Oriole Cafe & Bar

 Had wanted to try this place ever since I saw on LadyIronChef that they had the "best fish and chips" in Singapore. Came here on Saturday night, and ordered the said dish, and satisfied my craving for pasta by ordering the garlic prawn pasta ($16).

Pardon the diluted colours of the photos, light conditions were bad at night, and the photo quality becomes pixelated under low light conditions. Anyway, the pasta was far too hard for my liking. This was slightly spicy, which was good. But the texture of the pasta really made it hard to chew and swallow. If you want garlic prawn pasta, the best bet would still be the one from Coffee Club. 

The fish 'n chips ($13; i think?) was mediocre. I don't know what LIC saw in this, no offence. At best this was not the slightest bit fishy, the meat was firm, amount of flour not too much. But I found it so-so; similar quality could be found somewhere else.

 

The live band started playing at 10pm, and it's good if you have nothing to say to your dinner partner and just enjoy the food and music. But if you're there for a catch up session, be prepared to shout across the table to make yourself heard - the volume of the music does not make for meaningful conversations to be carried out, unless you choose to sit outdoors.

Tried their chocolate mud cake the last time I was here, expecting it to be a lava cake. I could only  blame it on my false expectations, because it was not a lava cake, but a normal chocolate cake. It was a bit dry on the inside, though the chocolate was good.

 

Nevertheless, reading about reviews that raved about this place, I would still probably come back to try again, their brunch and coffee seem like a good choice to start with.

How much was spent: Around $20? I really can't remember :X

Would I go back again? Yes, but I probably won't order the above items again.

96 Somerset Road #01-01 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites

Tel: +65 6238 8348

Chili's Grill & Bar @ Tanglin Mall

The drought of entries has hereby ended with the end of exams, and now there's backlog again! Have been indulging my taste buds these few days. Ended up at Tanglin Mall on Saturday before going to church, wanted to have a small bite before leaving, so we entered Chili's. There're only two branches in Singapore, and we thought since we weren't going to the RWS branch anytime soon, we decided on this.

Chili's offers American and Mexican cuisine. Looking at the menu reminded me of the Mexican feast my friend E whipped up for a bunch of us after coming back from Mexico. Mexican cuisine is colourful and tasteful, and I find it uncommon in Singapore. I love the tiled tabletops of the restaurant.

 

Since we were not that hungry, we only ordered a starter to share. Starters and mains don't come cheap here, as the dish we ordered cost $21.90!

 

Triple Play $21.90 - Combo of three favourite starters, made up of chicken crispers, boneless buffalo wings and Southwestern eggrolls, and some celery sticks. I find myself munching happily away on the celery sticks. I'm not a fan of celery, but the dips make them really delicious. One thing I love about Mexican food is the dips! And E (the friend) definitely makes real yummy dips from scratch. Apart from sour cream, we couldn't tell what the other two dips were though, haha. Nevertheless they were all oh-so-good.

 

First thing we tried was the eggroll. Crisp, fragrant and filled with Mexican goodness of black beans, chicken and actually-I-don't-what. I was too busy chewing away and enjoying the tasty treat. I was nodding away in approval and I think a gentleman from across the aisle saw my satisfied expression and asked the waiter what we were having and he ordered the same too hahaha.

The chicken crispers looked like Long John Silver's chicken pieces from the outside, but not be fooled. There is so much less flour and the chicken so much more tender. I love it too! The buffalo wings though, I don't think I would ever want to eat it again. The sauce is much too sour for my liking. Nonetheless, I would recommend this dish if you're eating with, let's say, 4 people at a table, share the delights and other selections on the menu. 

How much was spent: $15 per pax

Would I come back again? Probably, if not for the location. So many more dishes to try out, but the location is really out of the way :(

Address: 163 Tanglin Road #02-23  Tanglin Mall Singapore

Tel: +65 6733 3317