Oriole Cafe & Bar
Apologies but this is quite the backdated post. A galfren and I went out to dinner a while ago at Oriole Cafe & Bar. We were lured by the attractive Amex 1-for-1 promo, but it turned out to be such a dud. Whereas my previous dining experience was pleasant, we found that the food, at present, was pedestrian at best, and sub-par in general. Evidently, the quality of the stuff here has dropped significantly.
The Spicy Calamari ($13) used to be a safe bet, but the battered squid rings were overcooked this time so they ended up rubbery. The pickled chilli peppers were the only good thing about this dish.
The Fish & Chips ($18) were also a significant departure from the last time we had them. We didn't appreciate the increase of a dollar as well. This was an extremely ho-hum dish. The snapper fillets were a little fishy and the batter was too thick, having separated from the fish, leaving an air pocket in between. The potato wedges, as evidenced from its tired appearance, turned out as bad as they looked. Soggy and limpid.
The Spaghetti Al Freddo ($16 ala carte price, but waived due to the Amex 1-for-1 promo) was awful. From the cloying cream sauce to the overcooked pasta, everything about this screamed amateur hour. Suffice it to say, this wasn't finished. While we're on this, i have to point out that i'd asked for parsley to be held off in this dish. But, it arrived, unfortunately, with plentiful parsley bits. So, I sent the dish back, and they obviously took the lazy way out, which was to rinse the dish, scrape off the parsley, add a little more of that sickeningly rich cream, and served it up. I could still see and taste residual parsley bits. Maybe that's why the pasta was overcooked. A most disappointing experience, truly.
Oriole Cafe & Bar
96 Somerset Road #01-01
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites
Tel: 6238 8348
Open Mondays to Saturdays from 11.30am to 11pm, and Sundays from 10.30am to 11pm
The Spicy Calamari ($13) used to be a safe bet, but the battered squid rings were overcooked this time so they ended up rubbery. The pickled chilli peppers were the only good thing about this dish.
The Fish & Chips ($18) were also a significant departure from the last time we had them. We didn't appreciate the increase of a dollar as well. This was an extremely ho-hum dish. The snapper fillets were a little fishy and the batter was too thick, having separated from the fish, leaving an air pocket in between. The potato wedges, as evidenced from its tired appearance, turned out as bad as they looked. Soggy and limpid.
The Spaghetti Al Freddo ($16 ala carte price, but waived due to the Amex 1-for-1 promo) was awful. From the cloying cream sauce to the overcooked pasta, everything about this screamed amateur hour. Suffice it to say, this wasn't finished. While we're on this, i have to point out that i'd asked for parsley to be held off in this dish. But, it arrived, unfortunately, with plentiful parsley bits. So, I sent the dish back, and they obviously took the lazy way out, which was to rinse the dish, scrape off the parsley, add a little more of that sickeningly rich cream, and served it up. I could still see and taste residual parsley bits. Maybe that's why the pasta was overcooked. A most disappointing experience, truly.
Oriole Cafe & Bar
96 Somerset Road #01-01
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites
Tel: 6238 8348
Open Mondays to Saturdays from 11.30am to 11pm, and Sundays from 10.30am to 11pm
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