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Out of the Pan (Food)

Published Friday, July 20, 2007 by The Movie Club | E-mail this post

It’s hard to miss Out of the Pan if you are a frequent shopper at Raffles City Shopping Centre. Located at basement one surrounding the central fountain, it serves a variety of unique crepes (pronounced ‘krep’) and sinful desserts, suitable for those seeking a light meal.

Although the concept is open air, the dining area does not feel crowded or noisy, offering customers a chance to people-watch, or to be people-watched. With its warm lighting and contemporary décor, small groups of friends will find it enjoyable to share crepes or waffles right next to the water feature.

My choice was the ‘Mega Menu’ which included a salad, savoury crepes, and a beverage ($20.00++). Crepes originate from France, but the menu here is modified to with international and local flavours which would appeal to those who love variety.

Some of the recommended crepes include Yum Yum Mushroom ($12.50) filled with sautéed shiitake, straw and oyster mushroom, Fish Masala ($15.50) inspired from Indian spices, Seafood Jungle ($15.50) packed with crabmeat, prawns and citrus fruits, Korean BBQ Pork ($12.50), and Beef and Bell Peppers ($13.50).

One of the best sellers is Peking Duck Crepe ($14.50) with thin whole wheat crepe wrapping around roasted duck with sambal olek, lychees and plum sauce. The result is an interesting union of dark salty-sweet sauce and roasted duck which is not too fatty. The lychees provide extra sweetness and juice to the combination, but are too few to make a significant difference.

The Green Garden Salad is a standard starter of seasonal greens with balsamic and olive oil. The Iced Tea is a surprisingly refreshing beverage which has a light fragrance and is not too sweet.

There are only two versions of the sweet crepes when compared to the savory choices. Opt for the Chocolate Mania ($11.50) of glazed banana wrapped in chocolate crepe with dark chocolate ice cream or the Strawberry Cream ($11.50) toped up with custard cream and vanilla ice cream.

The succulent strawberries and light custard are sinfully unforgettable.

My main gripe about the food was that the portions are too small for the price to pay. Unless there is a promotion, the individual items added up will cost quite a bit up to $30 per person. Also, while it is enough for an after-meal dessert, customers who want a full meal may go hungry. While the waiters serve with a smile at times, there are too few of them to go around. During peak hours, they are almost too busy to notice your requests.

The experience may be nothing divine, but Out of the Pan’s versions of crepes can be said to be creative and out of the box.

Food - 2

Ambiance - 2

Service - 2

Value - 3

Overall - 2.75