Possibly two or three weeks ago, Hyeyoung and I were strolling through Marina Bay Sands and we passed by this nice Brazilian Churrascaria restaurant, Carnivore, thinking that, "Hey, this looks like a nice place to have a nice dinner for Valentine's..." And so, it kicked off our pursuit for THE place to have a dinner on Valentine's.
The following was how it went:
H: Hi, do you still have a table for 2 on Valentine's Day?
Waitress: *checks book of reservations* Yes we do.
H: How much do you charge for Valentine's Day?
Waitress: It's $xx++ per pax for Valentine's Day.
E: I see. What's the usual price?
Waitress: It's $(xx++)-30%.
E: So what's the difference?
Waitress: You get a door-gift (which management has not informed us what it is yet) and two complimentary glasses of Champagne.
H: But the menu's the same?
Waitress: Yes.
H&E: ... Okay, we'll think about it.
*H&E walks a few steps away from the restaurant.*
E: WTF. It's a complete rip-off. They expect us to pay the 30% difference for two glasses of Champagne (when we don't even know what are they serving exactly) and some cock door-gift.
H: Fuck this shit. Let's just go somewhere for dinner on Saturday instead.
E: Yeah, fucking commercialism. *Throws name card into bin.*
(Okay, I admit I can't remember the exact words of the conversation but you get the idea...)
Those who are familiar with our habitual practices will know that Hyeyoung and I celebrate month-saries (which is merely a convenient excuse to find nice food haunts) and so honestly, we concurred that Valentine's Day nor more than just a commercial/marketing gimmick to rip the entire world off - very much like what De Beers did with the value of Diamonds during the Great Depression. I'm sure many restaurants and service providers do add value (at least more than just two glasses of Champagne and some-God-knows-what-door-gift that will probably just end up in the bin during 2013's spring cleaning), but for those who don't, I hope they will look into doing something more for the consumers.
Anyway, moving on... Originally, we wanted to get a table at Kilo for Saturday, 11th February but unfortunately, they were fully booked for some event. Not wanting to splurge, we turned to the ever-trusty Etna (the Duxton Hill outlet) for a 7pm meal that Saturday. Boy, what a nice, slow dinner it turned out to be.
Hyeyoung and I decided to be adventurous that evening and we strayed from the usual mozzarella-based-starter+pasta/pizza-main. Instead, we had Antipasto Enta, which was essentially deep fried おにぎり (onigiri) with minced beef/pork to start. Hyeyoung had chicken breast that's baked with mozzarella and parma ham, and graten potatoes on the side. Meanwhile I satisfied my ravioli craving with one that's home-made with walnut and four cheese stuffing, topped with the Sicilian pesto sauce, featuring Etna's famous pistachio from Bronte, Sicily. It was such a satisfying meal, for the palate, tummy and wallet too!
Thereafter, as usual, we went for a good stroll. That evening, we decided to head for our newly found secret bar for post-dinner drinks. No address but here's a clue how it looks like.
Upon entering, this portal not only
transports you to a chic and romantic NY-ish bar, but also serves awesome
cocktails. Lost in the menu, we ordered rum-based cocktails, for the first time
(again!). We know nothing about rum, but surprisingly, strong as they can be, the cocktails were smooth and the meticulous presentation only affirmed our decision
to end the evening there.
But I guess the highlight of that evening was
what happened back home, where Hyeyoung, (rather bashfully) presented me with a
surprise:
It wasn't the big items that caught my eye at first, but the cute matching ribbons that Hyeyoung had delicately stuck on each Ferrero Rocher, along with the neatly tied (Happy) socks that melted my heart. I don't mean to brag but sometimes, you must agree that it's the simplest things in life that can make a day. :)
Happy Valentine's Day Hyeyoung!
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