Lolla

Walked into Lolla at 10pm when it was quiet and had seats at the counter for us. Yay. I prefer those seats. Not keen to share the communal table with strange people and be made to schmooze. Restaurants that open later than the usual are always good for us.

The man had never visited Lolla till tonight. He totally enjoyed the food at defunct Le Bistrot at the old Indoor Stadium, so I was certain he would love it here too. He did. He liked the music and the casual vibes of the restaurant. He even wanted a carafe of an easy red to go along with dinner. This isn't the place for whisky where they priced it prohibitively even for a gentleman's pour, and it's got terrible choices of beer. Exactly two- a pilsner and witbier. Eioow. It would have to be wine as any decent choice of an alcoholic beverage to accompany the meal.

Ordered a few small plates to share. Had to quaff that scrambled eggs with bottarga di Muggine. The man couldn't resist their beef tongue escalopes with red pickled cabbage and mustard. Very nicely done with bite, but still tender. The food is dependable that way, tasting like it came out of the kitchen of friends who are fantastic cooks. Good combination of flavors. There were only two of us, so we couldn't order that many plates. Next round then.

Uni pudding. Two years on, this dish has evolved into Lolla's calling card. Frankly, it's still the star dish of the restaurant. Chef Ming mentioned something about red uni. I wasn't paying attention. But I took it to mean aka uni. That uni seemed to change around each time I eat it. Well, seasons affect the taste of each type of uni, and it has a few weeks where it will taste the best. The kitchen probably switches around different types of it as well, depending on what the supplier has in stock. Good enough to pack a creamy punch in this savory 'custard pudding'. The uni is a win if one is willing spend on quality. I also appreciate its 'custard' below. Squid ink, egg yolk and cream topped with uni and chives. Umami galore.