Category Archives: Romantic dates

A DATE AT WATERS EDGE RESTAURANT IN CANBERRA

16 January 2013 2 comments

With the kids snugly tucked into bed and babysat by Chris’ parents, Chris took me out on a wonderful dinner date at the Waters Edge Restaurant. I was excited – it was our first (and last) proper date during our Canberra trip.. and the thought of us being alone sans kids was just so deliciously enticing :P

It started off pretty badly because actually, Chris had made the booking for their sister restaurant, Courgette. Unbeknownst to him, Courgette was closed over the Christmas/New Year season. So he dialed Courgette’s number, and it was auto-redirected to Waters Edge WITHOUT informing him. The waiter at Waters Edge restaurant took his reservation without warning him that this was an entirely different restaurant.

So of course, we turned out at Courgette. We were really weirded out to find it closed, since we had made the reservation. But because I vaguely remembered that they had a sister restaurant, I deduced that maybe our reservation was there instead.

We called Waters Edge to check, and YES, the reservation was there! No apology from the staff, however.

So we jumped back into the car and drove to Waters Edge. The service staff were friendly and polite, but very obviously understaffed. We waited half an hour for our order to be taken. When we mentioned we wanted to order wines, the waiter said he’ll put our food order through first and would “be right back”. A very long 15 minutes later, he came to take our drinks order.

I should also mention that they didn’t proactively refill our water glasses – something I consider a sign of attentive service in a nice restaurant. I asked them 3 times to refill.

We had to wait 20-30 mins for the waitress to come round with the bread rolls. I was bloody STARVING because it was 9PM by now and we had only just ordered our food, so Chris almost had to physically restrain me from tackling her to the ground as she strolled around the room slooowwwly.

They also completely forgot about our truffle mash, which we ordered as a side dish. When we pointed this out, he said “I’ll take it off your bill.” Damn straight you will, buster!! I actually expected, with the delayed ordering and forgotten side, they would offer a complimentary coffee or something – but nada.

Anyway, those were the bad points. It was annoying, but not really a deal breaker.. just that it made the evening a little less than perfect. We still thoroughly enjoyed our food and our time together just chatting and laughing. Our lives are so consumed with kids these days that it’s nice to have a little breather sometimes :)

My wonderful man outside Waters Edge restaurant

That whipped butter had the best texture, but tasted like smoked bacon butter. When we asked, he said it was “smoked apple butter”. OK whatever, it seriously tasted like smoked bacon!!

Spanner crab roulade, chilled tomato consomme, seeded mustard ice cream – the consomme was a bit of a weird combination, but loved the crab!

Quail and foie gras terrine, picked rhubarb, barberry and vanilla – eeeeek fantastic. Then again, I can never fault foie gras

Warm prawn cocktail with blood orange and spicy avocado cream – this looked pretty anemic on the plate, but the mix of flavours and textures (especially that gorgeous cream sauce) was excellent

Caramelised pork belly, boudin noir, crisp apple and radish – HOLY SMOKES this was perfection. Lusciously soft and tender, I wanted 6 more pieces of this.

Pan seared john dory, balmain bug ravioli, fresh peas, eucalyptus – so pretty a dish. beautifully cooked fish, what more can I say?

White pyrenees lamb rump, smoked eggplant, capsicum terrine, quinoa – this not only look good, it tasted freakin’ good!!!!!

Strawberry and elderflower shortcake, meringue, sweet cucumber, wild berry sorbet – this sounded so interesting on the menu! Beautifully executed and not too sweet, but that “sweet cucumber” was completely odd..

Cheeses with walnut bread, fruit and crackers – ahhhh a cheese platter at the end of a meal. How can you go wrong?

Lovely ambience and food, all washed down with a sparkling pinot noir. A much-needed date night out.. and we felt so reinvigorated afterwards :) Totally recommend this place for a date in Canberra, but just confirm you’re going to the right restaurant and go EARLY, or your meal will end up finishing past 11PM like ours did!

ROADHOUSE @ DEMPSEY

23 August 2012 5 comments

Roadhouse
13 Dempsey Road, #01-07
Singapore
PRICE: $$$$
RATING: ★★★★-

Chris and I had a very quiet and chill 3rd wedding anniversary. Not surprising since our anniversary is on 8 August, and Carter’s birth was 5 August. We went out for a quiet dinner a few days prior, for some precious alone-time since it’s now few and far between now that we have 2 kids.

We decided to try out Roadhouse, because they serve All-American food.. one of my all time favourite ‘cuisines’.

And I wasn’t disappointed :)

Roadhouse at Dempsey

The casual-dining interior

The Bacon Marinated Burger was a heart-stopping $23 and I was quite shocked to see it so small.. though the patty was (fortunately) satisfyingly thick. It boasts a wagyu patty, though I personally can’t tell the difference between that and a normal one (unless I eat them side-by-side). The patty, however, was perfectly done and full of flavour. The burger was topped off with melted gorgonzola, streaky bacon, caramelized onions, garlic mayonnaise & sauteed mushrooms. It was DELICIOUS, but also got pretty cloying at the end, because there’s no fresh lettuce or tomato in the burger. It’s served with a coleslaw, but that’s also super creamy.. I think I’d have preferred a garden salad to temper against the calorie-hit of the burger.

The amount of fries served with the burger was pretty staggering. I suppose that’s to keep you quiet if you complain the burger is a bit small ;) The fries were not much to shout about – they were a bit dry on the outside and a bit too deep-fried and salty for me.

Bacon Marinated Burger – 170g Josper-grilled wagyu patty, homemadebun, melted gorgonzola, streaky bacon, caramelizedonions, garlic mayonnaise & sauteed mushrooms ($23)

The half-rack / 500g of BBQ U.S. Spare Ribs was AWESOME. Hands down the best ribs we’ve had in Singapore and right up there alongside Hurricanes in Australia. The half-rack was a big portion (yayyyyyy!!!) and definitely enough for someone with a healthy appetite. The meat was superbly tender but with enough bite, so flavourful, and very good with their homemade BBQ sauce.

The crispy cajun onion rings that came with the dish were absolutely gigantic, almost a meal in itself! The batter was actually quite doughy.. which I thought was weird, but it actually worked and the onion rings were pretty good.

BBQ U.S. Spare Ribs with crispy cajun onion rings & special BBQ sauce (half rack, 500g) ($26)

I desperately wanted dessert afterwards, but after the strong tastes of our main meals and all the deep-fried goodness… we just couldn’t stomach dessert. A real shame! Next time I’m there with Chris or a friend, I would get 1 appetizer, 1 rack of ribs, and 2 desserts – that combination would be perfect IMHO.

But if you’re a rib kinda person, definitely check out Roadhouse. You won’t be disappointed!

OUR LAST NIGHT IN SHANGHAI

17 June 2011 22 comments

Shook!
23 Nanjing East Road
Shanghai, China
PRICE: 元元元元元
RATING:

So as I was saying… I liked Shook! so much I decided to go back that same day for dinner – this time on a quiet dinner date with Chris. Co-incidentally, it was also our last night in Shanghai, so we wanted something memorable… hence the location at The Bund.

This time, Shook! was transformed into night time dining.. with mood lighting, much quieter ambience, and a different menu offering their full range of a la carte dishes. The menu is pretty exhaustive, and so tantalising that we had trouble figuring out what to order ;) It took a bit of back-and-forth and listening to the waiter’s recommendations before we finally decided on our choices. We were very fortunate to be allocated the best table there – a corner table right by the glass windows overlooking The Bund area. Gorgeous!

We were treated to a complimentary champagne with bubbling pearls. OK I think it had a much more eloquent name than this, but I forgot ;) It was fascinating to look at – the pearls going up and down the bubbling champagne, and they burst as we drank. Novelty!

We thoroughly enjoyed the dishes, which were all brought out beautifully presented. The portions are not large (considering the price), but enough so that we were full at the end of the meal. Fine food, lovely ambience, and good service – a nice way to remember our last night in Shanghai :)

Our table view at Shook!

Champagne with bubbling pearls

Our last night in Shanghai :)

Amuse bouche

Trio of crab

Lightly dusted cajun spiced seabass with pimento mayo, avocado, cucumber salad and a twist of chilli

Slow braised grain fed beef cheek with a humble mash, crisply cooked bacon, and caramelized grenadine onion

Sides of fries and mushrooms

Tiramisu with creamy white chocolate, marsala panacotta, and espresso

Lemon tart with mint sauce

Mint cocktail

Upstairs balcony area for drinks

Protected: DEGUSTATION @ WATERMARK

23 October 2007 Enter your password to view comments.

ICEBERGS DINING ROOM & BAR

17 October 2007 64 comments

Icebergs Dining Room & Bar
1 Notts Ave
Bondi Beach, NSW 2026
$$$$$

The last time I went to Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, it was with the Google guys for Christmas and also my first time there. The restaurant blew me away with the divine food, the spectacular views, and the impeccable service. I’ve never forgotten it and always yearned to go back.. but since it’s so friggin’ $$$ and super fine-dining, obviously I’ve never had the chance/occasion to. Until now, hee :P Chris asked me out for a dinner there and I was surprised because the restaurant was so different at night – it’s a lot moodier and darker, with a really lush, decadent ambiance.

Since we arrived early, we had a drink at their Cocktail lounge.. where I discovered the utmost best Pinot Noir I have ever tasted, but of course, I’ve forgotten the name ;) Then we adjourned to a table right by the glass window overlooking the water. Soooooo pretty! And the food? Top-notch, as expected. Icebergs just never fail to deliver – and we were delighted that they still had the Soft-shelled prawns fried whole with aioli and lemon. I’d had it the last time and was totally addicted ;) They’re perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside but sweet on the inside. It’s perfection. And I swear they gave us a larger serving since we said we were sharing?

I opted for the Ox Fillet (aged 30 days, 250 days grain-fed Angus beef) – char grilled, sliced served with 10 yr old balsamic, bone marrow roasted with garlic, lemon, butter for my main dish. It easily makes it to the very top of my list as the best steak I’ve had. Sure, it’s ludicrously expensive, but worth every cent IMHO! The meat is tender and packed with flavour, with the perfect bite and texture.

Chris had some Duck ragout pasta. OKay, when the waitress read it out, it sounded way fancier/nicer than that.. but I really can’t remember it :P I loved how the pasta was handmade and silky smooth, and the duck was really tender and melty. Only downfall is that it should have come in a larger serve ;)

Dessert was a shared Affogatto: vanilla ice cream, espresso, liquer, fine grated chocolate and coffee. Served in a tall, delicate glass, it was fun watching the waiter grate the chocolate at our table. The dessert was rich, but off-set with the sharp contrast of the espresso poured hot over the ice cream. Mmmmm….

Was a lovely night :)

Sourdough bread with Kallis organic olive oil

Soft-shelled prawns fried whole with aioli and lemon

Ox Fillet (aged 30 days, 250 days grain-fed Angus beef) – char grilled,
sliced served with 10 yr old balsamic, bone marrow roasted with garlic, lemon, butter