cock.roach.

Today I met gie and bren for our annual Christmas dinner. We decided to forgo our usual Sakae fare and go try something new, after I suggested Mushroom Pot, as my sis has been raving about the mushroom fries for-like-ever. It was the longest distance I've ever had to walk from Orchard MRT down to Orchard Point (where the new OG is), considering you can never walk in a straight line. You have to "siam' people left and right, to escape from the countless irritants who constantly try to shove leaflets into your hands, to avoid the screaming kids who are just waiting to get stomped on, and basically just move along with the horrifically, excrutiatingly slow human traffic flow. They say humans are like locusts- multiplying too fast, destroying everything that comes into their path- and how true it is. I wish I had a bulldozer sometimes though.

Having eventually arrived at our foodie destination, we set down to encounter another obstacle of a different kind. The menu choice was tremendously mind-boggling! There were all kinds of mushrooms to choose from, starters, hot pots, steamboat, noodles, desserts, drinks, yadahyadahyadah... Whatever happened to the one food fits all kind of outlet? To make matters worse, all the staff there seemed to understand only chinese. *groan* When the food finally arrived, I found that it wasn't as FANTASTIC as my sister had claimed it to be (I do like the mushroom fries.. so crispy and light!) but it was erm, "interesting" by all accounts. The main highlight of the night came in the form of a little cockroach nymph who had apparently crawled out from a hole in the table where the gas for heating the steamboat comes from. (Thank God we didn't order steamboat... I'm sure the smell of charred cockroach nymph emanating from below the table isn't an entirely appetising scent either.) Gie, being frightfully paranoid about cockroaches (she would cut off her arm if a cockroach ever ran over it), naturally and instinctively sprung up and away from the table. I did too, as cockroaches are not really my cup of tea (and not IN my tea hopefully?!!?) This left brenda the brave sitting at the table with all eyes on her (including surrounding diners') and she calmly did us all a service by squashing the ugly nymph with a spare tissue. Shockingly, the staff of Mushroom Pot did not

a) replace our half-eaten food on the table after we turned down their offer to (like hello? we're just being nice about it here? we don't really mean what we say!!!)
b) offer to relocate us to another (cleaner?) table
c) give us more discount on our food (stupid waiter said 15% is the most they can give... bah! what nonsense!)

What they DID do was to

a) keep coming over to clear our plates EVEN when it was darned obvious that there was still food left on the plate and we were still eating (wassup with them man?1 I think they're overstaffed. Like leave us alone in peace until we finish ALL our food! grrrrrrrrrrr.)
b) say that all they can do is to apologise, and that all restaurants have cockroaches and there is nothing they can do if one decides to pop its head out once in a while. (excellent excuse don't you think?)

Gosh.
Next time, I'll just dabao the mushroom fries and eat it somewhere else. What incorrigible service. They should learn a thing or two out of the book of the cute ah beng-looking waiter from fish&co... which reminds me... heh heh. I should visit that outlet again sometime soon! *jan-happy-again* :)

Merry Christmas eve everyone!
Have a good one while I hole up at home with my trusty tv.