Orgo

For a more detailed review, please see http://thehungrybunnie.blogspot.com/2011/01/orgo-bar-lab-esplanade.html

I suggest making a reservation for the glass enclosures (each of them houses about 15 people) if you aren't a fan of Singapore's balmy weather because Orgo is completely open-air. That way, you can still enjoy the beautiful view and yet be sweat-free.

We had:

1) Parma Ham & Melon ($12) - classic simple and yummy with simple and fresh ingredients

2) Chorizo & Prawn Skewer ($12) - prawns were very sweet 

3) Mushroom & Wagyu Beef ($16) - beef strips were incredibly tender and flavoursome

4) Seafood Paella ($32) - very good. Aromatic, moist and flavourful with the essence of seafood stock, this was also choc-a-bloc with prawns, huge succulent scallops, clams, squid and mussels

for more pictures and reviews visit

www.houseofstef.com

***

My boyfriend and I happened to try Orgo for just casual dinner and drinks after work.  We didn't make any reservations but they had "seats" available that night for us.  We were ushered to this "space"... a concrete ledge with a low table in between us and a cushion for us to sit.  It wasn't comfortable at all especially when we thought of having tapas and dinner.

The tapas menu was limited and frankly a disappointment.  Their fish ceviche was just plain sour.  A la carte items for dinner were limited too.  I settled with the linguine aglio olio style with prawns.  It was good except for the fact that the noodles were a bit overcooked.

The only thing that makes me want to come back is their awesome cocktail list.  I fell in love with their Passionfruit with Coffee Salt frozen margarita.  Such an uncommon flavor pairing but it somehow worked!  Don't expect much from the beer list though.  They only have 4 labels to choose from.

      

words alone could not describe how frustrated I am with Orgo. This place just doesnt have the slightest sense of what is customer service.

When I arrived on last Friday night, my reservation was screwed up. They didnt take down my reservations, so I had to stand and wait while they sort things out. While this poor waiter attempted to attend to me, simply by standing in front of me & smiling away like a log, the other waiters were just buzzing around and made no initiative to help their poor colleague.

Finally, after what was like 10mins, they wanted to give me outdoor seats, when I specifically requested for indoor seats. After further complaining, they told me I can have the common hall, which in their words: "anyone can join you at your table". Why the hell do I want others to join me at table, for my night's out? This is absurb. In the end, I decided to go elsewhere, with the whole evening ruined.

So pls Orgo's management, reflect on the service quality of your staff. No amount ambience, or quality of f&b can make up for such atrocious service. If you need an example, pls take a look at Hippotamus Grill at Marina Square.

Orgo restores my faith in the belief that there are no good eating places at the Esplanade (save Max Brenners and Space at My Humble House) for pre-show dining. The food is barely passable – the duck pasta did not come with a hearty ragu, as one would have expected, but a very thin sauce that just tasted salty. The noodles weren’t al dente by any stretch of the imagination. I also had a starter of escargot which was unremarkable. I think you lose some of the joys of the lovely, oily garlic sauce when escargot is served in a dry presentation.

Where  Orgo fares much better is in its location (rooftop, good views, etc) and drinks. The riffs on standards like martinis and margaritas are well done, and you can taste that fresh ingredients have been used. I’m inclined to say, treat this place as a bar and not a restaurant and you’ll be fine.

I went to Orgo on 7th jan with my friend as our initial choice to have drinks at southbridge jazz did not materialise since we were too early for the live band.

we were greeted by a cheerful gentleman at the entrance and were shown to a four-seater table right beside the entrance as we were informed that the other two tables we requested were reserved.  we accepted it.  

a service staff brought the menus and drink lists for us.  i was joking with my friend how blind i was and cud not read off the menu when an attentive male service staff came with two torches!  we were pleasantly surprised and kidded that "ahhh, and there was light!"  one of the torches were left on the table for our use in case we needed to place a further order - how thoughtful and what wonderful service!  thumbs up for this staff! 

i placed an order for my favourite cuban cocktail - the mojito, while my friend asked for a vodka tonic.  as vodka has never sat well with me, i jokingly asked my friend whether she really wanted that.  anyway when the drinks arrived, we tried them although i had some difficulty giving my mojito a stir as the crushed ice filled up quite a good part of the glass.  so i waited for some of the ice to melt and managed to stir by pulling out one of the two  straws in it and sliding it gradually down the side of the glass.  subsequently i managed to push the generous sprig of mint into the drink and tried to mix it.

strangely though, i could not taste very much of the rum.  at about the same time, my friend commented that she was drinking lime juice to which comment i doubted.  so i had a sip and hmm... it tasted very much like lime juice. probably they have used good gin n vodka, i guess.  there were two thick wedges of lime in the drink and i guess quite a dose of lime juice was added too!

i gave another shot at my mojito after discovering the lime at the bottom and started crushing it with my straw.  another sip - great ... i could taste lime, mint and big pieces of "crushed" ice ... but still the rum was a little evasive :(

my friend asked a female service about her drink tasting distinctly like a lime juice and was recommended the mango and banana martini to which we laughed.  the service staff probably thought we were rude even though my friend explained that i had recommended a martini prior to speaking to her.  she decided on a mango martini.

service was downhill after that ... sadly.  given my outspoken demeanour, i told the same female service staff that the mojito is pretty bad and apologised for being so honest with my remark.  to this she said, "oh i like honest (or was it direct) people..."  well, she is a service staff and i really am not too concerned whether she likes me or otherwise.  but i was not rude in telling her... it was just an honest feedback.  i think the gentleman who greeted us at the entrance noticed something amissed and came over.  i repeated that the drink seemed to be quite diluted.  to this remark i was told that i could have asked for a smaller glass with less crushed ice and if i was not mistaken, was told that the drink is definitely not diluted.

i was puzzled and informed him that i was there gfor the first time and was not aware that there could be such arrangement?!  Seriously, i have never come across any establishment where i would have to request for a different presentation?  hmm, should they not be the expert since the vibes i received, which my friend agreed, was that they are not very receptive to comments/feedback??? i was asked if i wanted to try another drink and I declined as i was not too confident of their concoctions.  

my friend was asked if the mango martini was acceptable to which she said it was ok.  on the quiet, she told me it was just "ok" but she had tasted better.  we asked for the bill and paid for three drinks.  while we were getting up to leave, the same female service staff was so "honest" and "direct", she commented " i hope the mojito is not as bad as you made it out to be" to which my friend reiterated succinctly "it is bad".  i had commented diplomatically that "we have different tastes",  she would not let go and added "oh, that is my favourite drink... blah blah blah".  now THIS IS UNCALLED FOR!  perhaps she cannot draw the line between being honest and being rude?  if she is not receptive, it is fine, but however "honest and direct" a service staff is, please respect that patrons are there to destress and they are paying? 

if not for being restrained by my friend and not wanting to spoil the evening even more, i would have walked back and given her a piece of my mind!!!!   WHY????  

anyway, you can be sure .... we will never ever visit a second time, even if they should serve the best cuisine and drinks!!!!  have fun female service staff, you have a thing or two to learn from the practising staff at "Charcoal" at the treasury.

incidentally, a simple outfit called "CUBA LIBRE" has some nice mojitos which i really enjoy along with a live band.  although the piped music at your establishment is nice which feedback was given to the gentleman at the door.  

so long, farewell!

Brought my family for a nice christmas dinner. Called ahead for reservations, glass-enclosed rooms were already booked but was assured of (a) fantastic view of singapore skyline anywhere we were seated, and (b) canopy in case in rained.

It poured just before we got there and seats were a bit damp and had to be wiped.  view was decent but had to get up and walk around to see everything. cozy and quiet, which is what we were looking for. Food was very good, but menu was very limited with only about 5 main courses to choose from. service was friendly and attentive and very accomodating.  More so because of initial inconvenience with damp seats and all from the heavy downpour before we arrived.  (Always a risk in going to these al fresco rooftop places!)

Overall, a good experience, but it falls short of its potential to be a great experience.  Look forward to giving it another go after it makes a couple more adjustments (rain management, menu options).

The place is nicely situated and you get a great view. But best to choose indoors as it is pretty humid outdoors in the evening. You hardly get wind here I suppose due to the surrounding taller structures. The Food is so so but kinda pricey....You wanna view, I suggest two other places nearby...

Went to this place recently.. in short, was impressed by the view! However, much left to be desired for the food and beverages.. read more below.

Ambience/Setting was Great!! Sat on top of the Esplanade, this place offer very very scenic view of the CBD from a slightly different angle. They played good music, too. so I believe this would be a good place to bring your dates to chill out after dinner; to sit down and chat along, to get to know each other, etc.. there are 2 distinct "areas" in this place, the air-con glass box sitters and the open air sitters.. 

Food & Beverage was rather disappointing given the nice setting for this place.. Selection for main course/dessert/finger food was rather limited and even then, the food was ahh---right only.. same goes to the drink that we ordered.. okay only la.. hope to see management improving on this aspect of this potentially excellent eatery.

Value was a bit not worth it.. we spent $55 for 2 person, which is about 27 bucks per person but I felt a bit shortchanged in terms of the quality of the drink.. Understood that we are paying more for ambience.. but it is still a bit too much to pay for the view. And you can only book the glass box sitters if you have a large group or your bill amount up to 150-200 bucks!! which was understandable from management point of view, but totally suck from customers point of view. anyhow, i also felt shortchanged because for this amount of money, i was made to sit on cushion.. without back rest support..

Service was decent.. hmm. Receptionist was warm and friendly, service staff was friendly in assisting to take order.. 

final words.. I might return to bring friends to enjoy the ambience.. but definitely not for the food..

Actually what intially drew me to Orgo was their concept of Organic Chemistry whereby for some items on the menu, only organic produce is used. This novelty coupled with the presence of the celebrity mixologist Tomoyuki Kitazoe and the stunning Esplanade rooftop ambience was more than enough reason to justify the visit. The glass walls separating the al fresco and indoor areas enable those who shun the local humidity and heat to enjoy the paranomic view of the Singapore skyline and Marina Bay resort in the luxury of indoor aircon comfort too!

This being my virgin visit, most of the food and drink orders were recommendations by the staff. 

Described as “Kurobuta & Chicken Parcel gratinated in melted Foie Gras”, the Foie Gras Siew Mai($12++) sounded too good to be true. Kurobuta and Foie Gras together? What have I done to deserve such luxury? Swoons…That said, Orgo probably mixed up the Foie Gras Siew Mai recipe with the recipe for utter disappointment, whipping up the latter instead. There was a strong gamey and porky flavour and the rough texture was atypical of what I’d normally expect from Kurobuta. Usually the saving grace, I have always thought that it would be impossible to screw up a Foie Gras but for Orgo, impossible is nothing. I assumed that melting the Foie Gras was mainly used to bring out the intense flavour but instead, the Foie Gras ended up tasting like a bitter moose that lacked it’s all so enjoyable fatty consistency. Yes, I don’t like it when Foie Gras goes to waste and so I rant…

“Skewer of Beef Tenderloin accompanied by Cabbage Salad served with Chili & Lime Dressing”, the Pinchitos Morunos($10++) was too my horror, served to us at room temperature though I’m not sure if that was intentional. The dressing was a nice fit for the Beef but I really wouldn’t order this again as pre-cooked beef left at room temperature is really just an unsavoury cesspool for bacterial growth.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, the Grilled Chicken Breast accompanied by Fricassee of Mushrooms gratinated with Cheese($25++) arrived. It sets the record for the most rubber-like chicken I have ever eaten although at least the cream sauce helped to lift this dish from downright disgusting to just plain distasteful, ok I exaggerate but seriously, the calories I lost chewing the rubbery meat > than the calories I gained digesting it. I’m going to call this yumyumformytumtum’s 1 step diet programme for healthy weight loss.

probably shouldn’t have been that shocked at how the food turned out though since no one else there apart from S and I seemed to have ordered any food. However, I’m pleased to say that the cocktails are a different story altogether. Orgo prides itself on mixing cocktails made from fresh fuits(only sliced on ordering), which evidently results in cocktails with a much more refreshing fruity taste. This concept is not a new one, Klee @ Portsdown Road has been using it long before Orgo came into the picture and it works. Most people only perceive drinking as an avenue to get high and totally miss out on the fine art of liquor appreciation which I feel is a pity. For me at least, the friendly banter with the mixologists and other friendly patrons whilst soaking up the ambience with a freshly mixed martini in hand makes for the perfect symphony for cocktail appreciation and with respect to this, I’d still prefer Klee slightly over Orgo due to the former’s concept of a no-menu cocktail concoction bar with personalised service and friendly regulars.

Passionfruit with Coffee Salt Margarita($18++) came reminiscent of a towering ice kachang. It tasted best when it was melted halfway, when I felt that the alcohol(tequila right?) to mixer ratio was just right for my liking

Mango & Marjoram Martini($18++) is for those who prefer something a little sweeter. Personally, I don’t really like mango but the subtle sweetness from both the mango and marjoram(a herb or undershrub with sweet pine & citrus flavour says wikipedia) definitely had some chemistry going on.

At the end of the day though, I have to admit I had a good time at Orgo and it will definitely be a spot for potential dates. It’s a nice place to chill and talk about life or our(Singaporeans) lack of it.

Bon Appetit!

For the full Review/Pics, do visit http://yumyumformytumtum.wordpress.com/2010/05/19/orgo-orgasmic-cocktails/