HELLO HELLO FOODNWINE LOVERS! :) Really...

HELLO HELLO FOODNWINE LOVERS! :)

Really really SORRY for delaying this mouth-watering post in regards to our trip to "FRIENDS" @ Serangoon Garden Village! Well no worries at all dear all! This post is not gonna disappoint ya all at all! :) Just in case your not sure of the location, its right smack between THE COFFEE BEAN & TEA LEAF and CAFE CARTEL!

Friends

Friends @ Serangoon Garden Village

The few of us weren't exactly that hungry untill the glorious FOOD were served, and YES! We couldn't resist it simply because it was oh-so-yummyy!

STARTER

Portobello

Grilled Portobello Mushroom

(served with cheese, mesclun and tomato)

We were simply wowed by this amazing dish because the flavour of the mushrooms was so rich that it really made us crave for more! To me, i felt that it was the sauce and garlic that really complemented the mushrooms! :)

YUMMY SCALE: 4/5

MAIN COURSE

Lambshank

Braised Lamb Shank in Red Wine

(served with mashed potato and tomato sauce)

Lamb probably is a very individual dish since mutton has a very strong taste. But what we tried at FRIENDS was really awesome! The red wine really cut into the lamb so nicely and on top of that, the meat was really tender! :)

YUMMY SCALE: 4/5

Cod

Oven Baked Cod

(served with roasted potatoes, *ratatouille, white wine cream)

MY OH MY! Cod is my favourite choice of fish and i'm pretty sure FRIENDS would be my favourite restaurant to dine at when i crave for it! The texture of the fish was baked to perfection since it was really juicy and sweet. I must say the roasted potatoes were really good and together with the unique white wine cream, it definitely enhanced the overall taste of the cod. 20,000 thumbs up for Chef Kenneth's signature COD DISH! :)

*ratatouille - a mixture of fresh summer vegetables usually tomatoes, garlic, onions, zucchini, aubergine, bell peppers and herbs!

YUMMY SCALE: 5/5

Wagyubeef

Braised Wagyu Beef

(steak in aged port wine served with sweet potato mousse, spinach and cured tomato)

This is a MUST TRY @ FRIENDS! The beef was super tender and SWEET! The sauce was awesome, it was both sweet and salty which really brought the flavour outta the wagyu beef together with the sweet potato mousse! It's really something different from your usual choice of beef steak! :)

YUMMY SCALE: 5/5

DESSERT

Chocomousse

Rich Chocolate Mousse

Seeing is BELIEVING my friends! Don't you just agree that you're practically droooooling buckets upon viewing this?! I totally LOVE chocolate mousse and this really is the BEST i've tasted. The oh-so-SMOOTH and RICH texture made it feel like it was heaven! HAHA! whats more i could really taste the richness of the ingredients of this dish and most importantly, the sweetness level was perfecto! OOO baby i'm craving for more! :)

YUMMY SCALE: 5/5

Lavacake

Warm Varlhona Chocolate Lave Cake

(served with vanilla ice cream)

Believe me when i say NOTHING went wrong during our meal at FRIENDS that night! Not to mention, the heavenly choco lava cake, mmmm mmmm! I really enjoyed the fact that the cake was slightly bittersweet because i love bittersweet chocolate! What's more when you cut your fork into that lovely piece of cake, the chocolate slowly oozes out enabling JUST the SIGHT of this dessert to die for! Vanilla ice cream sure went well with this dessert, BUT! I would love to try bailey's irish cream ice cream with this :)

YUMMY SCALE: 5/5

WINE

WHOOHOO! And YES! What's a fantastic meal without the company of fine WINE!

Let's check out the choice of wine we FOODNWINE LOVERS selected from FRIENDS' great selection of WINE!

And no worries dear readers, we will provide you with FULL DETAILS and an in depth description about the WINE too! :)

Shiraz

35 South Shiraz

Vintage 2006

(90% Shiraz and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon)

Awards:

• Bronze Medal, International Wine Challenge, London 2003 (02)
• Silver Medal, Catad’ or Hyatt 2002 (01)

Right in the Central Valley of Chile lays a winery by the name of San Pedro which is the second largest Wine producer in Chile producing wines such as Cabo De Horno , the prestigious, if not, the best wine from San Pedro. Fortunately, today, we had the opportunity to taste one of the wines from San Pedro which is the 2006 vintage 35 South Shiraz!

Colour: Intense violet, vivid blackish tones.

Nose: Typical Shiraz’s spiciness, deep blackcurrants on the nose, with hint of cured meats. However, the smell of oak which I was hoping to smell wasn’t that apparent.

Taste: Silky, light bodied, crisp, gentle tannins, fresh fruits, spicy, short finish with a hint of oak.

Finish: short, oaky aftertaste.

Comments: Good wine to start off the evening with a bunch of friends who are out for some relaxation. Relatively friendly on the palate, not too harsh, fruit forward, definitely something not too strong for someone who can’t hold their liquor. Can even be drunk when you’re having a fish!

Bazzani

Bazzani Shiraz Cabernet

Vintage 2005

(70% Shiraz, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon)

Ratings: 89 points by James Halliday

Located in Pyrenees wine region of western Victoria, Warrenmang wines are well known for their quality and long- term cellaring potential. With grapes from the low- yielding 30- year old vines, they definitely produce one of the finest quality Pyrenees wines.

With regards to that, I can definitely vouch for its quality and long- term cellaring potential after tasting it.

Colour: Dark intense purple

Nose: Fruit- forward (typical of New World Wines), clove spice, ripe berry fruit, hint of mint and white pepper, oaky

Taste: Medium- bodied wine, relatively harsh tannins, astringent, crisp, spicy.

Finish: relatively long aftertaste with hints of mint

Comments: Slightly higher then a regular medium- bodied wine, relatively harsh tannins, acidic with a hint of spice and pepper. Good to go with beef or lamb with a sweet brown sauce and allow the acidity of the wine to cuts through the fats. I’ll recommend you to decant the wine and let it breathe for approximately 10- 15 minutes, taste it and tell me how you feel about it, it’ll definitely taste better! I reckon that this wine can hold another year or 2 with its level of acidity and tannins.

Winebar

Chef kenneth

ALRIGHTS! SO you've viewed the heavenly photos and read our food reviews regarding FRIENDS. Now its time to meet the one and only CHEF KENNETH! The man behind all the mouth-watering dishes :) He's a really nice and friendly guy with a hearty sense of humour! HAHA! Someone whom all foodnwine lovers should ADORE, muahaha :)

That's about it my dear readers! But dont fret, our appetites are getting bigger and bigger and so we WILL keep you posted regarding the restaurants, bars and bistros YOU as FOODNWINE LOVERS must must must visit so as to cast the WIDEST SMILE on your faces! But for now, you really gotta head down to "FRIENDS" @ Serangoon Garden Village! NIGHTY NIGHT and LOVELOVELOVE to the world! :)))

For more information:

http://www.friendsfoodandwine.com/index.html

Friends @ Serangoon Garden Village
1 Maju Avenue #01-01A
Serangoon Garden Village Singapore 556679
(private parking available)

Tel: +65 6289 2600
Fax: +65 6289 0665
Email: enquiry@friendsfoodandwine.com