Last weekend, work required us to hang around Orchard Road, so we decided to visit Antoinette at Mandarin Gallery for dinner on Saturday. Looking forward to having my favorite pasta and quiet time with the hubs, I'm very disappointed to say that none of the above happened (I think they changed the menu) and the lack of attention to service was appalling. I think we ended up being more amused by the service provided than enjoying our couple time together.
It was very obvious that the 2 more experienced gentlemen working there did not get along with the one girl. And while she was hard working, she definitely needs to receive some sort of service training. Having said that, I've noticed that the service standards in Singapore are dropping like crazy and i'm curious to know what is causing this. Some friends have contributed with one simple sentence and said, "Pay peanuts, get monkeys". Is this really a main contributing factor or just simply the lack of training?
Upon entering, we were seated near the entrance and as we were about to look at the menu, she asked if we were having dinner or desserts. After we said dinner, she told her supervisor and somehow they decided that it would be best to change our seats and try to seat us next to another couple because "the table was bigger". Ummm firstly, why would I want to sit 2 inches away from another couple and secondly what kind of excuse is that considering the tables look exactly the same size?
So we decided to stay put. We ordered 2 mains and an appetizer to share. Guess what came out first? My main! Ermmmm HELLO??? Anyone in the right mind would assume that a couple that orders 2 mains and an appetizer would want to start with the appetizer. And she could have asked if she wasn't clear. A simple, "Would you be having the appetizer first or should I bring out the food as its ready?" would have sufficed.
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| Seafood Aglio Olio ($26) |
The aglio olio was nice and the scallops and mussels that it was served with was extremely succulent and yummy. I loved the garlicky richness and despite being an aglio olio, it wasn't too heavy on the oil.
Second to arrive, the other main... At this point we are starting to think that maybe she has forgotten our appetizer.
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| Boeuf Bourguignon ($36) |
We were about to ask about the missing appetizer, when et voila the waitress appears with it!
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| Le Petit Jardin d'Antoinette ($20.50) |
As the waitress clears my hubby's dish (he had left his cutlery on the plate for clearing), she asked the bonus question, "Would you like to just reuse the cutlery?". I'm SHOCKED! We are in Mandarin Gallery, at a fairly nice patisserie and salon du the and we are asked if we can reuse the cutlery? Funny enough, if you visit their website, their tagline "L'elegance a la Francaise at it's best!" So basically, it's too posh to serve sauces (ketchup/cheese or chilli flakes) or Coke but reusing the cutlery is acceptable.
Literally, translated as the small garden of Antoinette, this dish was described as and I quote "Foie gras on Levain toast, pickled pears, poached egg, roasted asparagus, baby carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, cresses, flowers, mixed greens, sunflower seeds, button mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, lotus root chips and caramel orange dressing". WOW!!! Sounds like a lot of vege! What we got was foie gras scantily spread on the toast and a dish that tried so hard to have everything and yet has nothing. Honestly, if this is supposed to be a signature salad and the main ingredient the Foie gras, shouldn't there be a bit more foie gras and a little less of everything else?
A few minutes later, when I was clearly still eating, she came to ask if we would like our appetizer plate cleared- there is still food on the plate which I hadn't finished. So basically our dear waitress was overzealous when she need not be and lacks initiative where it's required.
Thankfully, this is kind of where everything ended. We moved on to dessert- sharing the Strawberry Shortcake and coffee for him.
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| Strawberry Shortcake and coffee |
Finally! There is just something about Strawberries and cream in layers of sponge cake that makes me salivate. The Chantilly cream was so light and perfectly sweetened. The strawberries were fresh, plump and juicy, making every perfect morsel of cake a pleasure to devour. Desserts are truly Chef Pang's forte.
Another waiter finished up with serving us and settling the bill so no more waitress from hell (ok, I exaggerate).
Another waiter finished up with serving us and settling the bill so no more waitress from hell (ok, I exaggerate).
In the end, this was supposed to be a food post but such bad service kind of over shadowed the good food. It is naturally human nature to pick up on the horrible things first before remembering the good. I was so looking forward to the nice meal and I walked out saying I would never come back for dinner. Perhaps I need to give the other outlets a shot before I strike Antoinette off my list but for now, investing in service training might be a good idea for them.
333A Orchard Road
#02-33/34 Mandarin Gallery
Tel: +65 6836 9527
* No reservations allowed
Antoinette (Palais Renaissance)
390 Orchard Road,
B1- 08/09/10C Palais Renaissance
Tel: +65 67356392
Antoinette Patisserie Tea Salon
30 Penhas Road
Tel: +65 6293 3121
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