Newly-opened Flavvors is running a buffet breakfast and high tea dimsum on weekends at $9.90 for adults. Seems like a good deal, so we rounded up the family for a visit.
1. Anticipating a long queue, we made reservations one day in advance, and we were glad we did, because the dining area is really small and there were a few large families there. Place was packed.
2. We got there at about 3.10pm. Buffet runs from 3pm to 5pm - only two hours! Challenging, but could be done, we thought.
3. We placed our modest first order, and prepared our second order to be submitted once our first order was served.
4. Since no sauces were on the table, we asked a passing waitress for chilli sauce. 没有 she replied and walked off. We asked a second waitress who walked to the service table, checked, and came back with a sheepish shrug 小碟子用完了 then she walked off too!!!!
5. After about twenty minutes, and wary of the long wait, we sent in our second order.
6. The first serve came about 35 minutes later. Nothing else came after that. About 15 minutes later, our second order started arriving, while there were still items outstanding on our first order. The staff promised to check.
7. Little by little, our second order arrived, still with no sign of items from the first order. We were loath to reorder as we did not want to duplicate orders and waste food, but in the end, we decided this would be the only way of getting fed.
8. Finally, at 4.45pm the supervisor came round to the table to check for outstanding orders. She seemed surprised to see so many items missing, so she promised to check. Another waitress came back later to announce that all the items we had ordered were sold out.
9. We checked our first and second order chits which were time stamped 15.34. How could they be sold out 34 minutes after beginning the buffet?
10. Either the restaurant has bad management, or is insincere about this buffet promotion. By making patrons wait endlessly and constantly plying Chinese tea, they are trying to fill you up and making you give up!
11. Finally, we overhead a table next to us try to salvage the situation by reordering whatever the restaurant still had available. "Last order 过了" was the reply, much to their shock. No one had advised any of the patrons of the cut off time for last orders!
12. Finally, we left the restaurant, having eaten fewer than 12 plates of dimsum in total. Two of us had stomach upsets that evening, but we didn't associate it with this meal, as we really couldn't have eaten enough to get food poisoning!
Was browsing at Bugis Junction & Iluma last evening, so decided to pop by Ajisen for a quick bite. Queue wasn't really long, but the outlet was very very very packed!
Server asked if we minded that the seating was a little cramped and I jokingly asked if I had to sit on someone else's lap. As it turns out, that was almost the case! Tables were packed so close together that every time someone seated on the inside got up to leave, we all had to shift and move our tables! The China student sitting next to me crossed her legs and her foot wound up against my shin most of the time!
To think positively about it, this is exactly how it is in the ramen shops in Japan. People come and go all the time, squeeze in between other diners, slurp and get out. Very authentic indeed!
However, not the right place to bring a date cos its like sharing a conversation with ten other people seated at your elbow...
Food service was quite fast, with our ramens arriving within ten minutes. The ChaShu Ramen is my favourite with quite a few slices of meat sitting in a fragrant broth. I am very particular that soup base must always be hot and Ajisen never fails me!
The staff was also very attentive and kept coming back to fill my green tea.
Cramped, but very homely feel. Will be back at a less crowded time.
Best place to hang-out for late night supper. Service is in full swing here even in the early hours of the morning (unlike KFC opposite, see my other review).
However, it can be quite crowded sometimes, especially over the weekend. But we never fail to find a table that is free. Kudos to the diners here, most of whom will help to clear the tables before they leave.
Besides the fastfood restaurant menu, the McCafe coffees and cakes are also available which provides a healthier option for late-night snacking.
Bring a jacket, it is absolutely freezing at night!
On weekdays, this is a good outlet to come for late-night supper. However, it closes at 11pm, after which you should just head over to the McDonalds for supper.
Forget weekends, cos it's crowded with families and youth, just hanging out. There's even a bikers group that hangs out here occasionally.
I noticed that whatever the time we come here, the counters are understaffed and undermanned. The kitchen can keep up with the orders, but the counters form long long queues especially in the evenings. Sometimes, only two counters are open, I supposed due to lack of staff. So service is very very very slow. Better luck at McD where service is in full swing.
Dropped by for high tea snack with a friend this afternoon and found the place quite quiet (despite being Hari Raya PH). Staff were quite pleasant and friendly and gave the place a nice warm homeliness.
Noticed a good menu range of rice and noodles but decided to have something light instead. Ordered some dimsum and dessert as we were feeling peckish.
Lotus Leaf Rice ($3.90) was nice and fragrant, infused by the huge lotus leaf it was wrapped in. Rice had a nice earthy taste and was not sticky like the usual glutinous rice. Stuffed with mushrooms and chicken meat, nice portion. Just a dash of chilli sauce brought out the delicious flavours.
Po Lo Pau ($1.90) was served warm, with a slice of canned pineapple sandwiched between the buns. The buns were warm and soft but a tad too chewy to cut or bite. Still, the warm melting butter gave great taste contrasts between the tangy pineapple, saltiness of the butter and sweetness of the bun's crust. Could sit there and eat more ...
Steamed Papaya & Almond Cream ($5.90) had a few pieces of tender papaya in a creamy almond soup which was thick and flavourful. Luckily it was served hot, because after it cools, the almond can be overpowering. Ordered a hot tea to counter the taste.
Glutinous Balls in Ginger Soup was quite delightful. The hot ginger soup was very flavourful and lent some "heat" to the dessert, felt good sliding down the throat. The peanut filled balls were a nice sweet taste to balance the tart ginger soup, but the skin was too thick for our liking, so the filling was soon overwhelmed by the taste of rice flour.
Nice ambience, food is pricey but good. Will visit once in a while, but may be too expensive for regular jaunts.
1=SGD 0.0587
1. Anticipating a long queue, we made reservations one day in advance, and we were glad we did, because the dining area is really small and there were a few large families there. Place was packed.
2. We got there at about 3.10pm. Buffet runs from 3pm to 5pm - only two hours! Challenging, but could be done, we thought.
3. We placed our modest first order, and prepared our second order to be submitted once our first order was served.
4. Since no sauces were on the table, we asked a passing waitress for chilli sauce. 没有 she replied and walked off. We asked a second waitress who walked to the service table, checked, and came back with a sheepish shrug 小碟子用完了 then she walked off too!!!!
5. After about twenty minutes, and wary of the long wait, we sent in our second order.
6. The first serve came about 35 minutes later. Nothing else came after that. About 15 minutes later, our second order started arriving, while there were still items outstanding on our first order. The staff promised to check.
7. Little by little, our second order arrived, still with no sign of items from the first order. We were loath to reorder as we did not want to duplicate orders and waste food, but in the end, we decided this would be the only way of getting fed.
8. Finally, at 4.45pm the supervisor came round to the table to check for outstanding orders. She seemed surprised to see so many items missing, so she promised to check. Another waitress came back later to announce that all the items we had ordered were sold out.
9. We checked our first and second order chits which were time stamped 15.34. How could they be sold out 34 minutes after beginning the buffet?
10. Either the restaurant has bad management, or is insincere about this buffet promotion. By making patrons wait endlessly and constantly plying Chinese tea, they are trying to fill you up and making you give up!
11. Finally, we overhead a table next to us try to salvage the situation by reordering whatever the restaurant still had available. "Last order 过了" was the reply, much to their shock. No one had advised any of the patrons of the cut off time for last orders!
12. Finally, we left the restaurant, having eaten fewer than 12 plates of dimsum in total. Two of us had stomach upsets that evening, but we didn't associate it with this meal, as we really couldn't have eaten enough to get food poisoning!
Last visit to this place.
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04 Oct 2010 at 9:44 am
Server asked if we minded that the seating was a little cramped and I jokingly asked if I had to sit on someone else's lap. As it turns out, that was almost the case! Tables were packed so close together that every time someone seated on the inside got up to leave, we all had to shift and move our tables! The China student sitting next to me crossed her legs and her foot wound up against my shin most of the time!
To think positively about it, this is exactly how it is in the ramen shops in Japan. People come and go all the time, squeeze in between other diners, slurp and get out. Very authentic indeed!
However, not the right place to bring a date cos its like sharing a conversation with ten other people seated at your elbow...
Food service was quite fast, with our ramens arriving within ten minutes. The ChaShu Ramen is my favourite with quite a few slices of meat sitting in a fragrant broth. I am very particular that soup base must always be hot and Ajisen never fails me!
The staff was also very attentive and kept coming back to fill my green tea.
Cramped, but very homely feel. Will be back at a less crowded time.
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However, it can be quite crowded sometimes, especially over the weekend. But we never fail to find a table that is free. Kudos to the diners here, most of whom will help to clear the tables before they leave.
Besides the fastfood restaurant menu, the McCafe coffees and cakes are also available which provides a healthier option for late-night snacking.
Bring a jacket, it is absolutely freezing at night!
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Forget weekends, cos it's crowded with families and youth, just hanging out. There's even a bikers group that hangs out here occasionally.
I noticed that whatever the time we come here, the counters are understaffed and undermanned. The kitchen can keep up with the orders, but the counters form long long queues especially in the evenings. Sometimes, only two counters are open, I supposed due to lack of staff. So service is very very very slow. Better luck at McD where service is in full swing.
Just a comment to KFC's management ...
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Noticed a good menu range of rice and noodles but decided to have something light instead. Ordered some dimsum and dessert as we were feeling peckish.
Lotus Leaf Rice ($3.90) was nice and fragrant, infused by the huge lotus leaf it was wrapped in. Rice had a nice earthy taste and was not sticky like the usual glutinous rice. Stuffed with mushrooms and chicken meat, nice portion. Just a dash of chilli sauce brought out the delicious flavours.
Po Lo Pau ($1.90) was served warm, with a slice of canned pineapple sandwiched between the buns. The buns were warm and soft but a tad too chewy to cut or bite. Still, the warm melting butter gave great taste contrasts between the tangy pineapple, saltiness of the butter and sweetness of the bun's crust. Could sit there and eat more ...
Steamed Papaya & Almond Cream ($5.90) had a few pieces of tender papaya in a creamy almond soup which was thick and flavourful. Luckily it was served hot, because after it cools, the almond can be overpowering. Ordered a hot tea to counter the taste.
Glutinous Balls in Ginger Soup was quite delightful. The hot ginger soup was very flavourful and lent some "heat" to the dessert, felt good sliding down the throat. The peanut filled balls were a nice sweet taste to balance the tart ginger soup, but the skin was too thick for our liking, so the filling was soon overwhelmed by the taste of rice flour.
Nice ambience, food is pricey but good. Will visit once in a while, but may be too expensive for regular jaunts.
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