Verbalism Personified

Blowing Chunks, Part 3

"I have to warn you, this [milkshake] is addictive."
- Megabites Floor Manager.

Four scoops of chocolate ice-cream, a cup of milk and a blender will whip you up a tasty shake. With that amount of chocolate swirling, a rich taste is guaranteed to rival other celebrated establishments save for Billy Bombers.

Not quite.

Otterman, Ruoyu, Huaqin and myself were down after another day of work, for a second crack at gastronomic redemption. We were lucky to arrive before the dinner crowd and proceeded to raid the lines for goodies.

Hua Qin's Spaghetti Carbonara was given the personal attention of the chef after the lady behind the counter told him that there was no Carbonara left. This was a good thing as the sauce and pasta were made fresh on the spot, a far cry in standard from the pre-made load in anticipation of the crowds. However Hua Qin made the observation that the egg was cracked in at the wrong time, turning it into a scrambled egg as opposed to having it mixed in with the sauce. The grated cheese was ordinary Cheddar and not Parmesan. The chili flakes were damp.

Otterman did a double take on his toasted tuna sandwich. As he noted some confusion among the counter staff as they went about preparing his order, he make the point of emphasizing his order just to make sure that there was no ambiguity. Going back to the counter to inquire after some moments, he was handed a hot toasted sandwich in a plastic, seemingly pulled out of the microwave oven by an alert staff. His attempt at ordering milkshakes didn't fare that well. Repeating his order for two chocolate and one strawberry milkshakes, the first request disappeared into a black hole. Eventually, what came out the other end was a chocolate, a vanilla and a strawberry shake.

My order for a black pepper steak was straightforward. However I wasn't so lucky when placing my order for fresh apple juice. The first lady I spoke to wouldn't entertain the thought of juicing apples unless it was mixed with other fruit as stated on the menu. I was the trouble maker until her colleague stepped in and took charge. She didn't even flinch when I asked for less ice in my drink.

The overall impression isn't too shabby provided you got there before the lunch and dinner crowd. That was the secret to hot and freshly made food as this afforded the chefs time to give their personal attention to your order. As opposed to a mass culling of dead meat, we were tipped off by a colleague during yesterday's lunch attempt.

Initial forays are always a mixed result. Yesterday Leaf Monkey and I ordered the fish and chips. Arriving, her fish was lukewarm while mine was piping hot. Our fries, I knew when I saw it, were cold. Ann, who had a craving for pizza, waited for hers before it was nonchalantly consumed. She wasn't too excited about it. The pizza base was unevenly browned while it wasn't large filling enough for her cavernous stomach. Otterman and Hua Qin made haste for toasted sandwiches after witnessing the bloodbath.

For a lunch and dinner crowd foaming at the mouth, timing is most important given the layout of Megabites. It is done in similar fashion to Ikea, with customers snaking a bee-line for the show. As I looked around me, with customers eating without a care, we would faintly hear the huge extractor fan blowing chunks out towards the canteen. The surrounding area does smell like fried chicken!

posted by Teutoburg @ 9:18 PM