Awfully Chocolate — Restaurant in Singapore

Have been dining here on more than 5-6 occasions, but today’s dinner experience (10th October 2024) was a total disaster.

Ordered one medium steak and one medium rare steak. Both steaks were served without indication of which was which. The plates were just placed on the table. When we checked ourselves, the done-ness of the steak looks similar and even borderline rare, which did not conform to either of our orders. (Please refer to photo proof). However, as the staffs seem fairly busy (hesitant to meet your eye), we left the steak as such.

But what I couldn’t dismiss was the fact that we ordered a bread basket $12, which took eons to arrive- and was served just one minute before the main course was brought out with burnt pieces all around it. I was still staring at it and wondering whether they actually quality check their food before bringing it out or not, if not why will a $12 bread basket be served when the burnt bits are so glaring? And this was after I had to wait so long for it to arrive. Oh and the butter that came with it was rock solid hard. It was probably as hard as the hei ice cream that they are selling. Just look at the photo- I could cut a triangle shape on the top of the butter as it’s totally frozen. When I informed the server about the burnt pieces of bread, she took away the bread tray, and then came back with the same tray of bread, saying that they will replace two burnt pieces of bread, before placing the burnt bread in front of me once again- now where is the initiative to remove the burnt bread?

So service recovery was two pieces of bread placed silently on our table without a single word. Moving on, a request for mustard to accompany our steak took 10 minutes to arrive, and I had to keep looking over at the male waiter to see whether he remembered and was going to bring it over or not- but it was clear that he was more engrossed in clearing behind the counter rather than bringing over the mustard. When he finally caught my eye, he chuckled to himself and get another sever to bring it over, clearly finding it insignificant that our steak had to turn cold while he goes about his other self decidedly more urgent tasks.

I actually requested for a portion of bread and butter pudding to be set aside as we have eaten it on many occasions and enjoyed it, but we had such a terrible experience today that no way was I going to stay any longer in this restaurant with a team of staff who can’t seem bothered to work.

Upon payment, another staff questioned why I didn’t proceed with the bread and butter pudding. I replied that the food today is very different from what we had before, and that was the end of the conversation. She didn’t bother to find out what was lacking, what went wrong today, and needless to say- what could have been improved.

Their lack of enthusiasm towards their work is as apparent and glaring as the pile of tissue waste that has overspilled from the washroom’s dustbin that was placed between the sinks. I had to carry my 3 year old son over the tissue waste before he could access the cubicle and once more before he could leave the toilet. My goodness.

If the food is cheap like coffee shop price, then perhaps I can close both eyes. But if you are charging restaurant prices, then please at least hire servers or managers that...

My recent visit to Awfully Chocolate @ East Coast Branch for their halloween dessert buffet left me & my family feeling deeply disappointed. Despite arriving 15mins before our reservation time, we were told to wait and the lack of consideration that my husband is on clutches was disheartening. Offering a table while we waited would have been a simple gesture of courtesy.

While we waited patiently, the female staff with colourful hair began seating and serving customers who arrived after us and completely ignored our presence, forcing me to remind her that we were first in line. This lack of attention and dissatisfied service attitude is disappointing. Such demeanor was entirely unnecessary. Customers expect a welcoming and positive dining experience especially they are paying.

My disappointment didn't end and it just got deepened. There were no utensils provided at the table, no service staff attending to us and no instructions were given on how to start the buffet. It was a queue-based ordering system at the buffet station and not self service.

The dessert buffet itself was far from a free-flowing experience. The selection was limited, with many desserts being repetitive. The classic chocolate cakes were sliced so thinly that the staff struggled to pick them up, resulting in them tearing into pieces. The most frustrating aspect was the limited serving ('while stock lasts') of the chocolate croissant and macaroons. These and other item were brought out late, it was clear that preparation was done last minute, as the staff was still scrambling to set up even after the buffet was supposed to have opened. A simple 30-minute head start would have made a world of difference. By the time I returned for a second round, they were gone and the staff appears to be unsure if there will be a replenishment and eventually claimed that it was a one-time offering and would not be served again for both items. For a buffet, this felt like a blatant attempt to shortchange customers.

The long queue at the station resulted in wasted customer time, highlighting a lack of operational readiness. A ratio of two staff members at the station would have significantly improved efficiency and customer experience. The restaurant's oversight in this area suggests a lack of thorough planning and not operation ready. Your restaurant was not adequately prepared for the volume of customers.

Overall, the experience at awfully choc was a major letdown. The lack of service, the limited selection, the parsimonious portioning, the long waiting queue at the small buffet station and the lack of preparation left me feeling shortchanged and disappointed.

Fortunately, Mr Shereen who is the Floor Manager quickly recognised that it was their shortfalls and stepped in. I am glad that there is still a well trained and good service staff standing !

Also compliments to the staff with tattoos serving at the buffet counter is very efficient and friendly. He did it all alone despite an...

I would have given 0 stars if I could

I generally avoid giving negative reviews to restaurants because I believe in supporting businesses. However, my recent visit to Awfully Chocolate left me quite disappointed.

My gf and I had eagerly anticipated their “Awfully Chocolate Weekend Brunch Buffet” and waited a month for a reservation to accommodate both our families. When the day arrived, despite having a reservation, we still had to queue for 30 minutes. This was acceptable, but we were surprised to learn that the $32.80++ price included only a bread basket and a main course (which was the size of a children's meal). Additionally, coffee or tea cost an extra $3 and were not free flow. The buffet spread was limited to scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, a small granola station, and a few pastries, which seemed redundant given the main course offerings.

Moreover, despite being a chocolate bakery and cafe, most chocolate items required an additional payment. The only included chocolate items were a chocolate croissant (which was tough and difficult to cut), chocolate bread pudding, passion fruit truffles, and a chocolate crookie (which was unavailable when we arrived). Several drinks were also out of stock, though the manager assured us they would be replenished.

We tried to stay positive, considering the $35.80++ price. Our reservation was for 2 pm, with the buffet ending at 4:30 pm. The hotline operator had advised us to come at 2 pm for the last seating, assuring us we wouldn't experience any disruptions and could enjoy our meal until closing, as the last replenishment would be at 3 pm. However, this wasn't the case, as they were still accepting many walk-ins.

What truly upset us was the lack of replenishment at 2:45 pm as promised. After waiting, we checked with the staff and manager again, only to be told that a small portion had been replenished and was immediately gone. This was surprising, considering it was a buffet. The manager explained that it operated on a first-come, first-served basis, implying that if early diners consumed all the buffet items, later diners would only get whatever was left and still have to pay the full price. This explanation was unsatisfactory and disappointing.

The manager’s nonchalant and unapologetic attitude compounded our frustration. During our meal, we observed several other customers leaving angrily, questioning the staff about the additional charges for chocolate items despite the buffet’s advertising.

In my opinion, the advertisement was misleading, suggesting that we would be enjoying their Awfully Chocolate signature cakes and other chocolate items in the buffet, but that was not the case.

Ultimately, we left the restaurant feeling hungry and...