Oriole Cafe & Bar

Oriole Cafe, pronounced "O-Reo" just like the cookie :D. This cafe is neatly tucked away behind somerset 313. This is one place I did not notice (Guess it's tucked away too neatly for me) even though I walked past it umpteen times until I read about the wonderful magic they can create in their cups. I knew I have to go there to experience  the magic.


Interior is slightly dim even on a lunchtime afternoon, maybe it's to induce a cozy feeling? For those who loves the heat and humidity, you can choose to sit outside. Not me.

Ordered

Piccolo Latte

Headed to the counter to see the "making of" of my drink. Piccolo means little in italian, not the character in Dragonball Z.
My piccolo latte came in a piccolo cup as shown. Nice piccolo cup eh?

The flower was slightly seng-ngeh(slanted), but the taste is mmm~ awesome!

A lover of coffee who avoids it normally due to it's stimulatory effect, I ain't no expert, but I gotta say this coffee is just delightfully smooth. This child of milk and coffee got the good genes from their parents.


Score: 4.5/5.0

Fish & Chips

The fish and potatoes combi arrived in a small basket. My pre-research told me initially it was 3 big fish, then it became 5 smaller ones. Guess they decided to change it to 4 medium(?) ones now?

Fish was served with tartar and wedges. I'm a tartar monster, so this little serving of tartar is just not enough. Despite it being served pipin hot, wedges was soft and not crispy(yeah I'm on the crispy fries camp). Guess their wedges have a half-life that is so short their crisp deteriorates from the 30 second to 1 minute walk from the kitchen to my table.

Enough about the slightly disappointing fries. Lets focus on the fish! Crisp batter that doesn't feel like you need to run 20 km to burn it off. From what I know this fish is snapper and it is FRESH! This is one fish that I'll go back for more again. It is, I repeat, fresh and crispy. I can really taste the freshness in the fresh in every bite. 4 Pieces is just not enough.

Score: 4.0/5.0
Fish : wedges, why must you go soft!
Wedges : cause I'm not excited?

Beef Cheek Tagliatelle

Another mouthful, Tagliatelle (pronounced Tah-lyah-tel-le) is another form of italian noodle, just like chinese have different kinds of noodles. Think mee pok's italian doppelganger. Pasta is a little overcooked but still within tolerable limits, so it is not the al dente that I'm expecting.

The cow which they got must have been slapped silly cause the beef cheeks are OMG so tender! I'm surprised they stay together after being impaled by the fork. Yum yum. Pasta, sauce and beef cheeks behind my cheeks is just awesome.


However, by the time I reach 3/4 of the dish, kinda felt that the heaven that I'm placing in my mouth is getting too much, too "jelak". Guess too much of anything is not good. A little too saturated perhaps. I'd recommend this for perhaps 2-4 to share so no one thinks enough is enough and gets sick with this.


Score: 4.0/5.0

Overall


Had a little chat with the owner who was roasting the beans, he hoped that it's not my first and last visit. Well, if he is reading this, it'll not be. I'll go back to this cafe again for sure, and hopefully to try out their other coffee choices and items in their menu. 


Oriole Cafe & Bar
96 Somerset Road, #01-01 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites
6238 8348

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Molly Malone's Irish Pub

Fish & Chips, it's probably the most acceptable food among the young and old. My grandma likes a Fish & Chips, so do my old man, and so do I. Part of it's charm is probably due to it's simplicity and the fact that it's fried. I am saying I do like my fried stuff, as waistline-increasing as they are, I tell myself that I'll run it off next time. 

Enough about my own thoughts, Fish & Chips is a very safe choice if you are stumped and do not know what to order. You can find this dish everywhere, from the western food stalls in a canteen, coffee shop, to restaurants. Who knows one of the better ones are to be found in a pub? I have heard about Molly Malone's famous Fish & Chips for a while, and being a lover of this dish, I finally got to try it out.

Ordered 

Molly Malone's famous Fish & Chips     

Some consider a good Fish & Chips to ONLY be fried in batter, and not breaded. Me? I do not draw any lines, s'long as it makes me go "Mmm~", it's good. When it's served, I am impressed by the volume of food. 4 pieces of fish and a hearty amount of fries who look like wedges.

The batter is crispy and the fish soft and fresh, simple words of joy for a simple dish. But, maybe I caught the cook on a bad day(?), the fish inside, though fresh is very very tasteless. The tartar sauce helped to add flavor to it but for those who hate sauces, it might not be that nice for them. Fries are ordinary fries except they look like wedges.

Score : 3.5/5

Cottage Pie Chicken Mushroom Pie     

First thought when I got the dish is, "What the......That ain't cottage pie......Maybe their's is different.". When I lift the edible lid(pastry)......

You've been Punked!

"That ain't chicken......" So I got a Chicken Mushroom Pie instead of a cottage pie.


The mushroom sauce is watery and almost tasteless, and so is the chicken that is supposed to be braised. Maybe this is cause I am expecting a cottage pie instead of this, Nah~ This pie is really really ordinary. Ups for presentation, but nothing for taste.


Score : 2.5/5


Overall
The pub has got 2 levels, and every Wed, Thurs and Fri from 9pm onwards there's live performance. You can proceed to the second level if you want to enjoy your food and not trying to read lips.


I will probably go back to the pub for a 2nd try for the Fish & Chips, cause I do think I might have went there on a bad day.

Molly Malone's Irish Pub & Brasserie

Address:
	56 Circular Road Singapore 049411

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