Bar Food

This delicate looking dish is a scallop carpaccio. Thinly sliced Hokkaido scallops sat in a sauce of horseradish buttermilk and topped with delicate scales of fermented blue ginger. Mmm the scallops were so fresh, and the rich buttermilk sauce balanced everything out so beautifully.

I love a well done pasta, and was super happy to savour this spaghetti alla chitarra with hotaru-ika. Oh my goodness those squid. I had like three of those 😅 so flavourful and delicious, and that lemon-kosho strikes again! Topped with a glistening scoop of Avruga caviar, which just elevated the umami of the dish. That delicious buttery richness is amazing. Btw apparently spaghetti alla chitarra refers to the shape of the pasta!

A special that made my dining partners go 🤔 and befuddled their tastebuds was the white asparagus pie. The pie crust had crunchy hazelnuts embedded inside, and the tart itself filled with eringi mushrooms and black garlic tahini. I personally loved it and found it extremely memorable. Oh, it’s a vegan dish too!

This was a special of the day, house-cured Spanish sardines is a lemon-kosho sauce. It was topped with a sherry gel and some pickled shallot. I loved the touch of vinegar in the sauce, which injected a lovely sweetness and umami. And the sardines were so fresh too! Came with sourdough to mop up that addictive sauce 🤯

This was RVLT’s take on chicken nuggets, deep fried to crispy perfection and of the most delightful texture, apparently because chicken cartilage had been blended into the mince along with the chicken meat. Came with a house made fermented sriracha.

This chunk of crispy salmon ($24) came with two sides; I chose broccoli and potato wedges with sour cream. I also had a glass of their house white wine ($12) to go with my fish.

It took really long to come, like 35 minutes wait. The salmon was still hot with nice crispy skin when it arrived at my table. It was well-cooked with a nice pink center, but my only complaint is the strange saltiness on the skin of the salmon. It was as if one area of the salmon was seasoned and the rest, not. And the portion was kinda small.

One advantage Bones 'n Barrels has is definitely the unbeatable ambience. The cooling night breeze, the white noise of the water swishing, it is really gorgeous and beautiful. They have live music and it really is super nice and peaceful to just chill and have great conversation.

6/10

This was quite an interesting maguro dish ($18). Maguro strips are marinated in a soy sauce and wasabi based dressing, topped with uni and caviar and served with cucumber strips.

I felt that the maguro was slightly drowned out by all the other richer ingredients. This particular lean cut of maguro has a more delicate flavor and texture. And I couldn't really taste that beneath the dressing.

Still, as a whole the flavors formed quite a delicious medley, especially the spicy kick of the wasabi which could be washed down with a gulp of ice cold beer.

7/10

Atka mackerel is one of my favorite grilled fishes to eat. I love the oily, juicy texture of the fish and its distinctively slightly fishy, muddy odor. (also its packed full of healthy omega-3 fatty acids!)

I was happy with the portion size for $20. The fish glistened with juice as I tore into it, flaking apart beautifully with chopsticks. There was a smoky flavor to it from the grill and the fishy taste wasn't overpoweringly unpleasant, an indication of the fish's freshness.

It was served with a side of seasoned daikon and green onions, which tasted really good as well. Definitely one for the fish lovers and perfect washed down with some dry beer. :)

8/10

Okay firstly, this is just way too tiny for a $28 main. Its more of a pigeon than an actual chicken. I felt it was more of an appetizer and the chicken itself was gone in 5 bites. Not big bites, either. The chicken was really good though; briny, tender and juicy, but the fact that there was so little of it overshadowed everything else.

And there's the quinoa, which was so bland and grainy I felt like asking for ketchup to make it edible. The carrots and spinach tasted pretty good, but there were only like four carrot sticks and less than a handful of spinach.

I also had a glass of their house white wine ($13) which was quite bad and I'm not even a wine drinker; there was barely any of that pleasant warmth from the alcohol and it just tasted so painfully flat.

The ambience in Aqua Luna is gorgeous though, the quiet swish of the pool water, the gorgeous backdrop of The Interlace and the faint background white noise of the cars passing below. Its a perfect place for a romantic date if you're a small eater. Just that I'm not.

5.5/10

I liked these significantly more than the seafood platter. When they came, they were hot and crispy but slowly became soggy and limp as I sipped my wine and enjoyed the good conversation. So probably not the best choice for a bar snack.

But they tasted quite good as far as sweet potato fries go, despite a niggling feeling that they were frozen, packeted and refried sweet potato fries rather than being cut fresh. Still incredibly sweet and well-flavored, with a huge portion. Like a really generous mountain of fries, and very addictive.

I literally ate and drank 3000 calories in a single night. But regretted none of it :)

7.5/10

Okay first things first...it is not appetizing at all when the plate comes and the entire thing is the same color. Granted, its a delicious deep fried golden brown, but still.

They ran out of slipper lobster and had to replace it by adding some other elements, which was a pity. There is calamari, battered shrimp, battered fish, and fries (am I detecting a pattern here). Also a very miserable-looking salad covered with thousand island dressing (which is also tragically an orangey brown color).

The individual elements were good, don't get me wrong. The fish was piping hot and perfectly cooked. Calamari was delightfully crispy and still quite chewy. Prawns were bouncy and crunchy (such nice prawns were definitely wasted by deep frying them). And fries...its hard to screw up fries.

Its just that as a whole, this $30 platter left me feeling bloated, a big lump of oil and just in general a feeling that it wasn't value for money. Also much to be desired in terms of presentation.

7/10

Omg this lovely dessert ($12) was my favorite. A delicious chunk of deep-fried, crispy, cinnamon sugar coated brioche bread rested on some hazelnut pralines and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I would say its the Spanish equivalent of french toast, and a delightful play on textures and temperature contrasts. That lovely crispy exterior with an interior that's as fluffy as a dream (as brioche should be). The bread itself was warm, almost hot and the ice cream melted into the perfect creamy sauce. And the praline, oh the praline. It had a crumb-like texture reminiscent of apple pie topping that soaked up the ice cream. It was also one of the only tapas that was perfectly portioned; just sufficient to feel satiated with its sweetness, but not enough to feel bloated from the oil and carbs. Such a sinful dessert, but so worth it.

8.5/10