BBQ chicken, which isn't a bad thing really. Fresh pineapples and bacon coupled with a generous layer of gooey cheese and a moderately thick and chewy crust with lots of bite made for an excellent pizza. But as with the BBQ chicken pizza, the amount of ingredients could have increased.

Chocolate Banana Cheesecake - This is seriously one decadent dessert. Extremely chocolaty and rich from the drizzled triple thick hot fudge, the cake was a tad soft but went very well with the smooth vanilla ice cream. Definitely not recommended for people who can't tolerate high levels of sugar in every mouthful. And at $12 a pop, its not recommended for budget/value for money seekers as well.

I like the food and the place, I can accept the relatively higher price ($60 for 2 pax) but I hate the location (and parking charges as well). Unless CPK can move to the heartlands or I'm around the area, I'll probably have to stick to Canadian Pizza or Pizza Hut for my frequent pizza urges.

See all my pictures here.

I enjoy Thai food served in Singapore, which generally is closer to the Thai Chinese version. So when faced with a proposal to dine at Sabai I could not decline the offer. Once we entered, the darken ambience and large space between tables made it clear that it was a fine dining environment. .

We started with the chicken wings which were had a nice crispy but yet not too oily skin with its meat remaining tender. Next I tried the Morning Glory (Kang Kong) which was very authentically spicy.

I then tried the Red Duck Curry which was thick and flavourful, intense with lots of coconut milk and not recommended for those weak at the heart. The duck pieces were a little overdone but still not too hard to consume.

The only disappointment was the Steamed Seabass which was not very fresh.

Service staff were generally Thai and was at tip top condition.

After reading the feature on Food & Travel magazine this month on a place in the east serving good Xiao Long Bao, I have been meaning to try it. A big fan of these little soupy gems, and since it is the east, it was an added bonus…this place was really quite close to home!


We ordered a serving of their house speciality, xiao long bao. The mince pork was flavoured to perfection. It was a perfect balance when you bite into the thin skin and the burst of broth and mince meat was just right. Not too salty…but seasoned well enough that there isn't a "porky" taste.


We also ordered the spinach skin xiao long bao with prawns and scallops. This didn't have much of a broth in it, but they were very generous with the prawns. The spinach skin gave this dish a very nice twist… very unique.

You must must try the mango sago and pomelo dessert...one bowl can be shared...and man it was refreshing on a hot sunday afternoon!

You can read more with more pictures here: http://vanessafrida.livejournal.com/233661.html