Secret garden -- a TOTAL disappointment with the restaurant

I booked online with the restaurant to have a couple meal , for my boyfriend birthday on monday. It was meant as a surprise for him

At first things seems fine, Owner called me back on tuesday to propose the menu and we decided on the appetiser, main course and the cake/dessert for him.

On friday, the day of the celebration, i arrived at the restaurant with a big surprise. BUT an UNPLESANT one, they did not have my name on the reservations list. The person attending to me, doesnt even seem apologetic.

i was expecting my seat will be ready since i made the reservation on monday and the owner has called back on tuesday. This is TURNOFF no1. they had to set up the table in front of us..

Then they came with the menu to my boyfriend and me. this wasTURNOFF no 2. All the food planned for already on Tuesday was not conveyed through. i meant to let my boyfriend sit comfortably and the meal to be sent and not ask him to order.

Food was not fantastic for the price we paid. Ordinary enought to find in any fusion restaurant. Despite that i sign off the bill which was $150 for the couple GST svc charge , a total of $180 without much thought.. I gave them my UOB credit card. and they gave me a 10% discount on my UOB card privilege. Thinking that everything done , i planned to leave the restaurant at 9.15 pm. SURPRISE no 3 came.. another TURNOFF and unpleasant surprise. The manager came after me and said the bill was wrong. they have wrongly gave me a 10% due to UOB card and i am not entitled to it. I said to the manager since the credit card bill was sign , can't he gave me the discount . i am rushing to catch my 9.30pm movie at marina . Manager didnt even reply, i add on that since they forgot my reservation and also my order, i thought that was a discount i can enjoy. He didnt reply and ask me for my card to reverse the trasaction. Despite me showing my displeasure, they ignore me and spent 15 minutes meddling with my card to RECLAIMM that 10% discount which was only a mere $15. my boyfriend was waiting outside all these while. and by the time we could leave, it was 9.20pm and i missed the beginning of my movie.

This restaurant has no sense of customer service and totally no consideration of what a birthday celebration means to us , customers. At the expense of $15, they rather make us wait and feel unhappy about the entire experience. Not only they forgot my reservations, the surprise planned for my boyfriend, they do not feel apologetic for the bad experience they gave us.!!!

DO not recommend anyone to go there and they will make u lose all the pleasant moments you planned for for your love ones

I would like to give 3 and a half stars, but the rating system doesn't allow that... so I rounded it up. :D

Firstly, the muchly raved service. The service was fantastic, and the boss was downright humorous. He's very sincere, and could even identify that me and my boyfriend were a couple (we came in a mixed group)! Service-wise, 5 star for sure. :)

Secondly, the ambience. The place is fairly remote and a little troublesome to find for a first-timer, but I guess that adds some points for a romantic atmosphere and privacy. I loved the candlelit indoors, though it was a little troublesome when taking photos (but that's my lousy camera's fault). The outdoors was romantic too, with all the lights, but it was a little humid at that point of time. 4-stars I suppose.

Thirdly, the food. Frankly, the quality is quite disappointing. The taste was okay, because I'm not a fussy eater, but it doesn't justify the price. The quantity wasn't much too, especially since all of us are fairly big eaters. The dessert was good, but the serving portion was quite small as well. I give this 2-stars.

I might not go back again, but it's worth a try.

I agree both hands up! The attentiveness of the boss (presumably) and his amazing memory impressed me totally, for he could tell me exactly what the birthday boy ordered and hence serve the birthday cake to! In a nutshell, I'd say it's cosy, affordable fine-dining with exemplary service standards!