Mad Jack

Situated along a stretch of bungalows and shophouses rests an Australian themed restaurant designed to ensnare young buckaroos like myself who are hopelessly in love with the country and food while endlessly hoping to get the same fare in Singapore. Mad Jacks is part of a chain of restaurants under the same name which have been around for a couple of years. The question one begs to answer is normal. Does it do justice to the country and food it supposedly represents? Answers in a short while.

Location: 242 Jalan Kayu Singapore 799466

Contact: 62575951

Website: www.madjackgroup.com

Price Range: $10 - 15 per head

Nice tree?

Mad Jack

No Service Charge, GST unavoidable sadly

The fabled continent

The interior is simple with a serving counter not unlike fast food chains while the tables and chairs are simple wooden decors. Walls are simple and drab with interesting signs filled with humor. The are no service charges which explains the lack of service i guess, gst is still a must however.

Coke and mushroom soup

Coke is well....coke so there's nothing much i can add on about that. The mushroom soup is pretty terrible really. No doubt there are mushroom bits inside but the cream and soup is so salty, it makes the sea taste bland. I'm exaggerating of course, but truly, the soup is not something anyone can finish easily.

Fish and Chips ($11.90)

My gf had the fish and chips and well, i'd say it was more or less hawker standard with a thick batter, sub par fish and generally oily exterior. Nowhere near the sweetness, freshness and crispiness of the actual offerings in Australia.

Blue Mountain Beef Burger ($9.90)

Another Look

On the menu, it was billed as one of the biggest burgers in this side of town. Well, to be honest, i can think of quite a few burgers bigger then this, take for example Aston's I Eat Superburger which is a little more expensive, but a hell of a lot more tasty. The fries are worse then Burger King's while the 3 patties that make up the burger seriously needs a new recipe. Reason being, the beef is practically indisguishable, it could be chicken or lamb for all i know. The meat is soggy and overly mashed and lacked any taste whatsoever. The bottom line? Never order this again.

The Bill

The final bill turned up at $23.30. A little too much for a fare less then ordinary.

Final Score: 4/10

Last Word:
To be fair, its not a terrible place. The food is in dire need of some help and new recipes however. I honestly don't see how else this can bring back repeat customers without a new recipe. On the flipside, i never tried their desserts, which looked great but looks can be deceiving. Sad to say, i won't be back to try it until i know the food has improved. Australian food is leaps and bounds better then this, so be sure not to judge this as what you'll get down under. Its a world of difference.

Il Piccolo

Sourcing for more good food at affordable prices. This quest led me to a place i have passed by on a lunch meal with my colleagues. The irony of it all is, this is located in the exact same cafeteria as Botak Jones in Bedok. And the second interesting part of it is, its appeared on television before and their not shy to air it too, as evidenced by the constant looping of the episode on the television housed in front. I've always been skeptical about television reviews and so far, little to none has been accurate. I wonder if this is any different.

Location: Bedok Blk 412 #01-114

Contact: 96569909

Price range: $5-15 per head

Yes, its gourmet italian in a coffeeshop

Pay First, Eat Later

Chocolate Mousse ($3) Panna Cotta($2.50) Tiramisu($3)

This was actually the last part of our first meal there but i'll write about it first. Basically, having the dessert meant we were pretty satisfied with the mains. The Panna cotta is overly overly overly sweet and had an overwhelming milky taste to it that simply didn't agree with me. The tiramisu has too little cake and too much mascaponi cheese which also gave an overwhelming taste. The only dessert that was vaguely good was the chocolate mousse which was thick and slightly bitter and sweet for a good finish. In terms of dessert, there's definitely room for improvement.

Notice the nice nails?

Seafood Baked Rice ($8.50)

The seafood baked rice came rather quickly and the memorable thing about it is its sourish tomato based sauce which made the rice very very appetising. Not to mention the clams, mussels and squid were pretty generous, as can be seen from above, and that the seafood used is very very fresh and sweet. In fact, its one of the few places with extremely fresh seafood ingredients i've came across. And at a budget price no less.

Il Piccolo Pizza ($15 for the bigger version)

I'll just go out on a limb and say this pizza is worth it. For $15, i'd say this is a steal. Simply check out the generous smattering of cheese and ingredients to know what i mean. Pepperoni, beef, ham, olives, pineapples and some onions round up the roster. However, its the stretch of the cheese and the crust that really made it a winner. Normally, the worst part of the pizza is its crust, but over here, the crust is soft and crunchy in all the right places. Not to mention the fragrant dough its made from simply compliments the ingredients so well, its perfect. The cheese is worth mentioning as well. We have all seen commercials of pizza with cheese that stretches for a long a savoury journey into our mouths, however, few places have managed that feat. This here, manages that well even when its cold. Add the fact that the ingredients are fresh and equally tasty and well, i vote this one of the best pizzas i've had. Its awesome.

The final and first bill

Bruschetta ($3)

The bruschetta is rather normal but for $3, i was surprised at the quantity and size of the serving. $3 nets you enough bruschetta for 4 people to share a piece each. The bread is lightly toasted and soft on the inside unlike other bruschettas i've had before. The chopped tomatos were lightly drizzled with olive oil and assort condiments for a light and fresh taste. Pretty good.

Vongole ($7)

The vongole was surprisingly good. Al dente spagghetti, ultra fresh and sweet clams and a nice, light white wine sauce that hooks you in and never lets go. A light and enjoyable main course.

Amattricia ($6)

Mf gf's order, the amattricia is basically tomato based spagghetti with ham. I had a little and it was an authentic sourish taste with again, very springy and chewy pasta. Likeable but not perfect.

Overall Score: 8/10

Last word:

I have to say, i'm surprised and impressed with this place. In fact, i'm definitely returning for more. My only gripe is that almost everyone came to the coffeeshop for Botak Jones which i've had and found the quality of food wanting. Its sad to see a less worthy franchise getting all the attention when a gem like this is left in the dust and underappreciated. I highly recommend a try to judge this place yourself. I'm sure it'll be a surprise for you as well.