Hamanoya Robatayaki

It's always great meeting up with fellow foodie friends, because it's always an adventure trying out somewhere new! Met Koi for dinner the other day, and when he told me he was bringing me somewhere he was pretty sure I've never been to, I was immediately excited. All I had to do was tell him what cuisine I wanted. Hmmmm. Since I'd been feasting quite a bit since it was my birthday week then, I opted for Jap - something healthy (hopefully). True enough, I've never even heard of Hamanoya Robatayaki, let alone tried it. And I was super impressed! Everything, from the quality of their food to the exquisite presentation was impeccable, a fantastic exemplar of Japanese standards.

We started with a seaweed appetiser, compliments of the chef. This was savoury, yet light, and tantalised our tastebuds to prepare us for the meal ahead.

The restaurant specialises in Robatayaki, which is a Japanese style of cooking where the food is grilled over charcoal. Every day, there are daily specials of the freshest catch, which are presented to customers should they be interested in having the fish prepared robatayaki/sashimi style. We opted for one of the fishes, and it was so delicious!! I'm not a huge fan of fish, especially those with bones (fillet FTW!!), but this was so incredibly fresh, the meat tasted almost sweet. It didn't require any additional seasoning, except a sprinkling of salt, and the essence of the fish shone in its simplicity. 

After this was where things started going a little crazyyy. There was a mind-boggling array of dishes on the menu and I didn't know where to start. We kind of ended up choosing an item from almost every category to get a good selection, which seemed like quite a lot for two people! Surprisingly though, while I was completely satisfied at the end of the meal, I wasn't overly full. That made me so happy! This is why I love Japanese food so much. How healthy it always feels!

See what I mean about the presentation though? Everything was soooo pretty! :) And I was so appreciative of the spotlight that shone right down on all the tables, which was the perfect lighting for all the photographs. No editing required! The slabs of Salmon and Tuna sashimi ($11.99 each) were generously thick, and of course, super fresh.

This is the Grilled Chicken Ball with poached egg ($4.99) if I'm not wrong. It was a really interesting dish, which I had no clue how to consume at first. It was actually a humongous ball of meat that was marinated in a sweet-savoury sauce, and you actually dip the meat into the poached egg and stir it around before popping it into your mouth. The combination was sublime!

Though I felt that we'd ordered quite a lot by now, I couldn't resist getting some sushi because they all looked so pretty. The Salmon and Mango Maki ($9.99) was a harmonious blend of flavours and textures that created a delicious taste explosion at every bite. 

Finally, the Tonkotsu Hot Pot ($17.99) was a comforting, belly-warming dish that was full of ingredients including carrots, pork ribs, tofu and mushrooms. The meat of the pork ribs were so tender that they could be prised off the bone easily, and I slurped up every last drop of the soup.

My experience at Hamanoya was exceedingly flawless and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely one of the highlights in The Dining Edition at Marina Square, and I can't wait to be back to be impressed once more.

Hamanoya Robatayaki

Marina Square #02-106

Tel.: +65 6337 4245

Mon-Fri 11.30am-3pm, 5pm-10.30pm

Sat-Sun 11.30am-10.30pm

Lady M

MILLE CREPES. LADY M. SO GOOD. i'm so glad i finally tried it! ^^ i've seen so many pictures on instagram since Lady M opened in Singapore and i always couldn't wait to dig my fork into one of its yummy-looking crepes! i actually didn't realise that Lady M sold quite a few varieties of cakes other than mille crepes! in fact, there were only two flavours. which made it easier for us ;) we ordered both of them! hehe. 

we ordered the signature mille crepe and green tea mille crepe, which i believe is a seasonal flavour. it has been around for awhile though. i'm glad i had the chance to try it!! ^^ both flavours were really yummy in different ways - it was incredible how each layer was so painstakingly stacked on top of each other. absolutely justifies the price (i think it was $9/slice). and it was so amazing how it was so wonderfully moist and oozing with just the right amount of cream! 

the signature mille crepe had a slightly milky flavour with a creme brûlée burnished top, whereas the top of the green tea version was sprinkled with matcha powder! soooo yummy, but if i had to pick a favourite, it'd be the green tea one (: 

finally met up with debbie after she got back from exchange!!! :) had such a lovely time catching up with her and i'm glad that we still have so many things to talk about even after so many years! <3 

Lady M

Marina Square #02-103

Tel.: +65 6822 2095

Daily 11am-9pm (ooh i realised we actually reached there after 9am! :O luckily they still let us in :'))

(first) Vday in Singapore (:

hello! (: finally midterms are over!! for now at least. still have one coming up next week yikes >.< which i haven't studied for at all. but just taking a breather now before having to chiong during the break week. sometimes i wonder why i still feel so busy despite only having three mods!! WHY??!! okay i've got to admit that i am significantly freer in terms of schoolwork as compared to other semesters, but maybe it's also because i'm trying to do other things outside of school, which do take up time as well. yknow, even watching shows is in my plan :p haha i am FINALLY almost reaching the end of the 1st season of Suits since starting on it like three months ago. whuuuut. ikr :( i'm just hopeless at it. but i really love the show btw!! hehh okay so i have the tendency to waffle around the main point when i'm writing my blog posts :P oops! (*sigh* reminds me of how i completely neglected to write a conclusion for my coy law paper yesterday. KILL ME. going to do so badly for that paper >.<)

***WARNING: rambling post with lots of pictures ahead***

anyway because of all my midterms, that explains this very belated Vday post. this year was the first time we were spending Valentine's Day in Singapore :) last year's was in Italy, and boy, that was quite a different experience :P loved this year's Valentines Day :') not because of all the activities we did that day (and honestly, i always feel Valentine's Day is probably the most un-special day for any couple because everybody is celebrating it on that day), but because of the quality time we spent together :)) haven't had the luxury of time to just enjoy each other's company for the longest time! although it was really just right before the midterm week, but i guess the fact that we made the effort to put our school work aside and just go out without our laptops was really a huge step! (: 

hello Sentosa!!! 

it was super sunny that day, but I'm so glad that we were going somewhere sheltered instead hehe.

we went to the SEA Aquarium!!!!! :D so happy that i finally visited this place, and great that there were no queues! although it was still pretty crowded inside with tonnes of tourists. 

managed to get student price ($28)! (Y) 

pretty difficult to get a decent photo of us because the lighting was so blueee. but lots of love anyway xx

i was WOW-ed by this magnificent sight when i stepped into this area :)) this photo doesn't do justice to how blue the water was, and how colourful all the corals and fishes are! i'm not a big fan of fish (whether as animals or food haha) but this sight really amazed me :) the colours were so vibrant and alive! 

and i never knew WHY everyone who came to the SEA Aquarium had to take photos of the jellyfish!! haha but finally understood when i was there :P they're really cute!! and the colours were fascinating. though i know it's really because of the light that shines into the water, but it's still pretty darn amazing and beautiful. 

hee, Sam still remembered what the guy from Italy told him ;) about how they always give chocolate and flowers to girls on valentine's day ^^ (i told sam to skip the vday flowers because they're just ridiculously expensive!!!!! he pampers me with flowers all the time on the other 364 days of the year anyway :) <3). got a mini bottle of Merlot as well (love these tiny bottles! they're so adorable and handy), and we just sat in front of this huge aquarium talking, laughing and...spamming instagram with photos hahaha. felt like we hadn't talked like that in ages! or at least, i did :P (i was completely exhausted from talking by the end of that day haha). when i'm on a roll, i can go on talking forever, and the boy just listened, and hugged me and laughed with me :) and of course he talked as well haha, but it's really sweet how he's becoming a much better listener :*) 

after that, we headed for a really late dinner at L'entrecôte! they were super crowded on Valentine's Day and i think it was pretty obvious that their staff weren't used to such a huge volume of customers.  we reached at 8.30pm and i think by the time our main dish arrived, it was already past 9pm. but the staff were still very attentive when we called for service, and they gave all the ladies a gorgeous rose, which was really nice of them! :) 

so L'entrecôte is famous for the one-and-only (literally) main course, which is their Plat du Jour Entrecôte Steak ($29.90, classic portion).

thank goodness for the walnut steak that was served first, because we were ravenous at 8.30pm. this was a very light salad with yummy toasted walnuts on top! my only gripe is that there was no sauce at all! so it was rather bland/bitter. it helped tide over our hunger just a bit though.

till our main dish came! :D :D yummmmmm. it smelled so good. the portion of the steak was just right (especially with all the fries) and was slathered with L'entrecôte's "legendary sauce" which was really tasty! i can't really pinpoint what was in it (some secret ingredient haha) but it tasted like a combination of brown sauce/mushroom/mustard. savoury and slightly tangy, which went perfectly with the slab of meat. the fries were delicious too!! i probably looked really unglamorous but i was shovelling them into my mouth because i was so hungry. the fries were really crisp and VERY tasty. and for those who really love it so much, you'll be happy to know that it's free-flow! after one round of fries we couldn't eat anymore already though. haha.

we also ordered the half-baked chocolate cake ($14) which was pretty yummy! (: it was fluffy and delicate, and went perfectly with the vanilla ice-cream. *i've gotta add a disclaimer that my opinion is now biased because of the molten chocolate cake i ate the very next day at morganfields (which i will definitely blog about because it was SUPER GOOD). the one at l'entrecôte was not too shabby, but not the best either! 

L'entrecôte

Suntec City #B1-128/129

Tel.: +65 6690 7569

Daily 11.30am-9.30pm

thanks baby, for the wonderful valentine's day together :) i love you!! 

Peperoni Pizzeria

three words: 21-inch pizza. :O:O:O this has to be the most gigantic pizza i've ever seen and eaten, and it is a.m.a.z.i.n.g. i've seen so many pictures of this pizza and i've been wanting to try it since forever. (i say that pretty often huh?). and i believe this is probably one of the best and most value-for-money pizzas for a bunch of friends. this ginormous delight cost $50nett (no GST & service charge here!), and it feeds 4-6 pax, which means each person pays max $12.50 for this? super worth it. and it was so good!

hehe look how awesomely huge it was!!! :O for a pizza of this size, we were allowed to pick two flavours from the menu, and even then, it wasn't an easy choice! there were many that sounded very interesting, and i have to say that this restaurant does stay quite true to the italian pizza roots. the flavours are mostly cold cuts, but it's thankfully still better than italy with flavours that include real salmon (rather than smoked) and the singaporean classic favourite: Hawaiian. we didn't go for the hawaiian this time though! (: a unanimous choice was the Pancetta, which was simply alluring with the gorgeous sunny-side up egg in the picture. our massive pizza came with not just one, but TWO wobbly sunny side up yolks and i pounced on one of them with excitement :p the other flavour we chose was Salmone, which came with a pretty generous portion of salmon cubes and capers (again, a reminder of italy ^^). while we loved the Pancetta flavour, it was admittedly a tad too salty due to the cured bacon. i was glad for the tomatoes that helped to balance it out a little, but it was still too much for me. i preferred the half with the salmon which had a comparatively pared down salt-content, but was no less tasty. the thin crust totally appealed to me, and i found myself picking the pieces along the sides for their satisfying crunch. the fact that it was a thin crust pizza also helped us in devouring the pizza pretty easily amongst the five (or six) of us. this was certainly an experience and i definitely wouldn't mind coming back to try out more flavours!

Peperoni Pizzeria

Suntec City B1-130

Tel.: +65 6884 7737
Daily 11.30am-9.30pm (Closed on certain PH, call to check)

The BEST ramen in Singapore: Ramen Keisuke

hihi! oh gosh this post is SUPER overdue. i wanted to blog about this place the moment i tried it, but evidently i couldn't find the time to >.< oops! and i declare this the BEST RAMEN I'VE EVER EATEN. thanks to jiayee for the awesome recommendation!! ^^ it's her favourite too! and i'm not thaaat discerning when it comes to ramen - i usually like it because of the soup/charsiew, or i just find it alright, but this ramen...this ramen is different. 

we started off by digging into this cold dish of bean sprouts. it comes on the side and you can help yourself to as much of it as you like! it's super refreshing and crunchy and we totally devoured half a bottle (it was quite a big bottle) among our whole table :P haha.

i ABSOLUTELY L.O.V.E.D. my bowl of ramen. i do concede that it's not the most photogenic thing on earth (even just compared to the other two below) but i personally felt that it tasted the best! ^^ just a simple Tokyo Style Pork broth ramen with flavoured egg ($13) and it was da-bombz!!!! so so so good! the soup was so deliciously rich and full-bodied, and you could really taste the essences of the tonkotsu within this luscious soup. as i slurped it up, the flavours sloshed on my tongue and i went to ramen-heaven ^^ what really made this bowl of ramen so awesome was that everything in it was good!! a lot of ramen places tend to either do well in one aspect of the ramen, but fail in others, while Ramen Keisuke managed to achieve the sacred trinity of rich soup, bouncy noodles and well-executed ingredients. the cha shu was delightfully soft and the flavoured egg was done to perfection, producing a brilliant concoction that had me squealing with joy.

for the fans of chilli, the Tokyo style chicken stock ramen ($13) didn't disappoint too! though i'm a strong supporter of pork-based ramen, this chicken stock ticked all the boxes with me as well, with the punchy spiciness that elevated the entire dish.

perhaps the most interesting of all was the crab stock ramen ($13.80)! completely unheard of before, this was a really interesting soup base that tasted exactly like how a good crab bisque should be ;) super thick and rich with buttery flavours, this was a hearty bowl of soup which went well with the other ingredients. while i still vote for my ramen as the best of all, this was definitely an interesting contender! (:

BEST RAMEN PLACE. 'NUFF SAID.

Ramen Keisuke
Parco, Millenia Walk #P03-02
Tel.: +65 6337 7919
Mon-Wed, Fri 11.30am-3.30pm 5.30pm-10.30pm
Thu 11.30am-3.30pm 5.30pm-10pm
Sat & Sun 11am-10pm 

LÈ Restaurant & Asian tapas bar

one of the newest kids in the Chinese dining scene, LÈ distinguishes itself with a contemporary twist on classic favourites. to begin, how about a drink at the bar to kick start your meal at the restaurant? with a slew of house cocktails that are created with asian/singaporean influences, LÈ looks set to change things up with its refreshing offerings.

a chic modern vibe pulsates throughout the bar, and this gives way to a relatively traditional Chinese restaurant setting, updated with cool decor.

let's start with the food first. but before that, thumbs up to the camera-friendly spotlights ;) while the restaurant is dimly lit, i was glad that spotlights directed clear beams right onto the tables, which was not just perfect for photo-taking (good for them!) but of course, for diners to see what they're eating!

having heard raving reviews about LÈ's signature dirty duck ($38 half, $68 whole), i rubbed my hands in anticipation of this dish. and it impressed thoroughly! a modified version of a peking duck dish, this had the actual crispy braised duck meat cucooned in a handmade scallion crepe that was super delicious! (i have to apologise that this post is wayyy overdue so i can't describe the exact flavour very accurately, but it was DEFINITELY good)

the stir-fried asparagus with wild fungus ($20) earned praises even from those who typically don't like asparagus! it was that tasty! the asparagus was fried perfectly, till no trace of the veggie flavour remained, and the variety of mushrooms complemented it well.

one of our favourite dishes was the stir-fried scallop with scrambled egg white in truffle oil ($38). ooh, do you see what attracted us to it? the ambrosial scent of truffle tickled our noses as the dish was placed on our table. every mouthful was a delight, with the fluffy textures of the egg and scallop suffused with the flavour of truffle.

the stir fried angel hair with japanese dried ebi ($28) could be said to be an adaption on the ubiquitous fried beehoon. but i beg to differ. the bouncy strands of pasta tossed in oil had a lovely doneness which i appreciated, and the japanese ebi added a perfumed fragrance which is unbeatable, in my opinion.

the food at LÈ restaurant set high expectations for our after-dinner drinks, but i have to say that i was rather disappointed.

we tried two of the signature creations - autumn evenings ($22) and red concubine ($22). both came with fascinating descriptions, though the taste unfortunately didn't match up. autumn evenings was a blend of chrysanthemum tea, with yuzu juice, elderflower liqueur and soursop with scotch whiskey. as we had ordered this in anticipation of the yuzu juice, it was sad that there was nary a hint of it. probably the strongest flavour was the soursop, which overpowered everything else. my red concubine was just overpoweringly sweet, and i couldn't really distinguish the various accents, though the description seduced with hints of passion fruit, pomegranate and cinnamon.

the selection of bar bites was interesting though! and the mantou burger with braised USDA prime beef ($16) lived up to its name. the beef packed a punch with its juicy goodness!

overall, i really enjoyed the meal at the restaurant and i would love to come back if i had the opportunity to :) on the other hand, i would give the bar a miss. it's signatures were a letdown, and were way too pricey for its quality.

LÈ Restaurant and Asian Tapas Bar
Suntec City Mall #02-314
Daily 11.30am-3pm
6pm-10.30pm

Barossa

hello!!! :) *AUNTIE-SYNDROME ALERT!* but i'm sure you all will be happy to know about this if you haven't heard of it! haha. Esplanade Mall is having 1-for-1 lunchtime deals for Visa cardholders and there is only one more month till the end of this promotion! 

i can't believe i waited so long for this haha, but last week i headed down to Barossa to check out the promotion (: the most value-for-money if you ask me ^^ they have one, two and three-course set lunches, and if you get just the main course, it's at $10++, which means after the 1-for-1, you pay about $6nett. o.m.g. how affordable is that??!! only slightly more than what you'll pay at the food court opposite school, and you get restaurant food plus an awesome view. 

i got the blue mussel aglio olio (i think that's the name) which was extremely fragrant, with a generous dash of garlic, just the way i like it ;) the mushrooms fried with it were delicious as well! i found the mussels a little too fishy though :/ 

i quite liked the gourmet beef burger! (: not sure whether the size is sufficient for a guy, but it looked pretty good to me! and the beef patty was pretty tasty, though i would have liked it to be a little juicier. it came with a generous serving of thick-cut fries as well.

overall, i wouldn't say the food is super good, but it's definitely decent, and for the price, what's there to complain about? :D be prepared for a crowd though! the staff are pretty shorthanded, so you might have to wait a little to get their attention, but other than that, it's a really nice place to chill and enjoy an affordable lunch (:

check out the rest of Esplanade's 1-for-1 deals!

Barossa

Esplanade Mall #01-11

Tel.: +65 6534 5188

Wine Universe

At Oenotheque, drinks take the centre-stage. But that doesn’t mean that the food is incidental. In fact, all the items on the menu look so mouth-watering that we’re pretty sure you will have a hard time narrowing down your choices. Do not fret however, as the staff here are delightfully affable, and would be glad to share with you their recommendations from the menu, and advise you on the drinks to pair with your food.

Kick-off your meal with a glass of bubbly and some warm bread. A glass of Moscato, with an ever-so-slight sweetness, goes a long way in stimulating your appetite for the meal ahead. The wines from Oenotheque come from all over the world, with the best from Europe – take your pick from the vast selection of Swiss, French, Italian and Spanish wines.

The food served at Oenotheque is primarily French, with some Swiss specialties. And no French meal is ever complete without duck liver. The pan seared Foie Gras was beautifully done, characterized by its supple consistency and succulence. It went well with the sweet toasted brioche, which had a lovely crumbly bite. A light hand of sea salt gave the liver an extra boost of flavour, which contrasted with the pear that was drenched in a saccharine sauce. To wrap it up, the cherries added a tartness that brought all dimensions of the taste spectrum into a single dish.

The food served at Oenotheque is primarily French, with some Swiss specialties. And no French meal is ever complete without duck liver. The pan seared Foie Gras was beautifully done, characterized by its supple consistency and succulence. It went well with the sweet toasted brioche, which had a lovely crumbly bite. A light hand of sea salt gave the liver an extra boost of flavour, which contrasted with the pear that was drenched in a saccharine sauce. To wrap it up, the cherries added a tartness that brought all dimensions of the taste spectrum into a single dish.

You should definitely go for the Swiss specialties for the mains. If you have two or more people, we’ve heard that the Fondue Bourguignonne is a winner at this restaurant! It’s filling though, so make sure there are enough people to share. Alternatively, the Émincé de veau zürichoise is a great choice as well! The veal tenderloin scaloppini, true to its name, is wonderfully tender and brimming with juices. The rosti is of excellent quality, probably the best you can ever get, and its muted aroma complements the savoury meat perfectly. Have this with a glass of full-bodied Pinot noir to draw out the essence of the red meat.

Conclude your meal on a sweet note, with a delectable flute of Moscato – so sweet, that you can catch a whiff of the fragrance as you bring the glass to your lips and which goes beautifully with the fondant au chocolat.

*This is an article i wrote for reserveit.sg (: Try out their online reservation service, and you can check out more articles there!

Oenotheque by Wine Universe 

Millenia Walk #01-109

Tel.: +65 6338 0717

Lunch: Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm

Sat (brunch) 11.30am-3pm

Dinner: Mon-Fri 6pm-11pm

Sat 6pm-10pm

Tiong Bahru Bakery

when i saw that this bakery opened in raffles city, i was so glad for a more convenient option! the original outlet is just a tad inaccessible when i dont stay anywhere near that area.

boy! don't the array of options available look enticing? :) they have a row of savoury pastries, another of sandwiches and burgers, and another just for desserts ^^

i started with the not-so-exciting croissant ($2.80). but hey, it's a basic! so if a bakery can do it well, it sets a good foundation for everything else. Tiong bahru bakery does theirs pretty decently. the exterior is beautifully crisp, and i liked breaking off the portions of the crust and popping them into my mouth hehe. it would have been great if it was fluffier inside, but overall, i enjoyed it. it had a nice buttery taste on its own which was nice! and i loved the availability of condiments at the counter to go with it - butter, jam, marmalade and one more which i can't remember. i'm a sucker for choices :D

the specialty bun salmon & ham with pesto sauce ($8.90) was rather interesting in appearance. the black bun is because of the squid ink (which thankfully doesn't leave any stains). in terms of taste though, i found it pretty average.

we enjoyed the croque monsieur which had chorizo and tomato bechamel sauce. the chorizo lent a wonderful flavour to this, and we loved how it went so well with the cheese! yummyyyy :)

ended on a sweet note with the pandan flan ($6). it had a really interesting eggy interior (kind of like an egg tart actually!), that had a slightly chewy consistency. excellent flavour of the pandan, which was well infused into it. and i loved the crisp pastry! :) we were really full by then though, so couldnt enjoy it as much as we would have liked to.

Tiong Bahru Bakery

Raffles City Shopping Centre B1-11

Tel.: +65 6333 4160

Daily 11am-10pm

Happenings

exams are finally over!!!! can't believe i took so long getting down to writing this oh gosh. this post is supposed to be for things that happened even before exams started. but this sem has really been so crazy >.< really had no time no time NO TIME! gosh, i'm so glad it's over. i think the fact that next sem is exchange just makes things worse cos i want time to pass faster so that i can fast forward to then!! i can't wait! everyone is flying off in december :((( and poor me is going to be in singapore sighpie. i'll be so bored. haha. and have internship somemore. not that i'm complaining though. i'm so relieved that i managed to find an internship!! PHEWWWWWW. i was getting damn desperate. and in the end i actually managed to get the best opportunity ever! :) at least for now this is the best haha.

anyway, to the main point ;)

we celebrated jiayee's birthday during the study break - i think this was our most successful surprise to date! :D woots! :D cos she didnt know that we were going to celebrate her birthday right to that moment itself! heh. told her we were going to celebrate thad's birthday (which we were! it was supposed to be a double-celebration) but since she was the 21st birthday girl so of course it had to be more special for her ^^ end up poor teds couldnt make it for his own birthday celebration cos he fell ill :/ and it was initially intended to be a surprise for teds as well but my dear sam let the cat out of the bag and insisted that teds knew anyway. oh welllls. but at least our 21st birthday girl got a surprise!! :) we're all 21 now! hehe. i love the present we bought for her! a pretty thomas sabo necklace with a '21' and horseshoe on it ^^ i never knew horseshoes were meant for good luck! i thought it was really pretty anw :) and we went to Saveur again :) jiayee's request, so of course had to zun1 ming4! :)

anyway, that week i also went for a blogger's party by streetdirectory.com.sg. it was held at loolas! :) and it was a good chance to meet new people :) so well, naturally the highlight for me was the food! :P i've been wanting to try loola's for awhile, so it was great that the event was held there! :) yeah ikr, in the middle of the study week and i go off for a party. kinda absurd...haha. it was so nice that we had a special three-course dinner prepared for us that day! :) and it gave us the chance to sample quite a few of their items. especially the dessertsssss. *drools* i'll come to that later. we started with an appetizer board platter. the picture above is of the spiced pumpkin soup and grilled freemantle octopus. i loved the pumpkin soup! it had a rather interesting taste, that could be likened to curry, probably because of the spices. the octopus was not bad as well, with its springy texture and smokey flavour. the platter also included the loola's salad and serrano ham.

for mains, we had a choice of three types and i chose the miso barramundi with soft poached egg. i thought the fish was done pretty well. it had a nice crisp top and the meat was tender. the taste of the miso was too subtle in my opinion though. and the portion was pretty small. i guess they wanted us to leave some stomach for dessert :P

oh and if you didnt know, loola's is under the Awfully Chocolate Group!!! that's why their desserts are SO AWESOME. i would say that this is still their forte. the mains were alright...but not fantastic. the desserts on the other hand, were mind-blowingly good! each one of them impressed me till no end. i was particularly excited about the hei ice cream from the start because that is the only dessert out of the three that i've tried before (have i mentioned how i love that they served us platters at this event so we could try a bit of everything? ^^). and as expected, the chocolate ice cream was as lovely as ever :))) i wonder how awfully chocolate makes their chocs so awfully good!!!! it was rich, creamy and chocolate-y, and always never too sweet. i honestly could just eat it again and again and not feel sick. i wasnt too keen on the mocha poppers cos they sounded like they had coffee in them, and i dont really like coffee much. but that was until i popped one in my mouth, and i was like 'WHOAAAA. this is good!!!' heh ;) so glad to be proven wrong. these choux puffs filled with light chocolate mousse were damn awesome!! and the loola's brownie was very rich and chocolate-y too :) yumyumyum! loved them all :)

anyway, streetdirectory just launched a new mobile app recently, so you can check it out here (for android) and for iphone!

i'll update next week again with more after-exams photos!! :)