Spizzico Ristorante Italiano

Lynn bought this groupon mainly because of it's cover picture. It was a photograph of a steak, with a foie gras on top of it. From the photo, it appears that the foie gras is as large as, if not larger than the steak. So we bought a $20 for $40 worth of food groupon.

It's location at UE square is quite accessible to both of us, but very quiet on a weekday night. The restaurant was relatively quiet with only a few other tables of guest. Service was very good, and the waiter was very attentive, stopping by often to ask us how's the food, taking photos for us, giving us his opinions etc.

We were served very normal bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. We finished it, but didn't request for more as we browsed through the menu. Because of the tempting photograph, we knew what one of our main courses will definitely be. So it was a matter of choosing another one, and some sides or starters. They have several dishes that are our usual favorites, so decisions were made pretty quickly.

Bread and vinegar and oil

I have absolutely no memory of how the escargots were. So I guess they weren't fantastic, nor were they horrible. Just pretty average escargots that we didn't rave over nor complained about. The caprese itself was good. The tomatoes were very fresh, as was the mozzarella. The basil dressing went nicely with them. However, we found a few yellow and wilted leaves in the mixed greens at the side. Lynn wasn't very happy about it.

Escargots

Caprese salad

We decided on squid ink risotto, after the very good experience we had at Amici with their squid ink pasta. Spizzico's had a lot of stuff in it. Although everything was black and it took a while to figure out what's what, we found clams, prawns, squid rings and scallops. The squid ink was aromatic, and the risotto cooked just nice. It was a little on the sweet side though, and we agreed that it would have been too cloying if its eaten by one person. Thankfully we shared it.

Squid ink risotto

The main attraction - the tenderloin with foie gras. The foie gras was really as big as the steak. Their tenderloin was a pretty thick cut, and we found the centre of our medium rare steak a little cold. So smart alec Lynn complained to the attentive waiter and asked if we could have it warmed up. They did, and returned with a steak closer to medium well. We got back our respective halves, and as always, found that I ended up with the rarer piece of meat, when actually she's the one who have a greater love for bloody steaks. The foie gras was also a little cold, but given how melty it is, we knew it wouldn't tolerate a reheat. They probably had the plate out for a while before bringing it to us. But the foie gras did hit the spot, giving us several moments of closed eyes blissfulness.

Beef tenderloin with foie gras

We did enjoy the food for most part. But again, it just wasn't impressive enough to warrant a wish to return. But we did take the opportunity to walk to nearby Robertson Quay for some souffles at Laurent Bernard Chocolatier.

Kazu Sumiyaki Restaurant

M had a sumiyaki craving, and I had a foie gras craving. So her suggestion to this place was pretty welcomed to me, since foie gras is on the menu. And I like sumiyaki too. I've visited a small little place in Cuppage before, and I thought maybe it was Kazu but I forgot the name. Since that place was also M's suggestions back then, she's able to tell me that it's a different place. Said place had already closed down, but Kazu is also pretty good. Ok, I'll believe her.

Kazu is really small, and because it was a last minute decision, we weren't able to get reservations for the first seating. As such, we were given the second seating. I was there very early because of some mistiming issues, and wanted to try my luck at getting a seat earlier. I was pretty much ignored after standing at the door for 5 minutes at 6pm. When my presence was finally acknowledged, I was told very briskly by the waitress that reservations are full and I have no chance getting a table that night. So I tried to explain that we have a reservation at 8pm and I'm trying to see what's the earliest time I can get a table (because I was famished). Again was very briskly informed that 8pm reservations also full, no chance. By then I was annoyed because I've already explained that we have a reservation at 8pm. Finally she paused and looked through the list, saw our reservation, and told me to return at 8pm.

Too hungry, I went TCC for a snack while waiting for the rest to arrive. Then we returned to Kazu at 8pm. Because they are so busy, the waiters are bustling around us hurriedly. I remember that it was pretty hard to get their attentions. But after some browsing through the menu, and some discussion, and several attempts at getting their attention, our orders were finally placed.

I've always loved the garlic fried rice served at Japanese places. Kazu's doesn't fail. Fragrant garlic fried with perfect grains of well separated Japanese rice. Very delicious. We were served raw cabbage and a dish of miso dip each. The cabbage leaves went really really well with the miso. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was contemplating ordering a second portion. But I think it was $5 for a bowl of raw cabbage, so I changed my mind.

Garlic fried rice

Cabbage and miso

Then came all our sumiyakis. Let me try to remember what we ordered. Chicken cartilage, squid, normal pork belly, kurobuta pork belly, beef wrapped enoki mushroom, chicken wing, scallops and of course, foie gras. The chicken cartilage was crunchy and yummy, great recommendation by M. We preferred the kurobuta pork belly to the regular, and so ordered a second serving. The scallops and beef wrapped mushrooms were pretty normal. The chicken wings were sort of dissected, so it was easier to eat. I liked the squid, grilled to crunchy perfection.

Mixed sumiyaki

Chicken wings

Finally it was the star of the night (as far as I'm concerned). A nice skewer of foie gras. The stick that I got was a little burnt at its tip, so that part was a little dry and doesn't have the melt-in-your-mouth feel. But as I ate further into the stick, the bigger pieces were crisp on the outside, and melt-in-your-mouth on the inside. I was blissed out. But truth be told, I personally prefer Shin Kushiya's foie gras. More fatty and artery clogging but oh so heavenly.

Foie gras

We ended the meal with a grilled sweet potato. It was a 45 minute wait, so something you should order at the start. It was perfectly grilled, with a charred skin, but soft interior. You slap on the butter, which melts immediately, and dig in. It was good. But I must warn, it's really expensive for a sweet potato. M wanted to order it, I didn't bother to look at the price, and I must say I was quite shocked when I saw the receipt. I just paid an incredulous amount for a root.

But overall, I do like the food, although the service has much room for improvement. They do stock a huge variety of sumiyakis, some that are not commonly found elsewhere. Ignoring the few outliers (especially the vegetables... $20 for eggplant, for example.), most of the items on the menu are reasonably priced. I think I may return to try more adventurous items.

Amici

This is another Groupon find. There were two options: $20 for $40 worth of food, or $50 for $100 worth of food. Since it's an Italian restaurant, L and me agreed that we can reach $100 easily and bought the second option. Their reservation was done via SMS, and I didn't get a reply, so I wasn't sure we got the reservation. But we went ahead nonetheless.

After being seated, we took out our Groupon and gave it to the staff, who then apologetically informed us that to use the $100 value Groupon, it was minimum of 4 to dine. Apparently it was a fine print I missed. So after some discussion, we decided to return another day with a bigger group. Although there was an ongoing promotion for some credit card, we weren't sure that we'll like the food enough to have a second try. (As in, first try that day using credit card promo, and return again to use the Groupon).

So after arranging with some of my girls to return, we made reservations for 4 pax. This time it was done via the phone and I had a confirmation. Again, after being seated, I was informed that to use the Groupon, I had to order 4 main courses minimum. I argued against this because it wasn't written in the fine print, just 'minimum 4 to dine' (not 4 main courses to dine). Looking at the next table's food, we saw that the serving was quite big. We were tempted by several appetizers and desserts, so 4 main courses meant way too much food for us. Finally the server gave in and we got away with ordering only 3 main courses plus extras.

A and me were there first, and very hungry. So we went ahead and ordered fried calamari first, to stave our hunger while waiting for the rest. Lynn managed to reach before the calamari was served, so she managed to eat piping hot, crispy calamari. Unfortunately M didn't, so she had to live with the cold calamari we set aside for her. Their's are real squid (as opposed to floury, non-squidy rings you find in supermarkets). It was crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and so welcomed in my hungry tummy.

Frito ai calamari- Fried calamari

Next up was escargots. Theirs are served by the dozen. Presentation-wise, I have to say it's the worst presented escargots I've ever seen. Instead of the usual specialized dishes with wells for each snail, their escargots were dumped haphazardly on a normal dish. As such, some of the juices have leaked out of the shells. But presentation aside, their escargots were delicious. Perfect texture with just the right amount of chewability, and a great flavor from the garlic butter. Yum! Definitely one of the better ones I've eaten.

Escargots

The Cajun mixed platter was disappointingly small. For it's price ($39.90), I expected a much larger serving. But it turned out to be a small piece of chicken, small piece of fish, and three large prawns. It was a very normal mixed grill, no surprises there at all.

Farina di Combo - Cajun mixed platter

We also ordered a four cheese pizza. The cheese combination was great, and melted perfectly over a flavorful tomato sauce.

Pizza 4 formaggi - Four cheese pizza

Last main course was a squid ink pasta with breaded cod fish. We saw someone eating this at the next table and thought it looked great. The squid ink was so aromatic, and there were generous servings of calamari mixed in the pasta. The breaded cod fish was nice and crisp, and fresh. No overly fishy taste there. Really liked it.

Squid ink pasta with breaded cod fish

Last but not least, tiramisu. How can you visit an Italian restaurant without one? But we were quite full (actually, the two others were but Lynn and me were comfortable. These girls are a lot less greedy than us.), so we ordered one to share. Creamy mascarpone, rich coffee flavor, delicate liquor, and generous cocoa powder. It was a good tiramisu. A, the dessert queen, was a happy girl.

Tiramisu

Overall we really liked the food. Service was pretty good too. But the prices are a little steep. And no complimentary bread unlike the usual Italian restaurants. Without some kind of promotion, it's not very likely for us to return.

The Banana Leaf Apolo (Race Course Road)

We have heard of this eatery quite a while ago, when boss considered it for one of our colleague's farewell. It was passed for a cheaper alternative in the end, but S did mention that it's nice. So when she's leaving for her post-grad studies, we decided to have our own little farewell here. We decided on the branch at Race Course Road. It was during Ramadan that we went, so when we reached about 6 plus, it was still relatively empty. But midway through eating (or while waiting for our food actually), the crowd started swarming in for breaking fast.

We actually weren't sure what to order, and the server wasn't very helpful. So between our mixed understanding of the items on the menu and their sizes, we somehow managed to order what sounded like a decent amount of food for the 6 of us. The drinks came first. I think all of us ordered lassi. Mine was a mango lassi. Sweet, sour and refreshing. I liked it.

Mango lassi and sweet lassi

Gobi 65 was highly recommended by one of our ex-colleague, so we ordered that. It was basically cauliflower coated with some seasoned flour and deep fried. Who doesn't like deep fried food? And deep fried vegetable does seem somewhat healthier than deep fried meats, although it sounds a little sacrilegious. The seasoning was good, and the crunch perfect. Very nice start to the meal.

Gobi 65

When you don't know what to order, a mix platter is always a good starting point. So that was exactly what we ordered - a tandoori mix platter. It had chicken, fish, some otah-like thingy and prawns I think. Overall was pretty yummy, but the otah-like thingy was too spicy for a few of them, so I ate quite a lot of it. It's spicy with a touch of sour, and went well with my rice. Because this was awhile back, I actually don't remember much of the rest of this platter.

Add caption

 This was followed by a series of gravilicious food to go with the naans we ordered, as well as saffron rice. Garlic and butter naans hot out of the kitchen was oh so nice, especially with all the curries and gravies. The mutton masala were bite sized pieces of mutton, tender enough to chew without feeling like I was chewing gum. Its gravy was a mildly spicy curry, flavored with a good amount of Indian herbs and spices. The fish curry was really good. It was very spicy, but very flavorful. Even the ones who didn't like spicy had a good number of servings.

Garlic naan and butter naan

Mutton masala

Fish curry

There was another dish that I absolutely can't remember what it was, even after staring at the picture for a long time. So I really can't comment on it. Midway through we decided we wanted more greens, and ordered something that had '7 vegetables' in its description. It had a creamy gravy, and I didn't actually try to identify 7 types of vegetables in it. But we liked it's flavor, very aromatic, and also goes well with naan. XP and YJ even needed extra white rice to go with all those saucy dishes.

The dish I can't remember

The restaurant got really crowded as the night proceeded, and the servers started clearing our plates as soon as one empties - a signal to us that we should leave. Even after 5 out of 7 of us had left the table to go to washroom, pay at cashier etc, I stubbornly sat there with YJ accompanying me to finish up the remaining food and papadam. Oh yes, I loved their papadam.

I must say that while their food is yummy, it's actually quite similar to other Indian places. And quite pricey too. Ok, at least it's better than Khansama's. The girls say they prefer Anjappar, which I have yet to try. Maybe next outing we'll go there.