Showing posts with label Spanish Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spanish Food. Show all posts

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Restaurant Week, 2013 edition: Little Diners

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The last edition of restaurant week 2013 was at Little Diners. Initially I made a reservation for 2 pax, but changed it to 6 pax as the rest came along as well after a hearty game-session @ Boss EK's place. We were all pretty well-fed with snacks at EK's place, so we went for late dinner (due to my last min request, the restaurant could only accommodate 6 pax after 8pm which was totally fine with us). I was pleasantly surprised to see a place-card on the table with my name on it :) Nowadays, such sweet gestures are really hard to come by. 
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Leecher choosing items off from the set menu before making his decision.  
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The place was visibly still crowded even though it was close to 9pm. The kitchen, helmed by Chef Michael Quinn, was churning out plates and plates of food to feed the hungry diners. From this point onwards, both my camera + iPhone decided to call it quits and I had to rely on Leecher's Note 3 for pics. Somehow, I find that the picture quality is quite grainy as compared to iPhone even though Note 3 boosts a 13 mega-pixel camera as compared to iPhone 4S 8 mega-pixel. Maybe Leecher don't know how to set the resolution.  
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Guys on one side, girls on the other side ~ triple date!    
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Beers for the guys - a day out with Boss Khim means drinking during brunch (will blog about our brunch date @ Saint Pierre in another entry!), drink during games and drink during dinner, lol! He's really a drinking machine! I'm a fan of truffle fries, so its a must-order whenever we see this item on the menu. Sad to say, this plate of truffle fries was a disappointment ~ the fries were drenched in oil which resulted in it being soggy. 
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Cheers to a day of feasting, fun & drinking (^^)  
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Another of their recommended item, Old School Baked Mac and Cheese ~ glorious cheesy goodness topped with breadcrumbs & more cheese, baked till golden brown and served with salad. 
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We were able to select our preferred starters from 4 items. Most of us went for either wild mushroom soup (served with homemade garlic croutos and truffle oil drizzle) or soup of the day, which was cauliflower & pumpkin soup (I think!). 
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Leecher with wild mushroom soup :)  
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I wanted to be adventurous and ordered Fried Risotto Balls instead. These balls were fried to golden-brown, with a melty mozzarella center and served with rustic marinara sauce. These risotto balls were gigantic that I was struggling to finish both.
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 The girls unanimously chose Salmon (served with sweet potato puree and rocket salad) while the guys headed for more meaty choices like Chicken Roulade (slow poached chicken thigh stuffed with parma ham, wild mushrooms and spinach, finished in the oven till golden brown. homemade mash potatoes, roasted asparagus and red capsicum albufera sauce) and Bacon wrapped meatloaf (homemade mash potatoes, roasted vegetables and rich red wine mushroom gravy). Nothing too fantastic about their mains, apart from humongous portions!
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Desserts came in the choices of Old Fashioned Apple Crumble (sweet & tangy apple compote topped with delicious morsels of buttery crumble, served with vanilla ice cream) and Bread & Butter Pudding (brioche baked in a vanilla scented egg custard, accompanied wby luscious creme anglaise).
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Group pic before we call it a night, but missing me (the photographer!), haa!
Little Diner
789 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 269763
Tel: 6466 4088
Email: contact@littlediner.sg    
             

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

London 2012 Part Two



 
Just finished packing my bags for KL, leaving tomorrow morning. Traveling alone this time round, with a busy schedule, I hope I'll be able to catch my flight back given the short time that I have for commuting to the airport from my last meeting *fingers crossed*.
  
Back to updating the entries for London trip (P1 here) ~ We arrived at the hotel at close to 8am. Rooms were not available for us, so we had a quick wash-up before heading for breakfast near our office. 
 
Still in my flight gear, lol! 
 
Breakfast @ Patisserie Valerie, located around 15 min walk from the hotel / 5 min walk from the office. This place was named after the founder, Madam Valerie, a Belgian born lady who went to London on a mission to introduce fine continental pastisserie to the English. They have a lot of outlets located throughout London, serving different menus as well according to the location.
 
Hot chocolate (GBP2.80) & latte (GBP2.80) to warm up our cold bodies! It was freezing cold (by my standards) even though the sun shone on brightly outside. The window-facing-the-sun-seat was also chosen on purpose >.<
Ordered from their all-day breakfast & brunch selection (GBP7.95) ~ full english breakfast which came with choice of two fried/poached/scrambled eggs, bacon, cumberland sausage, grilled tomatoes, mushroom & toast. It was really yummy, but the portion was too big for me, so I had to leave the toast untouched.
Patisserie Valerie
37 Brushfield St 
London E1 6AA  United Kingdom
Tel: +44 20 7247 4906

I stayed on the 5th floor, together with a few colleagues. The walkway was dimly lit & felt as if we were walking inside a spacecraft, haha!
  
We managed to get a room once we came back from breakfast. By then, our other colleagues from Asia have arrived in London and were making their way to the hotel. So, we freshened  up and headed to the lobby to meet up with them. I was extremely tired and suffering from jet-lag, but I had to prevent myself from sleeping so I won't have problems sleeping later in the night. So, the rest of the team decided to head out for sight-seeing.

Patisserie Valerie was first opened in Frith Street in London's Soho in 1926 by Belgian born Madam Valerie. She came to London on a mission to introduce fine Continental Patisserie to the English. It was an instant success. - See more at: http://www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/about.aspx#sthash.zNl60Hz1.dpuf
Patisserie Valerie was first opened in Frith Street in London's Soho in 1926 by Belgian born Madam Valerie. She came to London on a mission to introduce fine Continental Patisserie to the English. It was an instant success. - See more at: http://www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/about.aspx#sthash.zNl60Hz1.dpuf
Sight-seeing include a trip to Selfridge :) I was on good behaviour and didn't buy a single thing *beams with pride, lol* 
Patisserie Valerie was first opened in Frith Street in London's Soho in 1926 by Belgian born Madam Valerie. She came to London on a mission to introduce fine Continental Patisserie to the English. It was an instant success. - See more at: http://www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/about.aspx#sthash.zNl60Hz1.dpu
Patisserie Valerie was first opened in Frith Street in London's Soho in 1926 by Belgian born Madam Valerie. She came to London on a mission to introduce fine Continental Patisserie to the English. It was an instant success. - See more at: http://www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/about.aspx#sthash.zNl60Hz1
The AM team met up for drinks first, before adjourning for a cozy dinner @ Meson Los Barriles, located within walking distance from the hotel.
 
Drinking is the culture in the office, haha! Whenever we go, there are bound to be booze and more booze. 
 
We catch up over dinner & also introducing Sidney to the rest of the team. The tapas were all amazing ~ I was told that these were really authentic Spanish food, a rare find in London.
 
The AM team, with Cindy in Product team. Most of the AMs are girls, apart from Japan & America, where guys dominated the team, lol!   
While I googled for the address for the restaurant, I came across a comment in a forum saying that the restaurant has closed down as of 20th Dec 2012, due to the management ramping up the rents around the area. I dunno how true that is, but I've put down the address in case anyone is keen to visit this place (if it is still around).
Menson Los Barriles
8A Lamb Street, Spitalfields Market
London E1 6EA
Tel: +44 (0)20 7375 3136
 I reached the hotel, feeling completely zoned out! Met up with the rest of the guys who went to the stadium & caught the live actions from the EPL match. We headed back to our rooms instead of opting for a nights' out. Guess everyone just wanted to hop into bed and enjoy a night of undisturbed rest. 
 
Filled up my breakfast requirement & hung the bag outside my door. 
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Woke up the next morning with the breakfast carrier hanging outside the hotel door. 
 
Healthy pot of yogurt, banana and orange juice. 
Dressed causally for the day, for we had to take the coach from Central London to Cambridge, where we will be staying for 2 nights for the conference.
Packed my breakfast into my bag, together with all the necessities - scarf (checked), camera (checked), water (checked), document file (checked).
 
On the way to Cambridge!

Thursday, January 31, 2013

NYE Dinner @ Serenity

Feb is just round the corner and counting down to CNY & Vday. Before ushering in 2013, we met up for NYE dinner with EK, Pris, Yaozu & Kenneth. Work ended at 3.30pm, so we went home, had a change of clothes before adjourning to Vivocity for the meetup.
 
Drove to Vivocity and was caught in a slight jam, as the party-goers were out in full force to attend the various countdown party. We were lucky to find a parking lot as well. 
 
Leecher chose the place & I called in 2 weeks before to reserve a table. We were given the later seating @ 8.30pm, which was perfect for us. Serenity offers a wide variety of 42 selections of tapas for your eating pleasure.  
Awards decorating the front door. 
 
We had a quiet corner to ourselves, which was great for catching up.
*waves hi*
 
The rest arrived earlier before us and placed the orders. We arrived just in time for the 1st dish. Talk about perfect timing :)
 A popular Spanish tapas dish, champinones al ajillo is mushrooms sauteed with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and typically seasoned with flat-leaf parsley, salt, ground black pepper and chilli. This is a must-have for all the mushroom lovers!
 
"Patatas Bravas" or Bravas Potato is served in bars all over Spain. The sauce has a slight bite from the Tabasco, hence the name "Bravas" which means fierce.  
 
Pan Con Alioli - Homemade herb bread with sun-dried tomato served with their homemade aioli sauce. This became Pris's staple for the night for she wasn't feeling well.  
  
Serenity has more than 120 labels of Spanish wines, covering famous wine regions such as Rioja, Rueda, Torro etc. More than 60 labels are exclusive and rare Spanish wines. Having tasted mostly Australian, French & Italian wines, I must say Spanish wines need a lil bit of getting-used to, in terms of the texture and acidity level.
 
So, we ordered a jug of Sangria, lol, which I can relate more to. Sangria is wine fruit punch that started off as a summer drink in Spain. 
 
Boss EK looking through the wine list for yet another bottle of wine.  
 
Butifarra, most well-known as the name of a Spanish sausage, but it is also the name of a popular Peruvian sandwich. 
 
Pincho Moruno de Lomo (Grilled marinated pork on skewers). Pinocho Moruno is another tapas that can be found in tapas bars all over Spain (it can be enjoyed as a main course too). Basically, a pincho moruno is a lomo adobado (pork loin with parika) that has been cut into bite-sized pieces, stuck on a skewer and grilled. Another of the must-try dish :)
 Spanish garlic prawns, which goes well with a glass of white wine!
 Homemade flat bread with Spanish anchovies, paprika & cheese. Chewy texture, just the way I like it.
 
Can never pair these 2 together, lol! They kept blocking each other from pic-taking. 
 
Pausing for round 1. Take pictures first before gorging ourselves silly for round 2. 
 
Paella is the traditional dish of Spain, originating from the City of Valencia. Like the Chinese, Spanish also like to eat the slightly burnt rice at the base of the pan. We ordered the Black Squid Ink Paella - which consisted of squid ink, squid, tiger prawns, capsicum and rice. 
 Signature Suckling Pig, also known as Cochinillo Asado. The dish came on an enormous wooden platter and swiftly portioned into smaller pieces with the use of a small plate. The piglet is so tender and can be cut with a plate instead of a knife. This is now available for both dine-in and takeaway.
Must rem to take group picture with food on the table! haha :) 
 
 
Kenneth bought us desserts from Home's Favourite. I'm not a fan of durian but these were too yummy to pass :) 
 
  Till the next CNY meeting, bring along all the cash, lol!
Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant
No.1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-98/99 Vivocity
Singapore 098585
Tel: 63768185

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