We have learnt, after many misses, that we really should stop following the Straits Times recommendations. But we just couldn’t resist Bar Bar Black Sheep at Robertson Quay, which was described as a “charming alfresco chill-out spot serving coffee-shop type food”. Which means we were expecting “coffee-shop” prices – possibly at a slight premium.

The first thing that hit us was the lack of parking. The place was along the river, and surrounded by private apartments. There was absolutely no parking in sight – the closest was street parking about 10-15 minutes away.

The “charming alfresco” bit referred to wobbly old wooden tables lined up along the (murky) canal.

The “coffee-shop type food” was a compilation of Thai, Indian, and Western food. At $20 a serving. Definitely nothing coffee-shop about it.

To add insult to the injury, the nasi briyani had about 3 pieces bits of chicken in it. Everything else we ordered (Indian dishes) tasted microwaved. The Baileys that I had was extremely expensive (there was probably only about 2 mouthfuls in the glass), and the bill come up to nearly $50. Yikes.