Mak's Noodles @ Westgate

A short post about the newly opened Mak's Noodles outlet at Westgate. I'm guessing that news of its opening traveled quite fast as there was a decent queue at around 5 in the evening. Anyway, the restaurant seating capacity is quite small but at least the turnover rate is pretty high. There wasn't much difference sitting inside the air-conditioned area, felt pretty humid altogether.

Anyway, as "warned" by others, I wasn't too surprised that the portion sizes of the noodles were pretty small. Price-wise per bowl is around 7++ depending on what you ordered. I ordered the Dumpling Noodles, which was enough to feed half a man. The other bowls that were ordered by my party were the same size.

Dumpling noodles

The broth was clear and the noodles were firm with a comforting springiness to it. The beef tendon variant's broth was thicker which I was not too fond of. The dish also came with a decent amount of dumplings (like 3 big ones?) Taste-wise, the dish wasn't anything to write home about.

I was surprised that Mak's Noodles charged both the service charge and GST especially when the place seemed more like a road-side stall that operates like a fast-food chain (without the efficiency).

The mineral water and loh hon gor drink I ordered came absurdly late (right after I finished my noodles), despite me informing the staff members to check on the order earlier. Payment was also made at the cashier. As such, I  was unhappy that I was made for paying the charge for the sub-par service.







Overall rating: 7/10

If they got rid of the service charge, I would probably bump up the rating slightly. The food is decent but definitely not worth the hype, especially if you have to queue a while for it. Although I may return to give a second chance in the distant future to try other dishes like the liver and porridge.

Spizzico @ Westgate

First off, I have to say that Spizzico's pasta is terrible, even my pasta tastes better. The pasta was extremely overpriced for its tiny portion size and the prawns given was stale. Just terrible.

For a restaurant that prices its food as a higher-end Italian restaurant, the ambience is more like a fastfood restaurant. The interior of the restaurant is packed with too many tables with inappropriate decor, making it look like a cheap diner. For the prices that Spizzico was charging, I'm not sastified that I had to fill out my order on a form. If that's the case, why are they charging 10% for service?

 It also didn't help that the staff on the front-line had pretty bad PR. The first thing the manager said to us when we were browsing the menu outside the restaurant was "We serve Italian food" and started explaining what Italian food was. I mean, seriously? Italian food is pretty common and it doesn't help that Spizzico's prices are supposed to reflect its more atas positioning. This manager's comments was a clear insult and inappropriate but I didn't have the energy to pick a fight.

Fortunately for Spizzico, their saving grace was their pizza. Portion size was actually value for its price and the pizza tasted quite good. The junior staff left us a better impression than the manager with their overall better service.

Toasted Italian bread topped with tomato, garlic, oregano, basil & olive oil

 Bruschetta al Pomodoro

Price: $6

Rating: 7.5/10



A pretty decent appetizer, which would probably be hard to mess up. Bread was well-toasted and the toppings were well done.

 Gli Spaghetti Aglio, Olio E Prawn (Spaghetti with King Prawn, garlic, chilli and extra Virgin olive oil)

Price: $22

Rating: 4/10

This is a joke of a dish. Horribly overpriced for  pasta that is probably only sufficient for a girl with a really small appetite.

Not only this, but the  "king" prawns are more like 4 peasant prawns who have been on the farmfields for days without sufficient food to eat. Yes, the prawns were that miserable and stale. I'm shocked that a restaurant can serve a dish like this. The chef should have the decency to inform the staff and customers that the prawns for the day were not good and not serve this dish anyway.

And yes, I can cook better than this for probably a quarter of the cost.

 Spaghetti Alle Vongole (Spaghetti with fresh clams, olive oil, parsley and white wine sauce)

Price: $16

Rating: 6/10

This pasta is more bland than the King prawn variant but that's due to the style of cooking. However, at least the portion size is relatively better for its cheaper price. Comparing the King prawn version, I was basically paying $6 more to replace the clams for 4 peasant prawns (which were stale) with no change to the amount of pasta given.

 Pizza Pollo (chicken, capsicum, eggplant, zucchini)


Price: $15

Rating: 8/10

I think the pizza is 12 inches and it can easily serve 2 people. The crust was not overly thin or thick and the cheese was well-cooked. The unusual toppings of eggplant and zucchini made the dish more balanced. I would highly recommend this dish.

 Salmone (smoked salmon, caper, olives, eggs and fresh basil)

Price: $17

Rating: 7/10

Also 12 inches. The Pizza Pollo is better in terms of taste and value. The tomato-base made the pizza very moist and overwhelmed the smoked salmon. The egg and salmon combo was awkward as well. However, it's still better than the pasta.

Overall, don't order the pasta. Overpriced and not appetizing at all. If you do want to try Spizzico, do try their pizzas as they are pretty good and value for money.

As a food person that eats at a huge variety of places, I have to say that Spizzico's positioning in a suburban place is pretty bad. The pricing is too high (especially the pasta, plus they charge service and GST) for a place that operates and serves food like a casual diner.

Overall rating: 5.5/10 (too expensive with mediocre food, only dish worthwhile trying is the pizza).

Good alternatives would be Saizeriya (extremely economical but decent food) or Spageddies (better food and overall value for money).

Cherry Garden @ Mandarin Oriental Hotel

This meal was probably eaten about more than a year ago but the food was decent. Service was so-so due to a certain staff who implied that we didn't order enough food.

1) Half Peking Duck- $50

2nd dish- fried rice

2) Soup $12 each (lotus root, hot and spicy)

3) Cod fish fillet -$20 each (2 pax)

4) Spare ribs with - $16 each (2 pax)

5) 3 BBQ meat combo - $35

4) Tofu with monkey head mushroom and spinach - $22

7) Cherry - $12

8) Bean paste pancake with ice cream - $16

Total price: $294 before discount

$250 after

Summer Palace @ Regent Singapore (Hotel)

This will be a short post about Summer Palace's weekend lunch set @$56 per pax (min 4 people). This meal is very filling and considered value for money, as I was already full by the time the first 5 dim sum dishes were served. The food is of good quality, especially the prawns and fish. If you do decide to go for this set, be prepared to eat a lot!

Rating: 8/10

Sauteed Mushroom

Wasabi Prawn

Dim sum dishes

Fried Asparagus with XO sauce

Soup of the day

Steamed Soon Hock

Chicken tart with abalone

Roasted Meat Platter

Ee Fu Noodle

Hot Almond Cream with Tong Yuan