Changing Appetites (Marina Square)

Changing Appetites. I remember a time long ago when their tag line was: "Japanese and Western fusion for the masses." but its been some time since that particular portion of history and now, the new tag line is: "The all American and Dessert Cafe" which is still mildly inaccurate due to the infusion of Mexican influenced items since early 2007.

Location: Marina Square #01-204 (Next to Carl's Junior)

Contact: 63397670

Price Range: $35 per head

Side View

Front View

Dessert Counter

Waffles anyone? Reserved for late owls only though

Menu

Magarita Counter

Relaxed, huge and cold would most probably pop into your minds when you see this place. Located along a stretch of food joints such as Carl's Junior, Cafe Cartel and Swenson's, it wouldn't be exaggerating to say that competition is stiff. It still managed to grab my attention over the more generic outlets available due to its bright colors and reasonable prices. And because it was one of the first places i brought my gf for a meal when we started out. Nostalgia abound.

Strawberry Frozen Magaritas ($10.90)

Big, that was the first thought when i saw this drink. I know places that charge higher prices but serve miserly portions of the drink. Strawberry bits were readily apparent from the outset but i'm not sure if concentrate was used instead of actual strawberries. However, i do know that it is not sweet enough so i'm guessing they used real strawberries in blending this concoction. The white outer layer is salt and believe me, you'll need it because the alcohol is pretty strong and generous as well. A good item if it was just a wee bit sweeter.

Boneless Shanghai Chicken ($8.90)

An appetizer i ordered out of curiousity which i was soon to rejoice because its very well done. Deep fried crispy chicken tossed with pineapple-citrus sauce and topped with sesame seeds. Its basically a cross between 3 different culinary disciplines since even wasabi mayo sauce is used for its dip. The result is a tender, crispy, sweet, sour, spicy and yet light tasting chicken which tastes better when everything is mixed together. Do try this.

Chicken And Mushroom ($16.90)

Another look with Tortillas

This dish came looking less glamorous then its menu picture showed which kinda turned my gf off a bit. Her request for more cheese also fell on deaf ears with our extremely forgetful waiter who seems unable to remember anything longer then 4 words. Taste wise, the chicken was rather bland and the cheese was not as strong as it could have been. However, wrap it in the flour tortillas, add a little sour cream and fill it up with onions, bell pepper, chicken and sauteed mushrooms and take another bite for a refreshed feeling of this item. Although not good enough to elevate it to a status where i would say it is delicious, it is at least better then when the items were taken individually. Not that i would order it again on my own though.

The Barbarian Burger ($20.90)

2x 200gm beef patties, dory fish fillet and sweet and spicy grilled chicken

An inside look at the juicy patties.

This is the main reason i keep returning to Changing Appetites. Despite being raised by $1 since my last few visits, this is still value for money regardless of how you slice it. 2 200gms of well marinated and totally compressed beef patties which even my gf said tasted good when she's not a beef lover, 1 dory fish fillet which is actually really small but tasty nonetheless and 1 spicy grilled chicken patty nestled within 2 slices of brown cereal bread, tomatoes, lettuce and onions. And finally, served with a huge serving of piping hot fries. I have personally tried to finish this item 4 times, with and without other items beforehand, and sad to say, i've never been able to finish it. The beef patty is where it is all at, marinated minced beef meat without further additions make it compact, tender, juicy and absolutely bursting with taste. Still one of the better patties i've had, at a rather hefty price i must admit but i say its still worth it. Do challenge yourself with it and let me know if you actually finish everything on your plate.

Cookie Monster Mudpie ($7.90)

Dessert was a cookie monster mudpie. Cookies and cream ice cream decked in hot chocolate fudge and sprinkled with oreo cookie crumbs. Sweet, sinful, slightly bitter and very tasty. The mudpie is as i remember it to be, smooth in texture, hard but easily cut away and melt-in-your-mouth tasty. Though i have to say, the best tasting mudpie i had was the complimentary watermelon mudpie i had during my previous visit. A shame it wasn't on the menu though.

Bill

To my surprise, a meal for 2 came up to $77. Which is quite a hefty sum for a total of 5 items. Although of course, whatever we had could have easily fed 3 young adults but i do miss the support of UOB promotions in this joint. *hint hint*

Score:

Ambiance: 7/10
Relaxed, easy to sink into but remember to bring a jacket as it is really cold in here.

Food : 8/10

The Barbarian burger is still the best item but the shanghai chicken is a close second right now. I'm pretty unhappy they took away the entire big eaters section from the menu as there were many items i have yet to try.

Value for Money: 7/10
A little pricier then before but still, the portions are generous and items of respectable quality.

Service : 6/10
Courteous staff but this particular staff simply kept forgetting our instructions, even our bill had to take more then 15 mins to come to us because he forgot. He also forgot our iced water, knife and fork, bill and request for more cheese. Retraining needed.

Portion Size: 7.5/10
For once, a place that gives generously and have good food to boot.

Overall: 7.1/10

Last word:
Not many places serve burgers as big as this place packing the same amount of taste. For a fusion restaurant, there are bound to be a few hits and misses in their items and honestly, i've seen my friend strike out in their fish and chips, my gf in their chicken and mushroom and her previous order of something associated with chicken as well. So i'd say their not all good but have certain good calls that are bound to please. Do give it a chance.