Cravings of a Nincompoop.: August 2012

Chivalry isn't dead. At least it is still alive in D.

He treats me like a princess.

We had dinner at The French Stall, and he let me order Foie Gras (+$16) for starters because the Duck Confit I wanted was sold out.

We had the Formule for 3 set.

For starters we had Escargot in butter garlic sauce and Foie Gras with Spinach.

Main was Lamb Shank and Oxtail Stew.

Dessert was Tiramisu and Thin Apple Tart in Caramel.

I had a glass of Riesling that was tart. Not very nice.

Half way through the dinner, LTA came by to complete their monthly quotas. Most men stood up to shift their cars almost in unison. For that moment, I though chivalry was present. Until the reality of escaping the LTA to avoid a fine as the cause hit me.

Daryl was pretty angry. For he had to drive in circles in search of a parking lot and he was really hungry by then.

As they say, a hungry man is an angry man. But the delicious lamb shank I had ordered for him, calmed him down soon enough.

The Thin Apple Tart vanquished the last bit of anger and a kiss sealed it away. :)

He surprised me by bringing me out to Sunset Bay, a beach bar at East Coast.

I had a lychee martini and him, a long island tea. The lychee martini was strong enough, and he liked the long island tea. Though I felt the long island was too Limey for my liking.

The drive home was soothing, and I guess his ploy to make me stop thinking too much worked.

I wish my life was simpler. With enough money and less stress for me to build a family with him.

Was craving for cheese fondue the other day, and did a quick search online for Cheese Fondue places. Chanced upon La Fondue located at Dempsey Hill.

Upon entering the premise, the smell of fermentation and cheese hit us. A really strong pong of odorous cheese. The Pinoy wait staff allocated us to a seat at a corner behind a bunch of very loud and obnoxious Chinese ladies that screamed a potential destruction of a quiet night out with Daryl.

I asked for a seat change to the other corner near the bar counter, but was denied the choice of seats. Instead, the waitress insisted that we sit diagonally across from the bunch of cackling females with little space to shift our seats.

We were hungry, so decided not to push too much of a fuss since we've already travelled so far just for cheese fondue.

But our disappointment wasn't ending just there.

The seat, which we sat on, was very, very old. The leather and upholstery was cracked and our butt sunk right in the middle, made seating really really uncomfortable. I wanted a change of seat, but the chairs were all the same.

I wondered if it was just me or are the other diners feeling the same way, because there were other fatter diners around me shifting in their seats.

So it couldn't just be me.

The ambiance was designed cosily. It reminded me of visits to an auntie's house for tea. I liked that.

But the ventilation was really poor. The air was choking.

I looked up at the ceiling and there was an air con vent but no smoke vent or hood. And when you're doing odorous fondue and grills, you can't operate without a vent or hood over the grill stove to facilitate ventilation!

We were choking to death by then. Even before ordering food.

BUT! I HAD TO HAVE CHEESE.

And the food was the last redeeming factor to save this place.

Given the experience thus far, I would never want to step back in again.

I ordered for us, an Indulge set for 2, at $40 per head.

The menu was misleading. At the bottom of the menu, it wrote.

(Served with Corn on cob, Mashed Potatoes & Coleslaw.)

I couldn't get a proper picture of the menu. The lighting in the restaurant was too cosy for my iPhone Camera.

SO anyone would have thought that the food came with all three items served with. BUT NO!

The Pinoy waitress, whom I suspect was NEW, told us that they had run out of corn on cob, and we were to choose between Mashed Potatoes OR Coleslaw, EACH.

WTFBBQ.

Did I fail English or is Pinoy English different from Singaporean English?!

I thought if we had to choose, it should be worded, "(Served with EITHER Corn on Cob, Mashed Potatoes OR Coleslaw.)"

I chided the waitress and suggested that she get the management to change the wordings on their menu before deluding more customers since she had insisted that we had to choose from either three and not all.

I was quite fed up.

BUT I STILL WANT CHEESE.

I tolerated.

Picked the Caesar Salad and Potato Salad for us as starters for the Indulge Set.

We had a choice of cheeses and she recommended Swiss Cheese.

Although I suspect it's because she doesn't know what the other cheese is. LOL.

We waited for half an hour before we were served any food.

The only thing that came quickly was two $5 bottle of Evians that eventually came free.

( I think because I made a lot of noise.)

The food finally came after about 45 minutes or so.

The food was really NOT OMFGBBQFONDUE FANTASTIC. And the portions were really really tiny for even Daryl, who has a tiny stomach.

And when we eventually started grilling and dipping, the bad ventilation got so bad, even the waitresses were choking and had to open the windows for more air flow.

$80 for two.

Not going back ever again.

(Pictures, if you're still interested, below.)

Mehs.