BItes: Catalanos @ Victoria Park

The Entertainment Book has been a wonderful host of discount with various restaurants that are awesome.  Unfortunately not all are awesome.  My recent dinner at this the supposedly “favorite finalists” turned out a disaster and without much ado, the review.

The chili mussels were something the table looked forward to.  The mussels were perfectly cooked before being mixed into a sauce that was in my opinion too plain.  The flavor was very subtle which was good if you just wanted the taste of the mussels.  Clearly enough too, the mussels were cook separately from the sauce before being tossed in it for a bit.  Absolutely tasteless this dish.  Maybe that’s why it did not come with bread to damp the sauce.

 

Next, we order a fettuccini to share.  Our first impressions on this was one good despite the disappointing appetizer.  The creamy red sauce look fabulous with cheese sprinkled on top.  Chicken slices too, looked rather generous.  And that is where it all ends.  The fettuccini was severely undercooked.  I have watched Jamie Oliver and Master Chef in Italy.  It seems like they like their pasta slightly undercooked just below al Dante, and I am pretty sure this was not how it was meant to be.  We were dumbfounded that a basic cooking can be so carelessly prepared.

 

Next was the Carbonara which was probably the best dish that night.  Its pasta was cooked perfectly, the sauce was mild and it was over all a pretty good dish.  For me, all it needed was a little more salt.  Despite trying to avoid having too much creamy pasta, this was the only reliable dish that night.

 

Our last dish was the pan-fried veal schnitzel with thick cut chips, fresh salad and a red sauce.   Another massive disappointment on a plate.  Sauce was definitely lackluster.  It was literally flat.  Veal steaks felt as if it was just chucked onto a non-heated pan and left to “boil”.  It was overall horrible.  But hey, the cheep's were pretty nice.

 

Overall, my meal at Catalano’s turned out to be one massive disaster.   This is a place that if you stop outside and wonder whether to try or not, just WALK ON.  Not worth the time and money.  Can definitely get better elsewhere.  Diners clearly deserved better and this is one of the very rare times where my review has turned out so negatively.  The only other time was at Sake Bar and another Thai restaurant.

 

WenY

Bites: The Merrywell.

The Merrywell is one of Crown Casino’s latest effort to boost its image from what was an aged complex to a more upmarket complex.  This high end pub showcases the dynamic duo chefs Grant MacPherson and Sammy De Marco whom Fishman have seen on the television a couple of times.  With a fancy interior and a new courtyard area, the Merrywell clearly distinguishes itself from other more casual pubs.  Unfortunately, the crowd is still typical. 5 men all trying so hard to woo one lady hahaha.

 

Walking up to the reception, we were served but was told that to get a sit on the inside, we would need to leave our names and they would call us back.  But guess what?  That is the worst system ever.  Some people take forever to come, leaving many sits empty!  In the end, the little darling, fishman and I decided to sit in the courtyard which means we had to order food from the bar.

 

When this restaurant first opened, there were rave reviews on food websites giving it a 90% approval rating and such.  Since then, it has plunged to 68%.  Rocking up to the bar counter to order my food, I totally understood why.  Wait for 10 minutes, lean over the counter and the grumpy lady tells you that this is not a service counter, go to the middle to order your food.  Head over to the middle counter, wait 10 minutes to be served and the next young lady says we do not do food at this counter.  It has now been 30 minutes and still no food.  The little darling gave them the WTF treatment and they UNHAPPILY served us.  Add this to half drunk blokes spilling their beers over her leg and that was a really bad and shit service.

 

For the purpose of this review, the quality of the food is kept separate from the service.

What really surprised us after we ordered is that Merrywell actually serves food quite quickly in contrast to what the reviews have mentioned recently.  Our wait for the food only look us 15 minutes.

For starters, we ordered a Mac and Cheese with in-house HP Sauce to share.

These delicious morsels of cheesy goodness definitely qualifies to be a Merrywell specialty.  It was crunchy with a balance of stringy melted cheese and macaroni making it absolutely yummy!  And for me, the HP sauce was definitely another highlight with a rich and tangy taste to it, elevating  the taste of the slightly bland Mac and Cheese.

 

The Lollipop Buffalo Wings were another specialty highlighted on the menu.Coming from home where American Pub food is enjoyed for lunch, delicious buffalo wings are no stranger.  To start, I was really pleased with the celery although I do not really like celery.  The ones used were well aged and not overly old and fibrous.  The Buffalo wings were not dry and was well-cooked.  But my complain lies in the lack of robustness of the flavor.  I wanted more acidity, more heat and all the other intense taste which one would normally dunk in the blue cheese fondue to cool.  For me and Fishman, it could have been better.

 

For our mains, the little darling ordered mini Wagyu burgers.I think these are easily one of the more impressive burgers I have eaten in awhile.  For me, it was the simplicity the stood out.  Its condiments were simple cheddar, BBQ caramelized onions, and pickles.  While the patty was not as juicy as other burger places like Jus Burgers, these little burger were impressive.

 

 

The Fishman as his names suggests, ordered the Roasted Tasmanian Salmon with Potato Pierogi, Pickled Beets, Sour Cream.He said it was pretty good and I would have to agree.  It was also the first time I have tasted Potato Pierogi which is a potato filled dumpling.  All the elements of this dish worked really well although all I had was one bite.  What might be a little turn off was that the salmon felt a little dry.  To be honest, such thin fillet should not be cooked for too long!

 

For me, I ordered Granny Grecco’s Chicken Parma with Spaghetti and Napoli Sauce.Arriving at the table, one thing which instantly caught my attention was the intensity of the sauce.  The flavors of the ripened tomatoes were such a hit in this dish that the slightly soggy chicken parma did not bother me the slightest bit.  The pasta was smooth and plausible but I really did not care about anything because, at that moment, it was all about the sauce.  It was really a good sauce in my opinion.  Most places tend to serve a very light and subtle sauce which sometimes makes me feel that the tomatoes used was barely ripe but the one at Merrywell was really just spot on.

 

At the end, I was really satisfied with my food.  It was pretty much a class act for pub food.  However though, for $40, it might look a little pretentious because pub food is not only about quality, but QUANTITY.  The serving sizes at Merrywell was OK but nowhere near a typical pub.  Service is barely worth mentioning unless it is about its crappiness.  BUT, would I return?  To be honest, I would.  Perhaps not on a weekends without an inside booking and service.

 

WenY

Bites: Imp @ Victoria Park

Recently, the little darling bought me a birthday present which was about 2 months too early.  Nonetheless, it has come at the right time considering the amount of food reviews I would be involved with in the coming weeks.  My new camera deviates from my usual DSLR as the new Olympus OMD EM5 which I now use feels significantly lighter and smaller.  However, adapting to a new system takes time and this is no different.  What better way is there to learn than bringing it out for a spin?!

What a beauty!

 

The Imp had been a brekkie place I would have gone to until Crumpets came by, died and then we had Sayers, Mrs S. and a whole lot of other capable brunch spots.

The Imp still keeps its minimalistic fittings with no rendered walls, all of which gives it an old warehouse look except for its low ceilings.

 

Imp is a popular hangout spot both in the day or at night.  At night, the Imp serves out delicious hot drinks with scrumptious cakes to match.  I have been there for many times now but the cakes I liked best were the spiced pear cake as well as the sticky date pudding.  Others gone on to complement the Imp for their chocolate fudge cake commenting that they never knew cakes could ever taste so good.

 

Last night, the little darling, Yvonne and I called two cakes to share.One was the apple and berry crumble while the other was the chocolate cheesecake.  The little darling loves her berries and for me, the crumble was spot on with all sugar levels kept moderate.  This gives the dessert a well-toned sweetness which complements its acidity.  However though, large pieces of apples tend to absorb the acidity of the berries making them a tad too sour for my liking.  While the berry crumble was pretty good, we were let down by the chocolate cheesecake.  This was especially so by Yvonne as she was expecting a deep chocolate well in the center which was not the case because it was on topped by a chocolate no more than a spoonful.  Cheese taste was milder than what I like and it felt as if they had used sour cream too!  Not too sure but that is alright.

 

While I am not the biggest fan of coffee, sipping tea is probably what I am keen off.  A chamomile tea wrapped in a fury little tea warmer?  I’m sold!  

 

Overall, the Imp is a pretty good night place to spend with friend nibbling cakes and drinking hot drinks.  But do note that Fridays are easily made nightmarish as the small sitting area does not accommodate large groups nicely.  Not to mention diners having dinner does not make things anything easier as they often spend the whole evening sipping wine and ordering tapas.   But for me, a group of 4 would probably be just nice.

 

As for the OMD test run, all I can say is OMG.  If I could fault it, it would be the lack of sharpness which is more likely a lens problem than a camera one.  So perhaps in a bit I will be able to full kit my camera up!

 

WenY

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