Where – New Harbour front Café and Bar
http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/new_harbour_cafe_bar/
Location – 114 Tanjong Pagar Rd (opposite the stretch of bridal shops and walking distance from god’s forsaken place.)
A friend of mine recommended this place to us. Went there to check it out last Friday evening after work and try the food. It was given a 5.7 rating in (is it in or on huh??) hungrygowhere.. But I think they deserve better.
Ambiance
When I was at the café’s door, I didn’t even know that I have reached my destination, it gives me an impression that it was some Irish pubs with its green sign board and tables and chairs outside. There were already some crowds there trying to drink their sorrows away. The waitress showed me the way in and bought me to the other part of the café (apparently this place is actually made up of two shops space) and got us seated near the other shop house door (it was a glass wall and door).. There is only another table in the café (it was almost full outside, I think they got sick of sitting in a air-conditioned place), it gave me a feeling that I was isolated but with no privacy (people can see through the glass leh). The furniture’s and interior design is exactly like an Irish pub, wooden settings, dim lights etc and they were playing one of seal’s album in the background “No I will never ever survive more less, Im a little crazy”..
Service
There are dishes in the menu that are typed in red, so I assume they are recommendation. So I made up my mind to order one of them, while my GF ordered the dish that our friend recommended which turn out to be the main highlight of the evening, but it was not in RED, Pork Chop with Apple Sauce, how it taste? We will get to that later. As we were “isolated” It took the waitress a while to notice that we were going to make an order, I almost wanted to stand up and get one of them to come over to my table, when I finally got one of their’s attention, the first sentence she said was “Oh! I thought there was no one here.” That was quite a good excuse.. My GF ordered the Pork Chop with apple sauce and I ordered the Crackling Roast Meat (It was in RED), we also ordered a ham and cheese salad to share, so for drinks I ask for Ice water for the both of us and I got a disappointing answer, “Sorry we dun serve ice water here” WTF!! So while sucking our thumb, my GF ordered beer, root beer and I got myself a glass of Ice Lemon Tea.
Food
The drinks came shortly, it was an unknown brand of root beer for my GF.. Nice can, it doesn’t look like a can for soft drinks, more like beer can. While I was admiring the can, the salad came, the bowl is fill with the usual stuffs, lettuce, roman lettuce, tomatoes etc the ham and cheese were cut in strips together (together as in together, the ham on top of the cheese and being cut together) and were place nicely in a circle around the bowl. The salad sauce in another bowl. Wooh, Nice presentation.. The salad is nothing fantastic, except for almost every mouth of ham you get some cheese too, that goes really well. While I was chewing some grass, the main course came.. The Crackling Roast pork is actually “Shio Ba” but bigger and fatter, nicely sliced and the roast till very crunchy skin separated from the fats and meat, with mash potatoes and some greens. The Pork chop with apple sauce is two piece of pork T boned, almost the size of my hand with Fries the size of my fingers (isn’t it wedges?), actually you can choose to go with fries or mash potatoes and some greens.. The crackling roast pork look and taste like “shio ba” and very fat and oily, it gets really “ni” towards the ends.. For the Pork Chop, the T bone is fat and juicy but it tasted really good with the apple sauce and it didn’t get “ni” as even my GF can finish it with the plates almost clean..
Payment
No funky style of payment here.. But there is no GST and Service Charge.. Cool!! The total cost of my meal is almost $53.. Quite reasonable in my opinion..
Overall
The RED Wording are misleading…
No hidden costs…
Ambiance
6 – Dun really like Irish pubs.. But Seal is ok..
Service
6.5 – Can’t demand much as there is no Service charged
Food
5 for the “Shio ba” 9 for the Pork Chop and 7.5 for the Salad
Damage
8 – Reasonable enuff..
Return value
8 – I will be back to eat the pork chops.. no more shio ba for me..
Toilet
Didn’t went to the toilet.. But I bet it will be like those pubs in boat quay.. Gross..