Dinner For 3 And A Bear

A mid-week dinner date was arranged at Luke's Oyster Bar & Chop House. We all made it before 8pm after various work meetings, yes, me included. Drinks were in order. We began with that. I'm quite impressed by the bloody mary.

To Ivan and M.'s credit, they didn't display any sort of eye-rolling to the presence of a tiny cute bear and welcomed him to the table. Luckily they didn't think I've kinda lost control over some of my faculties. :P

I'm okay with corn bread (not corn muffins) per se. I just don't like it with butter, no matter how good the butter is. It's a little weird when the bread is already flavorful. For Luke's version of corn bread, I'd prefer to eat it with chutney or jam.

Lobster rolls and lobster pot pies available in Singapore restaurants are few and far. The lobster rolls aren't available at Luke's after happy hour in the evening. So we settled for the lobster pot pie. While I've had the lobster mac and cheese and love it, I've had no chance to try the pie version. It was a very good attempt with a whole lobster de-shelled and plated. Tender and creamy, it went pretty alright with the crispy pastry.

Oysters, of course, had to be ordered. We were trying to decide between the raw platter or just oysters. Oysters won. Tonight's choices were from Massachusetts and Canada. They were fabulous. We had it after the tasty oyster po'boy burgers. Nicely chilled, the oysters were briny and flavorful. It could be either a great start to a meal, or order 2 platters to be the meal. 

I'm not a fan of oysters and was done after slurping up 3. Then I had a bit of fun placing Indie Bear on the cold bed of ice. He was very interested in the oysters, but I didn't let him have any. After we were almost done, he gamely clambered onto ice and stayed there while we took photos. But he didn't seem to enjoy that very much. Hahah. Don't ask me what the other diners thought- I wasn't prepared to check that out. I already tried to be as surreptitious as possible. 

The photo below is proof that we didn't starve Ivan. While M. and I would be perfectly pleased with ordering numerous starters, Ivan needed something more filling by way of a main. Carbs or something meaty, preferably.

The menu also offers different chunks of beef. Ivan was in the mood for veal, especially after he requested for a different cooking style that is less charred than the last visit. He ordered a portion all for himself. The veal chop arrived beautifully brown, apparently just the way he likes it. Chef Travis Masiero made sure of that.

M. and I were not interested in dessert at all. (By the way, the innovative variation of key lime pie here is good) Ivan couldn't quite resist ordering one for himself. See, another case study of how the men seem to be the ones liking sweets rather than the women. It's not a matter of calories for us; we just don't have that sweet tooth. So the boy(s) opted for a stout-infused milkshake with warm chocolate chip cookies. If you like your comfort sweets, I suppose this hits a spot. From the looks of it, Indie Bear loved it.

Main topic of interest at dinner: the perennial question of whether an omnivore or carnivore will date a vegetarian or a pescetarian. Dating is already a dicey game by itself. Throw in individual quirks and idiosyncrasies, and the game plateau becomes a minefield. So what happens when one party in the relationship changes dietary habits?

(What are your thoughts? You're very welcome to add your 2 cents' worth in the comments.)

3 years into the relationship with the man, I changed dietary preferences. It's not because I feel more confident in the relationship. It's because fundamental beliefs have shifted and the time has come. Knowing him, he'll be respectful because he understands. With that change, came a tangible weight loss and a healthier glow. I'm not anorexic, so people don't raise eyebrows. Vegetarian food that comes out from our kitchen (and many of the friends') is never boring, and never horrible. The man, remains an omnivore. It could be the ageing and slower metabolism, but he has been cutting down on the meat. He eats what he wants, sweetbread and innards included. We don't have to share food.

What's the fun, you might ask. It's still fun if you've the right mindset. Food doesn't define life. Sometimes, I find the obsession with food and conversation among foodies a tad off-putting. It makes each meal a chore. I say this with conviction because I'm bloody fussy about food and the restaurants I step into (i.e. NO RWS and its establishments). It can be very tiring to eat out with me. You think I'm maddening? You should hear my friends.

We adjourned for light drinks. Plenty of pubs along the way, but we preferred something less noisy with strong air-conditioning. Many humans spilled out of the sidewalks. There was a palpable buzz to the night scene mid-week. We walked up the road to the more promising The Club Hotel.

Plenty of interesting choices on the menu at B28. The evening was completed with a smoky dram of single malt, where the snob in me quietly cringed at another table's serious request for a bottle of Jack Daniel's. Although it was tad annoying to have our phone signals go dead in the basement, except for a weak signal if you're on Starhub. No, Indie Bear didn't appear at the bar. Too many humans. He was shy.