Decanter Wine House – Chalk Hill Wine Tasting

Dear fellow tasters and wine drinkers,

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a wine tasting event held at Decanter Wine House.  I’ve never been to Decanter before but I heard it offers an exceptional collection of wines and serves up great Mediterranean cuisines.  I arrived around one that afternoon, meaning a bit late from the appointed 12.30 pm time but it turned out the tasting hadn’t started just yet, although I saw some fellow bloggers and foodie enthusiasts already making themselves comfortable in the cozy and homey atmospheric lounge.

Luna Negra

Dear fellow tasters,

It is always exciting to write a post about a new hip, fancy restaurant and Luna Negra is one of them.  Because of all the built up excitement, I decided to move this review to the top of my to-write list.  I had heard and read rave reviews about the ‘black moon’ (translated from Spanish… or is it Italian?) restaurant-slash-bar, so I was quite excited when my friends finally agreed to go there.  This was after much rescheduling and long BBM contemplation.  Fortunately, another friend who couldn’t go with us that evening (you were missed) reminded us about making a reservation beforehand. Without this we probably would have ended up on the waiting list!

Mad for Garlic

Dear fellow tasters,

Fancy fighting vampires in your leisure time?  Then you might want to visit Mad for Garlic on a regular basis and use the garlic breath to scare off those neck-biting immortals.  This Korean-franchised Italian garlic and wine restaurant, located on ground floor West Mall Grand Indonesia, surely lives up to its name by offering various garlicky menu, from starters, salad, pasta, to pizza and other specialties.  Even the decor in the rustic medieval brick-walled dim-lighted dining area, like the chandelier, is made of garlic, or something that looks like garlic.

Garibaldi

Dear fellow tasters,

My one day Singapore culinary journey nearly came to an end and what would be nicer than to end the evening with an Italian dinner at one of Singapore’s finest.  A brief research during the itinerary planning led me to Garibaldi, an Italian restaurant located near Raffles Hotel and within walking distance from City Hall MRT.  This restaurant gave out an intimidating feel, from the price tag on the menu and the exclusive outward appearance, but once I stepped over the front door, a friendly hostess politely greeted me and welcomed me to sit on a high stool, somehow a bit weird for a restaurant.  

Emilie

Dear fellow tasters,

Happy New Year 2011 or shall I say ‘Bonne Année 2011′.  It’s been a long-time longing for my friends and I to try this French restaurant but we always feel so intimidated by the definitely-not-so-cheap menu, so it feels like a dream come true when we finally decided to celebrate Christmas and also my birthday by living out our French culinary dream.  The imminent rain that day did not do much to dampen our spirit and stepping into the restaurant from the drizzle outside, we were welcomed by the friendly waiting staffs into the minimalist-but-elegant dominantly-white-colored dining area. 

Moya Tapas & Wine Bar

Dear fellow tasters,

A Tapas place is hard to find in good old Jakarta, but one is stuck away on the ground floor of Pavilion Apartment Retail Arcade, called Moya Tapas and Wine Bar. After failing to go there on a Sunday evening because it’s closed on Sundays, my couple friends and me was finally able to try it out on the second occasion. Small, cozy, dim-lighted, with Spanish-accentuated decor and ambiance, Moya offers a various selection of tapas and other Spanish cuisines.