hungrygowhere.com gave this restaurant very bad ratings which i only found out after i ate there. i was there with serene last thurs. it was rather empty when we went around dinner time at almost 7pm. the eatery offers set dinner menus which are quite value for money. the set we ordered came with a side of crispy fried chicken or golden tofu cubes, noodles with egg and pork chop or some other similar noodle dish and choice of papaya milkshake or avocado milkshake for the drink. the tofu cubes were yummy; lightly fried diced tofu topped with seasoning akin to that of the shilin chicken. ser liked the fried radish bits that came with it. the other side dish - chicken wing deep fried in a thick breaded batter was very crispy but had a rather unique taste of spices. reviewers on hungrygowhere.com complained about the noodles being like maggie mee which i won't deny but i thought that was the authentic hk cafe style. maybe the lack of food choice at my work area has numbed my taste buds (lol!) but i was rather contented with the simple fare of sunny side up, luncheon meat and fried pork ribs. i don't know what to say abt the avocado milkshake since i have no basis for comparison. i thought it tasted somewhat like a healthier and blander version of the old school pontong ice cream. serene's papaya milkshake turned out more like papaya juice. the crowd started coming in at around 7 plus but the place was still comfortable enough to hold a conversation. i wouldn't mind going back again; i think it'll be a pretty nice place to sit and talk on weekday afternoons when it's not packed with people. with that said, i'll give crystal jade hong kong cafe 3 out of 5 stars.
now for the next food review. after hearing much raves about waraku pasta, fionne and i decided to give it a try. we opted for the set menu which comes with a choice of pasta in mini version, default mini prawn gratin, corn soup and salad. i liked the corn soup which was really rich in flavour. the salad was good too. dressed in a vinegar and soy sauce concoction (i think), it was a healthy yet delectable appetiser. my carbonara waraku style pasta came looking real savoury with a runny egg yolk in the middle; fionne's potato and bacon carbonara looked delicious too, except for the few unexpected asaparagus stalks. although the cream base was thick, both of us found the flavour a lil bland so we ended up sprinkling a considerable amount of parmesan cheese. on the contrary, the prawn gratin turned out really creamy, with a tinge of sweetness, which i liked. the prawns tasted fresh too. even though the set dinner may seem like a lot initially, the portions turned out just right for me and the variety was much appreciated. i thought the service there could be further improved on though. we were given a small table for 2 and considering the slow eaters we were, the table was barely big enough for all the dishes (their service was fast!) we requested for a switch to a bigger table and the waitress gave us a black face. i do understand the space constraint during dinner time but i'd have expected a better attitude from her. ohwells waitressing is not an easy job so i shan't complain. i'll rate waraku pasta 3.5 out of 5; they should consider opening another outlet at somewhere more accessible like bugis or orchard.
okay i think i don't make the cut to be a food critic but who cares?