Asian Beer Cafe
I am unashamed to admit that Asian Beer Cafe is a pretty cool place to hang out. My reasons being:
- $4 pizzas after 7pm. Not exactly gourmet, but you can’t complain about that price, especially with awesome names like The Adventures of Tin Tin (chicken, cheese and BBQ sauce – probably my favourite), Snow White (four cheeses) and Road to El Dorado (meatlovers), to bring out your inner child.
- Funky decor – bird cages hanging from the ceiling, over-sized statues, decorative fans, dramatic lighting, a room called the Ronin’s Chambers with a sign featuring Mugen and Jin (otaku moment!), even a Pikachu at the bar.
- Amusing video clips to keep you entertained – various kung fu movies, DBZ….
- Green beer on St Patrick’s Day.
A rare example of where a combination of randomness and multiple cliches –> brilliance 😛
Alpha Ouzeri
Alpha Ouzeri embodies everything that I love about Greek food; hearty, no-fuss, generous and full-flavoured food. Just what you need to warm you up on a cold winter night; no surprise the restaurant was packed to the brim with hungry patrons. We were lucky to get a table with short notice thanks to our lovely Miss J 🙂
Having previously been warned about the large serving sizes, we were restrained in our ordering, but still ended up with too much food. It was difficult to even choose a starter given the long list of items from the specials board on top of the already extensive menu.
We had a thick, creamy beetroot dip, served with warm pita bread to start, together with sweet pickled vegetables to whet the appetite. Be warned, it is so easy to just fill up on that lovely, grilled bread.
Next up, a rustic dish of braised broad beans and artichokes; tender vegetables in a silky broth, which tasted much better than it looked.
The rabbit stifado, a Greek-style, red wine casserole, was just begging for some crusty bread to mop up the intensely flavoured stew.
And finally, the grilled swordfish; 4 juicy swordfish steaks, with a delicious smokey flavour from the char grill, served with a Greek salad.
The decision was made (OK, I made the decision :P) that we could not leave without trying the donuts. The loukamades, warm donut balls smothered with honey, cinnamon and crushed peanuts, were divine. So good in fact that S, who insisted that he would only eat one, polished off half the plate.
The staff were wonderfully friendly and enthusiastic. There was definitely a sense of order to the chaos as they worked to deliver massive food orders and clear mounds of dishes between courses.
So overall, great food and a comfortable, lively atmosphere made for an enjoyable dinner and there will definitely be repeat visits in the future.
egg tarts and apple pie 