We found with a great disappointment that we were not going to taste Chef Julien's French cooking due to their poor service. This was not even a dining service but with their reservation service which left a negative impression and made us reluctant to reserve a table.
They mentioned their reservation window was not opened yet, they took your detail and put you in 'their list' yet they didn't been in touch with you and once you ask them again, they told you that you were in Queue again for a table??
It is so apparent that even manager level at Swissotel is not well trained to handle this situation and made matter worse by saying that they 'actually' took a reservation if you are willing to reserve it by making advanced payment. ???
If you do that, please make it a fair and open condition, don't do it when we brought up that at Le Jules Verne, Eiffel Tower with limited table openly did that.
It sounded as if they do accept bribe to secure a table?
This is supposedly a fine dining restaurant but seeing how lack of honesty for patrons that are willing to come and visit the restaurants were a horrific service to any restaurant and albeit a proclaimed fine dining with minimum of S$300/pax
Please do not spend your time making reservation and then proceed in saying goodbye to that kind of spending at JAAN, it is best to visit other fine dining restaurants which has trained its staff well.
Showing posts with label French. Show all posts
Showing posts with label French. Show all posts
Friday, January 17, 2014
Friday, December 6, 2013
Au Chocolat Bistro @ MBS
Au Chocolat, the name of this establishment is so intriguing and as majority are chocolate lovers, it seems as a no fail formula. But as we know, one factor doesn't count as a good and successful F&B establishment.
As namesake, there is supposedly hint of chocolate taste on every dish which I did have it on my steak but it didn't apply to its fries.
The food was average and acceptable as some sort of French Fusion but it is not something that will give you thumbs-up kinda feeling when you are having it.
What annoyed me was their service standard. First, they did have sufficient staff on that day, during busy hour of dinner time; however most of them huddled around the serving counter, didn't pay attention to patron direction, didn't stand in on their stations resulting in difficulty to catch their attention by most of patrons.
Second, I changed my order around 2 mins after she left, from pasta to steak and I said if it possible to change it to steak, I wish to cancel my side order of French fries as the steak came with it. She replied that she was able to change the pasta to steak but not able to cancel the fries. I accepted it, thinking fries would come first therefore it wasn't possible to cancel it. What did you know, my medium well steak came first and waited another 10 mins for the truffle fries. I even asked 2 times for it and wanted to cancel it but they said it was on the way. How on earth did frying fries which didn't look like hand-cut and prep on the spot ruled out medium well steak cooking and a duck confit? Apparently, the staff who said not possible to cancel the fries, didn't know how long and how the fries were done or tried to minimize less order by patrons? At least, that was the bad impression I got.
Considering more restaurants are opening up in MBS, I would highly recommend to try others and even the food court on same side of Au Chocolat tasted better than this average French fusion.
As it costs almost the same with Moluccas but stark contrast on the food and service standard, I would encourage you to go for Moluccas instead.
Au Chocolat impressed me as being pretentious and thought too highly of their establishment.
Au Chocolat Bistro
Bay Level L1-03
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
Tel: (+65) 6688 7227
http://www.auchocolat.com/bistro
Opens daily from 10 am to 10 pm
As namesake, there is supposedly hint of chocolate taste on every dish which I did have it on my steak but it didn't apply to its fries.
The food was average and acceptable as some sort of French Fusion but it is not something that will give you thumbs-up kinda feeling when you are having it.
What annoyed me was their service standard. First, they did have sufficient staff on that day, during busy hour of dinner time; however most of them huddled around the serving counter, didn't pay attention to patron direction, didn't stand in on their stations resulting in difficulty to catch their attention by most of patrons.
Second, I changed my order around 2 mins after she left, from pasta to steak and I said if it possible to change it to steak, I wish to cancel my side order of French fries as the steak came with it. She replied that she was able to change the pasta to steak but not able to cancel the fries. I accepted it, thinking fries would come first therefore it wasn't possible to cancel it. What did you know, my medium well steak came first and waited another 10 mins for the truffle fries. I even asked 2 times for it and wanted to cancel it but they said it was on the way. How on earth did frying fries which didn't look like hand-cut and prep on the spot ruled out medium well steak cooking and a duck confit? Apparently, the staff who said not possible to cancel the fries, didn't know how long and how the fries were done or tried to minimize less order by patrons? At least, that was the bad impression I got.
Considering more restaurants are opening up in MBS, I would highly recommend to try others and even the food court on same side of Au Chocolat tasted better than this average French fusion.
As it costs almost the same with Moluccas but stark contrast on the food and service standard, I would encourage you to go for Moluccas instead.
Au Chocolat impressed me as being pretentious and thought too highly of their establishment.
The Menu with extensive selection
The ceiling with Choo-Choo Train Track go around it..
I think they are trying to give whimsical ambience here
I believe this cutie is their mascot as they do sale plush toy too
Heart-shaped metal chair
View from the table
Duck Confit
Pan-roasted duck thigh served with mashed potato, white wine poached pear and with tangy chocolate orange sauce
It was okay but not fantastic
Steak Frites
Angus beef ribeye steak
I would say this was au jus sauce mixed with chocolate as there was no description on the sauce in the menu
Even though I chose medium well but the steak was cooked too hard to chew
Last one to arrive, the truffle fries which just average too
Au Chocolat Bistro
Bay Level L1-03
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
Tel: (+65) 6688 7227
http://www.auchocolat.com/bistro
Opens daily from 10 am to 10 pm
Saturday, August 10, 2013
agnès b. Le Pain Grille La Loggia @ Hongkong
agnes b, a familiar fashion brand that we often see in shopping mall or department store. Knowing there was a café/restaurant under this brand, it made me pretty excited to visit it during our HK trip.
I'd say it was nicely integrated between the store with restaurant, café, pastry counter and designed with Parisian style in mind occupying almost half of that floor at ifc mall.
Didn't have any reservation but luckily we came in quite early, just the starting of lunch hour; as evidently, it was quite a popular lunch spot.
I was a bit dismayed upon finding out the ordering concept of the café, restaurant and pastry counter which apparently didn't work in tandem and you couldn't order from each other.
The set menu of 4 courses inclusive of a soup, free-flow appetizer which you could picked from the serving table, a main course and a drink selection.
Food quality was average, not fantastic and definitely not a place I'd return for its food.
Service was pretty good; polite and courteous, but it seemed there was a lack of staff in morning shift and after 12 pm, it had more staff running up and down.
Major disappointment was the inflexibility to order pastry without the additional ice-cream and not all pastries were been offered in the restaurant even though it was available in the café or pastry corner. I was inquiring about the blueberry cake but the staff didn't fully understand which one and when she showed me, it wasn't the one I saw which was with a dinosaur print but she said she checked to café side too but they didn't have such cake, only the plain blueberry...??? I was pretty sure the cake I saw on the web was agnes b's cake.
So, coming out from restaurant, I thought just passing by the pastry corner and lo and behold, there was that blueberry cheesecake mouse cake with dinosaur print that I was asking.
Went out to pastry corner and was thinking of going to another outlet instead of having that cute blueberry cake right after lunch there; so I was asking the counter staff, where were the other outlets I could go to for pastry. To my horror, she said, no where, this was the only place I could bought agnes b pastries, which I knew wasn't. Repeated the question and yet still got same answer, in the end, I gave up and ordered the cake there. While paying, I saw the leaflet with all the outlet address for agnes b. It was puzzling thinking how come Hongkong as another English-speaking country in Asia, and especially in this mall which was frequented by tourist and expatriate, yet the staff didn't understand the question.
From all restaurants we visited in this HK trip, I felt this was the disappointment, from its average food to the dismay of having limitation on the dessert ordering though it was available next door. It showed the staff didn't aware of all the products they have, though, they can't integrate the order at least they were aware and made suggestion to have it outside.
Good in design concept but not a place I would return next time in HK.
I'd say it was nicely integrated between the store with restaurant, café, pastry counter and designed with Parisian style in mind occupying almost half of that floor at ifc mall.
Didn't have any reservation but luckily we came in quite early, just the starting of lunch hour; as evidently, it was quite a popular lunch spot.
I was a bit dismayed upon finding out the ordering concept of the café, restaurant and pastry counter which apparently didn't work in tandem and you couldn't order from each other.
The set menu of 4 courses inclusive of a soup, free-flow appetizer which you could picked from the serving table, a main course and a drink selection.
Food quality was average, not fantastic and definitely not a place I'd return for its food.
Service was pretty good; polite and courteous, but it seemed there was a lack of staff in morning shift and after 12 pm, it had more staff running up and down.
Major disappointment was the inflexibility to order pastry without the additional ice-cream and not all pastries were been offered in the restaurant even though it was available in the café or pastry corner. I was inquiring about the blueberry cake but the staff didn't fully understand which one and when she showed me, it wasn't the one I saw which was with a dinosaur print but she said she checked to café side too but they didn't have such cake, only the plain blueberry...??? I was pretty sure the cake I saw on the web was agnes b's cake.
So, coming out from restaurant, I thought just passing by the pastry corner and lo and behold, there was that blueberry cheesecake mouse cake with dinosaur print that I was asking.
Went out to pastry corner and was thinking of going to another outlet instead of having that cute blueberry cake right after lunch there; so I was asking the counter staff, where were the other outlets I could go to for pastry. To my horror, she said, no where, this was the only place I could bought agnes b pastries, which I knew wasn't. Repeated the question and yet still got same answer, in the end, I gave up and ordered the cake there. While paying, I saw the leaflet with all the outlet address for agnes b. It was puzzling thinking how come Hongkong as another English-speaking country in Asia, and especially in this mall which was frequented by tourist and expatriate, yet the staff didn't understand the question.
From all restaurants we visited in this HK trip, I felt this was the disappointment, from its average food to the dismay of having limitation on the dessert ordering though it was available next door. It showed the staff didn't aware of all the products they have, though, they can't integrate the order at least they were aware and made suggestion to have it outside.
Good in design concept but not a place I would return next time in HK.
Walkway to the restaurant which was very Parisian feeling
Cute pots
Very homey bookshelves, didn't expect the design was like this
Some of the real books on display
Some vintage knick knacks also adorned this bookshelves
Simple yet pretty lighting
A very dapper gentleman having his lunch alone
The other end of our seating area
Another seating area in different atmosphere behind that curtain
Very colonial looking tiles
Pretty fresh flowers on the table
Simple menu
The breads was pretty hardened and cold
The view to our dining area which like in passage way/corridor
Selection for those opting on Set Menu; the appetizer and dessert counter
Reminded me to Parisian design
Dramatic candle stick!
Was too full for brekkie that day, so, opted just for a very simple bite
Bouillabaisse La Loggia
The soup for set menu
Assorted fish, scampe and seafood in rich fish soup served with rouille cheese and garlic croutons
It was a good soup; very flavourful
Chef's Daily Fish and Fresh Orange Juice
Main and Drink for the Set Menu
The white fish was fresh and cooked perfectly
To me, this was the highlight of the lunch
Spaghetti aux saverus d'ete
Spaghetti with carrot, celery, cherry tomatoes, capers and basil
Fresh but a bit bland
Went to the dessert counter and here was some of the cut fruits selection
Various desserts we picked from the counter
Was okay and not too sweet
Thoughtful way of presenting tooth picks; arranged it in small plate and brought it to table after clearing of plates
The area opposite appetizer and dessert counter
With the tree in the middle of the room and natural lighting from the window, it was as if you were in Paris
While walking out, saw this interesting seating
Lounge area for coffee and tea drinking
That puzzling yet busy pastry counter after we came out from the restaurant
I saw that cute dinosaur but not the one I was looking for
This was the individual cake of that dinosaur cake
So cute to look at
Soft, good mix of blueberry and cheesecake indeed
To me, if I could find this similar cake elsewhere, I would not buy it at agnes b
Retro chair and tiles at the pastry area
View from the shop at opposite side from dining area
agnès b. LE PAIN GRILLÉ LA LOGGIA
Shop 3096-3097, Podium Level 3, ifc Mall, Central, HK
Tel: +852-2805-0798
Opens from:
Monday to Thursday from 12 pm to 11.30 pm
Friday to Sunday and Public Holiday Eve from 12 pm to 12 am
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