Michelangelo's - Innovative Italian Cuisine

It's Restaurant Week! And of course both L and I couldn't give this chance to try good food a miss. I am very excited that I'm finally participating in RW for the first time!

Here is some background information, Restaurant Week comes bi-annually, and this October, Singapore has her 5th edition of Restaurant Week! RW, as the name suggests, means dining at participating restaurants which offers a set course menu at affordable prices! Lunch is a 3-course meal at top restaurants at S$ 25.00++, while dinner will be a 4-course meal at S$ 35.00++. If the restaurant of your choice is awarded a Dining City Star, then you will be required to top-up an addition S$ 15++/20++ for lunch/dinner respectively.

Being a huge lover of spaghetti, I've decided on an Italian restaurant, Michelangelo's, situated quietly in Chip Bee Gardens, just a stone throw away from Holland Village.

Two kinds of sitting arrangements, just pick what you like.

Panorama Shot

Perfect for first dates!

Just a word of caution, you may be a little uncomfortable over how dim the whole dining area is.

This seating arrangement will be nice if your date doesn't mean the heat, or if it isn't pouring.

Our set menu for the afternoon!

Don't worry if you're very hungry. While your dishes are being prepared, you will be served pieces of bread together with a platter of sides.

These taste perfectly normal. Nothing too fanciful. But please don't over stuff yourself with these.

For starters, both L and I picked Caesar Salad.

What attracted me was the poached egg. This is good. Wait, I mean this is very good. Fresh greens, drizzled with some magic sauce which is sweet and sour, yet not overwhelming. Simple, yet tasty enough to make both of us finish every single green on the plate. However, the bacon pieces, both chunky and flaky, was a little disappointing. Would prefer bacon bits anytime.

For the main course, L picked Quarantaotto, while I picked the Spaghetti Carbonara.

We were both surprised when this dish turns out like this, with soup. I guess that's the problem when you don't read the menu carefully, because I was expecting steak. But I feel that it turns out nice, because L commented that the meat was tender and tasty.

One word: Perfect-o.

Being a spaghetti lover, I have a soft spot for them. Which means everywhere I go, if I spot Spaghetti on the menu, I will not think twice about ordering that.

This particular dish, I must say, is lip-smacking good. I can't wait to finish everything in one go, yet I want to savour it for as long as I can. The spaghetti is done al-dente, not under or overcook like how some restaurants might. The white wine cream sauce is really tasty. Some wine sauce may be too strong, and turns people off with the 'wine taste', but this is done so perfectly, the wine sauce just brings the whole dish up to a higher level.

By this time, I am already extremely satisfied with my meal, and I can't wait for the desserts to be served because I believe that good desserts to sum up the meal is as important as the main courses being good.

I'm not a Tiramisu fan, after learning that it is made from raw egg. But this particular Tiramisu won me over, both its appearance and taste.

What is more amazing is the attentiveness of the waiter/waitress, who never fail to refill our glasses without being prompt to do so, even though the bottle of water is on our tables. At the end of the meal, when one of them saw L and I trying to take a photo on our own, he came up and initiated to help us take a photo. Isn't this what F&B service should be all about?

This meal came up to a total of S$ 96.51 for the both of us.

Inclusive of a whooping S$ 12.00 for the above aqua mineral.
I have to admit that this meal is quite expensive, and not exactly pocket friendly. But for the ambience, quality of food served, and of course, the thoughtfulness of the waiter/waitress, this particular meal is worth every penny.

Will I be back again? Yes I will, definitely. But I need to make sure that there's a promotion going on, else my wallet will not be able to afford it.

Michelangelo's

Blk 44 Jalan Merah Saga

#01-60, Chip Bee Garden

Holland Village

Strictly Pancakes

They said friends are your pillars in life, without them to share your joy and sorrow, you'll be living a wasted life. And i really couldn't agree more to that. So I always make it a point to organise/attend gatherings, just to do my part to keep the friendships going.

And boy, what are gatherings without food?

So off we go, to Strictly Pancakes! To indulge in uh well, pancakes, as the name of the restaurant suggests.

Sitting quietly along the Prinsep Street, Strictly Pancakes proves to be one of the hangout place where everyone can head to for brunch, anytime. An All Day Pancake concept dining place, where you can get pancakes at anytime of the day. Unlike Macdonalds, which you have to rush to wake up early for the pancakes, or else you have to settle for burgers once the time hits 11.01am.

After more than half an hour of waiting, we finally got a table for 6! I'm someone who hates waiting and queuing up for food, so whenever I want to dine somewhere, I always try to make reservations beforehand whenever possible. Which I failed for this gathering, because the clique meets at 1, and this restaurant only allows for reservations at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, ...

After a long wait, the waitress could only offer us the seats outdoors. But thank goodness, a crowd on the 2nd floor left so she offered us the seats indoors which we all gladly obliged. It was such a warm and stuffy day! On the second floor, there were two distinct seating areas. One is the sofa seats (which was directly under the glass ceiling), the other is the one with tables where the stronger air conditioning are. Luckily, we managed to get the latter! (:

And oh yes, here comes the pancakesssssssss! 

Strawberries & Co. (S$10)

Mine! Medium stack of original pancakes, accompanied by mixed berries, strawberries coulis and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. In my opinion, that scoop of icecream was the best on the plate.

Blackforest (S$11)

Tiramisu ($S12)

Apples and Cinnamon (S$10)

If you pay this place a visit, order the chocolate pancakes! They tasted so much better than the original ones. So much better that I switched one of my original one with my friend, for his chocolate piece. Both Tiramisu and Blackforest just prove that pancakes taste so much better with chocolate. Apples and Cinnamon just didn't score for me.

An advise for people with small appetites, please do order the short stack (which consists of 2 pancakes), or share your plate with another.  Because none of us managed to clear our plates, except for Benjamin who order the short stack of chocolate pancakes. Or maybe Aaron did, but he felt like puking pancakes out after that.

If you ask for my opinion, I would rather wake up early for Macdonalds' pancakes and the multiple packets of maple syrup and butter which I can get for free over the counter. SP's pancakes were too heavy for my liking, I found myself struggling after just 1 piece. The whole meal wasn't satisfying for me at all. Filling, yes. Satisfying, no. And that is a big taboo in the world of food, for someone to continue to feel as unsatisfied as he/she was before the meal. 

Or perhaps I should order the chocolate based one. Or perhaps pancakes only go well with maple syrup/butter for me. You should come with an open mind and taste them for yourself!

Strictly Pancakes

44A Prinsep Strret

Singapore 188674

Tel: 6333 4202

www.strictlypancakes.com.sg

/some photos courtesy of google.com