Oriole Cafe, Pan Pacific Service Apartment

I have heard good things about the Oriole Cafe over at the Pan Pacific Service Apartment along Somerset Road and finally get the chance to pop by for lunch last month. Most of the food item is priced at $15 or under, making it pretty affordable.

Celest decided to have the fish chowder. I thought it was a bit on the bland side and it was not a thick chowder broth.

We shared the beef cheek tagliatelle which seemed to be a "must-try" from several reviews. While the beef cheek was tender and the pasta was al dente, I felt it was so-so. It was not bad, not was it something to rave about. I would say Au Petit Salut at Dempsey does a better version.

We also ordered the fish and chips to share. This was much better. Fresh fish lightly coated in batter and fried to a crisp. The chips were superb with its blend of herbs and a nice touch was the roasted garlic.

Another rave from the reviews was the coffee. I had the cappuccino and it was strong and good. I love the attention to detail and the foam art the barista took the time to create. Sweet.

Newton Circus Local Food

I rarely go to Newton Circus for food as it is such a touristy spot. Usually we would go there after a night of clubbing. We decided to head there as a friend is a strict vegetarian and we thought it would be easier for him to find food at at food center where there are more choices. But guess what, there are no vegetarian food stalls at all. So he had to settle for fruits while the rest of us pigged out.

BBQ chicken wings were sweet and tender, especially with the lime juice over it and the chili.

I was in the mood for something soupy and thus ordered the mixed fish (fried fish and fish slices) beehoon soup. It was not too bad. A bit pricey at $6 for that bowl.

Another friend ordered the oyster omelette to share. This was really really good. Crispy eggy and starchy with plump oysters. Nice.

I also ordered some chicken satays to share. They were good too. I guess Newton does have pretty good food for locals to want to go there. If only they would do something about the exorbitant prices. I paid $2 for "teh peng" (iced milk tea) :p

L'Entrepot Bistrot

We decided to go French and went to L'Entrepot Bistrot over at Clarke Quay for dinner. We sat inside and the decor was simple but tasteful. The service was very slow though. They were not prompt in giving us the menus or serving us drinks. Fortunately the food came out at the same time and were pretty decent. I was beginning to worry it would be awful food too. The bread rolls with butter. The bread was a bit on the sour side, yet it was not really sourdough bread. The butter made it much more palatable, and I used it to mop up the gravy from my main.

The duck confit which was quite nice. I still would not order it as I am just not a duck person. But everyone else were raving about it as not being as fatty as other places.

The french onion soup. I do love the emmental cheese which covered the bowl and stuck onto a think slice of crispy toast. It was very nice.

The broth was a bit on the thin side and could be better. It was not the best french onion soup I ever had. Hediard had a better broth and onions texture though L'Entrepot Bistrot had better cheese and toast.

The tiger prawn salad which was pretty tasty. The prawns were huge and the dressing was nice too.

The boeuf bourguignon (beef burgundy) which I ordered. The chunky beef pieces were tender and had a beefy taste. The gravy reminded me of bovril. The mushrooms were also infused with the heady beefy juices.

The cod which was quite nice too. Crispy skin and soft meat, not overly done at all.

The lamb shank which was a bit too gamey for me even though it was also tender and not dry or tough at all.

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Would I go back again? Maybe, but it is not a place I would rave about. For French food, I still prefer Au Petit Salut (though the head chef has left and I do not know if the standard has changed). Then again, I am not usually a big fan of French food :p

Nectarine, Clarke Quay

We went to Nectarine for dessert after our dinner at L'Entrepot Bistrot. We sat outside and some of us people-watched :p Being night time and outdoor, the lighting is very bad for photo-taking, especially my "need to be retired" camera.

The cakes which we shared and the tea for Celest. I noticed they would refill it with hot water, so that was pretty good.

The strawberry shortcake which I did not really like. I found the sponge cake part had a floury aftertaste where bits of the cake would settle on the tongue. The girls said it was the Japanese version but I just felt it was strange. That aftertaste made me feel like it was not cooked well :p I like my sponge cake to be normal ~ light and fluffy and would melt into your mouth.

The Chicago cheesecake was really dense and rich. This was definitely meant to be shared and this was similar to those served in North America.

Nectarine is well known for its waffles. Two were ordered. This was with maple syrup and vanilla pod ice cream. The vanilla ice cream was not really made with vanilla pod but with essence (after a baking expert tasted it ;p) but the maple syrup was real maple with its woodsy strong sweet aroma wafting around us. The waffle was crispy and warm and very nicely done.

The other waffles came with chocolate sauce and baileys ice cream. That was very nice too, especially for those who love baileys ice cream. Very strong alcohol in there.

Another order was for the strawberry sherbet which was super sweet that it seemed to be purely sugar and water. I had the hot chocolate which was pretty good. Rich and creamy with a thick foam on it. Initially I thought it was quite tasteless as I never thought to stir it. All the chocolate was at the bottom of the cup. It was much better after I discovered that and stirred it up.

Death by Chocolate ~ Rider's Cafe

I had some time to myself and was wondering where to go when I decided to head to Rider's Cafe over at the Bukit Timah Saddle Club to just read and soak in the greenery with a cup of coffee.

It was really crowded when I got there around 2+pm. By the time I was seated, it was past 3pm and only the tea menu was served. The service was really slow (maybe due to 2 big groups of diners) and the tea menu had very little options. I decided on the cappuccino and the death by chocolate cake. The savories were calamari, finger sandwiches and scones. Nothing exciting, especially when you saw other tables having fish and chips, burgers and other items. Yes, those people came for lunch and were served late too.

The coffee was decent enough with a thick foam and generously dusted with cocoa powder. A stick of sugar was usually not enough for me. Then again, I would be having a chocolate cake so that should compensate for the not too sweet coffee.

I waited for a long while for the cake to arrive. I was beginning to think how long did it take to cut a slice of cake and serve it to the customer when I still did not see any hint of it after 10 minutes of wait. When it came, I could see why it took some time. Maybe they did not have enough ovens/microwaves to heat up the cake and hot fudge so there was a queue.

It was a huge piece of cake with lots of hot fudge over it and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

It was super rich and so big that I had to surrender. It was truly a "death by chocolate" moment and I actually could not finish it at all. The remains of the dessert. Oh, and I scooped up a few teaspoons of the hot fudge and stirred it into my cappuccino, making it a mocha drink. That solved the sweetness problem of the drink.

But the very reason to go to Rider's Cafe was not really the food. It was to gaze at the horses. There were lots of horses around, either inside the stables or out in the pen being put through its paces, or just outside along the road.

The horses sticking their heads out of the stable. They are just so adorable.

All the books you read about horses came to mind and you wish you could really go up close and personal to pet them. There was a sign disallowing the petting of the animals.

Who wants to learn proper horseback riding?

Home-cooked Tom Yum Goong

I finally made it to a friend's new place and she invited me to stay on for dinner. After a lazy afternoon of hanging out by the pool and chatting, it was time for dinner. It was just a simple meal of tom yum soup with lots of prawns and fresh sliced fish and straw mushrooms.

To make it healthy, it was served with brown rice. The soup was very good (the paste was bought from the market), tangy and spicy. Fresh ingredients really made a difference in a mediocre meal and a delicious meal. The only thing to improve on was that the straw mushrooms could have been sliced into half and rinsed before dumping all into the soup from the can :p

The End of Wellness Village

I guess it has finally happened. A gf told me that Wellness Village has closed down and asked me if I still have a package with them.

I do and I have 1 session left. Darn it! My last session was supposed to be on last Friday but I canceled it as I could not make it. I was told to call back after 20 November to make an appointment for December. And now, I get the news it is no longer around.

Reading the posts on a forum, it seemed like the telephone numbers have been disconnected and the blinds are down. Even Pan Pacific Hotel has no clue of its closure.

I guess the signs were there when the service had been getting terrible. My last visit was pretty bad and I just did not want to keep writing about how bad the place was. I feel sorry for the therapists as they are probably the last to know. It is also bad for the numerous package holders who have many sessions left with them.

I guess when a company relies solely on "cheap" promotion, it will find it hard to sustain itself. It is also a lesson learned, not to sign up with places with too many "cheap" promotions. Or if you do, just try to finish them asap.