we were at somerset, and we wanted to have pasta for dinner. Spageddies looked like a safe option, what with its traditional deco, and claims of serving 'woodfire pizza'. there is nothing wrong with expecting an italian restaurant that serves 'woodfire pizza' to serve up a good pasta right?this was our starter. the dip was baked cheese, sour cream and mushroom served warm, and with warm garlic toast to dip in with. we liked it very much, though we thought it was a tad pricey at $5.50 for such a tiny serving.i ordered the 'chicken scallopini', which was chicken medallions with lemon butter sauce served with spaghetti, mushrooms and tomatoes. the chicken meat was too tough for my liking, and although the pasta was cooked nicely, the sauce had a soured taste to it. granted, the dish boasts of 'lemon butter sauce', but i did not expect the lemon to be quite this unnaturally sour.i cannot quite recall the exact dish name for this, but it was crayfish in some sort of tomato sauce and a small steak with some sort of brown sauce, served with pasta cooked aglio-olio style. boyfriend didn't seem to quite like this, saying simply that it's 'not very nice'.

perhaps it was poor food choices made on our part, or it could be the poor service that had dampened our spirits, such that we could not quite enjoy our food. i was just wielding my camera around after making our order when one of the staff who was carrying our starter to our table hollered from 10 steps away that cameras aren't allowed. i thought it was rather rude that he couldn't have come up to me and quietly ask me to put my camera away, although he *did* say it with a HUGE(a tad too huge methinks) grin.

none of the wait staff were on hand to give food recommendations either, and our plates were whisked away really quickly, making us feel not quite so welcomed.

Le Chocolat is one of those cafes that is attractive but do not leave much of an impression. I've passed by Le Chocolat many a times but did not ever felt compelled to enter. Monday evening found me sitting in Le Chocolat because I was at Ann Siang Hill to run an errand and the shop owners were out for dinner and I was starving, dinner was waiting at home, and K Ki closes at 7pm. Boyfriend also needs the loo urgently and round the corner sits nonchalantly, Le Chocolat.

As per the couple of reviews that is dotted around the World Wide Web, Le Chocolat is great for "chillaxing" but good for little else. I walked in thinking the place will be cloaked in all-things chocolatey but I didn't catch a whiff of cocoa. Peering into the glass display of cakes, I saw some variety of cheesecakes and chocolate cakes, but they looked... unpolished and thus visually unappetizing.

There was little variety in the very plain menu - some sandwiches, a few drinks. I wanted a quick bite, nothing too filling and a board placed on the floor told us there is a September promotion for pizzas going on at $10 so we ordered a meat lovers.

I was running on short circuit because it has been a long day. Also, a ravenous young lady is a crazy sword-wielding woman. The 2 staff were nervously checking on the pizza every few minutes but it was taking forever to get cooked. We were too hungry so we went back and ordered a blueberry cheesecake, and even that, took a while to come.To their credit, the cheesecake arrived well-presented and tasted like.. cheesecake.
The pizza was their saving grace. There was a generous amount of chicken chunks, bacon and cheese in there - how can anything with bacon in them be any less than good?! Though a little greasy, the pizza had a chewy texture, which when paired with the satisfying crunch of the thin, crisp base, and salty bacon made for a really savoury pizza that we approve of.

The food at Le Chocolat Cafe may not be fantastic, but it is located in a very quiet neighbourhood with very nice atmosphere, so it is still very recommended for an unhurried, relaxing, and private catch-up with a girlfriend over a cuppa, although much is left to be desired when it comes to waiting time, the food variety, and the slightly bruised cakes sitting in the display.

the array of dishes sitting behind the glass display may look appetizing, but they have in fact been there a while, which explains why most of the dishes never arrive warm.

that's the problem with having food "chap chye" style - they give us such a huge variety to choose from that they can't possibly keep replenishing everything, so i guess the fact that the porridge always come warm, with the rice grains just cooked right, and perfectly watery, make up for it. for an "economic rice" sort of place though, i do think the food they offer are way too pricey. the first time i was here with my boyfriend's family, the bill for 5 of us came up to almost $50. this time round, it was just slightly more than $16 for the 2 of us, which means it costs about $8 to $10 per head to have a simple meal here, which is almost triple of what you would pay for a (warm) packet of economic rice at a food court.

so why are we back a second time?
the fact that their food gives us a cosy feeling in our stomach, because they are just the kind of dishes that your grandma would cook, and the way she would cook it, not just because they are tasty, but because it evokes a homecoming feel, think: chai-poh egg and spicy porky bits.
i guess that explains why almost all the tables at the 3/4-filled restaurant were occupied by families on both visits, since most mums never cook anymore - in fact, *my* mum cook only once a year, if i'm lucky. but perhaps it's just a "chinese thing".
it is also relatively more comfortable to eat at as compared to the noisy and crowded food court or coffee shop.

however, if we were to come at a time when the dishes are just freshly-cooked, i have a feeling it'll be an entirely different, and very tasty, fulfilling meal. so i'm throwing in a benefit of the doubt - i'm coming back for "that feel", well, UNTIL i learn to hold my own in the kitchen that is!

i had an awesome first dining experience at fridays early this year.my favourite was the fried mac & cheese. it was really creamy and the macaroni was cooked just right - not too soft/soggy or anything like that. though cheesy, it didn't get to be too overwhelming i guess because it's in bite-sizes and deep frying probably helped. on my first visit it came piping hot and crispy. steam rose up when you sliced through the middle. sadly, on my return visit recently, it came lukewarm and though not horrible, it wasn't as good. i can't seem to find this on the menu anymore. but the batter used to fry the prawns with were light yet flavourful and the prawns were really fresh. the fries were really good too with crispy exterior and soft insides. they had a strong potato flavour which i really liked. thankfully this trip round the fries were just as yummy so i happily attacked all of it

i left it to boyfriend with my order because he's the one who always chooses the winning dishes.i have never been crazy about ribs but i thought this was okay. however, the gravy was a tad too sweet for my liking.boyfriend really liked the roasted pork. the meat was really tender and falls apart easily. the mashed potatoes were really soft and melts into the sauce to create a rather light paste to dip the meat in.

though not out-of-this-world, the grills should suit a meat-lover pretty well. be prepared for a huge tear in your pocket though - 2 mains & an appetiser came up to about $100 for the 2 of us. next time i'm here, i'm going to keep my eyes away from those big, bad meats - they prove to be too much for a lady!

with more than 30 TCC outlets(according to their website) dotted all over the island you would think having been in Singapore all my life i would have eaten here at least once but nooo... yesterday was my very first visit, and all because the outlet at Anchorpoint’s so impossibly dreamy - think huge faux white framed casement windows, sweet little garden railings and sheer lace curtains!the instant you step into the restaurant you can literally feel the air around you mellow. we were shown to a corner table which was great because we love our privacy and the chairs were huge and cushiony – perfect to sit back, relax, and have a nice long quiet chat. unfortunately we had some difficulty catching the attention of the staff when we were ready to order and again when we wanted the bill. i was feeling pasta and i prefer creamy based to tomato based ones so with fingers crossed i decided to go for the Smoked Halibut Tagliatelle. sadly, i didn’t like it, probably because I never take raw food (no sashimi and no escargot for me please) and the Halibut in my dish came cold and uncooked. i also felt that the sauce had a fishy taste. the ever-safe boyfriend choosed the seafood aglio olio and he Loved it! the pasta was garlicky and had the right amount of spicy in it and the scallops and prawns were just lightly pan-fried so there's a very slight crisp outside and very soft and fresh meat insidethe peppermint-choc frappe i had was more peppermint than chocolate whilst i like it more chocolaty with a minty after-taste so i didn't quite like my choice of drink which had a tinge of bitter in it.

despite some bad choices made in my less than awesome first visit at TCC, i'm sure you'll catch me back again for this:pancakes with a name like castle in the clouds!? yes, please!