Complimentary Letter to Cafe Cartel

Just the other night, me and my woman bought tickets for Bewitched. The show left me more bewildered at the end of it. I rank it in the same category as The Brady Bunch. If anyone caught the movie version of the wholesome family years back, you'd know what I mean.

Anyway, we decided to settle our dinner at Cafe Cartel, seeing that it had an attractive and extensive food menu. After being served our meals, I thought your restaurant had one of the best sauces in the world, and it was free! It sure deserves some airing on my blog. So, here goes...


Dear Cafe Cartel
I must compliment you on the wonderful meal I had at your restaurant just the other night. I must say you serve the best sauce in the world and I didn't have to pay a single cent for it! Now that's what I call taking care of the customer's palette.

The sauce was pepper sauce, Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce. For me, this sauce can brighten up any dish. Hot and spicy with a sour tinge. It sure worked to it's full potential at your restaurant.

Since watching an episode on the now defunct Discovery Travel and Adventure, where they featured the famous Philadelphia Cheese Steak Sandwich, I've always wanted to try it. But as the place isn't a mainstream attraction, it's pointless for me to walk the streets of Philadelphia just for the sandwich. When I saw you had this signature dish on your menu, it was a no brainer for me. What enticed me most was your description of the melted Swiss cheese, as I fantasized about the hot melting cheese oozing out from the sides of the sandwich. Ummmm, yum yum...

My wifey ordered the St. Louis Ribs and added $3.90 to make it a complete set with soup and free flow bread. While waiting for the food, my woman went to get the bread. It took her more than 10minutes to come back with 4 pieces of bread. I guess the free flow was choked up somewhere. Oh ya, the butter was rock hard cold too.

The ribs and soup came within 5 minutes of ordering, while my woman was still stuck at the free flow bread counter. Express service, I must say. Your kitchen must come well equipped with a boiling kettle for the instant soup you served me and with a well-functioning microwave oven to heat up the ribs and soggy fries. Tabasco Brand pepper sauce, I recommended my woman, to spice up the bland food.

For me, after another 5minutes of anticipation, it came! My first Philadelphia cheese steak. But something was missing. That's right - the hot melting cheese oozing from the sides! It was nowhere in sight. So I lifted up the top bun and lo and behold! The melting cheese was conveniently replaced by a thin coat of mayonnaise. If I remember correctly, melted cheese is one of the hallmarks of the sandwich. Your restaurant musta ran out of the cheese, probably still in transit from Switzerland? However, kudos to your "chef" for taking the initiative to replace the missing cheese with something cheesy. A prized staff, I must say - not disturbing the customer, me, when an important ingredient was not available, such unnecessary information, eh?

I realised the steak was out cold too. It was then that I remembered, Tabasco Brand pepper sauce! I emptied what was left of the small bottle onto my sandwich and chomped down on the sandwich, ummm... nice sauce! Your friendly staff even offered to bring me another bottle, free! I was flushed, both by his service and by the spicy sauce.

All in all, I must compliment you on the most wonderful sauce, at no cost to me, for adding spice to an otherwise bland dinner...


redcocoon

Dishing Out Bland Dim Sum

It was a much anticipated night that was an anti-climax.

Having resisted musicals almost all my uncultured life, I attended the Dim Sum Dollies last year after much coaxing. It was hilarious! I realised it was a humourous musical that had a very rich local flavour. Aptly described by AhTiong73, Dim Sum Dollies comes in bite-sized skits that can be easily enjoyed, without getting too draggy.

So this year, without any persuasion, I readily agreed to the show, hoping to have another fun night. However, all good things don't last, do they? The show started off on a promising note, but tailed off in the middle of it. All hopes that the next skit would a better, funnier one were dashed and there was no funny light at the end of the tunnel. It just really didn't carry itself off like last year.

Two of the skits were very good. The one about the Icons of Consequence where Selena Tan dressed up as The Merlion, hopping around and puking into the spitoon made for a good laugh. The other one, where Pam Oei (whom I thought was outstanding overall) took on the role of a sweet girl who sang her guts out about lost loves. The latter reminded me of the scene in the Wedding Singer, where Adam Sandler sang Drew Barrymore a song, a self-penned one when he was in between moods. But it was a good skit.

But that's all there was to the musical. The Dollies must have outgrown their bite-sized Dim Sum personas and the show must have been flooded with eager sponsors that they actually carried out a game show featuring all the sponsors' goodies. A sore capitalistic disappointment and a true waste of time.

The rest of the skits drew obligatory laughter but never shone and were very forgettable. Hossan Leong, a big name in the local circuit, could not be depended on to up the ante. However, given the paltry roles he was given, he could not do much, I guess.

At the end of the night, I was left hanging in the air. It sure felt like getting a hard on based on your on fantasy about what was to come, only to be disapponted by reality.


redcocoon

The Unexpected , Unexpectedly ... Just About the Best

On the eve of National Day, my pal and I made it a point to have an all guy night's out, without the women in tow. Overall, it was a blast, like the good ol' times. Come to think of it, we've known each other for more than half our lives!

His sis would be performing at the open-air area by the Esplanade. Free concert, good company and no work the next day - smells like a great night out. Met at Marina Sq, ordered a monster of a burger from Carl's Junior and made our way there. Parked ourselves on the steps of the bayfront and chomped down on the food, while enjoying the riverview in front and performers on the side.

When the concert was about to start, we made our way to the front of the stage, which I later learnt was not a good idea cos for this period, the front row was reserved for our ghostly counterparts.

Shirlyn, my pal's younger sis, started the show with a bang, carrying it through with some mainstream and some lesser known songs. At times, I felt like was partying at Hard Rock Cafe during its hay days. It was sweet nostalgia.

How would I describe the band? I've seen them perform several times. They are good generally. But that night, as I saw them from right in front of the stage. I think they're great, she's great. Her range of vocals catered easily to the different genres of music. Spunky, very soulful, energetic and without a hint of breathlessness. It was then that I decided that they're probably the best band around now, easily joining the great bands of yore. However, I wish the other members would move a little more, just to get into the thick of things.

The concert ended in about an hour's time. I wish it didn't, for at this stage in life, that nostalgic vibe is hard to come by, but when it does, you wish it doesn't slip by in an instance. True to age old wisdom, a bitch at another venue touched a nerve that really pissed the good mood out of me that I shall dedicate my next post on her. But hey, you don't let such things affect you for too long.

Thank you, The Unexpected, for that great night.