Club Sandwich ($12.50) - Egg Mayo and Cajun Chicken Breast.
Ultimate Hazelnut Frappe ($7.50)
Green Apple Twist ($6.20)
Macaroni Gratin ($10.80) - Mushroom, Chicken Ham and Diced Chicken
Unearthing the goodness of macaroni and cheese!
Best eaten piping hot! (Looking @ this makes me crave for the dish!)
Beef Mozza-Tofu ($9.80) served on a musical platter.
Dark Devotion ($9.90) - Chocolate cake, vanilla Ice-cream and summer berries.
Light Strawberry Mousseline ($6.90) - mousse + strawberries
I remember thinking to myself that since it was my best friend's birthday, we'll gonna treat her to somewhere/something special. Not the usual repetitive eatery you'll find at every mall. In the end, as Hailey was around too, we decided to rest that adventurous spirit and settle at TCC @ Citylink, which turned out to be a pretty enjoyable experience. I guess for us ultimately, it is the company that matters.
Amongst all the coffee joints, The Coffee Connoisseur has left quite an indelible impression on me due to the fact that they have managed to expand so rapidly from an unknown name to a leading local coffee chain which can rival the internationally reknown Starbucks in reputation and quality. I recall visiting one of TCC's first outlets @ Millenia Walk, surveying the hip decor and luxurious coffee selection and thinking that whoever behind this concept is bold and perhaps too confident about the future of TCC. I guess I should be eating my words because the very astute management has managed to develop TCC into a popular chillout destination well-known for its gourmet coffee and hip decor. Starting with only 2 boutiques in 2003, the chain has since expanded to 28 (they are referred to as) boutiques. To me, its not as easy as Starbucks adding a few more outlets because if you notice, the interior design of each boutique is unique, avant-garde, meticuously chosen and true to the brand's artistic philosophy. Sitting at any of its outlets without even drinking its coffee is an enjoyable visual treat itself!
Although the outlet @ Citylink is located indoors (next to MPH and opposite the H20 boutique), you have a choice between sitting at the more private area inside or the outside whereby you can gawk at the steady stream of crowd between Suntec/Marina Square and CityHall MRT. With not much of a preference, we plonked ourselves on a firm white coloured sofa near the glass door.
YL ordered the club sandwich ($12.50) which seemed like quite a decent proportion and from which I helped to finish the strange tasting chips (tapioca?). LG had the marcaroni gratin ($10.80), a combination of mushroom, chicken ham and diced chicken which she gave the thumbs up to, as well as the green apple twist ($6.20). This must have been the third time I've gone for the beef mozza tofu ($9.80) , a delightful light dish of silky tofu with suki yaki sauce and minced beef beneath melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella cheese, which I'll probably never get sick of. If there is one dish you should try @ TCC, it should be this. The ultimate hazelnut frappe ($7.50) has a distinctive hazelnut taste that is not too sweet and the desserts that we shared, the dark devotion ($9.90) and light strawberry Mousseline ($6.90) was pretty standard dessert fare (not bad but nothing much to rave about).
One thing I have to say about TCC is the effort they are willing to put into their presentation, which is one of their selling points and representative of their passion for art. Looking at the pretty arrangement of the food not only makes it look good to eat but also elevates the enjoyment of the whole dining experience (something which you usually get at fine dining places). For that, for their extensive range of gourmet coffee concoctions (which not even Starbucks or Coffee Bean can match) and for the friendly service we recieved @ the Citylink outlet, I give TCC props!
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Address:
1 Raffles Link #B1-26
Citylink Mall
Singapore 039393
Phone : 6423 1022
Opening Hours: Sunday to Thursday & Public Holidays - 9am to 11pm Friday, Saturday & Eve of Public Holidays - 9am to 12am
Cuisine: Western
Price: approx $10 - $25 per pax
Dresscode: relaxed
Dresscode: relaxed
Darkmuze's Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Remark: Good place to chill after shopping and to people-watch in air-conditioned comfort!
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