The French (Kopitiam) Stall

Name: The French Stall
Place: Serangoon Road (Opposite Shell Station)
Address: Corner of Sturdee Road North.

Before I start, let me warn you this is NOT a REVIEW. I refuse to do a review. So if you are looking for a review of this eatery, please go somewhere else.

Okay, if you are still reading on, reasons why I refuse to do a review are as below:

1) Service
2) Service
3) Service
3) Ambience vs Price
4) Quality of food

1) Service
First thing we reach there, we were greeted by this sign - '...you can be seated only if all are present' (or something to the effect). Well, do they have so many people who told them that they have more than the actual number who actually turned up? What's wrong with letting people sit down first? In the end, we sat at the entrance to wait for all to be present.

2) Service
7 of us in the group and 5 is present. We tried to talk to them and finally they let us sit down first, bending their rule slightly. Great service? Fat Hope. As 2 friends is very late, after sitting down for abour 15 mins and all 5 of us have placed our order, the 'friendly' waitress come and tell us this:

"Is your friends coming, if not, sorry, you have to give up this table and shift to a smaller table." KNN. Service at its best.

Again we have to try to talk to her pleading for 5 minutes grace. Fortunately, the 2 late-comers arrived before the grace expired.

3) Service
Any place you can find where you need to pay service charge and GST in Kopitiam? And for such service, I think I will be happier to pay service charge to the grumpy Tze cha stall aunty below my block. At least she doesn't chase you away from the table you have been allocated.


4) Ambience vs Price
At a corner of the road, no aircon throughout the whole stall, one can easily mistake it as a Tze Cha stall from far if one did not see the big but plain sign board of the name of the 'high-class restaurant'.

Well high class because price range from $15 - $25 for their main course. Well, this is French Cuisine so it cannot be considered as expensive but paying the price to ask us to dine beside the road is simply atrocious, at least all of us in the group.

5) Quality
Seriously nothing fantastic. If you want to eat French, go to La Petite Cuisine @ Serene Centre. At least the chef comes out when he is free to ask you how is the food.

Aston Prime / Aston Specialities / Aston Express

Name: Aston Prime / Aston Specialities / Aston Express
Place:
Auston Prime @ Joo Chiat
Auston Speciality @ East Coast / Cathay / Sports Club / Sembawang SC
Auston Express at Various Location
(Exact Location please refer to www.astons.com.sg)

I tried the outlet at Sembawang shopping centre. It was a new outlet and despite me hearing of Aston name, I have not tried it before. So that was my chance.

I ordered one Hickory BBQ Chicken, one pork chops and a Dinner Burger. Portion is generous and food is good. Comes with 2 side for the Chicken and the pork and one side for the burger.

My comment: Pork is just average while the chicken and the burger is good. For the chicken, I would not use the word fantastic but I would say that it is one of the better one that I have tried. And for $6.50, it is a steal.

The dinner burger is actually a bigger portion of the rest of the (cheaper) burger you see on the menu but they let you add one side. It is like buying a chicken burger and add one side. Works out to be cheaper if you have the dinner burger because you get a bigger burger and pay slightly less for the side.

As for the size of the burger, think of Carl's Junior Chicken Club. Something to the size or I would say that this is slightly bigger.

Although it seems to be like a restarant, there is
NO SERVICE CHARGE AND GOVERNMENT TAX!!!
(at least for the Sembawang Store)

So just add up the total of what you order and that's it.

And although there is no service charge, service there is fantastic. Quote this incident when I was in a queue (i need a table for 2) and there was a family of 5 that was behind me. When I was the first one in the queue, it happened that there was a big table (seats 6) that was ready. Naturally, I would not want 2 of us to hog the table for 6 and I would expect them to usher the family there before me.

They did, but before they do, they apologised to me (which I think it is not necessary) for letting me wait and they told me that they have a table for 2 that was empty but not ready. They told me to wait for another 2-3 mins and would let in me as soon as they have finished clearing the table. After doing so, then they ushered the family over.

I think that they have taken an extra step to ensure the service standards is there and I think I will be happy to pay for service charge in this case.

Menu:


More photos to be uploaded.

Ikea Cafe / Restaurant

NAME: Ikea
PLACE: Alexandra / Tampines

If you are looking for quality food at a bargain price, Ikea Restaurant will be one place that I will recommend you. Notice that I didnt use the word 'cheap' because comparatively it is not really cheap but you do get quality and aircon comfort.

Must try: Everything on the menu from poached salmon to nasi padang (less those side dish which you take out from the fridge.

Really must try: Swedish meatball for it uniqueness, chicken wing for its favour and nuggets.

Funny thing is that where isn't there a Halal section in Ikea Alexandra?

Ishi Mura @ Northpoint Extension

Name: ISHI MURA Japanese Theme-food Court
Place: Northpoint New Extension Level 3

Fresh and new concept of Japanese Theme Food court by the people who came out with this concept. In the food court, you find a variety of Japanese food range from Bento set to Ramen to Pizza to heated Stone Bowl Don to Japanese Burgers.

Price hovers at around $4.90 - $6.90, which most dish at $5.90. Reasonally cheap for Japanese food.

Heard that they are opening another similar outlet at Paradize centre, so if Yishun is too far, there could be another alternative soon.

Photos:

Kopitiam Tze Cha @ Toa Payoh

NAME: Unknown
PLACE: Toa Payoh
ADDRESS: Blk 124 Toa Payoh Lor 1
MUST TRY: Pork Ribs, Fried Rice, Hotplate Beancurd, Vege, Cereal Prawns, etc

Simple Kopitiam Tze Cha stall that serve great food. Food are simply yet tasty enough.

Comments:
A rare find among dozens of Tze Cha stall around Toa Payoh. A simple Kopitiam yet a Tze Cha stall that can produce food that can shame some more reputable restaurants.

Rating: 4.5/5. A must try.

Photos:

Working mobile?

[Invalid Post. Subway decides that electricity is too precious for them and they would rather keep it to themselves rather than sharing it with patrons.]

If you have the opportunity to work mobile with your laptop and have need to have a power socket to charge your battery or power up your laptop, one good and cost effective alternative suggestion other than the often crowded MacDonalds is Subway.

Located in major shopping malls and popular neighbourhoods, it is usually not hard to find a subway whereever you are. Majority of their stores have power sockets at some corner of the store and they are usually generous enough to let you tap a little bit of the power without approaching you.

The cost effective part is that buying a drink from them will cost you only $2 plus dollar and should you need a refill, you just need to top up $1 for the 2nd cup and beyond.

A meal, like many fast food, will set you back $6 - $8 but you eat healthier stuffs rather than junk food in MacDonalds or other fast food restaurant. Cheap, I'll say for using the place for a few hours i say. Put it the other way, a normal coffeeshop meal cost you about $4 - $4.50 with drink and a difference of $2-$3 frankly isn't a lot more to pay for for a air conditioned comfort and an area for you to do your work.

Yes, there are other alternatives but to me Subway offers a cheap, non-crowded environment for me to have a good meal and to do my work there at the same time.

The Best Bubble Tea.

If you are around bugis area and dying to have a drink, try this stall in Bencoolen Plaza. (The one that sell watches beside OG). The stall is located on Level 1 of the complex, somemore in the centre.

Its attraction: 1 cup for $1.
(For most of the drink there)

Bubble Tea is one of the better one around in terms of sweet-ness, blend. I particularly like Blue Coral from the stall.