Friends

As mentioned in the post of Country Mana, the other affected post will be this one. The photo corruption for this visit is thankfully less severe and i managed to salvage a few survivors from the wreckage of photographic memory which is my Fuji Finepix. Everything 'should' be back to normal after this post.

Friends is a restaurant i've passed by plenty of times during my tenure in the bank at Serangoon Garden. It always appealed to me but never did entice me to go inside due to the mostly al fresco dining concept which i detested. How wrong i was when i finally tried and went inside for a quiet meal with a friend.

Location: 1 Maju Avenue #01-01A Serangoon Garden Village

Contact: 6289-2600

Website: http://www.friendsfoodandwine.com/

Price Range: $20- 30 per head

Menu

Complimentary Bread

Complimentary bread was served warm and covered in a rather tastily chosen basket with red cloth. The bread itself is normal though.

Interior

The exterior of the place belies the sheer space that adorns the inside of the restaurant. Once inside, i was astonished to see how big spacious the restaurant was and it came with comfortable short legged seats, wine glass and rectangular wooden tables. Lighting was dim and relaxed with a primarily laid back atmosphere to the place. It was also rather quiet that night which thus gave me the impression that no one will chase you away if you chose to have a quiet or rowdy night there with friends.

Tasmanian Apple Wood Smoked Salmon

Tea Smoked Tuna with Fennel Salad

For the above 2 appetisers, i managed to have a fair bit of both as my friend apparently doesn't like anything raw. The apple wood smoked salmon was pretty good, its possible to taste the smoke in the salmon rather strongly and it was quite salty as well. The taste grows on you after awhile but tends to overwhelm pretty soon. The tea smoke tuna was also smoke but to a much lesser extent. The taste was mild and lacked the strength the salmon version had.

South Australian Duo Of Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops

Another Look

The lamb shoulder chops was rather good. Done medium rather and served with garlic, shallots and mint jus, the overall concoction was light and sweet. The meat was tender and slightly bloody as well which was made to my order. Simple yet enjoyable.

The items you do not get to see in photo format this time will be the:
Pan Seared "Sakura" chicken breast stuffed with macadamia
&
Bitter Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Campote

I had a piece of the chicken breast and it had a honey taste to it along with it being extremely tender and chewy. The bitter chocolate mousse was served with a strawberry and raspberry which turned out to be very sour. The chocolate mousse itself was not truly bitter and had some small chunks in it which was rather different. Not too bad really.

Bill

The meal came up to $47 after gst and service charge and a one for one meal offer. Expect to pay $100 for the above if you came without a Citibank card.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

Last Word:
First off, thank you Max for the meal. Its fun catching up. The meal was pretty decent for me on this one but the best thing about it was the one for one offer which cut the bill in half. Upon further examination, i would not pay $39.90 for the meal per person as it strikes me as not value for money. However, for this round where the bill is basically $20++ per head, its good enough to recommend. I repeat, bring a Citibank card. Go at your own peril without it.

Country Mana (Serangoon Gardens)

For this particular post, the photos will only consist of the shots below as the rest of the photos were corrupted beyond salvation and hope of rebirth. There is one other post that will be affected by this unholy problem and that would be the next one, which was done at Friends. I humbly ask for understanding on this little hick up.

Country Mana restaurant used to be one of my favorite restaurants during my younger years as it was more affordable then most and was easily found in the eastern end of Singapore. However, time has passed and now, there are only about 2 to 3 of this restaurant still running and it was this thought that i brought my gf to the branch at Serangoon Gardens.

Location: 66A Serangoon Garden Way Singapore 555962

Price Range: $15-20 per head

Interior

Interior

Menu

The restaurant is located on the second floor along a group of shop houses which include Sushi Tei, Guardian Pharmacy and a chinese eating house. The interior is true to form with its country style wooden furnishings and dim lighting complete with a small counter.

Country Mana Soup ($4.99)

The country mana experience is never complete until you've tasted the soup. That used to be the case but not anymore unfortunately. In my memory, the soup was filled to the brim with chicken, vegetables and excellent broth but this version i got was lacking in precisely that. What it did retain was the nicely done pastry covering which was fragrant with a strong butter taste and still went well with the soup overall. Still, its difficult not to feel shortchanged when i've had the more full bodied version in ages past.

The items you do not get to see this time will be the:
Whole Roasted Spring Chicken in Special Herbal Spices ($17.49)

After a bittersweet soup, we weren't holding much hope for the chicken to follow but we were sorely mistaken. The chicken was served cut in half and came with a baked potato sprinkled with some bacon bits and sour cream, a salad and some mango pieces. It looked pretty appetising to say the truth. The potato could have done with more sour cream and bacon bits and could be hotter when served but nothing devastating. The chicken is the real star.
Cooked "home style" according to the menu, it was roasted to a nice golden brown with a thin crispy skin and well marinated meat. The meat itself was tender and contained minimal visible fat which was a big plus. The marinate probably contained ground pepper which gave it a light spicy taste. Otherwise, the chicken tasted strangely sweet with juices and slightly smokey. The only downside would be that it did come across as a tad too oily but otherwise, it was enjoyable.

Brownies with Vanilla Ice Cream ($5.99)

After a good main course, we were looking forward to a good finishing to wrap up the night. That was sadly not completed as the brownie was too dry and simply did not have the gourmet taste and texture it should. The ice cream was simple vanilla which i liked but still, the dessert was average at best.

The bill came up to $39.39 for 2 people.

Overall Score: 5.5/10 (not an average)

Last Word:
To say the food was excellent is a lie but i can't deny that the main course was good. In fact, its the place's only saving grace that night apart from the wonderful service rendered. I wouldn't write the place off yet, partially due to nostalgia and partially due to the main course which gave me some hope that the other mains might be as good. Try it yourself to see if it fits your bill.