The Adventures Of A Singaporean Bon Vivant
What you'll find on this blog are all the eateries I've frequented in Singapore and around the world for good food and wine/ drinks. I'm in the process of slowly uploading my photos. Please bear with me, OK?
For more info about me, please go to: www.about.me/KrystynnSG. www.xeeme.com/KrystynnSG
You can also Follow Me on Twitter via www.twitter.com/KrystynnSG
-
krystynnsg The World According To KrystynnSG
We came here for an early dinner on a lovely Friday evening because we needed to find a place that was nearest to Lido Cinema (on Orchard Road). We had wanted to catch “The Great Gatsby” that night. As expected, most the eateries inside ION Orchard are packed to the brim. And it wasn’t yet 6pm!
And then, voila! We chanced upon this kewl bistro located just outside of ION Orchard. Welcome to the Alfresco Gusto Italian Bistro.
As we entered the eaterie, we were greeted warmly by the Manager and his team of waiters. It made us feel already at home!
Located at ION Orchard, Alfresco Gusto is arguably Orchard Road’s largest Italian restaurant in an al fresco setting. The 100 seater outdoor trattoria spans some 60 meters and covers almost the entire width of ION Orchard. It features a chic bar offering a delectable array of spirits, wines and cocktails and a contemporary dining area set amongst lush greenery.
The service we received that evening was beyond excellent. There was already a crowd inside the Bistro by the time we arrived at 6pm, consisting largely of expats and tourists. Hardly any locals.
Portions here are large and prices are reasonable.
This was what we feasted on that evening:
Above: The Mushroom Ragout is delicious! A must-try.
Above: The Cream of Mushroom Soup is also another winner.
Above: The Pomodoro Pasta. Yum!
Above: Carbonara Pasta
Above: Pizza Proscuitto. Great if you are a meat lover. My friend is. For me, I prefer more mushrooms, cheese and ham/salami on my Pizza. So this dish wasn’t quite a favorite with moi…
Above: Wine, anyone? We had Savignon Blanc.
Above: The Menu.
Above: Some of the better wines the Bistro has in stock….
Personal Rating for Food: 4/5
Personal Rating for Ambience: 4.5/5
Personal Rating for Service: 4/5
Would we recommend this eaterie to people?
A definite YES!
Alfresco Gusto Italian Bistro
Address:
2 Orchard turn #01-15
ION Orchard
Orchard Road
Singapore
Tel:
+65 6509 9380
Email:
ask@alfrescogusto.com.sg
Website:
www.alfrescogusto.com.sg
Menu:
http://www.alfrescogusto.com.sg/menu
Opening Hours:
LUNCH/DINNER
Sun-Tue: 11am-12am
Wed-Thu: 11am-1am
Fri-Sat: 11am-2am
Above: The famed Linguine Alla Modesto (flat spaghetti with fresh prawns, squid, mussels, whole crab, anchovies, capers, olives, fresh tomatoes, garlic and white wine cooked in the traditional Italian Cartoccio style).
—————————————
If you are looking for a lovely place to unwind in an al fresco environment, watch sports on a huge TV screen over beer, pasta, pizza and seafood, may I recommend you - Modesto’s at the Orchard Parade Hotel? This is the only outlet we love (there are a few other outlets runned by Modesto’s).
The ambience is perfect. Lots of tourists but the crowd is generally fun and casual. Service, though, could be improved. It took us a while (after waving frantically) before a waiter/waitress came to our table!
This eaterie specializes in wood-fired pizza and homemade pasta. Their menu is pretty sizeable catering to just about every taste. One of the must-try dish is the Linguine Alla Modesto (Seafood Linguine in traditional Cartoccio style). Truly mamma mia!
Do note that the food portions are large - like those you’ll find in the USA. In a way, it is value for money.
One of my gripes in dining here is their coffee. Even their thickest coffee is too bland and diluted for me. Maybe I’ve grown accustomed to drinking Italian coffee that anything else seems too diluted to me eg the Americano.
Enjoy my recommendations for a rad dinner at this al fresco restaurant!
Above: Crema di Funghi (S$12.00). Home-made Cream of fresh Mushroom Soup, topped with cream.
Above: Fritto Misto (S$24.00). An assortment of deep-fried soft shell crab, squid, silver bream and prawns - served with tartar sauce.
——————————-
Above: Quattro Stagioni (Regular size: S$26.50). Ingredients include Tomato, Cheese, Mixed Seafood, cooked Pork Ham, Mushrooms and Black Kalamata Olives.
Above: Capricciosa (Regular size: S$24.50). Ingredients include Tomato, Cheese, cooked Pork Ham, Mushrooms and Artichokes.
Above: Yup, this is the house speciality pasta! Linguine Alla Modesto. I love crabs but I wish they had removed the crab shells ;-)
Above: Warm bread with Olive Oil, anyone?
Above: Double Espresso (S$6.50).
Above: The House Blend Coffee (S$4.50). It is very diluted!
Above: Watching sports on TV!
Personal Food Rating: 4/5
Service Level: 1.5/5
———————————————————————————-
Modesto’s (Orchard Parade Hotel)
Address:
1 Tanglin Road
#01-09/10 Orchard Parade Hotel
Singapore
Tel: +65 62357808
URL: http://www.modestos.com.sg/
** All photos shown on this page taken using the iPhone 4S (late last year). I didn’t bring along my bulkier Canon Powershot G15 camera. Excuse the bad lighting and grainy photos. Thank you! **
MARMALADE PANTRY:
Welcome to the ever-popular Marmalade Pantry located at the posh ION Orchard. If you don’t make prior lunch/dinner/high tea reservations, you’d be hard-pressed to get a table here, especially on weekends!
This upmarket restaurant is packed with the hip, trendy and socialite crowd. You’d be hobnobbing with the rich tai-tais (read: socialites) as they exchange juicy details of their lives over high-tea. We were here for lunch and let’s just say I was not very impressed with the service AND food.
First of all, this is an open-concept type of restaurant - smacked right in the middle of busy ION Orchard mall. Can you imagine having curious onlookers peering at you as you try not to slurp on your pasta? It was just a tad too uncomfortable for me. So guys, please take note of my “likes” and “dislikes”. I prefer a nice, quiet place for a meal without having onlookers gawking or peering at you with jealous eyes while you eat, ya know?
The service here is below-average. It takes FOREVER for the servers to notice our frantic waves! Maybe next time I should throw darts at them in order to get noticed? Just thinking aloud here. Or maybe - to be fair to the servers - this eaterie is inadequately-staffed. Hire more servers then, Marmalade Pantry Group Management team! On a scale of 1 to 5, I’d rate the service here a 1.5/5. It’s bad. Nothing to be proud of. Seriously.
Let’s start with the food now: For starters, we had Field Mushroom Soup with Truffled Croutons (S$10.00). It was interesting. But I have tasted better Cream of Mushroom Soup before so….
For salad, we tried their Pan Seared Haloumi - with Roma Tomatoes and Watercress Herb Salad (S$21.00). Unless you have the appetite of a bird, this dish would not fill you up ;-)
Then, my friend raved about their Crabmeat Linguini with Pine Nuts, Tomatoes and Chillis (S$24.00). My verdict? On a scale of 1 to 5, I’d rate this dish 2.5. I don’t see what’s the big deal about this dish. It was not the usual delicious type of Italian pasta that I’ve grown accustomed to.
I had the Seared Scallop Linguini with Tiger Prawn Bisque (S$24.00). It was a mistake to order this dish! It taste like a local dish ie it tastes like “hey bee hiam” on Mee Pok! To translate what I’ve just written in Singlish to English - this dish has a strong shrimp smell/taste. Too much! My taste bud was not used to eating such pasta. I really wanted to send this dish back to the kitchen! And the servers told me it was their speciality dish which many diners order. Seriously, people?! On a scale of 1 to 5, I’d rate this dish a 1/5. I am sure the restaurant was lying about this dish being a hit with the diners. Singaporeans, you see, have exquisite taste in food. They certainly would not pay S$24.00 for such a pasta. I know I won’t.
I heard that the Marmalade Pantry serves some really cool desserts. However, we did not check them out because seriously - after the bad service we encountered and the type of food served, we totally lost our appetite for desserts.
So who said this eaterie deserves high praises? We need to talk!
General Food Rating (incl Service Level, Ambience of Restaurant & Food): 2.5/5
Note: Expect to spend approximately S$60.00 per pax for a 3-course meal (excluding wine/drinks).
The Marmalade Pantry
2 Orchard Turn #03-22
ION Orchard Singapore
Tel: +65 6734 2700
URL: http://themarmaladepantry.com.sg/city
Opening Hours
Mon–Fri: 11.30am – 9.30pm
Sat: 10am – 9.30pm
Sun: 10am – 4pm
CANELE PATTISERIE (SINGAPORE):
My socialite BFF kept raving about Canelé Pattiserie. So naturally I thought the food here must have been like - Wow, right? I was so wrong.
It is an upmarket eaterie for sure. Expect to pay premium prices. An average meal (soup or salad, main dish and dessert) can set you back by S$50.00 (minimum) per pax. Wine/drinks not inclusive. Don’t get me wrong. I really don’t mind paying IF the food is good and the service is par excellence. But for sub-standard service and average food - No Way, Jose!
Let’s start with the service here. We visited the outlet at Raffles City Shopping Center and the servers looked clueless, glum…and, really hopeless in general. If I am paying alot to dine here, I do expect some attentive and great service! So on a scale of 1-5, I’d rate the service level here: 0 (yes, 0 as in ZERO!).
Food-wise, it is nothing great. I have tasted better food at other eateries if you are comparing apples to apples with regards to prices.
So, for starters, we had the Cream of Mushroom Soup. It was nice. But not great. Then we had the Salad Canelé (with Smoked Salmon). This was lovely. It could be because I am a huge lover of salmon! Smoked or Raw - I just love Salmon! ;-) My main course was the Provencal Chicken Stew with Pasta (see pic). On a scale of 1-5, I’d rate this dish: 2.5/5. It could be better. Really.
My BFF had their house speciality - Crepes (see pic). She was really raving about their crepes! Hm… Seriously, I think this BFF of mine loves this place because it is….well, you know… a little bourgeois. Not because the food is THAT great and will bowl you over! ;-) If she reads this review, I am a dead duck ;-)
There is however ONE saving grace about this eaterie: their mouthwatering sumptuous dessert!! On a scale of 1-5, I’d give their desserts here a 5/5! Yes, full marks, baby! Oh my, just take a look at the photo of the desserts we ate. It was decadent but FABULOUS! Incidentally, the desserts here at not cheap either. But it’s worth it.
Now, if only they can improve on the service level here….
For now, I don’t think I’d be in a hurry to return. Unless of course my dear socialite BFF, the Langster drags me here! Due to our busy schedules (hers and mine), we only get to meet up once a month on a Friday for lunch. Yeah, I have too many friends and BFFs whom I have to keep in contact with :-( Sigh. Life of a busy bee ain’t easy huh?
Canelé Patisserie
Address:
(The Raffles City Outlet)
252 North Bridge Road, #B1-46/47
Raffles City Shopping Centre
Singapore
Tel: +65 6334 7377
URL: http://www.canele.com.sg
(The Paragon Outlet)
290 Orchard Road, #B1-K8
Paragon Shopping Mall
Orchard Road
Singapore
Opening Hours:
Mon.-Sun. 11:30-23:00
Lovely weather this evening calls for a lovely French meal at Le Petit Paradis. A new French eaterie along East Coast Road.
This newly-opened eaterie serves delectable French-Fusion cuisine at inexpensive prices. My favorite dish at this place is definitely their Cream of Mushroom with Cognac! Cost only S$3.50!
Equally delicious is their Grilled Salmon. A MUST-TRY! Cost: S$9.90. Their Giant Chicken Sausage with Rosti is just so-so. Nothing fantastic. Cost: S$7.70 per dish.
Food Rating: 3.5/5
Le Petit Paradis
125, East Coast Road
Singapore
@ Ali Baba Eating House
(opposite 112 Katong Mall and Awfully Chocolate)
Opening Hours:
11.30am to 3pm (Lunch)
6pm -10pm (Dinner)
