For The Ambience

Been eyeing Island Café & Bar for years, so I was really happy I finally got jio'd by @ksherena to try it out. As you walk in, the bustling ambience is chic and everyone looks so happy eating. I must say it's probably one of those cases where it's more the people you're eating with that makes the meal enjoyable rather than the meal itself.
As the restaurant was full, we sat outside amongst the greenery, by the small water feature, under the fan that somewhat cooled us from the torturous weather. Love the concrete-top tables, they're great for taking photos. The company was great… ok I'm trying to list out all the good points first.
The bad points I guess would have to be the disappointing food & service. At that price point, you would think that they could do much better. The Laksa that we heard good reviews about was watery and just tasted like stock with blobs of orange oil. No hearty coconut milk and no spiciness at all. Even the pre-made laksa pastes that you buy off the shelf could beat this hands down. It was weird how when we said we wanted cockles in the Laksa, they were still served as a side dish though—why not just chuck it in the soup?
The Hae Mee (Prawn Noodles) was somewhat decent, the soup base was a little weak in flavour, but acceptable. What I found totally unacceptable was that my Prawn Noodles had NO prawns… like ZERO! I dug through the bowl looking for the prawns which the menu clearly states is one of the ingredients and hello… it's PRAWN noodles right? Prawn noodles with no prawns… totally blew my mind away, talk about being abstract. Maybe they jumped into the Laksa…
The Tauhu Telor was probably the best out of the 3 dishes, but unanimously voted equally disappointing. The Tauhu was too chunky and there wasn't enough sauce to go around. For a good Tauhu Telor at a similar price point, go to the Kopitiam at Swisshotel in my opinion.
They even put that they served us FOC crackers in the receipt, but they were pretty much… non-existent. Service could definitely be improved though, especially that of the manager. Would write more but damnit text limit!
#IslandCafeBar #TangsSG *

These little green wraps look so innocent but boy do they pack a punch. I backed out after one bite. Truly for those who love spiciness.
#LongChim #LongChimSG

#FlavourFlings #WallArt *

This is a nice place, great for communal dining experiences!