Capri Cafe bar, FORTITUDE VALLEY

Capri is an Italian & pizza restaurant located within the stylish emporium complex. I’ve always known Capri to be there and it became a place I said I would try, but never made it around to going, so when Dimmi’s offered a 50% off you food bill sale, I jumped at the opportunity. I was also aware of the recent negative reviews on Urbanspoon prior to visit and to my delight; I’ll have to disagree with those reviews.

We were looked after that night by a friendly gentleman who was attentive and very knowledgeable of the menu and really helped us picked the perfect dishes and serving sizes. We were seated with our menus and table water and then left to peruse through their extensive menu which consists of several entree/share menus, mains and a long list of pastas, risottos and pizzas. We eventually agreed on the beetroot and walnut arancini, followed by a belinni pizza and sand crab and scallop risotto to share.

The arancini was served with a bed of roquette and side of feta cheese. The colours on this dish were spectacular and although I was quite sceptical about the choice of ingredients, the flavours were nice together and the size of were very generous; 4 large arancini per serve which is more than enough for two people. The arancini could have been a bit crispier on the outside, but all in all a decent dish.

Beetroot and Walnut arancini with roquette and feta (minus 1 i already started eating)

While we waited for our mains, our water was refilled and we were offered a 2^nd round of drinks. They have a few interesting choices when it comes to international beer which we loved as other restaurants' beer choices are getting a bit samey and you don’t ever get the chance to try something new.

Our mains arrived and we were quite impressed, if not a little overwhelmed, by the serving sizes.  The pizza was pretty big and barely fit on the large dinner plate and the risotto, although not visible at first (or evident in my photo), fills up a deep plate-bowl.

Bellini: Air dried beef rib fillet, mushrooms, bocconcini & mozzarella

I was quite impressive with my pizza with the base being one of my favourite pizza bases to date. It was rolled at the perfect thickness and cooked until entirely crisps on the underside and crust yet still remained soft in the centre. Biting into the base was similar to the amazing sensation of biting into grilled Turkish bread; not something you often get from fast food pizza chains. Toppings were tasty and we enjoyed every bite of it.

The risotto had great flavours and real pieces of crab and scallops. The only downside to this dish was the rice being slightly undercooked which made the texture a bit unpleasant, but it wasn’t far off from the mark and was still quite delicious so we were happy to keep eating it. Flavours were excellent in this dish and the scallops were cooked perfectly.

Sand crab and scallop  in a seafood bisque risotto topped with roquette and Grana Padano cheese

After mains, we were stuffed and had to turn down the offer for dessert. Our tables were cleared and even though we were no longer ordering anything, the wait staff kindly continued to top up our water glasses while we sat and let our stomachs settle.

We thought the service was excellent on this particular night. Our waiter, and the female trainee nailed the sequence of service and was timely and non intrusive with their table checks. Everything we could want was offered to us and we never had to get anyone’s attention for anything. The waiter’s menu knowledge was great and he was friendly and helpful and remained patient while we decided. I liked to point out that it wasn’t a very busy night, but from what I saw, I was impressed.

I am glad decided to give this place a go, even though certain aspects of the meal could be improved, overall I sill had a very pleasant experience.

Food: 7/10
Service: 10/10
value: 7/10 (not based on vouchers redeemed)
Atmosphere: 8/10
Overall:  8

-wd

Motto motto, GARDEN CITY

After much anticipation, I finally made it around to Motto Motto to see what all the fuss is about.  Motto Motto sets out to be casual Japanese dining, offering quality meals at affordable prices so if you’re after a quick and hassle free meal, but wanting something that is a step up from fast food, this is the place.

The menu is quite simple but still offers a variety of ramen, rice bowls, breadrolls, salads and several sides to choose from.  It is also a licensed venue and has a few Japanese beers on offer along with non-alcoholic flavoured fruit ciders.

Watermelon & Peach fruit cider 

I was extremely excited about these fruit ciders and was expecting the most amazing drink in the world...turns out they were just cute bottles of carbonated water with artificial fruit flavourings. They were tasty for what they were.  

On this particular visit, we started off with some chicken karage followed by red ramen and the wagyu beef roll on brioche. The chicken karage was a bit of let down. It wasn’t crispy, lacked flavour and was very dry.  There were times when I was taking bites of batter that didn’t contain any chicken pieces at all. I don’t usually leave food behind, but my partner and I struggled to get through that one. Luckily our main meals weren’t a disaster.

Chicken Karage & Kewpie mayonnaise

  

The wagyu beef roll was delicious and looked great. The marinated beef was soft and tender while the salad was fresh and crisp – all in a lightly toasted brioche. Filling to bread ratio was perfect, which as we all know, makes or breaks a sandwich of any sort.

Wagyu beef roll on brioche

Red Ton-kotsu ramen was served with couple of pieces of pork belly and half egg and pickles on the side. The soup, advertised as “12 hour pork superstock”, was tasty and full of flavour with mild heat to it. Although it isn’t the best bowl of ramen I’ve had, it was very filling and satisfying and would make the perfect comforting meal for a cold night after a long day at work.

Ton-Kotsu Ramen (red)

The venue is set up to be fast paced and although turnover is generally quick, the venue does has limited seating and gets quite full during peak lunch/dinner hours, so if you aren’t prepared to wait a little while (or sit against a glass wall facing another diner awkwardly) then opt for takeaway and sit on the beach chairs just outside in Town Square. Service is good for the type of venue, its super quick, super efficient and friendly enough to make you feel welcomed.

It might not be my first choice when it comes to casual Japanese food, but it’s good enough that I’ll definitely be popping back in to try the rice bowls the next time I finish work late and too lazy to cook dinner.

Food:  7/10
Value: 6/10
service 7/10
Atmosphere: 4/10
Overall: 6.5

-wd

Baguette Bistrot + Bar, ASCOT

Baguette is a long time French restaurant residing in Ascot. It doesn’t look like much from the outside as you first step into the venue and enter via the bar, but it opens up to a spacious yet intimate seating area. We were seated between a large shelf showcasing their wine list and a beautiful garden with fairy lights and water feature to set a relaxing ambience.

Sticking to popular French cuisine, we started off with the Foie gras parfait which was served with caramel apples, feijoa relish and crostini. The parfait was soft and fluffy and spread across the toasted bread with ease, it was smooth, full of flavour and delicious that paired well with the sweet caramel apple. I didn’t really enjoy the feijoa relish but I believe that just came down to personal preference as my companion seemed to think it tasted fine.  The only downside to the plate was the crostini was a little burnt around the edges but that really is was a minor issue in a great dish.

Duck liver & foie gras parfait, apple caramel, feijoa relish, crostini

Up next, I ordered the lamb rump served with garlic risotto and cabernet sauvignon jus. I thought this dish was excellent.  The lamb was beautifully pink in the center and was tender and juicy all through while the risotto was cooked perfectly; rice was not too hard or too mushy, which is somewhat a common problem when ordering risotto. Fava beans added a nice texture to the dish which i really enjoyed.

Rump lamb, wild garlic risotto and fava beans, Cabernet Sauvignon jus

Thoa ordered the fish (being salmon on that particular night) with king prawns, artichoke, baby potatoes and chorizo. I had a sneaky taste of the fish and though it was good. The fish and lemon sabayon sauce are amazing together however the she mentioned that it would have been nicer if the skin was crisps all through. It wasn’t advertised as crispy skin salmon but i guess you expect it seeing as most places do it and it works so well with salmon.

Sautéed king prawns, artichoke, baby potatoes, chorizo, spinach, lemon sabayon

The flavours and seasoning were excellent in both mains, not once did we even had to think about adding salt or pepper to our meals. Serving sizes were big as well, big enough that after entree, wine and mains, we were too full to have dessert, which is something I’m still regretting. I’ll have to order something lighter next time so I can fit in dessert and possibly some cheese.  I do hope that next time I dine here though, there will be a bigger selection from their fromage menu as I only recall a choice of four cheeses.

The service was good; we were treated well from the moment we arrived to when we left. Wait staff were attentive and friendly and did everything correctly and promptly. Everything was offered to us and we never found ourselves wondering where our food was or asking for our water to be refilled. We even got some friendly byes from the chefs behind the pass on our way out. All in all a very pleasant experience at Baguette and is definitely a place I’ll be revisiting in the near future.

Food: 9/10
Service:10/10
Value: 8/10
Atmosphere: 8.5/10

Overall: 9

-wd