black angus steakhouse, town

great steaks – and for incredible value – in this steakhouse located just outside orchard parade hotel. let’s start this darn monday off with something simple – one of my favorite restaurants in singapore, and a regular family hangout. we’ve been coming here for ages – and while the prices have risen a little in that time, it remains one of the best (and only) places for a good, satisfying meal in town – not something easily said these days.

in a food climate that allows fancy restaurants to masquerade as steakhouses, serving exorbitantly-priced steaks without even the comfort of sides to lubricate the deal (paying for sides that ought to be there is one thing – and what are these double-digit figures for a mound of mash and a few skinny beans), this place is a godsend if you love your meat and have a beef with those newfangled places. it’s a return to true old-school american steakhouses where you sit down to an expertly-cooked slab of meat and sides, no fancy-schmancies.

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jones the grocer, town

disappointing expensive dessert at this town outpost of the australian delicatessen newly opened on the top floor of the ion orchard mall. here’s another looks-pretty-but-doesn’t-deserve-to dessert that rather had a lot of potential but turned out rather dismal, though nowhere near the fiasco that was dean and deluca. I wish this place actually served good food – orchard really is lacking in nice places you can sit down for a break between shopping – but I think I’ll be sticking with the marmalade pantry for now.

I haven’t tried their savory items, so while I can’t give you a full low-down on the cafe, the desserts sure don’t provide any impetus to return.

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marmalade pantry, town

good, better-than-average bistro food at this branch of the yummy-mummy chain in the ion shopping mall. this is a long post, because I came here twice in barely a week – and I’ll tell you why: the food is pretty decent, the prices competitive for the area, and there aren’t much better options around for a place to sit down and have some cake and tea.

it’s pretty flabbergasting to realize that though the orchard road precinct is hangout-de-rigueur for most people on the weekends, and so ought to (and does) have a slew of eateries, there really isn’t much to eat around there, just a whole lot of overly expensive sit-down places or trendy takeaway options. this place remains my fall-back option when I’m out with the girlfriends, and has been since I first visited their palais renaissance outlet nearly five years ago.

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