Qian Xi - Hilltop Garden Restaurant


kcpc

New Member
Hihi,

Anyone took Ballroom B for their wedding banquet? Understand from Suzana tht the max for Ballroom B is 30 tables.. Anyone tried for more tables? Izzit too squeezy? Pls advise. Thanks.
 
akino > LOL .... Fri, Sat and Sun !!!
My wedding favor might be delivered tomorrow, hai~
Might only -.-!

kcpc > Anything above 30 tables, have u ever consider Crystal ballroom?
 

dyeann

New Member
kcpc > we booked the banquet ballroom B and took the divider section right up to just before ballroom A so can fit about 32 - 34 tables max. but lady boss did advise try not to since two tables will have to be by the side of the stage setup.
 
akino > I got my wedding favor le ... hai~
I ordered too much, in the end, i can't even meet the minimum table requirements too.
I at most only got 30 tables but the minimum requirements i got is 35 tables, wanna faint liao. Last min also got relatives and friends not coming ... some tables got empty seats too.

My AD is tomorrow!!!
 

dyeann

New Member
wonder how's Garfield's reception now
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kcpc

New Member
Garfield> Crystal Ballroom is already taken on 26th Dec. And for weekend, I was told the minimum tables is 45 lei..I wont be able to meet the numbers.
I tried to tok to Jenny & Suzanna le. THey said the same lor.. Max 30 tables.. If nid to add addtional tables, will be veri tight. So im still thinking hard nw..
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dyeann > Thanks for your concern .... my AD at Hilltop is considered a smooth one, thanks to Andy !!!

kcpc > Pls do not take Crstal Ballroom if you felt that u does not have enough tables like i do.
I only manages to have 30 tables and need to pay for the 35 tables excluding the vege pax, i am so sad, making a loss because of this.

I went down to pay for my balance payment today and realized that for my other 5 compensate tables which i will come back to eat, red wine and hard liquors are not included. I still got 5 tables, oh dear .... thinking how to eat?

ALL > Andy Fong, i guess this is his name, quite a good coordinator for my lunch banquet as i am super "kan chiong" before and during my lunch banquet. He ensure and guide me all along the banquet and advise me what procedures i should do even though i have certain request like first march in song played at which intervals, montage to be played first followed by first course presentation using my own song too, he is able to accommodate and able to adjust accordingly to my last minute request.

My appearance for first march-in is superb as the Crystal ballroom is so huge, long and straight which make the walking in look nice. That allowed my lovely song to be played for quite long .... and the smoke that was generated at the entrance that make me looked like a "superstar".

My guests are praising Xian Xi Lou for their delicious and big portion food that was served to them.
In fact, I was so happy to hear that they liked most of the dishes very much as my mum are still worrying that during food tasting, our portion are so big but for our actual banquet it wouldn't be the same as that's what even some 5 stars Hotel are doing here.

In the end, my worries turn out to be unfounded for. There was many leftover i think from the 5 course onwards but all my relatives and friends are too "pai seh" to request for take-away. If i know, i should have told them to ask for "ta bao".

In term of the food rating .... Firstly, the big portion of shark fin placed on top was clearly seen and does not taste starchy. It is real shark fins!

Secondly, the oat prawns are nicely fried and the oat was full of praises by many friends and relatives. They loved the oat very very much. The prawns are fresh too, means that we don't have to choose steamed prawns in order to have fresh prawns.

Lastly, the noodles are not oily too. I must say that many of my guests will remember this place and will definitely return again.

Didn't get to see Suzanna yesterday and today, wonder how is she .... as i have not thanked her for the "special" arrangement she promised during the signing of contract that my father-in-law must have a share during our food tasting. Thanks Suzanna and jia you!!!
 

dyeann

New Member
garfield .. that's good to know
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do you mind to let me see photos of the ballroom and table setup?
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my ad is next year so no photos to share at the moment in fb or multiply ... my id is tilapiah at yahoo.com thanks!!
 

bomohpang

Member
hi Garfield,
glad to hear that ur wedding was run smoothly.

is dao pao allowed?
it'a quite a pity to just throw away the left over.
 

pinky_dris

New Member
hi garfield, tks for ur update. it helps built confidence for us. just curious, which menu did u choose, what is ur song for 1st match in and roughly how long is e duration? 3min song sufficient? and is their 1st course presentation good? most imptly, how many waiter per table did they assign?

so they allow you to return 1 day later to pay e outstanding cost? is it true that they only accept cash or cheque? cannot credit card?

same for me. during food tasting, e food portion is v huge. we were wondering if e AD portion will be e same. my current guest list is 49 tables. hence, a bit worried if things dont turn out well during AD.

sorry for so many questions asked...hehe....
 

dyeann

New Member
pinky when we put deposit that time suzanah already say cash or cheque and can pay the next day .. they dun accept credit card for the payment cause of the amt and there will be surcharges imposed by the bank? something like that.
 

pinky_dris

New Member
dyeann> i din ask when i put deposit, but thats what i heard from others. but hor, actually if we pay by credit card, more convenient and we can earn points for voucher redemeption, etc....lol...just trying to squeeze every cent to good use.

cant remember who mentioned, but was saying pay cash, they miscount, hilltop staff also miscount. end up went down twice...so scary. must open eyes big big when counting all e notes.
 

kcpc

New Member
Dyeann> How many tables will u be looking at? to-date: I nid at least 31 + 1R. Im juz afraid it might be too squeezy..
 

dyeann

New Member
kcpc my current count is 280+ guests but thinking since mine is 23rd oct sure got pple won't be able to show up due to other invites clash? after helping so many weddings .. really won't 100% hit the guest list one .. you looking at lvl 2? cause i took the ballroom (b?) which is nearest to the lifts / toilet all the way to the last rail available for the section before ballroom a. i think that one can fit 32 tables but no more than that liao.
 

dyeann

New Member
pinky> we had the same idea cause manhattan / citbank dividend can get rebate back on expenditure but suzanah says no they don't do it
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she says cash payment if go back the next day after banquet to pay is ok with her or alternatively give her cheque she'll bank it in on Monday after the weekend.
 

kcpc

New Member
Dyeann> Spoken to Jenny. She said the same lor..
Can max to 32 tables. But i would have to sacrifice the long march-in to a shorter march-in..
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keep my fingers crossed.. Will be meeting Jenny/Andy soon.. Will seek their advise.
 

dyeann

New Member
kcpc> how come leh? cause if you take ballroom (a oops not b is the closest to the lift / toilet) the entry will be at the door at the back closer to the kitchen area so it will be in a L (sideways) shape with the stage set at the wall that has the door cloest to the lift. not sure if you know wat i mean? unless you going to put your stage in the middle of the ballroom?
 

reeree

New Member
I just had my wedding at the Crystal Ballroom on 28 Nov. What can i say? Everything was superb. The place was beautiful, food was good, service was awesome. Andy was a great help throughout the dinner and ensured everything went smoothly. I would strongly recommend this place to my friends!
 

hermes76

Member
Yes, I second that, Crystal Ballroom did leave me a good impression & i'm also impressed by the good food & service.

Would probably book Hilltop for my AD if not for my BTB insistence for a hotel ballroom.
 

dyeann

New Member
garfield and desiree .. did you all give angpows to Andy and crew ? thinking that if the service is good on the day to give them but not sure how many staff they will have :>
 

dyeann

New Member
ooh i see .. ok. i was also thinking of giving the crew 1 ang bao for them to share and one for the captain / in-charge.

thanks!
 
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This is Crystal Ballroom on my AD. Do request for alternate table cloth as it looked great on my wedding. The original layout will be gold in colour but i request for alternate, which is one gold table cloth and one red table cloth for the next one etc

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Look! Andy in the background ...
 

dyeann

New Member
garfield .. the curtains are drawn throughout the banquet? tot it would have very nice garden view in the daytime ... ;)
 
Dyeann > Sorry, I have not officially upload any pic yet as I am still waiting for my photographer to upload. Nevertheless my wife friend tagged us a few pic in FB but not much was abt our banquet at Crystal Ballroom.
I gave ang pow to all the crews including the kitchen staff, I think around 30pax or something. But this is something optional. U can just give it to your coordinator will do, it’s alright too. A red packet as a token of appreciation will do.


Bomohpang > Pls pls pls remind and request your guests to “da bao†if they can’t finished their food. After the event, my guests told me, they liked the cereal oat prawn but pai seh to ask for da pow. It is absolutely alright to ask for da bao rather than let the food go to waste. Remind them again, they can da bao, they can da bao, don’t pai seh!
Yours not Crystal Ballroom, guess it’s even easier for Andy to perform a better job. Request for him then.


Pinky > I chosen the $588 menu but change the duck to Yam Ring with chicken. Trust me, the yam ring is superb, I like it very much. Nevertheless, pls try to ask or request for Yam Ring with seafood OR even Yam Ring with seafood plus those abalone mushroom etc
This is real life experience, I got the crispy chicken already eat so many chicken, now Yam Ring with chicken, all the chicken is wasted this time round.
Then I also change the fish to red groupa and top up another $30, it’s worth it. As it looked more presentable as compared to the steam live sea bass.
Pls choose a first march in song long enough for u to walk slowly and enough for u to cut the fake cake and come down to your VIP table. I chosen the song “I finally found someoneâ€, I personally like that a lot and it is quite unique too.
For the first course presentation, I chosen the song “I love you alwaysâ€, playing from the 2min5sec onwards and open the door for the staff to make their appearance on the 2min18min …. A short song will do. March in for the staff are so-so only, nothing special.
For the second march in, I chosen “Tonight I celebrate my loveâ€, playing from the beginning and open the door from the 8sec onwards.
I can’t remember how many waiter or waitress per table on my AD. I only know VIP table got 1 each, whahahahahahahahahahaha.
They allow u to come back one day later to foot the balance. For me, I brought the whole stack of cash for Andy to count. -.-“
By the way, pls do not purchase too much fire cracker or popper as it was not allowed as they are worried u might burn down the whole place. For the Crystal Ballroom, they only allow 2 popper at the stage, by the side, that’s all. My friends got to bring back all the poppers.
Food wise, I felt that u should let Hilltop worry abt this as this is something not within your control. Just concentrate on being a cheerful, happy and pretty bride will do. On that day, u got not time to think so much. Everything happen so fast for me. Maybe u can remind Andy or whoever to control the timing of the dishes although I know they are expert in this field. I held mine in the afternoon and I don’t know why it was so rush for other tables besides the VIP … they will ask and ask whether the guests still want the existing food on the table so that they can clear it.
To make thing worse, my whole table of colleagues kenna an auntie who actually asked them what drinks they liked and she only offered hot tea and plain water. Not only they, she cleared the food without asking and they had to eat like mad for every dishes. Oh my god, BUT this is definitely one isolated case.

*Prices are subject to change without further notices, pls check with Suzanna personally.


Desiree Lim > Ha ha ha, glad we held our banquet there.
 
dyeann > Curtain are drawn throughout the event so that the guests will concentrate on my wedding and to simulate "evening banquet" for my luncheon.

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gingerbreadman > U been to Jurong Safra? I heard from friends that the ballroom are much nicer than Crystal Ballroom?

How true is it?
U got any pic?
 
I had uploaded few nice wedding song for those who really need them ...

-First march-in song: "I finally found someone"
Played from the 6sec
(My 3 group of small kids will walk in pairs first, follow by me)

-First course presentation song: "I love you always"
Played from 2min 05sec
Open door at 2min 18min

-Second march-in song: "Tonight i celebrate my love"
Played from the beginning
Open door at the 8sec
 

dyeann

New Member
garfield> hahah me and htb was thinking if we do that for our march-in during the church ceremony alot of pple will faint kekeke
 

pinky_dris

New Member
garfield> thank you very much! that helps. so many good comments about them. so happy to see that
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I chosen e $588 menu also. but din change any dish cos duck was their speciality. just change the sequence a bit else middle part a bit too meaty. noted on the music timing too. cos worried 3min songs too short for e whole walk in, cake cutting, etc.

abt jurong safra, it leaves good n deep impression to guest too. just that their ceiling is not as high as hilltop crystal ballroom. crystal ballroom still look more spacious n grand.
 

ivanpaseo

New Member
hi Garfield, i am going to book the crystal ballroom also but as i heard from suzanna there is a rental charge of 1.2k for the ball room rental wonder did you have to pay the rental as well? thanks.
 

pinky_dris

New Member
Hi Ivan, I can help garfield with your question. Yes. we all paid for the rental charge of 1.2k for crystal ballroom. i think most of us paid $2k for deposit upon confirmation (minimum).
 
dyeann > If that's the march-in u chosen, it will be super unique and memorable, whahahahaha but i don't dare to do it.
My march-in, they put alot of smoke only .... lol, no bubble leh, how i wished too.

pinky > No worries, don't mention it. I am also very anxious and "hand was like leg, leg was like hands" on my AD. So i thought i could help out some friends here and hopefully more or less benefit from what i had went through.
Try to choose a long first march-in song. Pls don't feel pai seh abt the menu pricing, we no need to choose the most ex menu in order to "save face". In my own opinion, $588 is good enough for Hilltop menu, maybe u can consider changing the fish to red groupa, it good! And that would be perfect liao.
And yes, Crystal Ballroom got super high ceiling, look spacious and grand, can fight with hotel liao.

Ivan Loh Mun Kiat > Yes, our dear Pinky is right, we need to pay the $1.2k deposit too. There's no way to waive it ... because from what i understand, Suzanna also rent the place from CSC. Initially i think it's ex but after consider, it's worth every single cent when most guests commented, they loved the ballroom too.
Just a word of cautious, do not booked the Crystal ballroom if u feel that u can't meet the minimum tables requirement.
 

hapiley

New Member
Dear ladies,

Just some sharing.. I just had my wedding dinner held at Hilltop Garden level 2 Ballroom A last Friday. I had 30 tables but only used 29 tables as last minute alot of no turn-out from guests
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So I be going back to consume that table one of these days..
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My coordinator is Kelvin and John. They are both super nice, helpful and friendly person. :p I reached the restuarant around 5pm for my makeup and immediately,they came over and asked me whether do I need any food so that they can prepare for me as they think that I wont be able to eat after my makeup.. :p End up, they prepared fried hor fun not only for me but for my family who also reach there earlier to help in the preparation.
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When its time to march-in, Kelvin will guide my husband and me just outside the ballroom on how to walk along the aisle nicely and keep reminding us that we should smile and calm us down as both of us are super gan cheong! :p

The food quantity and quality is superb! i received feedback from my guests that the food is simply delicious and the portion is huge.. so all of them are so full after the whole dinner! Best dishes includes cereal prawns (the prawns are fresh and BIG!), the steam seabass (fish super fresh!) and brocoli with scallop (alot of scallops found in the dish)... :D

Guess the only drawback for holding it at the level 2 Ballroom is that the reception area is actually outdoor and non air-condition so my husband was sweating like hell when he was there arranging and welcoming guest... "p I also heard some of my friends commented that some of the waitress are rushing them to finished the food 'cos they say they want to leave early or else no transport etc.. so just remind the coordinators that they should inform their waitress not to have such attitude as this reflect badly...

Overall, I still find that Hilltop garden restuarant is still a good place for wedding dinner if you want your guests to have quality food and eat to their fill... :D
 

dyeann

New Member
hapiley .. thanks so much for your tips and advice!
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oooh do you have photos of your setup cause my banquet is also about 30 tables at ballroom A
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oh yar i forgot to ask .. how was the food presentation and their first dish "performance" ? we asked susanah if we can skip all that laser stuffs and first dish presentation as we find it very cheesy.
 

hapiley

New Member
Hi Dyeann, I am asking my photographer to send me the photos first.. most prob i can only get it by next week.. Mind if i ask when is your AD? ;p

haha.. tell you frankly, im too excited to notice about the first dish presentation... :D but the songs that they use (which is only one option) is very common.. so maybe you want to find a song for that..
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another thing to share.. for the march-in, they do not have dry ice to make the effect.. they only have smoke machine.. but dun think i will recommend that to be used 'cos its very smelly and my photographer say he cannot take nice photos in that.. end up i jus use flowers petals and give to those friends sitted along the aisle for them to throw at us..
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dyeann

New Member
hapiley> mine's 23oct next year. we found the carpet very cheesy also so hoping they will change it when they get the new fabrics for their table cloth / seat covers etc come the new year since i heard from susanah thats wat they are planning to do.

we requested not to have the first dish presentation .. no laser no smoke .. but they provide "bubble machine" for the toasting ..tats why i asked garfield if they have that. i even snap a photo of the machine on the portable stage for reference.

i'm thinking of doing away with yumseng on stage as well but my aunty says it's disrespectful of me to do away with that
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my inlaws-to-be is very chinchai let us decide wat we want. sigh
 

dyeann

New Member
i just went to dig the menu paper out maybe i see wrongly since it's listed smoke, music and laser effect. strange .. don't know where i saw the bubble machine thing .. hmm
 

hapiley

New Member
dyeann> better to confirm again with them on the bubble machine.. :p

So how's your preparation for next year AD?
You got your bridal package, photography and videography already?
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Since I just went through the whole process, if you need help, maybe i can share my experience with you... heehee...

Btw, you can add me to your FB acct so that I can share some of my pre-wedding shoots and the upcoming AD photos with you... my email is [email protected] :D
 

dyeann

New Member
hapiley> oh well we told them we don't want the dummy cake also hahaha so suzanna was saying won't it be very boring whole nite cause everyone just sit down and eat and go home hahaha. now thinking of entertainment for the guests so that me and my hubby won't become the entertainment.

i left bridal car + catering for church + AD process haven't really sort it out yet. VG is my friend doing it for us. is it ok if i serve my family's side for tea first before i leave for my htb's place?
 

hapiley

New Member
Dyeann> I have added you in FB.. :p

What kind of entertainment you plan to have?

For the tea ceremony, i tink it depends what time you leave your mum's place.. i mean if its very early, dont think your relative will be able to make it to have tea before you leave for htb ba... :D

For me, I leave my mum's place ard 8.45am and reach my husband place around 9.30am. Had the tea ceremony and photo taking with his family and relative. then leave his house around 10.30am to go take some outdoor photos.. then go bac my own house to change dress before going back to my mum's place for 2nd session of tea ceremony.. by the time i reach my mum's place, its already around 12.30pm... just nice for lunch.. haha..
 


dyeann

New Member
hapiley> saw your photos esp the pre wedding ones you look so good with your husband!
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we are flying one of my htb's sec sch friend to sg from bangkok to sing during the morning ceremony .. i recently saw something and decided i would like to use that as my march-in song for the church ceremony .. so he's getting his friend to sing the song for us.

so she was joking that if we fly her back to sg just to sing 1 song she feel very pai seh .. so ask us to dedicate more so might get her to sing during dinner also.
 

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