Thursday, March 6, 2008

Olio @ Suntec Fountain

Staring at the blinding beads, I was reminded of how infinitesimally long ago since we last met. Four years. That's how long I've come to know you. And we certainly had our fair share of fun, hadn't we? The celebration of the first paycheque, remember? And that lovely dessert overlooking Orchard Road? And then, you moved on. Didn't you? Or was I the ignorant one? And to think that I found out about you again through acquaintances. How greyly humorous. But we've certainly known each other long enough to forgive, with a warm smile. We meet again, old friend.

And we should thank that urban card too for the 1-for-1 entree/pasta/salad promotion.

The starter came huge. A Thai Chicken Mango Salad (S$11.90 - ala carte) it was. The selection of garden lettuce was fresh and crisp. The thin, long strands of colourful vegetables, including carrots were visually interesting while the deep fried strips of julienne wanton skin reminded me of the crackers used in yue sangs. Sweet slices of mango provided a much needed flavour to the otherwise bland ensemble. There was also a generous portion of sliced chicken meat (roasted, apparently). Quite bland, if you ask me. And I wouldn't have known a sweet Thai chili dressing was used if I hadn't flipped through the menu again.

Do you still remember my favourite dish here? The Spaghetti Seafood Marinara (S$12.90), yes. I was rather disappointed with the portion as it certainly looked much smaller now. The choice of seafood, which consisted of prawns, squids and cubes of fish was fresh and cooked just right. But the sauce was a tad too sweet for my liking, though there was a commendable amount of tomato bits in it. Almost felt like a designer ketchup. Only sweeter. Where has the old Marinara gone?

I quite enjoyed the Teriyaki Pizza (S$13.90), thanks to the sweet/savoury/tangy teriyaki sauce. Quite okonomiyaki-like, judging from the ingredients used, including katsuo flakes and mayonnaise. The teriyaki chicken pieces were rather tender. Though included in the menu, the presence of roasted onions and avocado slices, which were both important components of textures and flavours (to a certain extend), was oblivious. It could have been better, I thought.

Dessert came in form of a Tiramisu (S$6.80). Unrefined. While the portion was commendable, the taste was rather uninteresting. There was a dense taste of the cocoa powder but the cream filling was too light, I thought. Mascaporne? I don't think so. Non-alcoholic, by the way.

It was meant to be an evening of good food and fun. But somehow, I just couldn't reconnect with the wonderful times we shared. Quite sad actually, as it was not due to the cacophony of clattering utensils or the lack of staff, but quite simply, the taste of the food.

You have disappointed me, my old friend, my dear Olio.

Olio
3, Temasek Boulevard
#B1-033, Suntec Fountain
S038983
Tel: (+65) 6238 1109
Website:
http://www.olio.sg/

29 comments:

backStreetGluttons said...

never mind the next romp shall be better ( ain't it always )

Xiu Long Bao said...

It was meant to be an evening of good food and fun but but but...

Actually it was still fun lar. Hopping from one eatery to another.

Anonymous said...

Hmm... I'm still staring at all them beads... I'm bewitched... I can foretell the future within the clinging and clacking of the glass baubles...

*slaps himself*

Uhm, yeah. The food...

fatboybakes said...

tiramisu without mascarporne and alcohol? wow, that's like tea without tea leaves, foreplay without sex, chicken rice without the oily rice.....and worst of all, HOKKIEN MEE WITHOUT LARD!!!!

choi yen said...

I like the pizza!!

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

haha poor thing..somethings r meant to be a one-off and shouldn b revisited you know i.e. edison chen?

Lyrical Lemongrass said...

Yeah, the teriyaki pizza, with the exception of the base, does look like okonomiyaki. Oh how I long to visit Japan again! So back to the food...did you complain to the management? A pity 'bout the food coz the presentation is lovely. I can't get over your beautiful pictures.

HairyBerry said...

team bsg: how true! yes, i will be back for the capellini miso salmon fillet! something i've not tried before and was not available that day. i will be back *arnie accent*

xlb: too bad lar bcos the food was really good last time...the next eatery didn't fare too well either, hor? hehe...

we should look forward to better food lar, i guess...hehe

kenny: haha, that would have kept you occupied at olio...then again, if the future be told, i guess you would have left earlier, knowing how the food's gonna turn out to be.

unsexciting food...my tastebeads, err..buds told me.

fbb: exactly! hokkien mee without lard, i rather die...there are some famous tiramisu shops in kl that do not offer the alcohol type..like that one (with some fruit jam) at bangsar village 2...sad...

mimi: yes, it's kinda special. like an italian+japanese kinda thingy, i thought. nice flavour.

joe: wah, like that also can link ar? haha! well, i will still give this old friend another try lar...dunno if there's olio in kl or not...

HairyBerry said...

lyrical lemongrass: oh yes, next month is the best time to visit japan...more Japanese food posts coming up…no lar, I didn’t complain cos to even get refills is a walk to the moon and back. too few staff working. Plus side being the fresh ingredients lar.

Wah, thanks for your compliment leh! I’ve just discovered flickr yesterday. Yeah, this guy is darn slow..haha!

JOjo said...

Olio, Uh...Ah...Hmm...
I can only the food served is a little overpriced. But nice ambience though.
NIce pic!

ling239 said...

The Thai Chicken Mango Salad looks so much like the lou-sang we had during cny ~ ^_^

HairyBerry said...

jojo: yeah, i agree it's slightly higher. but i loved the food here until this unfortunate meeting :<

ling239: ya, ya...that was my first impression when they served the dish...but i didn't toss it high lar..hehe...

Unknown said...

and lemongrass gets a whole reply to herself....sheesh

fatboybakes said...

oops, that was me, i didnt realise my google was logged on to another user's gmail.

Sugar Bean said...

Nice photos and nice environment! Actually, the food looks good too. Too bad it wasn't as good as you mentioned.

wmw said...

I do like Okonomiyaki...the bonito flakes are a fave of mine!

Alexander said...

Interesting food! Nice beads.

Alexander
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

HairyBerry said...

fatboybakes: it was a technical glitch as I sent out my replies before dearie lemongrass' comment appeared on the post. so, i replied her separately lor...so much drama within an hour hor? hehehe...

and that's my whole reply solely to you... ;>

HairyBerry said...

wenching & esiong: thanks for the compliment! the presentation was good, definitely. or perhaps my expectation's too high. will give them a try again later.. :)

wmw: really? i didn't know you like bonito flakes...a great flavour enhancer, imho. strangely, it reminds me of chicken floss leh..hehe

alexander: the beads were good for photography. and the food too. check it out the next time you are in town.

♥ ♡ Alvin ♡ ♥ said...

Hi Ah Nic kor kor, do you go to election tomorrow? hehehe... sg really a lot of nice food! Hmmm..

This restaurant near Suntec Tower?

Hazza said...

Fantastic looking food, I must say. Guess looks isnt everything, judging by some of your comments.

ai wei said...

cheer up, never get disappointed with this. i am susre there are more greater place u can track down in singapore. next time you gonna be out guide while we were in singapore. ^^

Jun said...

so olio is kinda like a jap-italian fusion place eh? nvr liked such things-- and i'm more bedazzled by the beads than the food, altho the pasta did look tempting (until i read wat u wrote haha)

~Christine~Leng said...

I had Teriyaki chicken pizza the other day too at pasta zanmai :) was 'looking' for the 'word' to describe the taste. Thought for long enough, i've not come up with it yet.. and thanks to you.. i know now.. haha 'tangy'. Yup. that's what I had in mind :)

Miss Tam Chiak said...

i totally agree. the food quality dropped and i had a disappointing dinner there too. :(

Simon Seow said...

Looks lie the quality is not maintained here. Change of chef maybe?

HairyBerry said...

alvin: i think you are 1 year older than me leh..hehe...ya, me came back on saturday for the election :>

yupe, it's in suntec city...u tried before?

hazza: yeah, looked good but i guess the flavours were not very exciting...fresh ingredients, though..

ai wei: sure, sure....let me know when you are coming lar...you can ask xlb to bring you out for shopping also..hehe :>

jun: err, i think the japanese-italian fusion thingy is just part of the menu. they have a signature dish called laksa pasta also :>

jackson: the starter looked like yu shang hor? when are you coming over lar??? let us know, ok?

christine: glad to be of help! i think i am the last few ppl who have not paid pasta zanmai a visit lar...hehe

jaime-la-nourriture: really? looks like i am not alone :> i really enjoyed the food when they were still at wheelock...

simon seow: yupe, i thought of that...but since this is a chain, changing of chefs may be a usual thing for them...too bad lar..sigh..

Big Boys Oven said...

those pizza really looks good!

HairyBerry said...

big boys oven: yupe, yupe...my makan friend was raving about it! :)