went to do ssm with yik shi at bugis today. for lunch, we paid a visit to a little restaurant opposite shaw centre, called eat'z 19 cafe. The exterior design of the place ; with a waterfall-embedded glass window and stuff like that; gives passer-bys the impression that the place is classy and snazzy. With a closer inspection of the menu board at the foot of the restaurant, you would definitely be reeled in to dining at the place, as their set lunch meal is going at $9.80 nett. An amazing price for what seems to be a touch of fine dining. Of course,broke teenagers like us won't hesitate to patronize the place.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were warmly greeted by the waitress, who showed us to our seats with a smile, equipped with sparkling braces. A typical fine-dining table set-up, with fork on the left, 2 spoons and knife on the right, napkins folded to a peacock-ish design on the finger plate. Champagne glass made of real glass, giving off a ""ting" sound when abused by my finger. On the wall opposite us lay countless cut-outs and awards, proudly displayed in frames. Soon after we were presented the menu, from which we selected our dishes, for today the seafood linguine with thai spices. For our drinks, we chose Iced Tea.

On to the part that really matters; the food. For starters, we were served Cream of Chicken Soup, with a slice of freshly baked garlic bread. The soup was refreshingly pleasant, with the right thickness of cream and a dash of light spices. The soup succeeded in warming up our tastebuds for what's to come. The Iced Tea was good as well, an ideal choice for quenching our thirst on a hot day as today.

The main dish was served soon after. The linguine gave off a enticing smell, one which seems oddly familiar, but mysterious at the same time. The presentation of the dish was also spot on, with the linguine noodles twirled classicly, garnished by prawns and spices on the top. The clams formed the base of the dish, halfway submerged in the cream sauce. As the noodles and sauce made its way into my mouth, my tastebuds turned haywire. The flavour of the dish was out of this world, in both senses of the word. I had never tasted something like this before, and it being this good, god knows why. The best way to describe the essence of the dish would be, a fusion of East and West. The cream base of the sauce resembled a western take on pasta, while the thai spices enhanced the flavour of the noodles as well as the sauce, giving it a western-yet-oriental taste. The prawns were cooked to perfection, maintaining the flavour in the meat. The only blemish would have to be the clams, as yik shi particularly did not seem to enjoy the somewhat "soggy" texture of the meat. Nevertheless, the dish was refreshing for my senses, as it breaks away from the "norm of pasta", and it was not afraid to cross the supposedly suicidal barrier between western and eastern cuisine. Portion-wise, the dish ideally filled our stomachs, without having to go overboard. The dessert of the day was Vanilla ice cream topped with caramel syrup and almonds, which, although lacking in amount, more than makes up for in taste. A fitting finale to a fine dining experience.

Final Take
What initially seemed to be a scam turned out to be a pleasant surprise. With excellent service, creative dishes and a posh outlook, Eat'z 19 cafe managed to satisfy us immensely. And all that for $9.80, its a steal!

Decor - 4
Service - 5
Presentation - 4 . 5
Food - 4 . 5
Value for money - 5

Overall Score - 4 . 5 out of 5 ( DIE DIE MUST TRY!)


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