Opus Bar & Grill Review @ VOCO Orchard Singapore

Whenever our wedding anniversary draws near, I will start cracking my head to think of places to bring my wife - by now you should know she's Lady M. Places that I have not brought her to. To be fair, we covered most restaurants with a view. Last year's at Artemis, we did LeVeL33, SKAI, CÉ LA VI, Monti, Riviera.. As you see, we always do Western at Marina area for some reason. So this year after some researching and filtering, we chose Opus Bar & Grill, conveniently located at the newly refurbished VOCO Orchard - once called Hilton. For once something different.

Limbeh and Lady M 5 years already lo!

VOCO does house some fancy luxury brands, but just to set expectations right, the entrance isn't grand. Just as with a lifestyle hotel. Cosy, small, a couple of check-in counters, unlike hotels like MBS or Shangri-la. The location of Opus can be easily spotted beside the check-in counters.

Okay, first impression. Busy Friday night, most tables are filled with crowds chatting loudly away. What do you expect, it's a bar and grill. We were seated promptly, but the table beside was uncomfortably close to us (imagine less than 50cm - how I miss the COVID restrictions), so we requested for a change of table at least thrice before we got our butts nestled at a nice corner.

We got ourselves their freshly shucked oysters (half dozen, $31), which is nicely dosed with plum vinegar, soya and spring onions. The freshness and tanginess from the sauce really hit the spot. But considering one of them cost most than five bucks, I'd say they better taste good. Speaking of which, I do miss the ones we had at the oyster bar in Perth. Cheap and good.

BMW 216i Gran Tourer - The perfect family car?

One of our biggest purchase last year was a car. 

It was finally a dream come through as I sat in my new purchase. Obviously this purchase didn't came easy, so we had a heck load of research work done. Considering our family of five, including our helper, and occasionally going on family trips with the grandparents, we knew we had to get a 7-seater (although I still wished for a coupe or my favourite ah beng Lancer). However, a full-size MPV would be a hassle to drive and park, and would probably use considerably more petrol, and a SUV is probably too small for our needs.

After weeks of filtering, we narrowed down our choices to 3 models, and most importantly, according to our budget of 100k for a second-hand car.

Before landing our hands on this 216i, here's our shortlisted cars (which could be used for your reference if you're considering a family car too):

#1. Mitsubishi Outlander 2018

When it comes to getting a 7-seater, the Outlander was my initial choice. The front looks mascular and seems like it could hold itself in the event of an accident. I did a test drive but found the ride to be extremely bumpy, as if I could almost feel every unevenness of the road. Despite looking bulky from the outside, the interior was quite cramp. To be fair, the Outlander seems to have the most powerful engine amongst our shortlisted cars. Features are basic and slightly limited, but the main con to me was the super tight third row. Imagine the leg space of budget airlines and halved that. Yep.