Tag Archives: mediterranean

Blu Kouzina @ The Palawan – The OG Greek Restaurant in Singapore Opens New Branch at Sentosa

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.  

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We also had the Salmon Fillet grilled with Mediterranean herbs and served with Horta salad (boiled spinach and EVOO).

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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.

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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)

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Moxie – Mod Mediterranean Restaurant with Beach House Vibes

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Brought to you by the folks behind Siri House is Moxie, a new modern Mediterranean restaurant and lifestyle concept. I was already impressed by the private entrance leading up to the restaurant, and the walkway from the door leading to the main dining area. The restaurant goes by the concept of a modern beach house, with the wood rattan ceiling lamps creating the vibes. I did feel like I was transported out of Singapore for a while.

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Out of the different menus available (Lunch, Dinner, Weekend Brunch, Happy Hour), we had a medley of items from the dinner menu which features communal sharing plates and platters.

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To start, we had the Moxie Dip Platter with Pita ($22 with 3 dips) comes with choice of dips and we were recommended the Spinach Yogurt, Smashed Kabocha and Whipped Ricotta. The Spinach Yogurt and Kabocha were the more interesting options, the former having a generous ratio of spinach to Greek while the latter has a light, natural sweetness of roasted Japanese pumpkin.

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Directly air flown from Puglia is their Burrata ($19), with a creamy and flowy core that was easily torn apart. The salad was completed with red beets and grapes.

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I don’t consume raw fish regularly but the Yellowtail Carpaccio ($32) was memorable. It had a slightly firm and chewy texture and was well-paired with chilli lime dressing and minced ginger flower.

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Unlike its namesake, I was thankful that the Spanish Salt Cod Croquettes ($19) were not overly salty.

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Our catch of the day was a 200g Seabass Fillet ($42) served chargrilled with salsa and charred spring onion puree. The skin had a nice, smoky taste while the meat was tender with a clean flavour.

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The Arugula Pesto Orecchiette ($38) was a seafood feast, with crab meat, prawns and scallops. The fresh prawns were my highlight – sauteed with garlic confit in oil, dried red chili, white wine, arugula pesto and butter, they reminded me of a delicious gambas al ajillo without the spice. Though we found some parts of the orecchiette overly firm, the toasted pine nuts added a layer of texture and nuttiness that kept us going for more.

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The list of cocktails at Moxie was interesting. I had a taste of the Amber Lit ($22), an Evan Williams Bourbon Infused Earl Grey Old Fashioned that was smartly paired with a small bark of rosemary and sea salt dark chocolate (70%) on top. The earl grey came as a smooth aftertaste. And well, the chocolate? I could have it as a snack all day.

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We had 3 desserts and the Dark Chocolate Mousse ($16) was my favourite, hands down. The bittersweet mousse was topped with an addictive scoop of hazelnut ice cream which was distinctly nutty and not sugary.

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The Tiramisu ($16) (note: only available for brunch) had a light, fluffy texture with a good amount of rum. The ratio of ladyfinger to custard was also in a range I preferred, i.e. not overly creamy.

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The Moxie Mille Feuille ($19) reminded us of the kunefe, with a layer of whipped cream cheese sandwiched between 2 layers of filo pastry and finished with a crown of kataifi. This was quite heavy for me and I didn’t manage to finish it.

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Overall, I thought the modern interpretation of Mediterranean food was quite well done and together with the ambience and vibes, Moxie is one dining spot I would recommend especially for large gatherings to feast on their extensive menu. The price point, I felt, was better than restaurants of similar standards in the CBD.

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This was an invited media tasting.

2 College Road, Medical Alumni Association Level 1 Singapore 169850

Tue – Thur & Sun 11.30am – 10pm

Fri & Sat 11.30am – 11.30pm

Closed on Mon

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