The Borshch Steakhouse in Serangoon Gardens is one of those places that’s charmingly stuck in a time warp and has retained an authentic retro feel. To be honest, I avoided patronising this place as it looks run down from the outside and the interior seems dark and dim. I entered the place with low expectations. The meal however, surprised me. The food was actually good and the service polite and not intrusive (unless you get served by a young girl there who is pretty rude and looked very unhappy working there). I like to be left alone at a restaurant as I am not very chatty and pretty shy myself. The good service was from the older female and also a waitress from China who couldn’t speak English, but at least she tried. The food had that home-made goodness about it that didn’t leave you feeling bloated after the meal. The portion sizes were just right and you feel satisfied, although the prices were steep, considering this is a neighbourhood place. I asked for more tartar sauce for my fish and chips and the nice lady who is probably one of the owners, promptly obliged.
My verdict is if you haven’t been here, you just got to try it once, before it gives way to one of the swanky new establishments that offers the owner a rental price he can’t forego. Serangoon Gardens, once a sleepy neighbourhood is definitely becoming the next food hub like Holland Village.
Even though Borshch Steakhouse has a Russian name, the food and decor seem more Hainanese than Russian and they offer quite a number of local dishes besides the Russian ones like caviar. There was even a Russian Tea on the menu, but I wasn’t feeling adventurous.
The Seafood Kway Teow was S$8.50, the Fish and Chips, S$9.80, the Ice Lemon Tea S$2.50 with a service charge of $2.08 making the total bill $22.90 Singapore dollars. On the whole I would say the ice lemon tea was obviously freshly made and lovely, although the one served at the nearby Arbite was thicker and the best I’ve had so far. The Fish and Chips were localized (they even add long beans fried with onions on the side) and should not be compared to the beer battered fish and chips you would expect at an Aussie Pub.
photo by bookjunkie
photo by bookjunkie
photo by bookjunkie
photo by bookjunkie
photo by bookjunkie
photo by bookjunkie
photo by bookjunkie
photo by bookjunkie
photo by bookjunkie
photo by bookjunkie
photo by bookjunkie
photo by bookjunkie
It was another cool day today, totally clouded over, with not a blue patch of sky in sight. Not related to the weather, which I love because I definitely prefer cooler weather, I have been feeling melancholic (a fancy word for depressed), and to be perfectly honest not in a mood to blog. All the bad news in the Singapore headlines makes me feel even lousier, but I decided I just got to do at least one post. I hope my lack of enthusiasm doesn’t show.
Have you had one of those days? When you, who usually feel energized blogging, feel too down to blog? Or lack the enthusiasm you once had?
