Last Saturday, Jan. 17, I met my friend, Carissa, who came from the Philippines & Dubai. I met her 6 years ago in my second job in a call centre in the Philippines and I remember we used to hang out a lot with our other colleagues - brings back so many fun memories.
It's her first time here in Singapore so of course, I had to take her to Orchard Road. We decided to have dinner at S-11 at cuppage terrace besides Robinson's centrepoint but when we got there I was so surprised to find out they replaced it with rows of very nice restos, much to our delight.
We chose Cross Straits from a myriad of other restos offering different kinds of food from mexican to asian, etc. I had to let her taste signature singaporean dishes since this is her first time here.
We ordered "Seafood Mee Goreng" - stir-fried noodle dish. The noodles looked a bit soggy but the taste was really good, so I didn't really mind.
And of course, we ordered "Chicken & Beef Satay" - barbecued chicken & beef with peanut sauce. Also good. The meat was tender, perfect with the sweet & spicy peanut sauce.
We also ordered "Stingray" - fish smothered with sambal chili. This was ok. I prefer the usual stingray served on a sizzling dish as this quickly went cold after a while.
Lastly, "Yang Chow Fried Rice" - stir-fried rice with egg and veggies. Carissa preferred this rice dish over the noodle dish. It was perfect with the other dishes.
The owner (I assume he is), above pic with his back turned, was really friendly and hospitable. He made sure service was quick and attended to all the customers. I hope he keeps it this way for the long-run because I assume the place is fairly new.
Lastly, "Yang Chow Fried Rice" - stir-fried rice with egg and veggies. Carissa preferred this rice dish over the noodle dish. It was perfect with the other dishes.
The owner (I assume he is), above pic with his back turned, was really friendly and hospitable. He made sure service was quick and attended to all the customers. I hope he keeps it this way for the long-run because I assume the place is fairly new.
Our dinner came up to S$46.80, including taxes. Very cheap for a resto in an expensive area.
So after catching up on dinner we went to a nearby bar along orchard to get some drinks and wash down our guilt with more guilt in the form of alcohol, haha. I was so amused to find this low carb beer called "Pure Blonde". Is it supposed to be for dumb blondes who don't eat carbs? haha kidding. Ok, that was corny :P
Carissa & I. She is still the heavy drinker that I know of from 6 years ago, hahaha. Lav ya carissa! Peace! ;)
Read my next blog as I took her to Clarke Quay, to catch up some more and what do you know, more drinks!
By the way, here is my rating for Cross Straits-
So after catching up on dinner we went to a nearby bar along orchard to get some drinks and wash down our guilt with more guilt in the form of alcohol, haha. I was so amused to find this low carb beer called "Pure Blonde". Is it supposed to be for dumb blondes who don't eat carbs? haha kidding. Ok, that was corny :P
Carissa & I. She is still the heavy drinker that I know of from 6 years ago, hahaha. Lav ya carissa! Peace! ;)
Read my next blog as I took her to Clarke Quay, to catch up some more and what do you know, more drinks!
By the way, here is my rating for Cross Straits-
Ambiance - 4.5
Service - 5.0
Food - 4.0
Presentation - 2.5
Value for Money - 4.5
OVERALL - 4.1
OVERALL - 4.1
Cross Straits Restaurant
35 Cuppage Terrace, 229459
"Live, Love & Eat!"
Ok, I did say I wasn't going to eat buffet anymore for my b'day dinner but Zach said I should really try out Straits Kitchen at the Hyatt Hotel near Orchard. We actually first went to Chimes to look for a nice decent restaurant to eat at but realized for the price of a la carte in a place like Chimes, then might as well go to Straits (hehe reasons reasons..). 
The Indian Buffet Station
The Malay Buffet Station
The Fruit & Drink Station
Then I went for the Indian buffet spread. Indian food is usually loaded with spices and flavour. I love the chicken and the shrimp, though the shrimp was a bit overcooked as it was tough.
I was so happy to find out they have Durian Ice Cream! Eversince I tasted the Durian mooncake, I have learned to appreciate the taste & infamous smell of this pungent fruit.
Lastly, some fruits to wash away the guilt, haha who am I kidding. The dessert in the bowl is "Chendol", something like "Halo-halo" in the Philippines.
I just had to take a picture of their chopsticks. Very nice wooden authentic chopsticks.
So I was a happy fat bloke on my birthday, hehehe. The interior of Straits Kitchen is really impressive. The detail and intricate design of the walls were visually captivating (too bad I wasn't able to take a picture). The staff were also very efficient and friendly, they always make sure you have drinking water (unlike some restos that wouldn't bother to refill your water unless you order a paid drink). They also cleared the plates as soon as you stood up from your table and they even picked up my table napkin when I dropped it on the floor while seated. The only thing I don't like was after clearing your plate, they leave your utensils on the table, it would have been better if they put them on a saucer.
Zach introduced me to this fruit called "Snake Fruit" from Indonesia. I have never seen such a fruit and it was really interesting. The skin really felt like snake skin, I was wondering if someone ever thought of making them into shoes or bags haha.
This is how it looks like in the inside. Too bad I didn't quite like it, too bland and tough for a fruit for me.