Wine
- Thread starter ikileo
- Start date
I had a very bad experience at L'Atelier. service was absolutely terrible. Imagine being asked to move seats in the middle of the meal because they want to sit more people - and the excuse they gave is the people called to add one more person (which was an obvious lie because when they came later, it was 2 different pairs and not a group of 4). The food was nothing to shout about - the best dish was the amuse bouche which tells you how unimpressive the rest of the food was. While I don't normally expect each and every course to be wow, normally a few of the courses will be spectacular enough for you to remember. All in, it was utterly disappointing. I had a much better experience at Guy Savoy (if you're talking about that kind of price) or Nicolas (much cheaper - and I think very good value for money).
Catalunya has a very nice atmosphere. The food is decent, but I think Ola is a lot better in terms of food (and cheaper too - but Ola is more like Mama's cooking served in a homely setting). The service at Catalunya when I went was ok because I went for an early lunch. I know of someone who went for dinner and was made to wait at the bar for more than an hour - although they did comp the drinks during the wait.
thanks for the insight.
it's also about expectation & $$ vs reality... such is the fate of expensive dining.
i can try Ola next time. i want to bring my gf to a place with a bit more space and atmosphere.
@looiwte, they agreed to open up my wine beforehand with no upfront payment.
it's also about expectation & $$ vs reality... such is the fate of expensive dining.
i can try Ola next time. i want to bring my gf to a place with a bit more space and atmosphere.
@looiwte, they agreed to open up my wine beforehand with no upfront payment.
*No wine content*
Yep, such is the quality of fine-dining here in Sg. When you pay top dollar, you expect service to be immaculate but it certainly is left wanting sometimes. Especially when you compare to places overseas, like Europe. That's why I enjoy places like Gunther's & Keystone. Though a tad pricey and food is not always the best, the sincerity in what they do strikes a chord with me.
L'Atelier: I had an inkling about the bad service when I tried to reserve a table for their popular Sunday lunch previously. Was put on the waiting list and told I'd be updated. I had to call three times, up to the night before, to get updates. I guess there were simply no cancellations, but they could have done better on communication. This blog had good things to say about them though: Foodie-ah: L'Atelier de Robuchon
Guy Savoy: I was impressed with their truffle soup thing at the Epicurean Market recently. And the chef on duty was really friendly and welcoming.
Nicholas: Tried their set lunch recently, pretty good but I thought portions were too small, even with fine dining standards. I had a better experience at Ember just round the corner. Not much publicity these days, but standard remains high.
Ola: Have wanted to try this for some time, given that they are under the Osvaldo Group, who always give a very welcoming and hospitable dining experience.
Yep, such is the quality of fine-dining here in Sg. When you pay top dollar, you expect service to be immaculate but it certainly is left wanting sometimes. Especially when you compare to places overseas, like Europe. That's why I enjoy places like Gunther's & Keystone. Though a tad pricey and food is not always the best, the sincerity in what they do strikes a chord with me.
L'Atelier: I had an inkling about the bad service when I tried to reserve a table for their popular Sunday lunch previously. Was put on the waiting list and told I'd be updated. I had to call three times, up to the night before, to get updates. I guess there were simply no cancellations, but they could have done better on communication. This blog had good things to say about them though: Foodie-ah: L'Atelier de Robuchon
Guy Savoy: I was impressed with their truffle soup thing at the Epicurean Market recently. And the chef on duty was really friendly and welcoming.
Nicholas: Tried their set lunch recently, pretty good but I thought portions were too small, even with fine dining standards. I had a better experience at Ember just round the corner. Not much publicity these days, but standard remains high.
Ola: Have wanted to try this for some time, given that they are under the Osvaldo Group, who always give a very welcoming and hospitable dining experience.
I'm ok. So we all heading to the Bdx tasting aftewards one big mean jean gang?
Beta_Tester
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recently i have been drinking quite a bit of wine from Greywacke. Especially their Sauvi.Blanc ~
hey guys, so how about either 24th Feb lunch/dinner at Peramakan?
Is that a better option for you all?
on a side note to all the wine forumers here, what have u had over this CNY period? Personally, nothing...haha
Is that a better option for you all?
on a side note to all the wine forumers here, what have u had over this CNY period? Personally, nothing...haha
Beta_Tester
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Just of the bottle of the usual Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir. Nothing more. lol
stayhappy21
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So how did you find it?
Baggio10
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hi 24th is tough for me as unable to get 2 "off days" in a row.
you guys can go ahead, i'll look forward to your reviews. =]
celebrated my gf birthday + V-Day Dinner at Catalunya last night.
Overall we enjoyed ourselves with the good food and service.
We were given a seat by the window which had a great view.
The manager came and informed me that my wine had been opened in advance and we decided to order some cocktails first. I had their Mexican Spell while my gf had their Asian Flora. both were delicious but at different ends of the spectrum. Mine was bold and more masculine in flavour while my gf's one was expectedly more feminine and floral. Good way to start
They poured out the 2004 Bodegas Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva for us and it was delicious:
Nose of sweet red fruits, red currants, vanilla, cocoa, floral rose notes; plus it had this freshness, almost like a 'cool climate' kind of nose
This is still very young hence the flavours were still quite fruity but it was of really good quality. and i like how it was like an almost light medium body in style yet with 14% alcohol, which was not detected at all. The cool climate kind of elegance, freshness and finesse came through and it was silky smooth with really good acid which would indicate that this has many years ahead of it.
The flavour and acidity cut through the suckling pig and it was a really good wine pairing.
My gf wanted to end with something sweet so we got 2 glasses of their 2010 Jorge Ordonez & Co Seleccion Especial Malaga #1, made from Moscatel (muscat de alexandria) grapes. Lychee nose, floral but with a touch of smoke! It was light, fresh but with a good depth of flavour. Great way to end the meal.
A very enjoyable evening but I will probably have to eat air for the next few months. I spent more that I had expected
Overall we enjoyed ourselves with the good food and service.
We were given a seat by the window which had a great view.
The manager came and informed me that my wine had been opened in advance and we decided to order some cocktails first. I had their Mexican Spell while my gf had their Asian Flora. both were delicious but at different ends of the spectrum. Mine was bold and more masculine in flavour while my gf's one was expectedly more feminine and floral. Good way to start
They poured out the 2004 Bodegas Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva for us and it was delicious:
Nose of sweet red fruits, red currants, vanilla, cocoa, floral rose notes; plus it had this freshness, almost like a 'cool climate' kind of nose
This is still very young hence the flavours were still quite fruity but it was of really good quality. and i like how it was like an almost light medium body in style yet with 14% alcohol, which was not detected at all. The cool climate kind of elegance, freshness and finesse came through and it was silky smooth with really good acid which would indicate that this has many years ahead of it.
The flavour and acidity cut through the suckling pig and it was a really good wine pairing.
My gf wanted to end with something sweet so we got 2 glasses of their 2010 Jorge Ordonez & Co Seleccion Especial Malaga #1, made from Moscatel (muscat de alexandria) grapes. Lychee nose, floral but with a touch of smoke! It was light, fresh but with a good depth of flavour. Great way to end the meal.
A very enjoyable evening but I will probably have to eat air for the next few months. I spent more that I had expected
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