Primo Italia

I was invited to this restaurant that's been around for a while, located at the Hillside Village in Torrance. I never went, only because I heard it was not that good. This is from a couple who enjoys good food and has traveled worldwide, and I was excited to see it for myself.

 

Sugar insisted we order cocktails which took little persuasion. Three of them ordered a dirty martini, and I was happy to order the "filthy martini." It was decided that since we all eat octopus, the fried calamari would be a good appetizer. Our host also ordered a side dish of sauteed veggies which was good. The calamari could have been better, it was not crispy as it should have been, but we consumed it anyway.

Zohreh ordered the Branzino con Carciofi, whole sea bass with artichokes and escarole. Our friend decided to split a Porterhouse Steak with Mike. I tried the fish and thought it was tasteless, but the steak had a bit more flavor.

I decided on the Saltimbocca di Vitello; veal scaloppini with sliced prosciutto, fresh sage, and broccolini cooked in white wine sauce. This was served with polenta. I liked the polenta, but unfortunately, the veal failed to excite me. 

We did order the Tiramisu for dessert to share among the 4 of us, and we all enjoyed this dessert. If you ask me if I would return to this restaurant, the answer is no. For the price they charge, I would be much happier dining elsewhere.

Wild Honey Mandarin Gallery

This brunch was our last meal in Singapore. It surely did not disappoint. Even their paper napkins impressed me.

Grace and Sandi ordered the Delancey; sliced beef pastrami, poached eggs, tomato, grain mustard Hollandaise on a sesame bagel. Dino decided on the Spanish; poached eggs, diced pork chorizo, corned beef, bacon, red pepper, caramelized onions, Hollandaise sauce with their signature brioche. That sounded wonderful but I thought, too much meat.

I finally decided on the European; 2 perfectly poached eggs, sautéed mushrooms wrapped with Itlalian prosciutto, Hollandaise sauce on the wonderful brioche and a petite salad. I loved mine but also loved Dino's and Sandi's.

We were all so happy with our choices. I would definitely go back to this restaurant. This particular branch featured floor to ceiling windows and has a dramatic view of Singapore's famous Orchard Road, considered their "Times Square." 

Bettolino

It was Mary's birthday, and I decided to take her to one of her favorite restaurants and mine, Bettolino, in Redondo Beach. This night was special because they had a singer and what better way to have dinner than with live entertainment. We got there at 6:30 p.m., and the restaurant was packed. It was pretty noisy. I brought a bottle of wine to celebrate the occasion.

Our server, John, was the best! He was both entertaining and informative. He would open the wine bottle with the opener I never could master. I asked him to demonstrate, and I told him I did the same thing, but the lip would not line up with the bottle when I did it. So, he gave me step-by-step instructions and ended up giving me his personal wine opener! Mary and I were so impressed and shocked. No one's ever gone above and beyond to ensure I could do this next time.

We started with their excellent, addictive bread with olive oil, herbs, and Parmesan cheese. For an appetizer, the Crab Arancini was perfect; we had 2 each. Delicious crispy rice balls with crab and a creamy marinara sauce. 

I decided on my favorite Tortelloni Al Limone; spinach and ricotta stuffed pasta in a lemon cream sauce. Mary asked me if that was good. I told her how wonderful it is without exaggeration; o.k. I may have gotten too excited. While waiting for our tortelloni, we had more bread. When John came around to ask us if we wanted more bread, we both looked at each other and said" "Yes, please."

The Tortelloni arrived with much anticipation. We welcomed the fresh Parmesan cheese and added some chili flakes. We both enjoyed our dish very much. 

Mary got a Cannoli Cheesecake for her birthday. I ordered my favorite dessert, the Salted Caramel Semifredo, a semi-frozen salted caramel mousse layered with graham crackers and a chocolate sauce. 

One thing great about Mary is that she can eat like me. Even with all the bread we consumed, we managed to finish our appetizer and our entrees.

We could not enjoy the entertainment as the noise level was so high that we could barely hear any singing, which was a pity. 

Lantern

This rooftop bar is located at the Fullerton Bay Hotel in Singapore. My brother Dino and his wife Grace took us there after dinner, and their son Luigi was able to join us, which was nice. We had drinks and some fries, but the main attraction of this place was the incredible view of The Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the city of Singapore at night!

Don't miss this spot when you visit Singapore in the future. It really is breathtaking!

Back to Entertaining

Last week, Sandi and I decided to experiment with a few things. Zohreh and Mike were to be the guinea pigs.

The ShrimpTaco Bites Sandi made were outstanding, and it had lime zest, avocado, sour cream, chili, and cilantro. The shrimp was baked and then placed on tortilla chip scoops. 

I made Chicken with lemon cream sauce. The lemon slices were edible and turned out to be delicious with the cream. Sandi made a salad of fresh tomatoes, red onions, and cucumbers in a lemon dressing. 

I copied Erik's creation for dessert, but this time, I added sweet vermouth to the mango and banana slices before adding the whipped cream.

Good food and great company made the evening fun. Thank you, Zohreh and Mike, for being such good sports.

Violet Oon Singapore

Dino, Grace, and their youngest son, Lewis, treated Sandi and me to a very impressive and delicious lunch. This restaurant is located within the National Gallery, which was grand with extraordinary views from the rooftop.

They thought it best to order different dishes to share. The first to be served was the Kuay Pie Tee; these were julienned bamboo shoots and turnips poached in a prawn bisque served in a deep-fried "top hat" cup topped with prawn, chili sauce, and a sweet fruit sauce. That must be one of their best sellers as we noticed that almost every table ordered that. It was absolutely divine! 

We tried the Hainanese Chicken Rice, which was very good. The Beef Satay was one of the best I've had, with its equally delicious spicy peanut sauce.

The Beef Rendang' tender beef shin braised in a melange of spices flavored with Kaffir and bay leaves cooked in a creamy coconut sauce was perfect with the Jasmine rice. My favorite was the Butter Prawns, fried Angka prawns topped with butter floss and crispy curry leaves. It's quite amazing what one can do to prawns!  They were truly buttery. I might have to double up on my Lipitor tonight.

This was an amazing lunch. The food tasted even better than it looked. Violet Oon has three locations in Singapore. If you ever find yourself in Singapore, this is a must-see and dine. Thank you, Dino and Grace, for this fabulous lunch.

Cibo

This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the Philippines. They have multiple locations all over. Sandi and I were there 2 nights aago. Last night, my friend Gigi, Sandi and I, decided to dine there and have  Gigi's favorite Champagne which I brought all the way from California. 

We ordered the Spinach Dip for appetizer. Both Gigi and Sandi ordered the Mushroom-Truffle 3 Cheese Spaghettini Tartufata; cream, fontina, goat cheese, butter and parmesan. I had that 2 nights ago and was very pleased with it. Both of them loved it. 

One of my favorites is the Mozzarella, White Cheese, Basil Penne Al Telefono which I also had on my last visit. This time I wanted to try something different. I ordered the Crab meat Linguine Di Valentino. That had lots of tender juicy crab meat.  It also had chili flakes which gave it a bit of "oomph". Needless to say, I inhaled my portion. 

I know I had to order the Tiramisu with Crunch. This is the only place that serves "crunchy Tiramisu". It is to die for. When the server placed it on the table, we all gasped as we saw how big the serving was. Both Gigi and Sandi do not like coffee so I was unable to share it with them. Much to everyone's surprise, including myself, I ate the whole thing!

Gigi had the Panna Cotta with Mango which looked delicious; and apparently was. Sandi had the Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato which she enjoyed.

We had a great time. Very good food, champagne and the best of friends. Thank you, Sandi, for treating us.