This particular Groupon Offer saw me & my close friends venturing to an unchartered territory of amateur chefs & servers.

Recipes – A Bistro by Shatec is a student-run restaurant that serves public patrons. I called up a day earlier to book a table for 3. The staff who took my phone reserverations was polite & professional but she did sound a little nervous. With that in mind, we were mentally prepared to lowered our expectations for both the service & food.

The restaurant was just a convenient 10 minutes walk from City Hall MRT Station and the first thing that caught our eyes with their Happy Hour Signboard! Now we know another waterhole for cheap drinks. Hee hee 😛

Interior deco for the restaurant was minimal but it was still a comfortable and cozy environment. We were promptly seated and soon ordered.

While chatting & waiting for the food to arrive, it was interesting to observe these young chefs working and interacting with one another behind the food preparation counter. They are clearly a close bunch and they seem to really enjoy what they do. It does brings back fond memories from my previous youth part time stint at MacDonald’s.

Our Mushroom Velouté ($7.50) came quickly. This starter consist of field mushrooms simmered in light velouté with a hint of truffles oil. Despite its ingredients, the soup had a really strong ginseng aroma & a slight bitter taste. Totally unexpected flavor.

The main dishes took quite a while to arrive. The waiter meekly explained to us that the kitchen is assembling the full order so as to serve everyone together. The food that was eventually presented in front of us was fortunately worth the wait.

I ordered the Braised Beef Cheek Asian Flavoured ($23.90). Just as stated in the menu, the marinated beef cheek was braised to perfection. The meat was so tender that it seems to just melt in my mouth. I was pleasantly surprised!

Our Pan Seared Seabass with Garden Vegetable Ragout ($18.90) was replaced with a Red Snapper Fillet and accompanied with garden vegetable stew. I only managed to get a single bite. Taste pretty normal to me but then again I am no fish lover.

The Alfredo Cream with Pan Roast Cajun Flavoured Chicken ($14.90) saw spaghetti
cooked in wine cream sauce, serve with Pan Roast Cajun Marinated Chicken and Garden Peas. The sauce went really well with the pasta.

In summary, the students wowed us with their great culinary skills. Despite the slight wait for the main dishes, both service & food were way above our expectations. I will definitely be back for more great food & service at a really decent price.

Besides dinner, the restaurant is also a great place for afternoon coffee & snacks.

Here are the full detail of the restaurant:

Recipes, A Bistro by Shatec

100 High Street, The Treasury #01-03 S(179434)

Tel: +65 63382798

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RecipesbyShatec

Opening Hours – Mon–Sat: 9am – 10pm (Closed on Sun)

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places here