Serenity Spanish Bar and Restaurant

Today, I visited Serenity Spanish Bar and Restaurant for dinner together with Arthur and Astrea. Located on Level 1 of VivoCity in the middle of the whole lane of restaurants, this restaurant is easily missed out due to the calming blue and white decorations and its lack of crowd. However, I was determined to at least try out this restaurant once simply due to the fact that I am currently taking Spanish classes in NTU ^^" How can you appreciate the Spanish culture if you haven't even tried their food? Thus, on a brave adventure (and I say so because some of their food combination are seriously intimidating to those adamant on enjoying local cuisines) we entered the restaurant and sat down at a table.

Drinks Menu:


Food Menu:


Firstly, we decided to try out their paella, which was basically short-grained rice imbued with various spices and meat/seafood cooked on a flat based pan. It's kind of like Chinese Claypot Rice done in a metal pan and spanish style =) It takes about 30 - 45 minutes to prepare and thus I encourage anyone trying out this restaurant to place your order for paella first before ordering any other dishes. We decided on Arroz al Horno, which consisted of spring onion, onion, tomato, Spanish chorizo, pork ribs, potato, capsicum, rice.

Next, we spent quite a long time deciding on the tapas to order and finally we settled on...


Patatas Bravas - Roast Potato with romesco sauce and Alioli Sauce

First impression - ooh... interesting taste.

The romesco sauce (red one) was based on almond, together with various spices such as Spanish pepper. As for the Alioli sauce, I couldn't really taste what it was made of. There's only one way I would describe this dish as... a rather interesting and unique taste it is that it's difficult to describe, and it brings warmth to the pits of your stomach after you've eaten it xD The potatoes' skin add a crisp effect to the sauce which made the dish more enjoyable. Not recommended for people who dislike the after-sensation of eating pepper though. Hmm... and I think the dish would taste better if there were lesser sauce lol.

Next up, it was...


Datiles con Beicon - Dates with Bacon

First impression - Nice! It tastes pretty good!

The slight crispness of the grilled bacon wrapped around a soft date with the texture similar to mashed potatoes complements really well. And when you chew the package slowly, the sweetness of the sauce it was dipped in before grilling and the mild taste of dates comes to the tip of the tongue. Definitely my favourite out of these two tapas. Would love to have it again next time I dine there.

And finally, our paella came to the table. Since we ordered the portion for 2, it wasn't as large as I expected it to be (around 30cm in width?) but it was still more than enough for the three of us.


First impression - Mmmm.... it's really rich in flavours. And it tastes better than it looks!

This dish was rather nice, considering that this is the first time I've tried any other cuisine besides Chinese, Western, Italian and Japanese and is not used to the taste of Spanish food. The amount of chorizo in the dish could have been more, but the pork in the paella was delicious and well-marinated.

After the paella, we decided to try their desserts. And I'm very glad we did.

First up...

Naranjas al vino dulce - Baked Valencia orange with Spanish sweet wine and ice cream


First impression - Oh. My. God. (dies and goes to heaven).
(quote) Arthur: The presentation is fail. (goes to heaven after taking a bite)
Me: LOL.

This... is a definite MUST-HAVE for anyone dining in Serenity. A peeled Valencian orange with treated slices of orange peel accompanies a cold ice cream and a sliced strawberry. The ice-cream... is to die for. Surprisingly, the orange is warm in contrast to the ice cream. How to get the best sensation? Take a bite of the orange together with the ice cream and some of the wine sauce, and I guarantee that you will literally close your eyes in delight. Words cannot give due compliment to this dish.

Next up, we had the classic Spanish dessert... Churros!

There was six churros originally, but we ate 3 of them before remembering to take photos! =O

First impression - hmm... nice.

After tasting the heavenly dessert, it was difficult for Mr. Churros to grab the mainstage. However, Mr. Churros tastes great too. It was warm when we took a bite, and it was surprising that its crunchy exterior hides a soft interior. Mr. Churros comes dusted with a bit of sugar, and of course, a chocolate dip. It's great for anyone who has a craving for a warm dessert xD Not my favourite type of dessert though. Hee.

As we still had some space left in our stomachs (and Astrea still had one more stomach for desserts *cough*shehasfourstomachs*cough*) We ordered our last dessert for the day.. something which was rather exotic... and that was...

Arroz con leche - Rice with milk

First impression - Mmm... tastes pretty good.. Are you sure it's rice???

Hmm... according to Astrea, the rice used was glutinous rice of sorts. Unlike the normal rice we eat everyday, this rice was stickier and imbued with the strong taste of milk. The texture is pretty thick and creamy, but not so much that you would get sick of it. The chocolate sauce at the base of the dessert tasted similarly to Ferro Roche! Lols. Oh, and the almond comes dusted in gold powder xD Our Arroz con leche consists of three of it and a sugar thingy on top that was rather sharp to the mouth when eaten. It's good to try this at least once for the experience... but I rather try other desserts xD Oh, and do order this only if you still have an ample amount of space in your stomach. Afterall, it's rice!

Stuff on tables~


Overall, the experience was really enjoyable. The restaurant had a nice ambience and a lit candle on every table. It wasn't too crowded and thus is good for a peaceful dining experience. There was a variety of tables and chairs as well as the arrangement to cater to groups with different number of people and really nice lighting. HOWEVER, we got cheated by a waiter when ordering our plain water... never ever order their "still" or "sparkling" water unless you are feeling really rich. The "still" water of Fiji brand costs $5.85, when you could have "ice" water for free. A lesson learnt in the hard way T_T

On a side note... I would recommend that anyone wanting to try out this restaurant to form at least groups of 3 - 4 in order to fully enjoy the variety of food served there. It is the Spanish culture to dine with groups of friends and it's definitely reflected in this restaurant! It's more economical to bring your friends along to this restaurant xD Be prepared to spend more than $35 if you are planning to enjoy your food!

Adios!

Tada~

Finalmente... no more exams!

Muahahaha~

Estoy muy contento~ pero estoy un poco cansado >_<

Pues... Me encanta mi girasol =P Es armaillo, brillante y alegre~

Tata~

Voy practicar español

Mi casa

Mi casa está situada en Singapur, que tiene muchos edificios altos. Mi casa es antigua y bastante grande y cerca del mercado. En mi casa hay tres habitaciones, dos cuarto de baños y una cocina. Mi habitación no tiene aire acondicionado, pero tiene un ventilador. En mi casa hay pared muchos colores – azules claros, verdes, amarillos y blancos. Me gusta el color de las paredes de mi habitación porque es mi favorito.

Mi pais

Singapur hace mucho sol, pero tiene llueve mucho en Noviembre y diciembre. A mi me gusta el lluvia... porque es hermosa pero triste al mismo tiempo. Singapur es un ciudad pequena y moderno. La gente de Singapur es amable pero tiene mucho prisa. Me encanta la comida de Singapur, lo es delicioso pero un poco caro.

Las actividades hago en mi tiempo libre

En mi tiempo libre, me gusta ver las peliculas en mi ordenador y tomo un siesta. Tambien, a mi me gusta pasear en el parque una vez por semana y nado en la piscina. Pero recientemente, soy ocupado como mis examenes son empiezo pronto.

This is so addictive. And meaningful. And Awsomeness!

This is classic! xD

Today is one crazy day.

First, I screwed up in tutorial class because I didn't do the tutorial but got called up to present the question.

Next, I stayed in school after tutorial till 5 to do up my Spanish oral dialogue with Viknesh.

Then, as I was walking on my usual route to the bus interchange in JP, I saw someone who was lying on the floor, and the floor was tainted with his blood.

After that, I went home to rest up awhile before going for tuition, and was reduced to eating maggie noodles for dinner (for the god knows how many times recently). Why I didn't get to eat proper food? Well, my mother said: "if I go buy dinner now, the food will be cold by the time your sister gets back. Why don't you go eat dinner on the way to tuition?"

During tuition, the student was being slightly restless, but it was better than the past. I thought it was going quite well until the end of the lesson, where the mother told me to give a day's break tomorrow. And she said to the student: "Tomorrow you get a break from tuition, so don't tell me that you want to stop tuition again."

One bloody screwed up day.

The clouds have cleared =) Just a little.

I wonder... why this sense of uncertainty pervades me... It's like a dark cloud, blocking my ray of light such that I am lost in the cold, harsh world. I step into murky waters, not knowing what would happen next, blind to any potholes. I seek little comfort in the fact that time's running out, that I have to clear my checkpoints or perish, stuck in the weird world that had suddenly enveloped me. It does not help, for me mind to be as clear as swampwater, or me heart as peaceful as high seas. Turbulence.

And I wonder... how many people would read this? perhaps none.
I long for sweet words and comforting hugs.. n I wonder she could sense it..
but I have no intention on keeping my hopes up only to have them dashed.

Days that drip red,
like passionate roses in the sun
like the warmth of a person
like blood-filled tears
like heartache
like relevation

An article I read on Yahoo news today about third-hand smoke.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - – You know smoking is bad for you. You know inhaling someone else's smoke is bad for you. Now a US study says third-hand smoke -- tobacco residue clinging to surfaces -- is also bad for you.

When a cigarette burns, nicotine is released in the form of a vapor that collects and condenses on indoor surfaces such as walls, carpeting, drapes and furniture, where it can linger for months, said the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

"Our study shows that when this residual nicotine reacts with ambient nitrous acid it forms carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines, or TSNAs," said Hugo Destaillats, a corresponding author of the study.

"TSNAs are among the most broadly acting and potent carcinogens present in unburned tobacco and tobacco smoke," he said.

The most likely human exposure to TSNAs is through either inhalation of dust or the contact of skin with carpet or clothes -- making third-hand smoke particularly dangerous to infants and toddlers.

Opening a window or turning on a fan to air out a room while a cigarette burns does not eliminate the hazard of third-hand smoke. Smoking outdoors doesn't help much either.

"Smoking outside is better than smoking indoors but nicotine residues will stick to a smoker's skin and clothing," said Lara Gundel, a co-author of the study.

"Those residues follow a smoker back inside and get spread everywhere. The biggest risk is to young children," she said.

"Dermal uptake of the nicotine through a child's skin is likely to occur when the smoker returns and if nitrous acid is in the air, which it usually is, then TSNAs will be formed."

Substantial levels of TSNAs were also found in the truck of a heavy smoker, the study says, adding that most vehicle engines emit some nitrous acid that can infiltrate the passenger compartment of a vehicle.

Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory led the study, which they say is the first to quantify the reactions of third-hand smoke with nitrous acid.

"And please," says Roger, "when you need to head for the ladies or the gents, just leave the room quietly and go. I have no need to know."

Happy CNY people~ although it's still abt half an hr away.

I shall try my best to enjoy this CNY despite the deadlines for various important assignments creeping up on me... and more importantly, the lack of someone I hold dear with me.

Te echo de menos.

Te amo, mi querido.

Te beso en mi corazón.

A video I found on Youtube which features a scottish fold kitten =3

Woke up earlier than usual today because of an unpleasant dream.

It was about some 40+ yr old man who snuck into my house through the door after I unlocked it n went to the kitchen. I saw that sneaky looking man in my room n demanded what he was doing in the house... then different scenarios kept flashing acroos my eyes.

Like how I locked the house door n locked myself in my room and called 999
Like how I trapped him in my mother's room with myself blocking the door while screaming for help
Like how I saw him holding my laptop and tried to get it back...

And the dream after that was even more unpleasant...

It wasn't the dream itself... but the feelings after I woke up with knowledge of the dream.. and how it could be reality...