Oscar's Cafe @ Conrad Centennial

I went to Oscar's Cafe at Conrad Centennial a few days back. I have heard about Oscar's Cafe quite some time ago and have always wanted to try it out, so when I got the chance a few days back, I seized at the opportunity. However, it was quite a letdown. Or perhaps I was expecting the place to be cosy and quiet, with a nice aura, but it was just a normal place for buffet. The food is alright, with a a bit of variety, but overall, I was not overwhelmed by the place.

For a cafe with such a name, and at such a location, I would kind of expect it to be better, considering the price paid. I have heard raving reviews about the hot chocolate there, but when I ordered one, it was nothing out of the ordinary. I have had better hot chocolates elsewhere. Also, I heard it is one of those places that still have my favourite dessert - Sago Gula Melaka, but there was no trace of it at all! Overall, my experience there was quite disappointing.

I do not mind going there again though, but at a different time. Perhaps the lunch, tea or supper menu will be better? Not to mention it is open twenty-four hours of the day, so maybe the menu on the other timings are better?

Cuisine : International
Food : 2.5 out of 5
Ambience : 2 out of 5
Price : 2 out of 5

Villa Bali @ Gilman Barracks

Villa Bali is a Balinese-inspired bar, where most prefer to sit al fresco, and at the end of the place are some Balinese huts, complete with mats and cushions. Apparently, if any customer wants to sit in the hut, there will be a special charge. We sat on rattan chairs that are comfortable, and it makes a good environment to chill out. That was the first time I tried a frozen margarita, strawberry-flavoured with huge chunks of ice!

When the drink came, it was spilling out from the side, so I quickly grabbed the straw and sipped away the sides. I wanted something sweet and will not make me drunk, so the frozen margarita is a good choice. I managed to drink the entire glass, without getting drunk (although I still felt a tad tipsy when I reached home - my cheeks were so red!), as compared to when I drank Singapore Sling, now that will make me drunk rather quickly!

It is a good place to go again, at least to just chill out and drink!

Food : (no comment since did not taste any)
Ambience : 4 out of 5
Price : 3.5 out of 5

Corduroy Cafe @ ViVo City

There is this rather quaint cafe in ViVo City called the Corduroy Cafe, under the same umbrella as Corduroy and Finch. The place is pretty cosy, with sofa chairs, English-inspired theme, with home-made jam, complete with an antique piano. There is also a bookshelf filled with magazines like National Geographic where people can sit and read for hours. The food is not too bad as well.

A friend and I were there last night for dinner. I ordered lasagne and English Breakfast tea, and the tea comes in a tea strainer instead of a teapot, but I love the teacup and saucer set! The teacup and saucer set is clear and transparent, so cute and quaint! Not to mention when I asked for milk, the milk comes in a mini glass bottle, which reminds me of those old-fashioned glass milk bottles that were left outside English village houses!

A pity we were rushed for time, so did not get to stay much. But the service sucks though. I had to ask for quite a few things before they gave me, and some of the things had to be self-service, like bill payment. I wonder why they even have the cheek to charge us service charge?

Food : 3 out of 5
Ambience : 3.5 out of 5
Service : 2 out of 5
Price : 3.5 out of 5

Au Petit Salut @ Dempsey

I went to a fantabulous dining place on Saturday night - a cosy French restaurant called Au Petit Salut, the one at Dempsey, although there is another one at Holland Village. Kudos to the chef, because almost everything was perfect! We ordered a la carte instead of the set, so started off with traditional French Onion soup (how can anyone go to a French restaurant and not have onion soup?), pan-friend onglet beef (medium) for me and roasted quail for my friend, and ended off with dessert, where I ordered Creme Brulee and he Orange Souffle. I had a glass of lychee martini, mixed to perfection!

The food is really good, the beef is perfectly medium and the creme brulee is on par with the one I had in England last year. Even the quail is tender and juicy (well, but then that was the first time I actually ate a bird other than chicken and the occasional duck, so there was no basis for any comparison, still it tastes pretty good). Service is good too, the waitress is polite yet not overbearing, and enthusiastic (too enthusiastic at certain times!). The only gripe is that the onion soup is a bit too bland, despite putting pepper in.

We were dining al fresco, but luckily it rained that afternoon, so the weather was not too hot and humid. The ambience is really nice, dimly lit, candlelight, with trees and the roadside just next to us. It kind of reminded me of the open restaurant in Gozo (Malta) which I went to last year, where the dining is by candlelight, with the restaurant being next to the sea. Compared to the Pump Room where we went for drinks after that (it has the worst Long Island Tea I ever tasted - too concentrated!), Au Petit Salut is really a highly recommended place to go to.

Cuisine : French
Food : 4.5 out of 5
Ambience : 4.5 out of 5
Service : 4 out of 5
Price : 3 out of 5