Posted by Veron ·
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goes by the name veron (english) or wanting (chinese). a definitive leo born august 1, 1984. a solo traveler. loves cats, coffee, sensual music, yummy food and technology. when she's not at her job as an IS developer for the government, she's likely to be out dining, or visiting an interesting art gallery or event.
so, i finally got a chance to dine at the giraffe restaurant and bar over at istana park. it’s not the food that draws me, but the chic look of the place. housed in a double-storey glass building amidst water and greenery, diners are nicely isolated from the bustling weekend crowd in town.
you enter the restaurant on a raised glass platform with water flowing beneath your feet. right away the first impression shouts modern chic. you would notice that the sleek decor encompasses a large use of glossy glass. there’s both indoor as well as al fresco dining that overlooks a pool of water. on the second storey there are a couple of lounges and a small darkened balcony area. perfect for couples.
the non-alcoholic drinks menu isn’t an extensive one since it’s more of a chill-out bar than restaurant. i simply ordered a coffee.
Coffee
Price: $5.90 + 10% Service Charge + 5% GST
Drink rating:
Price: $5.90 + 10% Service Charge + 5% GST
Drink rating:
as for the food, they had some chicken, meat, seafood and pastas. i had chicken schnitzel which is herb crusted chicken fillet served with preserved lemon, mushroom and mornay sauce. it’s really just a more ostentatious form of the western chicken cutlet.
Chicken Schnitzel
Price: $18.90 + 10% Service Charge + 5% GST
Dish rating:
Price: $18.90 + 10% Service Charge + 5% GST
Dish rating:
it took three waitstaff to serve each dish. they would bring the two plates of food along, set up this makeshift stand right beside our table, set the two dishes of food atop the stand, before finally bringing the food over from the stand to our table and dismantling the makeshift stand. i didn’t mind waiting the extra thirty seconds, but i really didn’t see the point of it.
after a belly full of chicken i almost left the place with my sweater left on my seat, if not for the alert staff. giraffe definitely boasts a striking ambience with wonderful service to boot.
Giraffe Restaurant and Bar
Istana Park
Orchard Road
Singapore 238823
(65) 6334 4653
Service rating:
Istana Park
Orchard Road
Singapore 238823
(65) 6334 4653
Service rating:
news updates
February 3, 2007: My list of Best (& Worst) Restaurants in Singapore for 2006
- Winner of “Best Ambience”
- Runner-up for “Best Service”
- Nominated for “Best Design”
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Wow….when I see large plates, minute servings of food like the ones above, I think of high prices and high cuisine. Are they really worth it? I mean, food appreciation is a valuable trait indeed, but to pay such a high price for something that’s just not going to get you full is kind of besides the point. Oh well, perhaps it’s the novelty thing, eh?
Haha the way you described the preparation is indeed funny…sounds like a nice place to eat too…perhaps they are trying to slow the mood down to a romantic crawl, no? Instead of losing patience, one should appreciate their time-wasting…haha View all comments by harrison
The Chicken Schnitzel was a really huge portion of chicken fillet that i couldn’t finish. It does look small in the photograph because the plate itself was even larger! The food itself wasn’t great though. I would say diners pay more for the ambience and service rather than the food itself.
I know when I return there, it wouldn’t be for the food, that’s for sure. View all comments by Veron
Haha the camera’s macro mode sure plays visual treats…same technique they use to deceive people to buy $1.95 burgers that end up being less filling than a doughnut.
Well, cheer up! At least Apprentice is coming out today!
Btw the thumbnail image for the Cute Overload site…looks exactly like the frog hat that BJ wore in the first non-elimination leg!
Hey, I recommend Bookworm as an excellent word game. I’ve grown addicted to it ever since I played it, and I reckon it’s as challenging as Word Dojo and Texttwist! You should try that out soon. View all comments by harrison
Oooh yeah the froggy hat! I think they lost the hat in one of the non-elimination legs. We don’t get to see it anymore. The froggy hat looks cute, but the wittle kitty munchkin is cuter!
Believe it or not, I already have Bookworm on my computer! Haha I am a fan of word games! Currently I’m playing scrabble against my computer opponent, and he’s really good!
View all comments by Veron
I just have to say that I am so incredibly impressed with your web design. I love the theme the colors and the floating leaves across the castle. Beautiful! View all comments by S. Anderson
Thanks for your comment! Hope you have a good time at Giraffe. It’s wildly popular with Singaporeans I think… I notice a large number of visitors who drop by my blog after googling for “giraffe”. View all comments by Veron
I’m impressed and totally enchaned; this is the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful blog. View all comments by Spring
That’s a real big compliment! Thank you so much! View all comments by Veron
well, my hubby and i chanced upon giraffe on our way to the underpass to Plaza Singapura (from dinner at Fish & Co Parkmall) and saw the beautiful Giraffe. Feeling romantic for the evening, and not feeling like going home yet, we decided to drop by.
It was gorgeous at first, the glass panel atop the water feature to walk on…..we looked at the menu at the front of the restaurant, it was only food menu, no drinks. One of the waitress saw us but pretended she didnt.
So we stepped in, looked around (since no one was welcoming us). So we walked past the bar to the other side of the joint. i supposed we were invisible….perhaps….
Finally after wandering around for a good 2 minutes (maybe coming on to 3), someone spotted us and ushered us to our seats, with both food and drinks menu (despite the fact that she asked if we’re having food or drinks; and we said “drinks”).
So i started to turn on my stopwatch and time them for how long it takes them to do things.
7 minutes later, someone came for our order (this is despite the fact that we were seated at the table near the bar and cashier)
5 minutes later, our iced latte and iced tea arrived, together with the bill.
I was expecting a proper brewed iced-tea, with syrup at the side…..but hey…nothing of the sort. My iced tea was from a can or dispenser….ok sigh…
then came the payment part.
no one came back to our table to check on us or smile. and certainly no one came to process our payment.
so i wrote a note/feedback to them on the receipt, and together we went to the cashier with the entire payment-folder, and money and receipt, on our way out.
the cashier girl didnt bat an eyelid, she didnt smile at us, no PR. zilch.
She read our note. no reaction. zip.
Our iced latte and iced tea = $12.00
it was not fantastic.
i totally agree with sparklette, about paying for ambience, nothing else.
i think it was totally bad bad service. All the staff looked tired and unfriendly and the sad thing is that they have such a lovely, calm, romantic ambience; but nothing of the sort in terms of people’s skills.
well, maybe we were not tourists. View all comments by Black Mamba
Have you tried my (or is ‘The’) Secret Garden? good food and fantastic service. Its near NLB, neatly tucked away. View all comments by Jin Xian
kinda chanced upon your blog.. but not sure by how and how long ago.. since then have linked your page and has been coming by pretty often for updates and such.. beautiful site btw.. and love the music… would come by at times just to leave it on… feels really “chill” almost like a pub.. hope to see more lovely posts and is they like a catalogue for the jewelry.. sorry for not paying attention but are the jewelry for sale at all??
or issit your personal collection?? either case .. perhaps you’ll hit me back.. thanks..
yet again.. love your site..
cheers. View all comments by myloh
Bad bad experience guys. I tried calling 2 weeks before valentine day for a dinner with my girl, they said the reservations for valentine day is not open yet, requesting me to call in again 1 week later….. and so i did, in fact 5 days later i called again.. ya know.. sinkapoleans mah, kiasu*.. BUT what they say? The reservations for valentine day is FULL !!! Tried to reason out with that fellow but useless, hesimply just do not give way. Is it really that difficult to squeeze in 1 more table for 2 !? Really really disappointed.. :( View all comments by Angry Mob
Okay that does sound pretty screwed up and you have every right to be angry. But looking at how clueless they seem to be, I wouldn’t be surprised if you called again and managed to get a free table. View all comments by Veron
haha u’ll be confused if tis is a restaurant or ktv lounge…i’m serious..management r dressed skimpyly more like a hostess….tubes n strikin colours bra like hot pink….omg….den wen u go for a drink at the bar…these bunch of malay gals will be yakkin away in malay…n bragging how they hook guys in club forgettin theres customers infront of them View all comments by david
one nite i was dinning in giraffe..half way though my dinner over heard next table complain about the red wine..this two japanese customers complained to the server that the red wine was spoiled. The server called the manager to speak to the customers….next moment, i saw a lady in casual attire appeared to speak to the customer, she turned out to be the manager! To my surprise, the manager told the customer off by saying:” Have you taste wine before?”"Wine will never be spoiled.” ….. Later the customers complained to a server that the manager was rude and hot-tempered.
Nevertheless, this was my experience in Giraffe. I personally feel that since servers are in uniform, why can’t the manager be in proper attire too? Furthermore, i learnt that wine has a lifespan if it is not kept in the right room temperature. I guess the manager hasn’t done her job well afterall. View all comments by ashlee
Well it’s my first experience to giraffe with my friend on christmas day. The food really taste aweful especially my main course Perhaps it’s a christmas menu.The food are rather cold but I’m willingly to try other dishes the next time.Hope it would be good as what others have comments . View all comments by Adrian
hey giraffe is gettin better actuali..me & my frens had a wonderful dinner last weekend..food rating 7 out of 10 ..the service is good..wat i reali like the most is the ambience ..is cool place to chill.and the manager,neva catch her name,she gave my fren, who was celebrating his bdae, a free cocktail too.tas wat we look forward when dining…something free,,hahaha View all comments by laura
Hey all.. Well..whadyya know? I didn’t expect to see so many negative posts about Giraffe. Laura, your friend probably got the free drink because either the bar people or the servers got an order wrong, so waste not, they gave it to your friend. I agree with ashlee, why can’t the management wear uniforms too? Uniforms adds a touch of professionalism, rather than the skimpy outfits that they wore, which only made them look like they are customers themselves. Besides, personally i think uniforms commands respect rather than tubes, which they love to wear. Who would you rather go to, to make a complain, compliment or just general enquiries - a well dressed person in a smart uniform or a skimpily clad girl? Personally, i think the management at giraffe is a merely just a title for those holding the position.. Most of the time, they are seen either smoking outside the restaurant or by the bar - this during working hours when the service crews are working. And yet, they chastise the crews if they were to go smoking when its not lunch/dinner break! Managers are supposed to supervise and oversee the restaurant, but why is that when they are complains made by customers, they managers asked the crews to try and sort out the problem? Only when the crews failed to please the customers will the managers see to it themselves. ANd even then, had this ‘black’ face like the crews didn’t do their jobs well. Hey - it’s THEIR job, it’s what they are being PAID for, not just to show their face to work everyday. Sometimes they way they handled some customers, they way they talked to them, shocked me. It does seems a little rude at times. I feel embarassed and felt like apologizing on their behalf. I guess the managers there are real ‘blondes’ - in regards to the wine thingy. I bet you they don’t even know the proper way to set the cutleries in accordance to what the customer is having. I know because i’ve seen. Giraffe’s service standards have been getting lower and lower.. To the point of ‘anything goes’, ‘bo chap’ and ‘whatever-LAH!’
How do I know all these? I used to work there. View all comments by XQZT
HAHA! i’m confused! LOL! After reading thru all the reviews, I wondering is it still a good idea to bring my date to Giraffe. Afterall it’s my second time asking her out and i will be leaving town for attachment soon. So come’on please tell me what to do? GO or don’t go? =D View all comments by kelvin
I believe whoever XQZT may be, might be out to add in “fuel” to the fire because she might have left Giraffe on a sour note. Whatever the case is, he/she is definitely outdated on what’s going on at Giraffe. I’m quite a regular at Giraffe and I just celebrated my friend’s birthday few weeks back. He got a free cocktail too although I had to ask the manager if they give any complimentary cocktails for the birthday boy.
Service wise, to be fair, its not really good as I can see that there is a few of them that plays around more than they work. One of them even slide down the railings of the stairs a couple of times. I was shocked to see that happening in a semi-fine dining restaurant. I mean, why aren’t the management doing anything? What if he falls down and hurt himself or maybe even a customer? However, some of the staffs were really polite. At least the staffs at the bar greeted us when we stepped in and when we left.
Food, agree. Not as fantastic. True enough, I didn’t go back for the food. More for the ambience and drinks. The prices for wine are reasonable as well. I personally feel that its worth the while to visit Giraffe. I heard they even serve good cocktails but have yet to try them myself as I am not so much into cocktails. Maybe I will the next time I go back. =) View all comments by steph
i went to giraffe about 3 weeks ago. i went there on a friday night. it was full house on the indoor, upper level. so i was offered a table at the alfresco area instead. when we stepped in from the bar entrance, the barmaid stopped whatever she was doing and quickly came out of the bar to greet us with a very warm smile. i was quite amazed because she looked rather stern and unfriendly while she was doing her drinks but when she came to greet us, the smile that she gave us was so charming.
then, we settled down at the alfresco dining area upstairs and it took us quite a while for a waiter to come to us to take our orders. we ordered a mushimono(salmon and teriyaki sauce/broth), it was rather salty but the garlicky chicken was good. we had the tiramisu which came in a very nice presentation and the molten lava was awesome! my bestie ordered a cosmopolitan while i had a strawberry frozen margarita. the cocktails were definitely nice! especially the strawberry margarita. the rim of the glass was coated with sugar, the margarita was very nicely blended and had a nice bright red colour topped with a strawberry.
overall, i find the dining experience at giraffe satisfactory. service wasn’t that bad. i would definitely go back to giraffe again. View all comments by andreas
hey guys…heard of some bad comments…not sure whether its true cos i start going there couple of weeks back n service was great n food was awesome!! i tried one of the pasta: al funghi and tiramisu as my dessert.i love it! the mojito was one of the best i had ever drank so far. the servers were warm and friendly.they were attentive and their service were very personalized as in they accommodated to my special request for how my pasta is to be prefered.a long hair lady dressed in black, greeted the customers on the tables with her warm smile, asking if everything is fine and wishes us a pleasant evening. (i supposed she is the manager) i hope those who are uncertain about giraffe will go there and share my wonderful experience. View all comments by candy
am a regular @ giraffe. frankly speakin, i go there for the ambience. i’d have to disagree strongly with candy. pasta’s no big deal. pasta mania serves better tastin pasta and you can choose any pasta you want. however, i go there for drinks all the time. the staffs are friendly indeed. but i have serious doubts abt the manager which candy mentioned. i hardly see her walkin arnd the restaurant compared to the other male manager, not to mention approach ANY tables askin if everythin’s fine or even wish ANYONE a pleasant evenin. i’ve seen her talking to her staffs at the bar. TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL & UNCOUTH. View all comments by xavier
oh, also, i’ve NEVER seen her liftin a finger to do ANY service(e.g takin orders, servin food/drinks, clearin of tables). i believe she’s only good @ walkin arnd to “ensure” that all runs well. View all comments by xavier
U may not like it but I do, so don’t have to have such strong disagreement on it, One man’s poison is another man’s meat then.. View all comments by candy
Oh really?! Could it be we are talking bout the wrong person altogether? I heard there is only 1 Manager there, the rest in civilian are supervisors. Mayhap I was just lucky that day but can’t be cos my friends also said the same thing whenever they were there, their office is just opposite so they are really regular there or maybe u must be simply blind then. Maybe if u are more observant next time on your visit there, u will definitely see that! View all comments by candy
Really? So defensive? Lol.. Or cld it possibly be tht you’re the manager herself? How self appraisals shames one self.. View all comments by xavier
Hey people, let’s all be nice to one another please. Any displeasure that we may have with the restaurant, we should try to direct it at the restaurant itself instead of one another. Make known to them what is lacking in their food or service standards. That is the only way things can improve for all of us. View all comments by Veron
somebody posted a comment under my name? btw, everyone has his or her opinions. i don’t see why you do not allow me to strongly disagree. also, whoever used my name is right abt you. why so defensive? it also seems like you know too much abt giraffe. maybe you’re one of the staffs or a worst scenario, you are the manager? if you are really the manager, herself, you have my sympathy for praisin yourself like tht. i suggest you shld see a psychiatrist abt your mental condition. View all comments by xavier
Since u’re so sure bout what u’ve said then let 1 of the post be the voice here. I shall rest my case cos it is pointless talking to people who thinks a world of himself/herself and criticise others like they are so right. U don’t see it doesn’t mean that it did not happen. I am a guest there, just once but my friends are regular, I heard from them bout it. Does that mean it had Never happened? Thanks Veron, am not here to argue but share my view, others can share their views too hence here is my friend’s blog, http://www.lovebeebee.blogspot.com/ View all comments by candy
just see a psychiatrist for your mental condition. i think its gettin very serious. ha ha ha View all comments by xavier
Giraffe gets my vote for ambience… their 7oz burger is really really good. View all comments by Foodie
giraffe was actually a pretty nice place completed with a nice atmosphere and ambience….the mojito the bartender makes is seriously gd…no joke! but for the food, i had a mushimono…it was just average,actually,pretty overpriced…service wise, the staffs were friendly and sweet. my friends and i hung out at the outdoors sofa seats after our meal and the servers were quick to serve us.thumbs up to the waitress who moved all our dinks out in a matter of seconds(the restaurant was packed)…as for the management, i didnt see anyone doned in skimpy tubes as mentioned above but i did see that woman who has long hair and black top but alas..she SURE isnt as friendly as what candy writes her to be…she was smoking at the bar and was all uncouth and vulgar, speaking to the bartender in the pressense of guests!!!
other than that, it was a gd experience,will come back and try their ribeye….oh!and boos to them for not serving ice water! View all comments by marilyn
i have to agree that giraffe has got a fantastic ambience. however, their menu isn’t extensive. i feel that they should offer more choices. the dessert too, only the molten lava is good. the rest seems pretty boring although i have yet to try ‘em. oh yes, they do not serve ice water from the tap. we have to purchase a bottle of still or soda water.
service wise, good. the waiters and waitresses were all very friendly. pretty efficient as well. not bad, good but much room for more improvement.
seems like there is quite a big hoo-ha about the manager there. well, i’ve seen the way she handled a customer, she was polite but when i went down to where the bar is, the way she spoke to her staffs shocked me. it almost seems like she had a split personality or something. she wasn’t as polite as she appeared to be. giraffe being such an awesome place, should have someone more professional instead as the manager. also, i find her image and the way she carries herself isn’t very professional or well-mannered. a place with style, should have people with style and brains(of course) working in there. from my point of view, i think she’s lack of both. View all comments by toby
Myself and two friends tried to have dinner at Giraffe last night 9 March 2008. We were seated after walking in a maze at an outside table. We placed our order with the server, who apparently did not speak English very well. We ordered three salmons with pesta, a large bottle of sparkling water and three glasses of water with ice. We were going to decide on wine at our lesiure. The server promptly told us that they did not serve water? But we could get ice and we could buy bottle water. I could not believe what I was told so I asked for the manager. The manager, without batting an eyes, parroted the same reply. We three looked at each other in amazement and told her thank you, but no thank you and left. We went to another restaurant and spent over two hundred dollars. This is another example of incredibly poor service and customer appreciation that Singapore thinks is good service. I RECOMMEND THAT NO ONE EAT AT THIS RESTAURANT OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATED RESTAURANTS. They should go out of business as they can not provide customer service. Ambience is not a reason to support a restaurant. View all comments by Harry Colbert
its just funny hw some restaurants seem to refuse to serve ice water or any type of plain water free,seems like everything the customer wants has to be paid for..that’s why nowadays i seldom go to places which do not serve plain water for free haha. View all comments by damien
We were also really annoyed that Giraffe refuses to serve iced water. We had been there for at least three hours with friends,drinking cocktails first, then dinner, with nice bottles of wine, and then went to the downstairs bar area for drinks/coffee. After we had spent $650 (not kidding!) they still refused to give us a glass of water - the place was emptying out as it was already after 11pm so we weren’t blocking the table for new customers and we had had a full meal with starters and desserts and ordered copious amounts of alcohol. I was completely disgusted that they refused to give us one (yes, just one) glass of water just before we left. We also argued and asked for the manager but the manager wasn’t there and the staff would not budge. So we asked for two glasses of ice, which we got for free, and deliberately waited until it melted and drank our water anyway, just to show them how ridiculous they are. We used to go fairly often, even if just for drinks on a Friday after work, but we haven’t been back and have absolutely no intention of ever going there again. We also would never recommend the restaurant to any of our friends - in fact, just the opposite. When we tell our friends the story they also think it is pretentious and ridiculous to not serve water, especially to customers who have ordered a meal. There are enough wonderful restaurants in Singapore to not have to bother about that one again. View all comments by Harry
Nice place but I will not go back as I think it’s poorly managed and full of crap. I inquired about organizing an event for my son’s birthday, with 45 guest. They can’t do simple things like adding pattern napkins, decorate, etc. They quoted $7220, for buffet, and said it’s based on average pax spending…who spends $160++ on a sunday afternoon at Giraffe? There’s hardly anyone in the day (more popular at night). The buffet menu is charged at $55 ppax. Ok, fine, that’s $2.5K but what is the rest of the $5K for?? Get this : because I wanted buffet, they had to rent the equipment (utensils, warmer, plate, etc) and that is $2,500 which they can’t change as it’s outsourced.
After I inquired, was told that the new quote is $3,960 (almost 50% off) if I want set menu. Ok…$3,960 divided by 45 guests, each set meal is $88!!! And they have all those silly set menus at max $30 in normal occasion. I was then told that the price is comparable as it’s in prime land, oh c’mon, does it mean I have to pay rental for that 2 hours I’m booking?? Isn’t overheads and such already included in their meal prices?
And guess what, everything is quoted at min. charge, so, God knows what else will be included.
Imagine you go there and have your meal…after paying your food, there is additional charge that says “rental of seat for 2 hours at prime land”….
Though the place is nice, and even if someone has that money to spend, I think it’s still a matter of whether money is well spent, and I certainly think it’s not in this case. Trying pull a fast one, that’s what I think, maybe it’s because the biz is not as good as it seems.
And yes..they are part of Fish & Co. View all comments by Ren
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