My Secret Garden

Will you come with me to My Secret Garden? :)


While I was researching briefly on the Net about this place, I realised that the reviews on My Secret Garden are so evenly and extremely spread out between the good and bad experiences. I had my reservations, but in the end me and Daphne decided to go along with it and try for ourselves. We knew we already had the best thing: company ;)


The decor inside was quite nice, but if you realise the tables are set quite close to each other, which after a while can have a quite a cramped feeling. Imagine all the tables filled, and somehow all the girls sitting on the inside, it did feel like a scene out of a SDU ("Social Development Unit", Singapore's matchmaking "haven") event! But we focused on ourselves and had fun taking pictures, which we realised some other couples doing as well. I think this place can be quite pressurising for introverted boyfriends, or those uncomfortable with first dates, because if every couple seemed to be enjoying themselves and you're sitting there staring at your date, you won't be marked very well for spontaneity and erm, entertainment value. Some of the couples looked terribly bored and you could tell, some were glancing around with a perhaps, slightly envious look.

On to the food then, shall we? =)

Calamari Rings with Thai Chilli Sauce: 8/10


The variety of appetisers from My Secret Garden is typical and ordinary to say the very least, and so we settled on our favourite, and usual, calamari rings. Much better than the ones we had at Swensen's a while ago, these calamari rings reminded us of those served at Fish & Co, crispy and chewy. So if you like those, you'd like these as well.

Crayfish Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce: 7.7/10


The crayfish was grilled well and was sweet and tasty, but it would have been better if there were more scallops. The spaghetti was ordinary though, but I suppose the highlight should be on the crayfish.

Cilantro Chicken: 8.5/10


The cilantro chicken is really a refreshing change from your typical chicken chop with a tangy-sweet mango dressing and deliciously smooth mashed potatoes. Some of the reviews online found this to be average (again, the subjectivity of taste) but we both agreed this was good. The chicken was well-grilled (or pan-seared to be more accurate) and was tender.

Sin in Love: 8/10


To be honest, I didn't expect a brownie, the menu said it was a cake, but oh well, at least it's heart-shaped. The brownie was good though, not too rich and crisp on the sides. Went very well with the scoop of cappuccino ice-cream.

Service
Admittedly so, the waiters can be quite blur at times. They forgot the menu, and they forgot the dessert spoons. Thinking back, it looked funny, because me and Daphne were staring at each other smiling and glancing at our empty table. But you've got to give the guys credit for trying to make it up to you, they're effusively polite and always willing to help you take pictures (seems like a secondary job scope), even if they may not necessarily be the best at it.

Price
$13.00 for the calamari rings,
$22.00 for the crayfish spaghetti,
$20.00 for the cilantro chicken,
$15.00 for the sin in love.

Usual 10% service charge and 7% GST applies.

And then surprise, surprise. I paid with my DBS NUS Mastercard, and the bill came with a 15% off. Yayness.

Place


(If you're concerned about getting lost, look out for this building just across NAFA's TCC)
161 Middle Road
Website: http://www.mysg.com.sg