Coffee chains are so ubiquitous and accessible. Yet I find no appeal in their cookie-cutter mass presence, which seem to hint of mediocrity. So, this is a rare visit for me to TCC (The Coffee Connoiseur). Their food menu seems to be mainly Western but with the odd Japanese and Korean influences. Casual fusion - could be a blast, could be a bomb.
I stuck to a safe choice, the seafood aglio olio (S$16.80), and was pleasantly rewarded with something pretty good. Super-garlicky with a spicy kick, that's the way I like aglio olio. Decently fresh scallops and prawns, but these seem to have been panfried separately, so they had no garlic or spicy tones, only that of salt and pepper. It's also a bit pricey for the portion served.
My friend snacked on the "Spicy Chic" (S$9.90) - battered and fried pieces of chicken with a lime mayo dip. Served with a healthy salad on the side. The batter is really crispy and crumbly, the kind that shatters into a thousand pieces as you bite into it. It's not that spicy, despite its name. The chicken is surprisingly very moist but needed more salt (well, you can help yourself to the salt/pepper/chili and tomato sauce generously provided at every table).
The drinks menu is more extensive - we chose three - I'll cover those tomorrow. I do like the boutiques' decor (red plush seats get me every time). Service is generally decent and they provide iced water, topped up regularly. TCC also seems more peaceful and quiet compared to the other chains (but this could be branch/location dependent). Hmm, I don't mind coming back again.
TCC (THE COFFEE CONNOISEUR)
3 Temasek Boulevard
#01-025/27 Suntec City Mall
Tel: 6339-3297
(and many other outlets islandwide)
Simple Western fare... sorta like comfort food, but the type you want someone else to make for you rather than tackle it on your own! :P
ReplyDeletethe prawn pasta looks a lot like the one that the coffee club(another TCC!) serves.
ReplyDeleteIt was great the first time I had it but it seems that they've tweaked the recipe recently, added capsicum and the flavours clashed.
ahh.. coffee chains do offer quite reasonable food i guess, when in budget can look for them, they are everywhere. lol
ReplyDeleteI tried their toast with Camembert cheese and fig compote. The fig compote is very nice, I like.
ReplyDeleteoh i love TCC! i think their food is quite good. i had the tofu beef panini, it was great. pity about the drinks tho'. the ones i had werent very nice, very diluted and didnt taste much of coffee.
ReplyDeleteI've had the pasta. I thought it was so-so. Their sandwiches are not bad too. We had the wedges before and those were quite nice.
ReplyDeleteThe food is ok but the servings are always so small! I feel so unsatisfied whenever I eat there!
ReplyDelete