Saturday, October 18, 2008

Canele @ Robertson Quay

I've heard a lot about Canele, it being a Les Amis restaurant and all... but I have never been there...

So, since we were in the vicinity, I made DH promise to take me there for dessert... after our lunch at Chiara... My rationale was, I didn't know how long we would have to wait for our next date... with 2 kids, it is a little hard to find time for ourselves.. so we better take this opportunity. My reasoning proved correct, as we have not gone out for another date since then.

DH ordered the Canele specialty Le Royale. It was rich and chocolatey... Very very decadent.



Doesn't he look pleased with his order?


I was still hungry... (what can I say, I am eating for 2 now!) so I ordered their recommended baked rice (with bolognese and egg).



It was ok, but not fantastic. I don't think I would order it again.

After that, I was in a rush to go home... cos I missed the little ones...

Cutie is getting more mature, as you can tell from this photo. He is now an elder brother... so he carries himself with more dignity, I would say. This was during the F1 racing week... and there were some bumper cars for children to ride, and be F1 drivers too. Yes, my Cutie is growing up!


And... here is Sweetie, at 2 months... She is growing well, and see, she can sit up already.. At the risk of sounding trite.. doesn't Sweetie look sweet? :)

Monday, October 13, 2008

Chiara @ Robertson Quay

DH and I had our first real date about 2 months after Sweetie was born... Thanks to Por Por who kindly agreed to babysit on short notice!

We went to Chiara at Robertson Quay, and it was a newly opened restaurant, without much hype... I was surprised to find that, after I ate there, many reviews of this restaurant then popped up... in the Straits Times, Business Times etc... So Funny! That day, I bumped into fellow foodblogger, The Skinny Epicurean after my meal... and later, when I went home and read her latest blog post, realised that she had also just eaten at Chiara! Super coincidence!

Our complimentary bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I liked the little olives that they also provided... DH loves olives...


As you can tell, we are really glad to have some couple time to ourselves!


The food here is really nice and affordable, we both went for the set lunch, which had very nice stuff, and it cost us only about 28 each.

DH had to top up a bit more for his starter of foie gras... but it was still very affordable. The foie gras was nice.. and I stole quite a bit of his portion. I dont know how come there are bubbles on the dish though, don't ask me why.




My starter of beef carpaccio came with mushrooms, shaved parmesan cheese and rocket - all my favourites - with a very refreshing dressing (I think it was tangy yet slightly sweet). I was very happy.


I had a main of gnocchi with veal ragout... a tad salty but nice nevertheless. The gnocchi had a nice chewy texture and wasn't too floury. My only gripe was that the portion was too small.. I am sure it wouldnt have been enough for a guy with a normal appetite...


DH had the tagliatelle carbonara. The cream sauce was nice, but the pasta was overdone and not al dente. DH didnt mind though and didnt send it back.

DH chose their typical Italian dessert of tiramisu, which was nice too, not too sweet or heavy, but with a lingering coffee fragrance. Portion again a little small.


My dessert of panna cotta came topped with refreshing berries and other fruit. This panna cotta's texture was just right, not stodgy, not too light. The fruit were a perfect complement to the panna cotta. I gobbled this up very quickly, and wished there was more.

All in all, I was very happy to be here, and I really enjoyed my short date with DH. I am looking forward to the next one... which hasn't happened yet!