Loola's by Awfully Chocolate @ Esplanade Mall

Loola at Esplanade is less than a month's old, but it's already packing the crowd. Managed by Awfully Chocolate, the name "Loola" actually resembles the name of the baby daughter of the lady boss of Awfully Chocolate.



Loola is located on the same floor as My Humble House, and it's easy to spot the entrance due to its white facade.



The decor is simple with white chairs and wooden tables. The restaurant has a nice viewing spot where you can see the "lotus" flower of the Marina Bay Sands.



We ordered a variety of food to try out since it's our first visit. The Waldorf (S$13) - a salad consisting of baked apples, walnuts crumble, fresh celery, dried cranberries, creamy dressing, was crunchy and refreshing. They also added some fresh diced green apples for added crunch too.



Free ice water for all diners. Service was excellent as they will keep coming over to ask how was the food and if everything is ok.



There were 2 soups on the menu. The first was the Creamy Tomato Bacon Soup (S$9) - Tomato and Carrot soup with crispy bacon. The soup didn't come pippin' hot, so we requested them to heat it up again. Taste was good.



Their second soup is not your usual kind of soup, but a local Salted Vegetable Duck Soup (S$9) - or more commonly known as Kiam Chai Arg. What sets this version aparts from the "homemade" version is the addition of Egg emulsion in the soup, which creates an almost creamy texture. The soup also had chunks of Confit of Duck, where the duck skin had a crisp texture.



A surprise hit from Loola was this Marrow & Toast (S$15) - Grilled bone marrow, toast, balsamic reduction, capsicum pesto. I didn't know how this bone marrow dish ended up here in this cafe, but it's sinfully good. Eat the marrow with the crispy toast. Creamy and intense.



Another beef dish we had was the hearty Stewed Oxtail (S$28) - Oxtail, tomatoes, celery, carrots and bread. The oxtail had lot's of chunks of meat, and they were tenderised after being stewed for hours in the vegetable stock.



We love roast pork. And Loola's Pan Seared Braised Pork Belly (S$28) hits the right spot. The honey pork belly had a crusty skin, yet the pork remained juicy. Served with a side of crispy lotus roots chips, plus the very English bubble & squeak, which literally is a pan fried potato pancake made from roasted vegetables.



As if it's still not enough, a 3rd animal joined out dining table - The Spatchcock (S$36 for 2 diners) - It's a juicy whole pan roasted chicken carved at our table but the service staff. The chicken had minimal seasonings, and they provided some citrus salt and rosemary salt to go along with the roast.



The roast chicken also came with sides of String Beans in anchovy reduction, and caramelized baby onions (my fav).

We like Loola for the good food and service, and will make an attempt to try out their desserts next time when we are here.


Loola's by Awfully Chocolate
8 Raffles Avenue,
#02-14
Esplanade Mall

Don Quijote

Having heard many positive reviews about Don Quijote (say 'Don kwee-ho-tay'), I headed there for my primero experience with Spanish food.

Warm, chewy bread rolls served alongside a tasty garlic butter dip did a decent job of quelling our appetites while waiting for our mains. While the menu warns that paellas and fidueàs take about 25 to 35 minutes to be prepared, our food arrived in about 15 to 20 minutes on a low-traffic day.

I wasn't as wowed by the Paella Valenciana ($30++ for a small portion that will feed one to two persons) as I had hoped. It wasn't poorly executed- the creamy short-grain rice was thoroughly infused with the saffron stock, and the mussels and clams were pleasantly fresh and succulent. But as I dug into the bottom of the pan, I was disappointed by the absence of socarrat- the crispy burnt crust that is considered to be the hallmark of an excellent paella by many. I also found the rice too wet for my liking.

We all preferred the Fideuà Negra ($30++ for a small portion, starring bite-sized strands of angel hair pasta cooked in a jet-black squid-ink sauce bursting with flavors of the sea. As with the paella, we indicated that we wanted the noodles to be cooked al dente and they turned out perfectly done.

We rounded off the meal with Pudin de Pan y Manteqilla ($7++) and Pastel de Naranja y Queso ($7++). The bread and butter pudding fan in me wasn't particularly thrilled with the former; the orange cheesecake was satisfyingly rich and creamy but was, again, nothing out the ordinary. Perhaps, we should have opted for the friendly waitress' recommendation for the ubiquitous Bomba de Chocolate (molten chocolate cake).

Now, can someone recommend me a place for good paella in Singapore?

Don Quijote

Blk 7 Dempsey Road

#01-02

Tel: +65 6476 2811

Opening hours: 11.30am-10.30pm (Sun-Wed), 11.30am-1am (Thu-Sat)

Sarnies

Sarnies on Telok Ayer Street is my new found breakfast spot in the CBD area. Run by a brother and sister team from Aussie, this three month old café serves really good coffees and sandwiches.



My morning was started off with a shot of Piccolo ($4.5), made from beans by Papa Palheta. Absolutely no complaint.



The choco-loving friend was extremely pleased with his cup of Hot Cocoa ($5.5). Easily one of the best in town by his fussy standard.



BLT ($10.9)



I was happy to see my fave brunch item served as sandwich here.

The potion was however huge that I could barely finish half of it. Meant for sharing I suppose.







Despite being new in the area, the café has won the apparent royalty of many who work in the neighbourhood, as customers who came in that morning were mostly greeted by name. There is also an intriguing lunch menu I will come back for.

So do drop by to grab a bite or some coffee soon if you work nearby.


On a separate note, I think I smelled fresh baked muffins from a few shops away while searching for Sarnies. Will be back real soon.


Sarnies (Facebook)
136 Telok Ayer Street
Mon – Fri, 7am – 3pm
6224 6091

Sque @ Central Clarke Quay

Back in September, the very enterprising Emmanuel Stroobant opened a new concept restaurant at the ground floor of Central mall facing the Clarke Quay river. Sque (Pronounced as Skew), combines an alehouse together with a rotisserie. Sounds weird? But the concept actually works.



There are 2 sections here: An alfresco outdoor area with quite a number of seats, and a smaller air-con indoor area which is much smaller (hence reservations is required during peak hours for indoor seating).



The selection of beer here is astonishing. Comparable to Brussels Sprouts (which is also by Belgium born Emmanuel Stroobant too). We were recommended the Schneider Weisse Tap 7 (S$11.50 for a 1-for-1 half pint) - Hefeweizen beer from Germany. Fresh, light and crisp. Perfect for fried and roast food.



A look at the open concept kitchen.



Another wonderful restaurant which serves free iced water.



We ordered the starter of Salt & Pepper Prawns (S$18) - The King Prawns were flashed fried in a light tempura batter which has been slightly spiced, and the sauce to go along is Citrus Spicy Dipping. The prawns were definitely fresh and sweet, and the batter was not oily. Most important of all is that it went well with the fresh beer. Yummy!



On the other hand, the Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Soup (S$14) was a bit too heavy - the soup had Wild Mushrooms, Chicken, Truffle Essence and Toast.



The roasts here have a Middle Eastern + Indian flavour to the food. Our first mains was the Roast Chicken (S$24 for half) with Sque's spiced rub, served with salad and roasted potatoes. The chicken meat was very tender and juicy, even the chicken breast! We think it was one of the best roast chicken we had for a long time. But we had a difficult time finishing the roasted potato sides. Think they were undercooked.



The Lamb Sque'r (S$32)- Lamb skewers marinated with cumin, coriander seed, paprika, garlic and lemon confit, also had a strong Middle East flavour to it. Served with salad and roasted potatoes. Top marks for the tender and juicy lamb, but minus marks for the undercooked roasted potatoes.



After the disappointing roasted potato sides, we were relieved that the Fries with Truffle Mayonnaise (S$8) fared much better. The fries were freshly fried (whole potatoes with skin). Crisp on outside, and starchy in the inside. The Truffle Mayo also went well with the fries.



A nice place for gatherings or a weekend brunch along the Clarke Quay river.


Sque
6 Eu Tong Sen Street,
#01-70
The Central @ Clarke Quay

Zaffiro Italian Cuisine @ Asia Square Tower 1

The Marina Bay area has recently seen many new developments, and many new offices are popping up every few months. The latest is Asia Square.



Asia Square consists of 2 main towers. The 1st tower opened this year and tower 2 will open in 2013 and will house the Westin Hotel in its upper floors.



We are here tonight for dinner at a brand new Italian restaurant - Zaffiro. The name "Zaffiro" means sapphire in Italian, and the chef here is Giuliano Dacasto, who has worked in quite a few top Italian restaurants in Europe and in Singapore.



We started our dinner with the San Pellergrino Sparkling Water (S$8 for 800ml).



According to The Business Times, Chef Giuliano Dacasto has worked in one-star Il Convivio Troiani in Rome, two-star Michelin Ristorante Bracali in Massa Maritima and the three-star Michelin Ristorante La Calandra in Padova. In 2009, he moved to Singapore and has worked in il Lido, then Forlino and most recently at L'Angolo. And this also explained why every single dish we had tonight were delicious.



We were first served this complimentary starter by the chef.



And this basket of bread. This basket of focaccia bread must be one of the best breads served in Italian restaurants. The crust is crunchy and the bread itself is soft and slightly salty with a few drops of olive oil. They offered us another basket of breads, but we decided not to be greedy and concentrate on our main dishes.



As there were only 2 soups on their menu, we ordered both of them. The first was this Chilled San Marzano Tomato Soup (S$18) with a Burrata (mozzarella and cream) heart and dry olives. Unlike most chilled tomato soup which is either too sour or too acidic, the version here suits us perfectly. The combination of the Burrata with tomato was excellent.



Top marks for the Chestnut Creme (S$18) with wild rosemary aroma and Amarone wine reduction. The soup had generous slices of white truffles, and it tasted slightly nutty but sweet.



The service staff recommended us this off-menu item: Roasted Greenland Scallops (S$28). The scallops from Greenland (between Arctic & Atlantic Ocean) were grilled with butter, and tasted sweet without any fishy aftertaste. Below the scallops were 3 salsify vegetable. It's a root based vegetable and tasted almost like a hybrid of carrot and potato.



We shared 3 mains. First, the Mushroom Potato Gnocchi with Parmigiano Fondout and Autumn Truffle (S$30). It's truffle season and Zaffiro was very generous with their truffles. The Gnocchi was cooked with some blueberries, and had a slightly citrus taste to it, which reduced the "heaviness" of this dish. All their pasta dishes were handmade fresh from their kitchen, and that explains the "QQness" of the Gnocchi.



We also enjoyed the Veal Shank Ravioli with Savoy Cabbage and Truffle (S$32) very much. Once again, lot's of truffle slices, and each Ravioli was stuffed fully with tender veal shank.



Our 3rd mains was this Spanish Roasted Suckling Pig with Pearl Onions and potatoes. Even though we were very full by now, but we still managed to clear the plates. The suckling pig had a very crispy skin and we were surprised at how juicy and tender the pork was. The mashed potato by the side had a maple syrup taste to it. We like this dish very much.



To digest all these heavy food, we ordered a digestif wine - Jagermeister (S$14 per glass). This German digestif may not be everybody's cup of tea (or wine), but after sipping it, you will feel your chest slowly warm up, and the warm feelings go down all the way into your stomach.



Dessert was the Black Tea and Bergamot Vanilla Creme Brulee with Raspberry Sorbet (S$16). Once again, the chef has done a good job of making sure that the burnt crust on top of the creme brulee was not too thick and too crusty. The creme brulee had a nice black tea taste to it. Alternating between the creme brulee and the slightly tangy raspberry sorbet create the most balanced taste.



We thought it was the end, but the staff brought us complimentary petit four. Out of all, we enjoyed the coffee mashmallow the best.

In conclusion, Zaffiro is an Italian restaurant which serves great Italian food with excellent service. Highly recommended.


Zaffiro Italian Cuisine
8 Marina View,
#01-01
Asia Square Tower 1

L'etoile

L'etoile is star in French, and I think it's quite an apt name for this new rising star, a French-themed Japanese café housed in a two-storey shophouse at the junction of Owen Road and Dorset Road. As it was the owner's intent to settle on an off-the-beaten track (read: ulu) location, having a GPS device with you on the first visit here is highly advisible.



While the first floor of the café has a relatively modern setting that looks like a random page torn off from an Ikea catalogue, its second floor is entirely a different world. Imagine you have a grandfather clock, a vintage typewriter, as well as a Singer sewing machine as your coffee table.



The medium-roasted blend supplied by Highlander Coffee suited my tastebuds pretty well, as I could probably tell from the excellent cup of Cappucino ($4.5) I had.



Their Ciabatta Smoked Duck ($6.9) was more than decent.



Juicy smoked duck and soft ciabatta.





Stunning murals handpainted by the owner and friends.

Retail space in case you wanna take home something to please someone.



Service was warm and sincere. Despite being short-handed, we had the friendly barista repeatedly came up to the second floor and offered to fill up our glasses.


L'etoile (Facebook)
160 Owen Road
Tue – Sun, 9am – 8pm
Closed on Mondays
6298 2872