Food Review: The Coastal Settlement @ Netheravon Road (Near Changi Village)

The last time I went to Changi Village Hotel for buffet with my girlfriend, I rode pass this place on the way home. It was always a worn down building with no one in it but that night, while riding pass, I saw cars and bikes and lots of people in there. I was thinking of going to try out this place one day.

Fortunately, my friend organized a brunch meet up and we met at this place. It was actually quite a big building. A lot of tables and seats indoors and outdoors. The decorations was really old and almost antique-like. The place was clean and there were quite a lot of people already there.

My girlfriend and I were not very hungry, so we just got a Mussels and Clam Soup, Mac and Cheese, a small pot of tea for me and a banana milkshake for her.

The food took some time to come, but I guess it is understandable due to the crowd. When the Mac and Cheese and Soup arrived, I was actually quite disappointed. They were in the "To Share" section of the menu but the portion was actually very small. My soup seemed to be in a big pot but it was only half filled and there were so many clam shells in the soup. I rather not have the shells in it and have more soup instead. First, lets talk about the Mac and Cheese. This Mac and Cheese is $15 and the portion is seriously ridiculously small. They claimed that it was a triple cheese combination but the amount of cheese in it was MISERABLE. There was seriously so little cheese in it. Even Kenny Rogers serves better Mac and Cheese at 1/3 the price and in the same portion size. This was really sad so I was hoping my soup would be better. But before my soup, my friends' appetizers came and I tried a few pieces of Fried Portobello Mushrooms and Fried Calamari. These tasted good. I guess it is fried and if you serve bad fried food, it is time you wrapped up your business. So yup, there were no problems with the appetizers.

Now, my Mussels and Clam soup. This costs $18. The serving was fine. I guess it would be fine for two people. It did taste quite good at the beginning. But as you go on sipping, it gets really salty. It was really really salty. Most at the table had a taste and all said it was very salty. Disappointed again, but I just drank it because it was really hot and I really wanted to have something hot. As I was finishing up with my soup, I bit onto sand. I HATE SAND IN MY FOOD. Why is there sand in my soup?? From the clams and mussels? Don't they wash them before cooking? I guess the sand could be from the insides of the clams and mussels when they open up while cooking but why don't they make the effort to strain out the sand before serving. This was ridiculous but I was in no mood to argue, so I just chilled and had a good time with my friends.

My friends seemed to have enjoyed their food. Some had burgers, pizzas, pasta and so on. But I can't say anything on those since I did not try them.

Oh, one more point. My girlfriend loves Banana and Strawberries Milkshake. They serve both of these here but not mixed. I asked the waitress if we can have one with bananas and strawberries, she said sorry it is not possible. Honestly, I have made milkshakes before and it is not rocket science. If a customer has a simple special request like this, you remove some bananas and add some strawberries into the blender. Is that so difficult?

Overall, this is a great place to chill. Nostalgic feel with a very good ambience. But food is EXTREMELY OVERPRICED, portions are very small and both dishes my girlfriend and I ordered had major problems. In all, I spent about $53 for both of us for pathetic portions of bad food. Will I go back to this place again? NO. Why? I rather have a $40 buffet just down the road at Changi Village Hotel or spend $15 at the coffee shop beside the hotel and eat my fill.

SimpleMakan

Food Review: Jai Thai @ Clover Way (Near Bishan)

This place is just beside my favorite Sarpino's Pizza place. Whenever I go to Sarpino's this Jai Thai place is always packed with at least 10 people waiting outside. So when my friend and I didn't know where to have dinner, I decided to bring him here to try some place new.

We were third in line and waited patiently. The place could sit a good number of people comfortably. The staff were soft-spoken and very friendly. They worked fast and did not give you the vibe that they were busy or angry.

We ordered the Pandan Chicken, Tom Yum Soup, Red Ruby, Thai Iced Tea and Phad Thai. Everything was good. The chicken was tasty. The soup was awesome but a tad too sweet for me. I like it spicy with no sweetness at all. The red ruby was just fine, because the ice was just to big! I mean, the ice is supposed to be crushed finely but they were too big and was quite irritating. That saddened me because I love red ruby. The Thai Iced tea was definitely good. And the Phad Thai tasted good as well. We waited for quite some time for our food but it arrived steaming hot and that is how I love it. I mean, if I were to wait for a long time and the food was served cold, I will really be upset.

So the food was good. Staff were good. Place was clean. Waiting time was long but I am a person who is willing to wait as long as the food is good. Price just a little higher than usual but still affordable. I say this because the price seems reasonable but the portion is really small. Overall, I would say go ahead and try, you might really love the food.

The place is very inaccessible if you do not have a personal vehicle though.

SimpleMakan

Food Review: Old School Delights @ Thomson Road

After our time at Habitat Coffee, we walked pass this place called Old School Delights. It looked really welcoming and nice inside. So within a few days, we came back here for a snack. The place was designed like a simple canteen in our Primary School days. The furniture was simple and wooden. The tables had small toy boxes with nostalgic games in them, like the "eraser game", "five stones" and a few others. The walls were decorated with information from the 90s and it really brought back many fond memories for me. We basically got a drink each and their fried chicken bites. I was hoping there would be kaya toast but sadly, they did not.

Well, these were fool-proof dishes and so there wasn't any problem. They did have a chilli mayo which they served with the chicken bites. It tasted different and make you wonder, "why didn't I think of that?"

Overall, the place was clean and happy. A great place to chill. Staff were mostly foreigners from the Philippines and they were nice and friendly and warm. Price was slightly on the higher side but I guess thats what you get for that location.

SimpleMakan

Food Review: Habitat Coffee @ Thomson Road

Recently, my girlfriend's friend posted a photo of a cup of coffee on Facebook. She asked him where was the place and he told us it was Habitat Coffee at Thomson Road. So since we were free, both of us went down to see whether this place was good.

The place itself was clean and pleasant. Staff were relatively friendly and welcoming. We ordered a Cheesecake and a Pasta dish. The Cheesecake was about $4 and it was reasonable. It tasted good as well. Nothing different but good. The Pasta was good as well, it was creamy with a good about of meat but the entire portion itself was very small. And if I'm not wrong, it costs more than $12. To me, this was definitely not worth it at all. It was good but definitely not worth it.

Overall, we had a nice time there. A good place to chill and have a cake and coffee.

SimpleMakan