Down the quiet street of Purvis lies excellent Garibaldi
14 September 09 marks our 2 years of journey. To date, we are still uniquely unlike a normal couple. One typical example, We do not chat on the phone at all. But we’re still very much better off than others. The journey hadn’t come by entirely easy. Within these 2 years, support for each other (particularly for him) was the most important for us. During the down and long unemployment period, during the long-distance times and the insecure times I had. Yet we’re lucky coz we often rebounce back into honeymoon relatively quick. For that the relationship couldnt be described with ‘bearable’ but it’s one which we fell into happily unknowing and so easily.
I remembered the question I posed to him “Don’t you think when you love someone so easily, it’s scary”. And he replied that should be the way rather than mentally coercing to love one due to committal factors. And that reminds me how willing and natural this relationship has been.
The bar lights
Yeah, Garibaldi is at the commoner Purvis Street. But stepping into Garibaldi makes you forget that you are at Purvis Street. Isolating itself with elegant long curtains, the restaurant’s bar is located near the door way. The actual dining area, divided into 2 areas, is located towards the left and that feels even more isolated than the bar area.
The Garibaldi’s Menu
Flipping through the excellent dishes
Indeed, every single dishes on the menu is extremely tempting. Almost every other home-made pasta, Risotto, starters are calling out to us! Starters have all the dishes which we love… such as Garlic snails, scallops, Foie Gras..
The Garibaldi – All for ourselves
Simplicity is the core design of Garibaldi – Simple tables and chairs nevertheless makes the place posh with the meticulous arrangement of utensils and wine glasses. The only accessories that the place has were the artistic lights at both sides of the wall and the wine cabinet as the backdrop.
The Complimentary Appetiser: Lightly Smoked Ham and delicious salad w walnuts
I may have forgotten the Italian name of this but the taste of it is still lingering in my mouth. The appetiser which I have forgotten its name. I think the nuts on it were Walnuts and I have hated nuts in my food usually. But this…it was made sweetened and lil sour, in my opinion…Coupled with the salty ham and crunchy vegetable… the different layers of flavours in this appetiser is really interesting. And I really dont mind chewing on more of those nuts. But more importantly, what made the ham nice was its mildly smoked taste and thinly sliced piece of meat. So thinly sliced that it almost didnt felt like it was cut manually.
They serves awesome bread!
And this bread looked simple yet it’s simply just so nice when ate with the olive oil and vinegar. The bread itself was really fragant. And I think I ate 3/4 of those. The scene was pretty funny each time the waiter asks us if we wanna have another bread. It became that we liked it so much that he asks us SO frequently; whenever we finish the one on our plate delicated to the bread. And I’m impressed with the plate which was delicated to the olive oil & vinegar and bread. It fits so perfectly and is really a good presentation!
The first narcissistic shot
(oh yupps, my new dress for the occassion! hehess)
I remembered how panick-y I felt during our first month of celebration. I wanted myself to impress (at least to a certain extent) and it was especially stressful when it comes to choosing what to wear coz the man seem so mindful of what the girl he goes out with wears. Every month I tried to put a new look across to this man. There is something I always believe that a girl has to dress-up nicely once every at least 2 weeks or even one week to remind the man that you’re still beautiful! And to let him feel proud of you~ And even for 2 years, within my budget constraints.. I can’t help it but impulsively dressed up for this special occassion again! (For I know.. the next one doesnt need my dressing up coz it’ll in JAPAN!)
Fegato D’orca – Roasted Rougié Goose Liver with Pandolce Chips, Apple Compote and Aged Balsamic
This is surely a dish to rave for! Even though I still insist Saint Juliens has better ones. The magic in foie gras lies in the heavenly melts underneath the mildly crisp. With the light foie gras taste.. nothing too ‘smelly’ (like some other animal’s internal organs) but of utmost heavenly stuff! For foie gras, you really have to eat the good ones to understand the word ‘heavenly’!( Forget about the Sun with Moon one… that’s super disappointing.) Foie Gras coupled with the sweet sauce and Apple Compote gives it another way of eating…slightly sweeter. For the first time, i actually don’t reject the idea of eating it with the toast. it was so thinly sliced that it doesnt dominate the taste of the foie gras but complement it nicely. One dish…3 ways of eating. Oh, DO CLOSE YOUR EYES WHEN EATING FOIE GRAS. It’s like kissing… then you can feel the melts and taste it fully.
I really love Foie Gras!!
Capesante in Degustazione – Degustation of Japanese Scallops Prepared in 4 different Styles
We begun with the most everyday-looking one. The fried scallop with Garib’s home-made tomato sauce. The tomato sauce was different from a mass-made ones.. you can really taste the tomato bits with mild sweetness. This scallop was fresh but not exactly special.
The second style of scallop is believed to be in some mushroom sauce and this was incredibly juicy with its juices oozing out as you take each small bite off it.
The third style was relatively special. The almost raw scallop was my first try. Cold, smooth and soft.. it was topped with fresh salads which really made it refreshing as a whole. This tasted the most novel to me!
The last style which we indulged on was the nicest as predicted from the way it was presented.. With cream cheese and tomato.. the sauce made the scallop really tasty.
The waiter’s offer
Just as we were enjoying our Foie Gras, the friendly water offered to take a picture for us after seeing me snapping away non-stop.
The one that’s not on Menu: “Flat and Broad” Pasta with Wagyu Beef
At first impression when it was said off the Captain’s lips, I only took note of “Wagyu Beef”. And to set my expectations for the night, I expected the pasta to be good in terms of its sauces, bases and perhaps being real creative and authentic compared to those I’ve tried in other Italian restaurants.
I EXCLAIMED when I took my first bite. Nope, I didnt tried the beef, and it wasnt because of the sauce but the incredible texture of the pasta! It was springy and I almost forgot that I’m eating a pasta. I was blown away by the pasta. For the first time, I proclaimed that yes… you can just give me the pasta and forget about the ingredients and sauces. Coz the pasta is just so so so good and i’ve never ever expected Pasta (itself) to be THAT good. It’s that kind of having no expectations that blew me away. That was the highlight for me for the night.
The bounce in the pasta is even better felt when the pasta is made flat. And it’s even nicer when you eat it hot. The Wagyu beef was tender and was a nice complement to the pasta. And the serving of the meat was alil too generous for me! Despite being a sauce-lover, i do agree that this dish is heavily drenched with sauce. But it was really nice..
Must try the pastas at Garibaldi!
Ravioli Di Vitello - Veal Ravioli with Porcini Mushrooms & Cream Sauce
While the Raviolo cannot feel the texture of the pasta as immediate as the one above, it still has a fantastic texture coz Ravioli, having two layers of pasta together feels slightly thicker to allow one to feel the exact springiness of the flat and broad pasta. Worth a mention was the Mushrooms and cream sauce they used. Light but rich. And the veal were almost shredded and wrapped inside. What makes this good was that even the veal inside had the lingering taste of the sauce.. makes the dish very consistent and well done. Like it!
From then on, it’s really gonna suck eating bad pastas. – almost every one’s compared to Garibaldi’s is bad!
I call this The man -in love- expression..
I forgot when I captured this but this expression is the way vampy always smile to me when we’re alone or hmphs, when he thinks I’m silly or cute. hahas, thats why it’s called the ‘in-love’ expression! And he probably havent seen much of it himself before.
Playing with Colour Swap. It’s not exactly true (at all) that our days are grey!
The lady’s best pic for the night.
Fondente Al Cioccolato – Molten Lava Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut Gelato and Raspberry Coulis
We had a hard time deciding what to order when it comes to the desserts. Garibaldi offers us a wide variety of choices. But no matter what, we are just a pair of damn sucker for molten lava chocolate cake. The thought of having the hot chocolate oozing out is so satisfying. Or maybe, we are just in search of the best (or a better) molten lava cake that could beat Molten’s one.
Garibaldi’s one was somewhat up to expectations. With a scoop of rich hazelnut ice-cream by its side.. the chocolate was crispy on the outside and stickily rich on the inside. Would have been better if it’s more ‘flow-y’.. Nevertheless, this is one good molten lava chocolate cake. One good thing about it not flowing away the cake like this is that you can savour most of the chocolate without it being retained on the plate!
We put off the idea of ordering the Tiramisu by gauging how full we will be after the chocolate cake. Just after we ordered the chocolate cake, I urged Vampy to visit the gents like how he always do. And yes, I had an intention when I said that. I passed Vampy’s present to the waiter.. wanting him to surprise him on behalf of me when he hands him the bill later on.
And that was then when the waiter realised that it was a special occassion that day. He asked “Is it his birthday?” I replied shyly.. “uh… nope, it’s our anniversary. Hehs..”.. The waiter then left with acknowledgement and giggles seemingly having something in mind. 5minutes later, the waiter returned cheekily and told me that we can forget about ordering the Tiramisu as there will be a surprise… I sorta acted ignorant, i think and asked him what was it.. And he gave me a friendly reply.. “no, it’s a secret!”
Even though I sorta expected the Tiramisu to be complimentary later on.. I didnt expect that…………………..
Tiramisu’ – Tiramisu with Homemade Lady-Finger Biscuits, Licorice Scented Mascarpone Cream
The surprise from the WAITER (not from neither Vampy nor me) hahas, but a lil credit goes to me!!
The waiter will bring a thin red lit candle and ‘candy wishing block’ along with the Tiramisu. It’s considerably the first time that both Vampy and I got the same surprise at the same time on a special occassion! And 2 waiters brought that in. It was rather embarassing when both of the waiters lingered around our table, jokes about the charging of taking photos for us and not to mention reminding me to blow the candle off before the candle strips down.
How dumb I felt.. but i was just as silly as ever. hahas.
Happy Anniversary, brightly lit
And I appreciate this surprise from the waiter. Ohs, I blew off the candle together with Vampy! 
Another Complimentary: The after-meals and chat-complement chocolates.
Black Sesame with Ginger Lime (front) & Honeycomb-filled (back); The guys were sweet, serving us the chocolate when they see us chatting for a substantially long time..
After dinner, we sat at the isolated corner of Garibaldi chatting away. From one thing to another. The night feel different. There’s still silence between us that knows that crossing 2 years is another new phase. I havent know when’s the next evaluation point will it be on our timeline together but it’s really good to have someone knowing each other s o well with you. The telepathic moments when the two of you have the same ideas, cravings and words to say..And telepathic is not easy, not natural. It takes time, understanding or perhaps it could just be known as coincidence; but how many coincidences of such can one have?
The Couple who’s still happily in Love!
If being in a relationship with Vampy is so fun, ‘tasty’ and enjoyable, it’s honestly a good idea to stay longer together. Cheekily, at least until Japan. (hehs, .like what we always say..)
best
