Dinner at Oriole Cafe and Bar

21st May 2010. Written by Liang Wei.

Oh! We went to Oriole, the place that Xinli had been raving about for some time. I had the Salmon Tagliaette ($19) and a Chilli Chocolate Mocha ($6) while she had the Spaghetti Prawn Olio ($15). We shared the Chicken Casserole ($20) but were too stuffed to finish everything :P

I liked the salmon tagliaette because the mushrooms and salmon were fresh and perfectly combined with a generous dollop of basil pesto and some salmon roe. But it's a cream-based pasta, so it took up quite a bit of space in my stomach and kept me from finishing the remaining chunks of the casserole. The casserole had lots of tomato puree in it. The chicken wasn't splendid; I would have preferred it to be more tender and not so overcooked. The mocha was fine, though I would have preferred it to have more spice. Smooth drink :) mf's spaghetti was a finely executed and simple dish.

What I liked most about the place, though, was the cosy ambience and friendly staff (who didn't refill our cups very regularly... good and bad, if I may say!). mf and I spent a good two hours, tasting our food, watching people through the glass panes in front of our bar top table seats and having spirited conversations on courtship, school cultures, elitism and life overseas. Intellectual stimulation, ahhh :)

Address
96 Somerset Road
#01-01 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites

Tel: +65 6238 8348

Opening hours
Mon–Sat
11.30am 11pm
Sun
10.30am – 11pm