I must have eaten in three out of every four dining establishments at VivoCity. Yes, that is how often I go to that place. I would probably exhaust their dining options soon! But then again, new restaurants pop up every so often, such as The Mussel Guys.
“The Mussel Guys”. Ain’t that a cheeky name? Well I did not notice any muscle guys, that’s for sure. Haha! A restaurant specialising in mussels is pretty rare, isn’t it? Good for me though, I just love mussels! (Okay, muscles too.)
Apart from mussels, the restaurant also serves other seafood, steaks, and a few meat dishes. I go for a pasta with the signature mussels. I don’t have to wait long – the dish is served within ten minutes!
One thing that I notice is that diners are not provided with an extra small bowl to hold the empty shells. Considering that the restaurant specialises in mussels which don’t exactly have small shells, this is something that it definitely should not overlook.
S$15.90++
Rating:
My mussels pasta is a chef’s recommendation, but what a huge disappointment it is! The menu promised a chunky and thick tomato sauce, but it turns out to be thin and watered down! Frankly, Prego‘s bottled pasta sauces fare much better than this. This is easily one of the blandest pastas I have ever tasted! A new moving company in Plano, Texas, has opened its doors — Plano Movers is open for your moving business! Excellent service and safe delivery of your goods is guaranteed.
That’s not even the worst part. I highly doubt that the five or six mussels in my pasta are even fresh. There is almost no taste to them, as though they have been frozen for a long time.
It’s a real shame that for a restaurant that prides itself as being “The Mussel Guys”, it can’t even manage something as simple as mussel pasta. In fact, the mussels and clams pasta at PastaMania is way more satisfying at just half the price. And they provide the little bowl for your shells, too!
You may wanna give the pastas a miss, folks!
VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk #02-123
Singapore 098585
Tel: +65 6820 1800 | Website
Service:
Jan 25, 2007
1
I had eaten at some of the places in vivocity. I’m very disappointed with all of them. They are expensive and taste horrible. Even well-done steak can see blood flowing out from the meat.
Jan 25, 2007
3472
I don’t eat steaks but damn, that sounds nasty! And you are right about VivoCity. I haven’t written a really positive review about any of its restaurants so far.
Mar 22, 2007
1
i think you are right about them but that was like two months ago……………i mean yah it’s been some time but now their like totally wow
’cause i just got dragged in by some of my frens and its like so different now
Mar 30, 2007
1
i think the restaurant is a flop. i went with 4 other friends and found their service and food totally lacking in standard. the waitor forgot about our order and had the cheek to ask us if we had cancelled it. furthermore the baked rice felt more like it was uncooked, hard and tasteless. well i’m not sure if they are experts with mussels but they sure seem like they are lacking in other areas.
Mar 31, 2007
3472
It sure is. Sorry to hear about your bad experience. It’s been 2 months since my unpleasant visit there, and it sounds like nothing has improved.
Apr 30, 2007
1
its my very bad experience in mussel guys i think white dog cafe has more GOLD STARS
Oct 29, 2007
6
hi there… ur wkplace in Toa Payoh too?? :P
niway.. i went there 2 wkends ago.. mm.. i felt nothin extraordinary. the dishes i ordered was delicious though. guess im too hungry to noticed anything unpleasant. lolx.
Nov 20, 2007
1
Shoots. If only I had read ur post earlier. I just went there over the weekend. (so desperate to find a place to eat at Vivo…) We ordered the baked mussels. In no way do I find it baked or taste of cheese (as claimed by the deciteful menu). Sigh… Waste of money and time.
P.S. Waitress served wrong dish to my bf and after discovery, swiftly picked up the dish and just brought it to another table. Luckily my bf has yet to plunge his cutlery into the dish…
Nov 20, 2007
3472
Gawd. Looks like they haven’t improved much from before. It’s coming close to a year now. They can’t use the “we’re still new and thus having minor hiccups” excuse anymore.
Jan 12, 2008
4
TERRIBLE SERVICE. Repeatedly i get things going wrong in all my orders,,, I promise myself never to go there again. Often have to repeat myself to the waiter due to him not understanding English n often has to check w the kitchen on many of the basic info which I require to know. Mussels lately served in the pot come w several empty shells and the STAFF IS RUDE N BADLY COORDINATED. Trust me! Do not go there. Extra stress n disappointed with money wasted too. I used to go but then now stopped cos their standard is not consistent. Disappointing. Cant believe such a restaurant can survive in this day and age. Slow service too and waiters not attentive. Have to really wave very long and hard to grab their attention. Often the restuarant is empty, esp afternoons. But during weekends it is crowded, though not as crowded as the rest of restaurants in VIVO. They do not seem to handle crowds very well too. During crowded times, expect NO GOOD SERVICE, MISTAKES, DELAYED FOOD, n BEING TREATED LIKE U ARE THERE FOR A FREE MEAL. The only thing is their mussels taste good in the pot, though frequently repeatedly lately, some mussels are only shells without the meat,,, I reported this to the staff but was rudely told “it is fresh what”. I felt i was bluffing and wanted to lie, and not only that, my friend waited for close to half an hour for the set meal. In the end only the soup came. Wanting to cancel it, he had to walk to the cashier to say to cancel it. The answer was yaya n bad attitude type like ok ok cancel then. Later the bill came when and it included the set meal in it. Only complain again then cancel. There is so much more outrageous horrific experiences with MG, but I rest my case here but only declare, NO MORE MG FOR ME FOREVER. SUBSTANDARD n INEXPERIENCED PPL RUNNING THE PLACE. (This is only in my opinion, and that of my friends. Anyone is free to disagree and my disclaimer is that this is only a personal opinion.)
Jul 17, 2009
2
Hi, i was a ex staff at mussel guy. I understood your dinning experience at mussel guy the wait staff there mostly all are from phillipine, they do not know any things abt foods. The mussel is not their specialty, all the mussel is frozen not fresh they cook their mussel with margarine (margarine is a butter substitue cheaper than butter) a tea spoon of white wine, msg chicken powder and tap water. No taste of wine in their mussel. The server simply dont care abt their service esp customer complain they just ignore it. I must say the place bad food bad service out of 10 only 2 for the food which i work there i saw it with my eyes how they cook it and prepare the food. I don’t understand why still some ppl go to mussel guy for lunch/dinner @ vivocity.
Jan 12, 2008
4
Typing correction: I meant to say I felt they were implying I was bluffing and lying abt the empty shells instead of feeling sorry abt the shells without meat…, and not only that, my friend waited for close to half an hour….
Jan 26, 2008
1
I have had a really unpleasant while visiting mussel guys restaurant on 24 Ajnuary 2008, Friday @1530Hrs. The waiter actually served us the wrong order. We have to told him twice before he move away to the next table. And to think that there is only 2 tables including ours during that time!When our food was served, it is really to my disappointment. My partner’s grill chicken was actually cold to taste! How can it be called grill then? The sausages tasted just as cold..what are those? Salads? Cold dish? I had the baked rice and to find that was blande and tasteless. The service was really another letdown!I was asking for my tea to be serve as we were not given any ice water but was slapped with a “Our tea only served after food” and walk away! I must admit that water was served after that. But dont you think that water should be serve even without asking? When we finished our main course, plates were not cleared when their staff were standing there looking!We were waiting for out desserts to be served but in vain.They dont even want to clear our empty plates , let alone to serve our desserts!We have to ask like 8mins later before we can have it…but stil need to check here and there before serving!This is really not what a restaurant should provide in terms of food and service.We dont mind paying more if the service and food are good but to pay for your food and service, really made us boil! I demand for a explaination. You will also expect that i will tell my friends not to visit your restaurant if no good explaination is given.
Feb 3, 2008
1
Seriously, I just tried it today, the medium steak i order is not too bad, but the pasta my girlfriend had was disastrous. She didn’t like the tomato sauce, so we asked for cream sauce, and the cream sauce tasted so weird(my gf said it tasted like da bai tu nan tang, but i insist it tastes like shit) that pastamania suddenly felt so much better. Had a bad experience at pastamania too.
The waiters do not have initiative. I sat down for 10 minutes already and nobody bothered to serve us drink, not even tap water. I had to ask them to get us ice water. No bowls for mussel shells. Asking for the bill is plain hell. I had to ask for it twice.
+1 to avoid.
Jul 17, 2009
2
Im a ex staff there working at mussel guy,the belgium mussels in wine, which is supposed to be their speciality. But is not bcoz all the mussel there is frozen they cook it with msg chicken powder, white wine, tap water and margarine (margarine is a butter subsitute cheaper version than butter) the wine just one tea spoon no hint of wine in their mussel. Would you pay $12 for a plate of hor fun with two pieces of frozen mussel, two pieces of frozen prawns and few sotong??? At least food court hor fun taste better at mussel guy.
Jul 19, 2009
1
I totally agree with you, the most unbearable part is the service…
When I told them to serve soup 1st, the gave me every thing in the set meal and demand me to have all at once…..when i told them I had make a request to have the soup 1st, the guy ‘in-charge’ told me off as if he was the one to pay for the bill …
He event uttered the long list of their company policies regards of the serving of food, right IN FONT Of OUR MEAL – ON HIS HAND!!! and such strategy has been very effctive to make us shut up or our will be full of his saliver…
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