Moxie - Cool Mediterranean Restaurant

Set in Medical Alumni Association Clubhouse surrounded by lush greenery and an air of exclusivity, Moxie is a hot new restaurant and also a cool place to enjoy some Mediterranean food while chilling with friends. This restaurant is full with lots of cool and stylish diners on a weekend afternoon. Good thing I also dress to kill, since this is a good opportunity to do so 😉

The food is full of flavours and holds hints of that distinctive flair of Greek cuisine. It’s great for gatherings since it will please most local palates. Also good for diners who are trying Greek cuisine for the first time.

The place is rustic and stylish at the same time. Whitewashed walls, clay potteries, hemp drapes and wicker basket lamps with soft yellow lights create a feel of cosy tavern on the sunny islands of Mediterranean.

The service is good, being friendly and efficient. Especially a lady who ushers us patrons to the lobby of Medical Alumni to wait for cabs when it starts raining.

Umami Rice is exactly as its name implies: full of umami! The glorious medley of Shellfish Bisque, Tiger Prawns, Squids, Mussels and Scallops is seafood lovers' umami dream come true. The rice is of good texture, being soaked with the concentrated briny sweetness of the seafood while still retaining its shape.

Greek Yoghurt Panna Cotta is a must-try here due to the novelty of rich, thick Greek Yoghurt being presented in pudding form. It totally works since the pudding form adds an extra bouncy quality to the texture. Toasted Pistachio Granola Crumb and Coconut Flakes layer on some crunchiness for even more texture. Balsamic Rose Water with Cherries & Strawberries introduces the zest to highlight the creaminess of the pudding.

Slices of Lime, Lemon and Cucumber plus Peppermint leaves to be added to freshen up the water. I like this nice little touch.

The saltiness in this cocktail balances so well with the bitterness of the alcohol component. I love it.

Dining here is exciting for the hip crowd, rustic ambience and good food. Though as I had mentioned that the food caters to most local palates, the drawback is that the distinctive taste of Greek food is not as pronounced here.

Thoughts: Cool Place to hang out at and for trying Greek Food

2 College Road Level 1

Nearest MRT: Outram Park

Blu Kouzina - Greek Feast

Greek cuisine is one of my favourite cuisines since its food is full of flavours, healthy and exotic. So it's a matter of time I visit the popular Greek restaurant Blu Kouzina at Dempsey. And it's a rainy day, thus green landscape and the rows of restaurants converted from barracks at Dempsey looks so scenic and refreshing.

The food here is so hearty and carries that distinctive taste of Greek cuisine not present in other European dishes. And almost all the dishes features EVOO, which is short form for Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and which is cold-pressed and unrefined, retaining the rich flavour of olive.

The place is like a Greek Tavern, especially the main area, with tall red brick pillars, Greek inspired decorations, deep blue wooden tables, wooden furniture and soft yellow lights (will need to hold the camera still for 2 seconds after snapping the pictures to yield clear images.  Flash looks bad in photos, so avoid it). The area at the side feels like a lovely Greek cafe with white furniture. The outdoor area, looking out into a huge stretch of field, has the idyllic feel.

The service is very good and friendly. And one of them, an Indian guy, makes good recommendations on food and taking into account that I'm solo diner, says that I can add on dishes anytime if I want 👍

Garides is Grilled Jumbo Prawns drizzled with lemon and EVOO. The prawns are oh-so-good. Succulent flesh with full bodied flavour of the sea, the aroma of char and the exotic taste of Greek herbs and condiments, I love it.

The menu showcases so many dips that I decide to get one to try. Grilled Pita with Sea Salt and Oregano is flat and fluffy, having that nice, slightly chewy bite. I easily finish it.

I have no doubts that I will love Tzatziki, which is the refreshing mix of cucumber, yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic and of course, EVOO! But I decide to try something different as I had tried Tzatziki before at another restaurant. So introducing Harissa, which is a dip made from Spicy Tomato, Greek Yoghurt and Walnuts. Very earthy and creamy in taste, the spiciness and zest are of just the right amount. Will be cool if there are more chopped walnuts in there for that variation in texture.

Prawn Manestra also comes with the grilled prawns, and yes, I finish 4 huge prawns in this single meal. This dish is definitely worth a try because it has the delicious Garides and orzo pasta soaked in prawn broth and EVOO and peppered with garlic and onions. So many harmonised flavours working together for a rich, satisfying meal.

I had orzo pasta before in a Sicilian restaurant and absolutely loved it. And this Prawn Manstra brings back the lovely feeling of savouring this short-grain-like pasta that has texture of the most silky rice with a nice bite at the core. Due to its shape, more umami-rich sauce are trapped between the pasta grains to yield bursts of flavours with each mouthful.

Rizogalo is an interesting and nice Greek rice pudding with cinnamon and zests. Very creamy and rich, I like it. The rice soaked in the smooth custard gives a nice additional texture to the dessert.

Due to the large space, different themes between areas and high ceilings of the restaurant, there are so many instagram worthy spots to take photos of. And the food is very good to make the trip to there absolutely worthwhile. By the way, it is pretty crowded even on a weekday afternoon. So reservations is a must for peak periods.

Thoughts: Found another awesome Greek restaurant!

10 Dempsey Road #01-20

Nearest MRT: Napier

Zorba The Greek Taverna - Lovely Place with Lovely Food

Zorba is the first restaurant where I actually dine outdoors in the afternoon. It happened due to my schedule, my craving for Greek food and my curiosity on dining right by the river. Luckily, I wear light and there are at least 10 fans to keep things really cool. The place is really very scenic, with Singapore River and the rows of low rise heritage buildings at the opposite bank as backdrop. And from this place, I can see the unobstructed view of the whole stretch of blue sky. Best of all, it’s pet friendly!

And with the friendly and sincere service (a shout-out to the young lad staff who responds to all my requests immediately and always with a smile), delicious food, dining here is really a lovely experience. I'm starting to like this form of dining at the outdoors, provided there are beautiful view, good service and great food, of course.

Garides Saganaki, which is Pan Fried Prawns with Tomato Sauce, Feta Cheese, Baby Salad and Rice, is such a lovely dish that is bursting with nuanced flavours, peppered with the intensity of Feta Cheese. The super huge, fresh prawns are so briny sweet and succulent. The tomato sauce is rich, mildly sweet with an iota of tangy taste, and it's the perfect sauce to soak the rice in to yield pure comfort food of goodness. The rice is also very flavourful despite its appearance. I think it had been cooked in light broth. I love this dish.

Kalamari is served with just a slice of lemon for extra taste, so I do wonder if it will be plain without any sauce. Well, these deep-fried, super tender squid rings wrapped with crispy batter taste very good on their own, no sauce needed. Pretty addictive snack, I had easily finished these in minutes 😁

Yiaourti Me Meli is a simple dessert of Greek Yoghurt drizzled with honey and topped with walnuts, and it works. Greek yoghurt is renowned to be the best yoghurt due to the creamier taste and thicker consistency, and this tastes even better with honey for the sweetness and walnuts for the crunchiness and nutty flavour. I do wish there are more walnuts added. A good light dessert to end the meal with.

I'm actually surprised by how good the food is in this restaurant since I had this assumption that restaurants at Clarke Quay area is more about the ambience. Yup, assumptions are the road blocks to discovery of great new adventures. I'm glad my curiosity overrides my assumption this time for me to take the leap to check out Zorba. Of course, the well-rounded menu of Zorba also attracts me to here too.

With the good food here, I think I'm way more eager now to specially take time to come here in the evening to enjoy the amazing scenery here. I saw the photos of evening scene here, they are gorgeous.

Thoughts: Lovely Dining Experience!

3A River Valley Road

Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay

Bakalaki Greek Taverna - Rewarding Journey for the Adventurous

I had always been curious about Greek cuisine, but never got around to trying until now. And a meal at Bakalaki made me realise how much I had missed out on. Better late than never. Greek food is very different in taste from French and Italian food, but it is delicious, simulating, filling and hearty nonetheless. And dining here feels like being transported to a sunny town in Greece.

Navigating through a Greek menu is so exciting because I can't understand a word of it and it's my first time 😂 Luckily, there are English "subtitles" beneath each dish for me to make an informed choice. I decide to order Tzatziki at first look because one, I think I saw this word before, so it should be a pretty famous Greek dish, and two, I like its ingredients of Greek yoghurt–best yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and olive oil. The service team lead is very thoughtful to suggest two dip platter instead, so that I can try another kind of dip and I, as a solo diner, will not be overwhelmed by huge amount of one of kind of dip. I opt for Taramosalata, which is white cod roe with lemon juice and breadcrumbs.

Tzatziki is so creamy and refreshing in taste. The tangy flavour of the yoghurt complements the cool element of cucumber so well. The garlic adds a hint of distinctive aroma to further spice things up. Spread it on the delicious pita bread with pillowy interior, this is pure comfort food, with lots of zest.

Taramosalata is more intense in taste. Not bad, but I prefer Tzatziki, which totally whets the appetite.

Super fluffy bread with crusty exterior is a joy to much on. This is the first time I try bread sprinkled with rock salt and oregano, and I love it.

I get a shock when Htapodi, aka  the Octopus, is presented onto my table. My first thought is, "Is it possible for me to finish this?" And to add on to it,  I'm not even a fan of octopus.

But this dish manages to convert me into a fan, and I know now why this is a speciality of the restaurant. The octopus is unbelievable tender. In fact, this is the most tender octopus I ever have, baby octopus aside. Slightly chewy but still easy to bite, packed with light briny flavour accentuated by splashes of lemon juice, and laced with a thin layer of smoky taste and charred meat, this is oh-so-good. By the way, I easily finish every bit of this.

Galaktoboureko, which is flaky thin Filo Pastry stuffed with semolina custard and Greek honey syrup, looks simple and is simply yummy. Semolina is a kind of durum wheat used to make this custard that is slightly different from the usual custard. This custard has more structure and is more curd-like in texture, I like it. And it pairs excellently with the slightly stretchy thin pastry.

Nice complimentary House Shot presented during dessert time. By the way, the restaurant is very generous with the house pour of red wine I had ordered 👍 

Too crowded and since I don't like to post photos of patrons' full faces, except myself, thus a cute sticker added here.

The place is beautiful: full of little details, like the bird-like lamps, the bougainvilleas, the straw-hat lamps, ratan chairs, , white-washed walls, full-panel glasses to let lots of natural light in to add to the dining experience. It reminds me of the famous Greek island, Santorini that I see in the photos.

The service is very good, being polite, professional, friendly and prompt to response. The team lead guy takes very good care of me by informing me to order dessert later and offering to hold my order of chicken skewers due to the possibility of me not being able to finish everything. And true enough, due to the generous portions of food, I have to limit what I can order. I'm really impressed by this thoughtfulness.

There are other food items that I really want to try here, not to mention a dining experience here really perks up my interest in Greek cuisine, so I look forward to be back again.

Thoughts: Greek food is awesome!

38A Martin Road

Nearest MRT: Havelock or Great World City