Shiraz Restaurant, Clarke Quay

After dinner & drinks with Carissa at Orchard Road, I took her to Clarke Quay to see the nightlife in Singapore. We decided to stay at Shiraz Restaurant since they had available seats outside.

We ordered "Hummus " (S$9.00) and some pita bread to chow on while filling our bodies with even more alcohol, haha. The bread was really tough and the hummus so-so. Quite bad, actually.

It was good though we chose this place as there was belly dancing. This lady really knows how to gyrate that belly! She was so flexible!

They handed us some drums to add to the music of the belly dancer. I was slightly embarrased but it was fun.

So that was my introductory tour of Singapore to Carissa. We weren't able to do much since she had to go home before midnight, else be scolded by her friend who is hosting her stay here in Singapore. Till the next night out...

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Häägen-Däzs, Clarke Quay

After our Mexican not-so-good feast at Cafe Iguana, we decided to walk around Clarke Quay. Since our mouths were still burning from the chili, we unanimously decided to cool it down at Haagen Dazs haha!

I'm not really a fan of ice cream, surprisingly. Especially overly-expensive ice cream like Haagen Dazs. But since Bill treated us dinner, we opted to treat them dessert.

Zach and I had 3 scoops (S$14.90) with roasted almond nibs (S$1.00) - Green tea (A highly sought Japanese matcha green tea enhanced with the richness of the pure, sweet cream), Cookies & Chocolate (An indulgent fusion of chocolate ice cream and chocolate cookies), and our all-time fave Rum Raisin (Plump raisins soaked in rum and added to pure, sweet cream).

Aileen & Bill had 2 scoops (S$ 11.90) - Macadamia Nut (Macadamia nuts roasted to perfection and artfully blended with the macadamia ice cream) and a Chocolate-flavoured ice cream, I forgot which one...

The store manager was very accomodating and friendly, even introduced us to one of the filipina staff. I think if all managers were as friendly as him, customers would be very loyal and keep on coming back. He probably forgot to charge us for the topping on our ice cream or maybe he gave it us for free.

No rating for Haagen Dazs but I must say they have very tasteful decor for an ice cream shop. No wonder their ice cream is so damn expensive, haha.

3A River Valley Rd
#01-07
Merchants Court, Clarke Quay
Tel: 6337 0846

"Live, Love & Eat!"

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Cafe Iguana, Riverside Point

Aileen's fiance, Bill, has moved here to Singapore from Dubai and he wanted to treat us Saturday night dinner to celebrate his first salary and his new career here. Zach and I went to the gym first to burn some calories before our mexican feast hehe.

While waiting for Bill and Aileen to arrive, they gave us a free serving of corn chips and salsa. I'm not sure if it's homemade but it was ok. It was a bit thicker compared to regular corn chips and was perfect with the salsa.

There was a lot of people but we were lucky to have had a nice outdoor seat. The view was magnificent. It was right beside the river overlooking neighbouring Clarke Quay.

The bar was a sight to behold with all the liquor stacked up high on the walls. According to their website, they get their handcrafted beer from Brewerkz Microbrewery, a restaurant just a few shops away.

Zach ordered "Shredded Steak Soft Taco" (S$18.99) - Handmade corn tortillas, traditional shredded cabbage garnish, lime cream and pico de gallo and side dishes of beans and lime-scented cilantro rice. The presentation was nice but once you start eating it, it got a little inconvenient because you have to wrap the tacos on your own. Also, I'm not sure if this is a different variety because from my experience soft taco normally doesn't come with rice.

Aileen ordered "Ancho-dusted Fried Calamari" (S$12.99) - Tender fried squid with mole verde. The breading was very nice and crisp but it was a bit bland. Quite interesting, though, was the bed of mole verde beneath the calamari. I researched the net and found out mole verde is a spicy Mexican condiment which is a mixture of pumpkin seeds (pepitas), ground nuts and sesame seeds, tomatillos, green chile peppers (typically poblano or serrano), spices, soybean oils, bread or crackers (wheat flour and corn starch), sugar, and other seasonings.

Bill ordered "Flank Steak Fajitas" (S$23.99) - Sizzling platter served with flour tortillas, sautéed onions and peppers, sour cream and guacamole. This was my favorite out of all the dishes. I always love the idea of interactive food, where you get to assemble your own fajita as you wish. The steak was also very tasty.

I had the "Shredded Steak Burrito" (S$19.99) - Served with lime-scented cilantro rice, b0rracho beans and cheddar mozzarella cheese.

The portion for this dish was quite big, probably good enough for 2 people. There was a lot of rice and steak and it was really filling. My only problem was it tasted the same as the soft taco. Plus, it lacks that mexican kick that mexican food usually has. Not the best burrito I've ever tasted, to be honest.

The El Yucateco extra hot sauce (the one in the middle) has got to be the spiciest, chilliest, hottest chili sauce I have ever tasted in my whole entire existence, hands down!!! God it was so spicy my mouth was burning for at least 10 mins after I tasted it. Moreover, I felt my stomach rumble as soon as I swallowed it. It was that hot!! Too hot actually it ruined my taste buds for a while. Cholula tasted like tomato sauce after that goddamn yucateco.

Overall, Cafe Iguana was a bit disappointing. I didn't taste like authentic Mexican fare. Cha Cha Cha in Holland Village is so much better. Plus service was a bit slow. Though I really enjoyed the view and ambiance, it was really breath-taking. Thanks for dinner, Bill and welcome to Singapore!

Here is my rating for Cafe Iguana-
Ambiance - 5.0
Service - 2.5
Food - 2.0
Presentation - 3.0
Value for Money - 2.5
OVERALL - 3.0

30 Merchant Road
#01-03 Riverside Point
Singapore 058282
Tel: (65) 6236 1275 Sorry, we’re unable to accept reservations after 7pm. Walk-ins only.
Opening Hours
Mon - Thurs: 6pm - 1am
Fri & Eve of PH: 6pm - 3am
Sat: 12pm - 3am
Sun: 12pm - 1am

"Live, Love & Eat!"

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