Menya Musashi, Table at Pips, Poison Ivy Review

Menya Musashi (WestGate Branch)

I decided to try this Japanese ramen restaurant after reading about in SAFRA's magazine.

I ordered the White Cha Shu ramen (above) for $12.90. The ramen came 2 pieces of Cha Shu, an egg and a mixture of vegetables. The soup was flavourful but slightly too salty (and I'm relatively used to saltier food). Noodles were okay, but more to the firm side. Overall, just another average ramen shop given its not exactly value-for-price and taste.

Rating: 7/10

Table at Pips (Lorong Kilat)

Table at Pips is a quaint Western restaurant tucked behind in a small street just behind Toh Yi Rd, where it's surrounded by a couple of Korean restaurants (WooriNara and Kim's). I went on a normal Sunday morning with a party of 3 others right at opening hour (11am).

I didn't think a reservation was necessary as I was quite certain we would be the first customers for the day and hence face no seating capacity issues. The waiter initially wanted us to sit at a table right next to the door as we had no reservation despite the fact that there were no other patrons around. It seems like many restaurants in Singapore value people who make reservations too highly as they automatically give better seats to such people. Restaurants should just stick to the stand that if a potential customer makes a reservation, they are guaranteed to have a table but not get a definite area in the restaurant. Even if the patron wants to ensure a better table, a certain portion of the better tables should be allocated for walk-in customers (instead of letting people with reservations get all the best seats. Restaurants should realise that walk-in-customers (like me) are birds in hand, unlike the people who make reservations but may not even turn up. It's like treating walk-in-customers as second-rate citizens and early birds not getting their worm.

Anyway, another gripe I had was that the restaurant was clearly undermanned. There was only one waiter for the 1st hour (before another came), making the service slow. Other than this and the initial seating, the experience was quite pleasant. My party ordered:

1) Grilled Sirloin Steak  ($18.90)
2) Duck Leg Confit  ($14.90)
3) Fish and Chips ($7.90) (not pictured)
4) M&B Chicken Rollard ($9.90)

Sirloin steak

The steak was reasonable for its price but the sides were very little. Meat was tender and flavour was there, although nothing outstanding.

Rating: 7.5/10

Duck Leg Confit

Next up was the duck leg confit. It doesn't do the French dish much justice and just felt like another duck dish. Portion was on the small side.

Rating: 7/10

M&B Chicken Rollard

Possibly one of the lousier chicken dishes I've tasted. Worse still was the extremely small portion (pretty much was 3 cubes of chicken sausage) Not worth the price at all. Taste is awkward. 

Rating: 4.5/10

Fish and Chips (not pictured): Surprisingly big portions for the price of $7.90 (almost opposite of the chicken rollard's portion). Fries were good but fish was mediocre. (the batter was fine, just the quality of the fish was lacking.

Rating: 8/10 (Low price make it good value)

Overall: Table at Pips is a nice small Western place with decent food and prices (save for the chicken rollard). You'll probably go patronise this restaurant to have a quieter and casual meetup with friends and family. 

Overall rating: 7/10

Poison Ivy Restaurant (at Bollywood Veggies)

Located at Bollywood Veggies, a vegetable farm in Lim Chu Kang, Poison Ivy is a unique restaurant that promotes healthier living through it's organic ingredients. The place is quite remote, and you certainly will need a car to get there. Even if you take a taxi there, good luck finding your own way back. Anyway, Bollywood Veggies is a great place to escape the hectic city-living as it has a relatively large vegetation "theme park" filled with good humour and fun. The charm of Poison Ivy is that it's a refreshing experience to take a morning walk around the farm before eating at the restaurant. Although I went for the food first before taking that walk, I understand the appeal.

Warrior's Platter!

Anyway, I ordered the Warrior's Platter ($40) along with a plate of organic spinach at $8 (choice of 2 other organic vegetables). The organic spinach was lightly seasoned and quite refreshing. Portion was small but given that it's organic and $8, fair enough. I ordered the fig tea and aloe vera. I don't remember the price but a good complement with the platter





The main highlight was the Warrior's Platter which basically comprised of about 7 small dishes. (The mix varies slightly each day). The menu says it's meant for 4 people but if you have 4 grown-men eating it, you may want to order more. Anyway, I didn't note down the exact dishes but there was an assortment of curries (about 2), fried vegetables (similar to tempura), chicken wings, and some sliced steamed fish (cooked with mushrooms and what not). It had a nice mixture of spicy, fried, and non-spicy food. The platter was enough for my party of 4 (2 male and 2 female adults).

Rating: 8/10 

The food was unique but what really made Poison Ivy stand out was the atmosphere of the place. Everything is light-hearted, the staff are friendly (and cordially referred to as Warriors). Everything felt fresh even the method of warding off insects was interesting: the Warriors had sprinkled chopped up pandan leaves on the floor to ward off insects. Basically, eating at Poison Ivy also means visiting the Bollywood Veggies vegetable farm (which is feels like a holiday attraction). It's a nice place for a family outing or a getaway from hectic lives.

Overall experience: 8.5/10