Posh hotel is really posh hotel, in a class of its own, lol. When we arrived at the lobby via the car park lift, there was a staff who at once came forward to assist us. He actually led us all the way to LaBrezza restaurant which is on the second level, right next to the pool. He also greeted the girls. Great 1st impression already!
LaBrezza is right by the pool. For all those who are afraid of the heat, don't worry, it is by the pool but indoors with air-con, lol. The decor is this Mediterranean seaside kind, white and blues. Very holiday mood. (Ah, I feel like going on holiday already, lol) At LaBrezza, the staff were also most attentive, not just to us but to the girls too. The staff took time to explain to us the various dishes on the menu, which has Mediterranean, Italian, Greek, French, and Middle Eastern dishes.
Before we made our orders, we were served with bread. We had 4 choices to choose from. The girls had their bread sticks. I had a focaccia with sun-dried tomatoes and a focaccia with blue cheese. Both tasted really great when dipped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We were also served with a complimentary starter. But when the staff knew we didn't take beef, she apologised and at once said she would let the chef know so that he could prepare for us something else that we could have. Great service.
The chef changed the complimentary starter to a vegetarian dish for us. I forgot its name, it was like potato sticks with raisins and tasted great with the barbecue sauce provided.
We ordered the following appetisers to share:
Tapas ($25) - grilled marinated octopus with garlic confit, gambas 'al pil pil' with lemon zest, mussels with Xeres vinegar; Brillo Di Treviso cheese with membrillo; natural olives an salted almonds and warm focaccia bread. The seafood was really tasty and none overcooked. The cheese with the fruit jerky was really nice, a wonderful blend of saltiness and sweetness.
Cucumber ($14) - chilled shredded cucumber soup and fresh basil, white balsamic vinegar jelly and white goat cheese with fresh herb. It is a really thick creamy "soup", not your usual watery soup. The soup was really refreshing because it was cold and lemon juice blended into it. The vinegar jelly and goat cheese balls were really yummy. The vinegar took out the heaviness of the cheese, making it very palatable. I really enjoyed this dish.
The girls' father had Risotto ($31): black risotto Carnaroli with grilled baby octopus, Chorizo sausage and melted fontina cheese. I didn't try it because I didn't want to have my mouth stained black with the squid ink in the risotto, lol. Even the girls didn't dare to try after see the "black black thing" as they called it, lol. Their father thought it was a tad salty but otherwise very nice.
I ordered Chicken ($31): Chicken legs Osso Bucco, tomato compote with baby carrot and sweet caramelised onion juice. It came with a bowl of rice, a mix of two different kind of grains, one like the usual plain white rice and the other was brown and crunchy. When chewed together, it was really fragrant and delicious even just on its own. The chicken was very tender and the tomato compote was sourish which I preferred it so and liked very much.
We had the following desserts to share:
Apple ($12) - caramelised apple and french toast with saffron ice cream. I only liked the apple and the ice cream. The toast was a little burnt for my taste so I thought it tasted a little bitter.
Orange ($12) - hazelnut and orange confit Halawa biscuit with Hibiscus honey mousse and rose blossom sorbet. I really love the exotic taste of the mousse and the sorbet. But down side, the portion was too small. Once the girls had their go at it, not much was left for me, lol.
The hotel is really posh looking, ok, it is POSH. The girls' father said he would love to come back again. Hmm, maybe we can stay here for our annual weekend get-away? Well, the girls asked, not me, lol.
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