Top 5 money saving deals that allow you to eat delicious food at top restaurants
Let's face it. We have to eat to survive, but why does good, quality food at top notch restaurants have to be so expensive??? Unless you're as rich as Paris Hilton, food expenses can really burn a hole in your pocket at the end of the day.I like to reward myself with some comfort food after a hard day's work. But what can we do?? It's too painful a lifestyle to keep.
Which is why I went and compiled a list of top 5 tips, tricks, apps and more to help you (and me!) make use of all these deals so both our tummy's can thank us later.
Keep reading to find out more and of course, get access to exclusive discount codes!
Ready, set, go.
- 1-for-1 main course, anybody?
Photo credits: Superadrianme
Introducing, The Entertainer. A widely acclaimed mobile app that focuses on making their customers (aka, you!) happy by caring for your wallet. The Entertainer provides over 1,065 ‘buy one get one free’ vouchers from the city’s most exclusive dining, leisure, wellness and entertainment venues including Au Petit Salut, Kinki, Carnivore, Hard Rock Café and more!What's even better is that due to the app's international recognition, you can check out their global deals when you're overseas for business or holiday trips! Some places you can expect to use your vouchers are Dubai, Hong Kong, London... and the list goes on.
How to get it?
Download The Entertainer app now for a one month trial to get 1-for-1 main course at selected restaurants, absolutely FREE!! It's a flat fee of $95 to get access to ALL their partners til 31 Dec 2014, which can be utilized via the app, a book which they will mail over, or you can pick up at any Kinokuniya bookstore. In my opinion, $95 is a really great deal because it's easily recoverable by dining at at least 2 places before it expires. For example, a main course at Hard Rock Cafe would set you back by at least $30 per person, but if you get 1 for 1 you immediately get $30 off!PSST!! To help you get started, key in "@claires_flair" at checkout to get yourself 20% off the original price! That reduces the price from $95 to $76 and has effectively just saved you an additional $17!! You're welcome.
Discount code is only valid until the end of April. So don't hesitate and just get it now before it's too late!!
- $30licious set meals
Presented by American Express and Hungrygowhere, diners can enjoy specially curated set menus including craving-worthy-dishes at more than 30 restaurants across the island! American Express cardholders get them at $30++ while all other diners using other modes of payments get them at $35++. All you need is the person footing the bill to pay via an Amex card to qualify for the $30++ set meal!
I popped over to Mouth Restaurant during lunch recently and was treated to their signature baked custard bun that was beyond legendary. I've never had a custard bun that had a bo luo bao crispy texture on top, complemented by the liquid salted egg custard that was just divine. Trust me, the list of restaurants under this promotion? Worth going through all the trouble of signing up for an Amex card just so I could use this promotion.
For a complete list of restaurants and details of their set menu, click here. Participating merchants include Etna Italian Restaurant, Gyu-Kaku (Anchorpoint), and Tomo Izakaya, among others, offering a wide array of cuisines that even the fussiest foodie is certain to be spoilt for choice. Making a reservation on Hungrygowhere isn't an essential step, but it could help guarantee a table at your preferred location.
PSST!! The $30 set meals are only valid until end of April, so be sure to check them out ASAP!!
- Restaurant Week
I remember my first experience with Restaurant Week when it first launched in 2011. What initially began as a curious interest to find out which restaurants were under the programme, quickly turned into a fastest-fingers-first race against time to clinch a reservation at one of the top restaurants in Singapore. Here's a tip, book first, ask your friends who's interested to meet for a meal later.
Just imagine - limited seats for a special 3-course meal at established and new restaurants will be offered at an irresistible fixed price of either $25++ (for lunch) or $35++ (for dinner)! Some really high end restaurants will have an additional surcharge, but it'll definitely be cheaper than what you could ever get when you order ala carte.
Their partners include, but are not limited to, Il Lido, Infusion@ Dempsey, Jade, La Noce, Magma, My Little Spanish Place, Michelangelo’s, Salt Grill & Sky Bar so you know you're definitely getting value for your money.
Reservations for these high in demand spots are only available online via restaurantweek.sg . However, the most recent Restaurant Week was in March, so I doubt there will be one soon. Keep your eyes and ears peeled though! As rumour has it that they will be extending restaurant week to cover two weekends so more people can benefit ;)
PSST!! Join their mailing list to get priority booking 2 days before everybody else and to get ample notice on when the next restaurant week will happen!!
- Subscribe to food deal newsletters
I subscribe to Groupon, and customize my alerts such that I get only one email a week about food, and boyyy have I been milking the benefits! There are discounts for a wide range of eateries, from KFC family meals to Rendevous Hotel buffets, and you can get value vouchers (eg pay $20 and get $40 worth of food) or even 70% off dim sum set lunches! The earlier you find the deal and purchase it, the faster you can make a reservation at the establishment before everyone books the place and you have til there's a slot a month later. #truestory- Subscribe to food deal newsletters
PSST!! Don't forget to keep track of which places you've bought deals for, their terms and conditions (some places are only applicable for weekday lunches) and when they expire!! I've had a few coupons that were completely wasted because I either a) totally forgot about them, or b) didn't read the fine print properly and realise I'm not applicable. Bleh.
- Get a credit card
I'm not saying you should just get ANY card, do your homework first. Citibank has dining privileges with 5 and 6 star hotels like W Singapore, St Regis and Raffles hotel, and even promises to refund the difference if you can find a better offer with their partnered restaurants under another credit card! UOB has partners with hotels as well but gives you more choices to dine at cafes and smaller establishes too. DBS gives great value especially for entry level credit cards due to their wide range of discounts which you can find out more on their mobile app. There are tons of other credit cards but I can't be going through them all! Just spend within your means and remember to ask your friends to pay you back if your credit card is being used to foot the bill. That friend that says she'll pay you back all the time and always forgets to bring her wallet? Dump him/her.
Alright that's it! Be sure to share this post with your friends so all of you can save money together! Let me know if you have any comments or any other tips to share too.
Til next time!
