How to have a meal for two at $10 in Cafe Cartel

Cafe Cartel has always been the place that we like to go to when we want to eat in a restaurant but don't want to spend much. We go here when we're on a tight budget yet want a nice place to eat. Why? Because Cafe Cartel gives free flow of bread and water. :D

But who wants to eat just bread and water, right? There are a few dishes that Cafe Cartel is known for - pan-fried linguine, St. Louis pork ribs, and pan-fried macaroni. When we're in more of a spending mood, Mr Budget loves to go for the pan-fried linguine, but don't try the pan-fried macaroni until you note the description which says that it is fried in Cartel's secret sambal sauce. Ms Budget didn't see it the first time she ordered it, and it was a hot experience for her.

So anyway, the first time we did the Budget Cartel date, it was with the Super Chic'n Wing Zings... basically fried chicken wings. We ordered one of this ($5.80) and a soup of the day ($3.80). That brought us to $11.20 (inclusive of GST and service charge).

Two Sundays ago, we found something on the table when we arrived:


It was 8.45pm when we got seated, so we dallied around till 9.05pm (just to be safe) before making our order. It says 50% off all snackers and coffee drinks, right? But who wants to order coffee at after 9.00pm when we have work the next morning?

Here's what we ordered:

The Super Chic'n Wing Zings

(usual price $5.80, now $2.90)

and... dah-dah-dum! the Supreme Platter: a combination of breaded fish, calamari, scallops, chicken nuggets, cheddar crisp potatoes, served with Chef's special sauce and tartar sauce.

(usual price $11.50, now $5.75)

We topped up the meal with bread and water. The staff were only too eager for us to help finish the leftover bread, otherwise they'd have to throw it away, so no need to feel paiseh.

Free flow of bread, with butter

The water expands the bread in your stomach, so if you want to feel fuller, just eat more bread and drink more water.

That brought our total to $10.15 (with GST and service charge).

Our receipt for $10.15

Now you know. You can try various combinations of snackers for variety and, if you have any other after-9pm offers to share, let us know!