Good makan places?

[Chewbacca]

Let's start a thread on good makan places in Singapore. I hope everyone can contribute a bit, whether the place in question be Chinese or Western, up market or for the masses.

 

I'll start off with a place I just discovered recently.

 

Name: Cafe Le Chateau

Location: Valley Point @ River Valley Road

Type of Food: Western, French

 

Personal Experience:

My group of friends had a small gathering over there, I decided on the place based on word-of-mouth alone. The place is pretty simple. Nice, simple setting without any fancy schmancy tacky stuff. Decent atmosphere, warm, dark and quiet, but not excellent.

 

The staff is enthusiastic, but I think they're not very...professional. We had an uncle serve us and for half my questions, he had to go to the back office and inquire. Kind, friendly, but not very...professional. Overall, still decent.

 

Food....now this is where this place shines. There were 7 of us. 3 had their prime steak, 3 had Pork Cordon Bleu, 1 had Oxtail Stew.

 

The Florentine Oyster that came with the set dinners is sinfully rich. A oyster on a bed of spinach (I think), generously covered with a layer of cheese and herbs and spices and baked to perfection. It's like happiness, in warm, squishy, tasty form. The escargot is pretty good too, but between the two choices you have for the set dinner, I'd suggest the oyster.

 

The steak turned out to be a surprise, much better than I expected. Tender, not too watery, nice flavour. I didn't ask about the breed of cow, aging and marbling, since I really didn't expect the steak to be good.

 

The Pork Cordon Bleu was also very good. Extremely cheese, cutting it open is like....like.....cutting open something totally full of cheese. You see the cheese oooooooozing out. The cheese is excellent warm and oozing, but nice and chewy when cooled off a bit. The pork is also battered and fried JUST right, allowing for just the right balance of juiciness and crispiness.

 

The Oxtail stew is the one I ordered. Excellent gravy. The broccoli goes extremely well with it, since it soaks up all the gravy. And the oxtail is cooked long enough that the meat slides right off the bone. Excellent. Very, very good.

 

The tiramisu dessert was good. I'm not good with dessert, so I'll just say that it's good. The apple pie is very unique. I don't think I've seen other pies like this. The Lemon Soufle was just...normal, I guess.

 

Pricing wise? INCREDIBLE. There's a promotion going on. Order 3 executive set dinners and you pay for only 2. And if you have a DBS Master/Visa card, you get 1 for 1 ala carte main course, max of 2 free course. With 7 people ordering 3 set dinners, 4 ala carte, we effectively paid for 2 set dinners and 2 ala carte mains. We also ordered.....5-6 drinks and 2 extra desserts. Everything came out to be $170, which is about $25 per person.

 

I know for sure that this is one place I'd be going back.

 

Strongly suggest: Steak, Pork Cordone Blue, Oxtail Stew, Florentine Oyster, Apple Pie

 

[Qpik]

TS, there's a folder for Makan Corner.

 

Next time you might want to post there.

 

 

[Kxbc]

Just don't go to Dozo on Level 2, Valley Point. I found this place on Hungrygowhere and there were many many good reviews. Supposedly modern Jap food but it was a total mishmash of everything which becomes a total disaster.

 

NB, waste of time and money ($140 for 2) dining there. Food I give a 6 only. Want to follow those atas restaurant make bubble on food but totally cannot make it. Want to be atas place but cannot make it. Waiters make bo liao cheesy jokes.

 

I think the reviews were by those < 30 years old or never dine in good places before.

 

Pay me I also don't want to eat there again.

[Chewbacca]

Whoops. Maybe a mod can move this topic there. Didn't notice that.

 

As for Dozo:

 

...that's actually on my 'to try' places. Seriously? I've heard of good things. Care to elaborate a bit?

 

[Kxbc]

Food (6): They try to be innovative but fail. No focus what they are serving. Is it Jap, French or what? Edible but nothing fantastic. Nothing new. No mastery.

 

Ambience (6): They try for the atas thing but also fail. Dim lighting does not make a place atas. btw, if you really go, take note of the cracked floor board near the window in case you whack your feet against it.

 

Service (5): Most fail in all category. I already had a warning about this after reading Hungrygowhere about waiters giving corny jokes but when it happened, really got on my nerves. "I see that you are a little nervous, take your time to go through our menu." Like that also can. Wah lao eh, better don't say no one will fault you one.

 

Price is $70 per pax include GST for dinner. For that kind of crap, I will give max $40 to $50.

 

If you are a young 20s, maybe that place will impress you. But I am not. Waiter also don't know how to size up a guest, even though I am in a pressed t-shirt and jeans on a weekday night (on leave).

 

Got reviewers in Hungrygowhere give 7 to 9 points for all categories and mention they will be back again. Pay me to go back I also need to reconsider.

 

I rather spend $30 at Aston Centrepoint for a value for money steak without the crap service. I also like Prime Society at Demsey Hill for a leisurely lunch. But ex lah.

Edited June 8, 2010 by Kxbc