Although this restaurant comes highly recommended one wonders why. I believe they have bought into their own hype and the standards experienced earlier have certainly slipped. We went for lunch - they are open on restricted hours Tuesdays to Thursday. Longer hours over the weekend. Casualness is the order of the day. The downstairs area is cramped and unremarkable indeed. The waiting staff required prompting, were generally disinterested and offered no service at all. There was no proactiveness and the experience was underwhelming. One wonders about how its ratings have been achieved - a tourist trap, with guidebooks ensuring clientele as their food does not do nonya cuisine justice.We started with popiah, which was not rice paper rolls but a simple crepe, followed by an omlette with prawns which was chilly hot but unremarkable. It needed a genuine flavour boost and decent plating. The whole steamed fish was simply not fresh and a huge disappointment where seafood is highlighted as a notable dish. The braised pork with tamarind sauce was simply sliced pork on an iceberg lettuce leaf with onion and a mass of inedible tamarind seeds. And the plating was effortless. When you look at one another during your meal and ask "what is this food all about" you realise it's either a bad day in the kitchen or the ascribed rating is a phantom and totally unwarranted.We went with high expectations following some reviews and the hotel's recommendation. It did not measure up - it was a very average meal. It felt like the waiting staff could not be bothered and the kitchen was understaffed with no plating effort. There are several cafes nearby that serve better nonya food we found, and are better value.
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