Lunch at Central Perk

We had visited Central Perk a few times before, but it was always full. We thought going there for lunch on a weekday would be a good time. To be sure we booked a table via Google Maps which connected to my Chope account.  

The place was empty save for one customer who was finishing his meal. He left by the time we ordered food so we had the place to ourselves for awhile. We accessed the menu through a QR code and ordered via the page we were directed to. There was a lot of selections! Even the cappuccino had several variations. The first thing I got was the Phoebe Buffay cappuccino, Sweetie ordered the Chandler Bing cappuccino. Mine was light roast and had a nutty flavor, I think Sweetie's coffee was medium roast.

For starters we ordered Phoebe's mushrooms and we were surprised that the serving was generous. We both really liked how they sauteed the mushrooms in oil and garlic. It was really flavorful (the same way they make it back home). We also ordered the Alessandro caesar salad which was pretty tasty too (bacon is key!). 

Sweetie got the Ross Geller's Thanksgiving sandwich since we were not able to eat turkey for Thanksgiving. I tried it too and it was tasty and filling. I got Monica's lasagna which I think was a no meat pasta. The serving was huge! I was so full just eating a third of it (we brought the rest home). 

We skipped dessert since we were both so full and we already had fruit juice for our beverage. We had to walk off the gastronomic delight we had and ended up having a light dinner. There's a nook at the entrance to leads to a replica of Monica and Rachel's kitchen and they had a number of memorablia too. If you're a big fan they also have tshirts, postcards and their coffee blend. 

Of course, expect the food to be a bit pricey. It's after all a tourist spot. We'd probably come back for the coffee and more snacks if we're in the area. Nonetheless we enjoyed our visit and we're glad we came at a light hour. The staff were friendly and would gamely take your photos too. 

Central Perk - Singapore

1 Magazine Rd, #01-01 Central Mall, 

Singapore 059567  (map)

Singapore: Shiraz, Persian Cuisine

Whenever I'm around my friend from Pakistan I end up experiencing new things. Last January he brought me and other friends to an Iranian restaurant. He insisted we go there because he wanted to make sure that all the food served was halal. Aside from the delicious food he said that there was a belly dancer in the resto.

I honestly had no inkling about the different dishes so I just to my friend about my allergies and left the ordering to him. Here's what we had:

For starters, we had hummus, garbanzo beans mixed with tahina garlic, lemon and touch of olive oil. I took a tentative dip, but soon gobbled up at lot of it!

We also had the Chef's Signature Platter, a combination of 4 all time favorites. I loved the spinach,  meatball and eggplant. I actually finished off the platter when everyone was focusing on the main meal. Teehee.

For our main dish we had a platter of food, filled with lamb, beef, chicken and some seafood. I forgot already what it's called, but I sampled everything I wasn't allergic too and got one of the huge grilled tomatoes. It was definitely a sumptuous meal and even though there were six of us we weren't able to finish off the whole platter.

I had a lovely evening with friends from different countries. It was entirely a new and exciting experience for me to try out persian cuisine and it's something I'm on the lookout for locally now. I'm definitely hooked to kebab and grilled tomatoes now.

Oh, and here's the authentic belly dancer!



Shiraz (map)
Clarke Quay,
Singapore