They Should Call It "How To Train Your Cat" Instead

Had the most amazing Saturday ever! By some stroke of luck, I managed to get a place at Garibaldi for dinner. My brother's friend happened to find a slot for Restaurant Week--someone cancelled and he swooped in on it--then his girlfriend didn't feel well (too much good food the whole week, probably) and he was too tired, so I jumped at the chance. I was so excited when I overheard "Garibaldi" while he was on the phone. Hehehe. There was also the option of Tetsuya, but I definitely wanted to go to Garibaldi.

Garibaldi never fails to satisfy exceed expectations. It was absolutely a dream... :D~ it practically erased my entire bad Restaurant Week experience at Braise on Thursday. Most unfortunately, I forgot to bring along my camera and was too lazy to go back and get it because the car was valet-parked. My handphone camera resolution was too lousy (2mp = fail) and the shutter noise was way too noisy, so I gave up shooting (and I forgot to photograph dessert, anyway).

The food was brilliant. Mmm. The 3-course dinner menu consisted of homemade tagliatelle with braised wild boar, choice of oven baked sea bream in mediterannean sauce or roast lamb tenderloin with porcini mushrooms and cornmeal, rounded off with artisanal hazelnut parfait and chocolate sauce (semifreddo) and a cup of tea or coffee.

We arrived at the restaurant slightly late, past six--after How To Train Your Dragon (3D), which was utterly delightful--without having to battle traffic on the CTE. Hehe. The restaurant was still quite empty as it was before the usual dinnertime. The lady at the door showed me to my seat while my brother took a puff. We went all the way inside, past the middle chamber where we were seated the last time (: had a really good table, along the inner wall facing the outside so that we could people-watch. It was slightly cooler there, because of the air-con vent; and our chairs were super comfy with armrests (most chairs in the restaurant don't).

Service was impeccable, like the last time, and the (partly Caucasian with a token Chinese) wait staff spoke well. They were very polite and attentive. Really a plus point for me (: bread and drinks were served promptly while I waited for my brother to arrive. The bread was delicious, as before. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil with fluffy warm bread with crispy crusts. Yay. Had a second round of bread. Teehee.

Bread with Balsamic Vinegar and (Extra Virgin?) Olive Oil

Orders were easy to settle: I knew that Brother would go for the lamb, so obviously I would have the fish. Hehehe. After that was done, we continued to partake in the yummy bread. Then.... Surprise, surprise! The waiter brought over a chef's special of egg cocotte with tomato sauce. I've never had this before.. It's sort of like a Western chawanmushi, but with a consistency closer to tamago. Hehe. It was nice, though. Not sweet, but somewhat eggy and savoury. There was a mushroom hidden inside (: didn't see any of the other tables receive it, so I felt very special. Hehe.

Egg Cocotte with Tomato Sauce

Then, our tagliatelles arrived. This dish was insanely fragrant!!!! The parmesan--24-months cured--totally made me drool. Hehehe. Took my time to savour the pasta. It was good! The wild boar wasn't particularly gamey or anything, and the shredded meat was mixed evenly with the tomato sauce and the noodles. Every mouthful had a bit of cheese, meat, noodle and tomato. WAI YOO EMM, yum! The tagliatelle was slightly chewy and was rather well-portioned. Not too much, but not too little.

Tagliatelle with Braised Wild Boar

Continued eating more bread in between courses, pausing only because I ran out of balsamic and olive oil. The mains arrived after an appropriate interval--hardly felt like I had to wait, and yet had sufficient rest in between to allow my food to settle. Both main courses were excellent. I really, really enjoyed my sea bream--and I rarely like seafood outside of home--which was just cooked through and super juicy. Everything smelled mouthwatering! The aroma reminded me of the ocean, but wasn't fishy at all. The accompanying bed of potato slices were slightly browned on the outside, and had absorbed the flavours of the tomato-based sauce. The lamb was medium rare--very very moist and juicy, and tender. Perfectly satisfied Brother's craving for red meat with all that lamb flavour. The mushrooms also perfectly complemented the lamb. The cornmeal was unusual, as opposed to boring potato mash, but didn't disappoint.

Oven-Baked Sea Bream with Mediterranean Sauce

Got a refill of balsamic and olive oil between mains and desserts, so I finished up my bread (as I write this I have a blissful look on my face) and then what could possibly be my favourite course arrived :D the semifreddo was very, very good! It wasn't too cold, slightly melted on the outside with semi-sweet chocolate sauce all over. The garnishing berries--straw, rasp, blue and goose--were sweet. Again, I don't usually eat them outside of home because of the lack of QC, but even the gooseberry wasn't awful like it usually it. But it was the intense hazelnut flavour of the semifreddo which just blew my mind! I wasn't quite expecting it, but it was so gooood. Creamy, but not rich, and so smooth. Oh goodness. I have to swallow my saliva just recounting it here. Yet, the chocolate wasn't overshadowed. It subtly enhanced the flavour of the parfait. MMMMM. You have to try it for yourself!

Roast Lamb with Porcini Mushrooms and Cornmeal
I forgot to take dessert, so you'll have to be content with seeing the other main d:

Finally, even the tea was good. When it arrived, again, the aroma wafted towards one's nose. Inhaling the scent of the tea, I took a tentative sip. It wasn't very tannic, and needed little sugar. Felt like it helped lighten the meal, somewhat. Very nice end to the meal.

Took things real easy and slow.. The entire meal took about 2.5 hours? Hahahaha. We sat through 1.5 rounds of diners. Saw a senior (with whom I am only acquainted) at the next table. What a coincidence. Anyway, total bill added up to SGD 130 = very reasonable!! Got another chance to win tickets to HK because I signed Amex again. Hehe. Valet parking costs a minimum of SGD 5, if you were wondering. Rather felt like wine during dinner, but decided not to because my skin is deteriorating again after a good spate. Oh, and the toilets aren't too shabby. They provide l'Occitane shea butter soap and hand moisturiser (verbena for women, lavender for men).

Passed over Wala's in favour of a quieter evening at home, especially since I got home pretty late to change and all. Catching some sports on the tele--F1, soccer and tennis. The movie was rather enjoyable, not just for the kiddos. The animation/3D was pretty good and the dragons were really cute! (: also, managed to try Kim's Family Restaurant for lunch, at long last. It's not too bad, though I hate waiting. Service is awfully slow there, but the food's alright and really quite affordable.

Turned around for a last minute quick change between lunch and movie. Slipped into more Garibaldi-appropriate clothing consisting of:
-Glenhill thrifted dress
-Her Glass Slipper pumps
-small black thrifted mesh clutch-purse
-Agnes B. black ballet wrap cardigan.

Rested today, slog tomorrow!


TTFN


P.S. I'm so sorry for the bad quality photos. I hate them, too ): will get a phone with a good camera next time, for emergencies like this!