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
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!"
We decided to go to this place at the Little India Arcade called "The Banana Leaf Apolo". There were a lot of people so they must be serving real good food.
I love the idea of eating on a banana leaf since it adds that casual and picnic-like way of eating and I'm sure they save tons on dishes and dishwashing - which is good both for their business and the environment.
They gave me sooo much rice it was probably good for at least 2-3 people. Of course I didn't finish it, else my workout would have been put to waste. Zach finished it, hehe. Despite the overwhelming look of this meal, I wasn't as overwhelmed with the taste. It was a bit too spicy and the chicken was quite tough and not so meaty. The "Chicken Briyani Set" down my street is only S$5 and their chicken is huge. 
I also had their "Teh Tarik" (S$ 2), it was quite different from the malay version of teh tarik as this one had regular milk instead of condensed milk, therefore you need to add the sugar yourself. 
Zach had the "Rava Masala Dosai" (S$2.70) - indian crepe with 3 kinds of dip, his all-time favorite. It was ok and quite interesting, the crepe had sunny-side up egg inside.
All in all, we had to pay around S$17.30 (including tax) for the 2 dishes and 2 cups of tea. Quite expensive for indian food but probably because it was in a restaurant setting. I do like indian food but I think I need some time to get used to it especially when it's too spicy.
Outside the resto, we grabbed some indian snacks from this stall. They looked really interesting, some even looked like bars of gold or silver as they were "silver or gold-plated". Problem is I find it too sweet, it tasted like a block of sugar :-P.
Raj is an all-vegetarian restaurant but surprisingly they had so much items on the menu. It was quite pricey actually and since it was only lunch on a work-week, I normally wouldn't want to spend more than $5 (yeah call me a cheapskate, hehe). 
Naveen and I both chose the "South Indian Thali Set Meal" ($6.50) - consists of rice, sambar, rasam, 3 vegetables, 2 chappatis, papad, fried chili, special chutney, butter milk, daal and dessert of the day.
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.
