We've more or less eschewed going out to dinner on weekends because it's tough to get seats and we really don't want to squeeze with the crowds. For the friends we love and see regularly, if we don't hang out at one another's homes, we head out to a short dinner on week days instead. There's some sense of normalcy in our lives, but we're living in a bubble. The city is in limbo because when traveling isn't open, and without the tourists, our economy could crash the moment more businesses shutter and people are retrenched. It's a dire situation for a number of people who have lost their jobs, and those who are stuck in a strange world where traveling and flying are no longer a thing of ease or leisure.
All of us had not visited Blu Kouzina at its new space at Dempsey (they moved a unit down). Yup, it has been that long. The restaurant could only take us for an 8.30pm seating. Last orders are taken at 9.15pm. We'd prefer an earlier timing, but okaaaay, we'd juggle our stomachs for this. The restaurant was packed out, but they've gotten their logistics in order. We were quickly seated, and there were sufficient staff going around the tables. The kitchen also kept their standards. I do love how much more spacious the restaurant is now, and also they've kept a good distance between each table.
There were grilled octopus, calamari and fried artichokes topped with balsamic cream. I wanted the dips and pita. Hummus, fava and taramasalata made my night. I've missed the wonderful dips and good pita bread. I could eat those and those only, and they would honestly make a great meal. But I couldn't pass up the moussaka. I always prefer a vegetarian moussaka, but for the table's preferences, I didn't mind minced beef in tonight's version. However, it was a generous portion and we couldn't finish it because we had plenty of other dishes ordered. Hahaha. So I happily took home the leftovers! Yay, lunch! Wooohooo.
The table wasn't sure if they would go big on meats, so only a small meat platter was ordered. There were two lamb meatballs, one beef kalamaki, one chicken skewer and two lamb chops. (The platter goes up to large for S$211 with eight lamb meatballs, four beef kalamaki, four chicken skewers and eight lamb chops.) The beef and chicken were average. However, the lamb chops were good. Tender and full of flavors. They loved them so much that they ordered another serving of just three grilled lamb chops. I couldn't deal with the meats anymore, so three lamb chops were just nice for them.
It was good to check in face-to-face with the friends. We text, we do video calls, and we also talk. But nothing beats a IRL meet. Of course we're still careful with who we meet, and we space that out as well. We've all got elderly, vulnerable and immunocompromised folks to think about. While we’re wondering how much worse the economy can tank, we’re also wondering if history will judge us for ‘over-reacting’. Ah well. A sense of normalcy doesn't equate normalcy. The virus may not be Ebola-terrible but nobody wants to fall ill. It was a lovely evening in a surreal world. Carpe diem, literally.
The table didn't mind having dessert. But we wouldn't be able to have a dessert each. Greek desserts are notoriously SWEET, even if it's a scoop of Greek yoghurt. There's only one person at this table who likes sugar this way. Hahahah. We could easily share something for sure. So I picked a traditional Greek orange filo cake (portokalopita) for us. It was dense and not too bad. The pastry chef obviously went easier on the custard and syrup. One mouthful for each of us at the table, and half a cake was saved for the man to take home.
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