Decoder's Cafe

Decoders cafe is a name that hints at its intentions, more to the point, its about games, fun and most importantly about friends. I happened to have the pleasure of being invited to one such gathering with our beloved Yebber and boss, Claudia for her XX birthday. It was a nice gathering and meeting of new people. Thanks Claudia!

Location: 271 Bukit Timah Road #B1-04

Contact: 6235-2160

Website: http://www.decoderscafe.com/

Cheese Sausage Spaghetti

I didn't get to try this but the birthday girl did. Not too sure how it tasted but somehow it looks normal to me.

Crackers

This was actually the best item that night in terms of food. Not that it was special or anything but it was at least decent.

Potato Wedges

It wasn't defrosted well. Thats the reason behind why the wedges, though thick and golden brown, were hot and yet soggy. Probably some items they got from the nearby minimart or NTUC by the taste of it as well.

Chicken Soup

Most definately and without a doubt, this has to be campbell's soup. Watery, salty and thinly flavored with very little chicken meat will sum this up pretty well.

Spicy Drumlets

Probably the next most decent item but thats not saying much. Also most possibly an NTUC purchase since i could have sworn i've eaten it before. Sadly, it was not defrosted well as usual and comes with all the usual sogginess.

Chicken Cubes

Absolutely no idea what they meant by cubes but its the usual items you'd find in NTUC fairprice again. Except that is badly defrosted and fried with so much oil you can practically see it in the picture. Pretty much losing all confidence in the cafe's cooking by now.

Chicken Burger with Cheese, Fries and Baked Beans

The same horrible wedges accompanied the burger which looked huge when served until you realize its the burger (bread) that is huge while the chicken patty was a miserably small piece. For what its worth, it wasn't too bad.

Seafood Pasta

Soggy seems to be the in thing in this cafe. So is this pasta. The squid, shrimp and other items were sprinkled sparingly with the watery sauce having minimal taste.

Cheesy Potato Wedges

A small upgrade from the wedges before it. This time with cheese. Its acceptable but still far from good.

Bite Sized Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

They couldn't go wrong with this one now could they? Apparently yes and no. Each bite contained no taste whatsoever so usually, you're just left wondering why you are eating it in the first place.

Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream

The brownie was hard but thankfully had the taste of chocolate. The vanilla ice cream was normal but at least this combination went well.

Games and services - Now if i reviewed this place only on the food, it would fail quite miserably. What would you expect from a place designed to let guys play board games? On the selection of games and service of the staff, this place definitely lives up to mark. The staff will gladly spend time to teach the games recommended and they make nice recommendations to suit the players. Sometimes demonstrating and teaching till the gang gets the hang of the games. There are hundreds of board games to choose from and each is unique in its own way. Pretty well done.

Final Score: 6/10

Indulge (The Cathay)

Having heard much good things about the Indulge from online forums and websites, i decided to make a trip down that same day i had my anniversary with my gf. In fact, this came after Braise and was an early dinner for us. Touted as a reasonably priced and good gourmet food restaurant, it had alot to live up to. Did it meet expectations though?

Location: B1-26 The Cathay 2 Handy Road

Contact: 67323952

Website: www.theindulge.com.sg

Price Range: $35-40 per head

Signboard

Interior

Menu

Indulge Yourself ($6.50)

Indulge Special ($7.50)

The interior is decorated with art pieces, soft lighting and simple chairs for a simplistic yet comfortable touch. Fronting the door is the bar were drinks are prepared while the restaurant has a seating capacity of about 30 people. The drinks were recommended by the waiter who informed that the drinks were made using real juice. The Indulge Yourself drink is made of half mango and half strawberry juice which was actually decent but the novelty wears off after a while. The Indulge special has mango, watermelon and a blue coral mix which was also cooling but extremely sweet.

Crispy Prawn Tossed with garlic mayo and sunflower seeds

Quite a mouthful in terms of a name but in actuality, it has much in common with the wasabi prawn. The batter is thin and crispy while the mayo is decidedly fragrant enough to warrant a taste. I did find the prawns a tad too small and the serving size too little but thats also testament to me wanting to have more of the dish.

Szechuan Sweet and Spicy Soup

Having not gotten the mild pumpkin soup ready in the kitchen, the chef nicely told us of the alternative of having a special szechuan soup which i feel is actually pretty good. Sweet, sour and spicy, it has some of the Szechuan flavor one might come to expect. Its not very strong though so it comes across as just right. I could have a second bowl of this easily.

Pan Seared Salmon in Kung Po Sauce

We asked to change the lemon sauce salmon for the pan seared kung po salmon as it was one of the winning dishes this restaurant has produced for the Singapore excellent food awards. Alas, i beg to understand how this dish could ever win? The salmon was pan fried too dry with the meat being dry, hard and lacking taste. No doubt the kung po sauce is excellent but the salmon itself totally disappointed me and my gf. Not to mention the size of the salmon was decidedly small. Its quite a let down actually.

Grilled Ribeye With Braised Mushroom

Another Look

Another award winning dish for excellent food awards, i was also disappointed as the meat was tasteless and could only pass for average at best. The presentation is pretty good but tastewise, it leaves much to be desired. In fact, i was constantly given the impression that these dishes were sold short as they were included in a budget set dinner menu but thats just me i suppose.

Passion Fruit Panna Cotta With Chocolate Ice Cream

The panna cotta is blurred off in the back of the picture. The ice cream is average at best. Supermarket quality if i'm not wrong but the panna cotta tasted fresh, sweet and smooth enough to recommend. Now if they could give a full cup of it instead of 1/3 cup, that would be great.

Bill

The final bill clocked in at $72.75 for 2 people. Its a real mixed bag but to me, my hopes were built too high and the drop too steep to feel the meal justified.

Overall Score: 6/10

Last Word:

The place had a lot going for it. Multiple awards, good reviews, nice set meal ideas but overall is let down by the huge hype it built and the rather lackluster main courses that were supposed to be the stars. Maybe the actual full payment for the course will yield better results but i'm sadly not going to return.