Blu Kouzina has always been my favorite Greek/Mediterranean restaurant in Singapore, hands down. I first got to experience their food at their first outlet at Dempsey Hill, which has a lovely, warm atmosphere in the indoor dining area and a cool, Greek vibe at their patio.
Since then, they have expanded to a second outlet at Siglap and recently, a third outlet at Sentosa. The Sentosa outlet is situated in a new enclave called The Palawan, which is a sprawling lifestyle and entertainment complex for activities (outdoor mini golf course, electric go-kart circuit, etc.), beach clubs and food. It was a 10mins walk away from Beach Station and mostly sheltered.
Befitting of a beach side restaurant, the alfresco dining area was decked in wooden tables and rattan chairs, complemented with white sofas, hanging rattan lamps and other adornments. It directly overlooks the Palawan Beach where HydroDash is. Though it might get slightly warm without the breeze (no fans or air con in this area), I would still gladly laze in the charming alfresco area.
Otherwise, there was also a cooler indoor dining area which was furnished in the classic blue and white Greek theme.
To my surprise, there was a wide range of coffees on the menu and to spare myself the tough decision, I got the staff to prepare whichever coffee variation they would like. I was served a glass of the Blue Sea Latte ($10.80) which was essentially espresso coffee with milk and butterfly pea. The colours were pretty, of course. Since I switched to oat milk, the milk foam was less pompous than expected.
As a healthy start to the dishes, I had the Fresh Vegetable Salad ($28.50) that came as a heap of thinly grated crunchy cabbage topped with walnuts.
Moving on to something more sinful, I had the Spanakopita ($22.50). Encased in the crispy Greek phyllo pastry were warm, generous fillings of spinach and feta cheese which was a comforting snack.
Served on a large rectangular tray, the Feta Special Honey Walnut came with a huge chunk of feta cheese topped with walnuts and doused with honey. The sweet savoury combination with the crunchy texture of nuts kept me reaching out for more. This was good for sharing between 2-3 pax.
Since the emphasis at this seaside restaurant is on seafood, we had the Prawn Manestra ($30.50) as the first main course. This was a Greek orzo dish cooked in a prawn broth, enriched with garlic, onions, EVOO, and topped with a sauteed jumbo prawn. I liked the clean seafood flavour of the dish that was not overwhelming but wished that there could be more prawns to balance out the portion of the orzo.
We also had the Salmon Fillet grilled with Mediterranean herbs and served with Horta salad (boiled spinach and EVOO).
I love baklava, and I love ice cream – and so I was very satisfied that our dessert, the Baklava Ice Cream, turned out as good as I imagined the collaboration between the two to be. The ice cream was rich, creamy and smooth while generously infused with bits of phyllo pastry and nuts. Service-wise, I thought that the waiters could be more attentive as it took multiple attempts to reach out to them.
With the unobstructed beach front view, beachhouse vibes and authentic Mediterranean food, Blu Kouzina’s addition to Sentosa elevates the quality of limited dining options by the beaches.
58 Palawan Beach Walk Singapore 098235
The Palawan @ Sentosa
11.30am to 9.30pm, Tues to Sun (Closed on Mon)
Have you not known about my obsession with all things white? My day-to-day wearables, the places I like to immerse myself in, my photo-editing style of always increasing exposure. For me, it is synonymous to cleanliness, to light, to minimalism. As opposed to the antonymous dirtiness, darkness and clutter. Three words that put my mind to unrest, that sometimes put me in fear.
In consistency with my white obsession, I therefore like daytime – mornings, especially. Mornings where the sun is unobstructed in a cloudless sea, where the most part of my room is naturally lit up through translucent curtains, where light and shadows are juxtaposed appropriately for a photo. Such mornings are days where I gain more drive and inspiration to live more fulfilling-ly (moment of shock as I realise that this word does not exist).
On such mornings, there are a few options:
Recently, one of such mornings was spent at Apartment Coffee. It was my third time at the white-washed, minimally-themed coffee house since its opening in late 2018. On usual afternoons, the space is packed comfortably with customers and conversations spill across everywhere. All the more I have to be pressed to reach as early as possible, best if at 9am when the closed sign is flipped.
Like the previous two visits, I had perched myself on the wooden high stool for the coffee bar counter and called for my usual order of White. I am always fond of the smoothly textured milk + espresso here, though those who prefer very strong and robust flavours may not. One day I will get the filter. Oh, no takeaways here unless you bring your own tumbler.
Whilst waiting for my coffee, I would swoop up my phone and camera for a good round of photo-taking. This time a few people got caught in my photos, for I arrived an hour past 9.
Interior-wise, I dare say this space is my best-loved. The white walls, ceaseless coffee bar, brown wooden stools and tables and large windows put together remind me of Scandinavian design. Due to its location and windows, sunlight enters and leaves, creating brief moments of contrasting light and shadows that I so love to admire.
Despite gloominess from that global health situation which I will not go on to elaborate on, the first quarter of 2020 has seen a pretty fair boom in new cafes in Singapore. This is after a lull in the previous 2 years that had more than slightly depleted my usual excitement in café-hopping.
Opened last November without much fanfare is Double Up Coffee, located along Jalan Klapa in an enclave that houses several other well-known cafes. Just recently, it started to gain attention from social media postings.
Stepping through the glass doors, I was first greeted by the concrete coffee counter, followed by another sitting area furnished with small stools and tables. The minimalist concrete-themed setting was predominant.
Small and simple, the menu is has 3 sections – Business (i.e. coffee), Pleasure (i.e. non-coffee) and Chow (i.e. pastries). Having always been more of an espresso person (vs. filter), I opted for the Spro with Soy Milk ($5.50), while my friend got herself the Iced Spro with Milk ($6). Spro here refers to espresso. Though my soy espresso was a tad limp, I loved the iced espresso with milk for its smoothness and non-acidic aftertaste. I later found out that beans here are sourced from Bearded Bella.
The sole pastry available that day was the Blueberry Crust ($5.50), which I thoroughly enjoyed for its lightness and flakiness.
Rather than a comfortable spot to do “work from home” whilst sipping caffeine, I see this spot as one where I can hold light conversations and, from time to time, empty my mind and daydream.
Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog 