This Wednesday feels like a Thursday as the long weekend is just around the corner! While I'm counting the hours to the long weekend, I'd like to share my experience at Vintage Cafe on The Rocks last weekend. After a hectic 2 weeks, the idea of dinner at an exotic restaurant accompanied by live jazz/Latin music sounded very appealing. Since I was 45 minutes late, I was half running to the restaurant from the parking lot feeling bad for the gentleman who's been waiting patiently for me. To add to the chaos, I couldn't find the restaurant after walking around the block a couple of times. The gentleman kindly came over to pick me up and walked back together to the restaurant. The restaurant is located in one of the corners at Nurses Walk. The heritage designs of the buildings at The Rocks surrounding the alley ways made it a beautiful short walk to the restaurant. When we got to the restaurant, I noticed another restaurant right opposite Vintage Cafe on The Rocks looking similar.
Vintage Cafe on The Rocks is exactly how I pictured it. It's cosy and romantic with rustic design, wooden furniture, and a middle aged Spanish singer with his guitar entertaining guests and having friendly conversation with diners between songs. Although the restaurant was full when we arrived, they managed to find us a table. In addition, they kindly moved the table and two chairs outside onto the balcony - helped by my friend, when I mentioned how warm it was inside. A waiter - who seems to be the restaurant manager - explained the menu to us. The menu is broad yet concise enough not to confuse diners with too many dishes although... much simpler than I expected from a Spanish, Mediterranean, and Portuguese fusion restaurant.
We ordered the Patatas Bravas - spiced potatoes, Marinated Cheese with bread, Fish with Piri Piri sauce, and Roast Duck Breast with Fig and Pepper sauce. The first to come out was the Patatas Bravas. It was roasted perfectly with the skin on and slightly crispy giving great texture to the dish, which complements the exciting flavours of the spices combination. The next to arrive at our table was the Marinated Cheese with bread. They served a slice each of two different bread varieties, that are the wholegrain rye bread and the wholemeal bread. The bread was warm with full texture. The cheese was creamy marinated with pepper and served with olive oil.
Then the highly anticipated Roast Duck Breast with Fig and Pepper Sauce arrived. The duck was cooked to the right texture, tender and juicy. The fact that they left the skin and a little bit of fat on the duck was great as most restaurants especially in fine dining trim all the fat and skin of duck and chicken. The fig was peeled of the skin leaving them small and soft. Figs were poached which brings out the sweetness of it. The sauce wasn't that impressive as it was oily and sweet with no pepper flavour in it. The dish was not as enjoyable as we expected. Then the last dish was the Fish in Piri Piri sauce. I enjoy the dish very much. The pieces of grouper fish cooked perfectly in oily but punchy Piri Piri sauce with the well defined flavours of chili, Piri Piri spices and subtle burst of lemon.
The service and ambiance of the restaurant provided a nice enjoyable dining experience. The food was quite enjoyable for me although it's not the best I've had. The oily base of almost every dish they serve combined with quite generous portion for tapas dishes filled us up rather quickly and quite heavily. With the reasonably expensive price tags, the food was a while away from fine dining quality. Do they meet the Spanish/Mediterranean/Portuguese fusion they endorse? May be not so much considering there are hardly any dish on the menu that identify with Mediterranean and very limited Portuguese dishes.
After picking up all those calories at the restaurant, we headed to Vivaz for a night of Salsa and Latin dancing. The club wasn't great. It's filled with sleazy guys staring their eyes out at exotic women and it smells like drunks. Luckily, the music was great and we got to move our booties quite wildly. As to my companion on the evening, he moves and leads as smoothly on the dance floor as he does at boardroom conversations.
The service and ambiance of the restaurant provided a nice enjoyable dining experience. The food was quite enjoyable for me although it's not the best I've had. The oily base of almost every dish they serve combined with quite generous portion for tapas dishes filled us up rather quickly and quite heavily. With the reasonably expensive price tags, the food was a while away from fine dining quality. Do they meet the Spanish/Mediterranean/Portuguese fusion they endorse? May be not so much considering there are hardly any dish on the menu that identify with Mediterranean and very limited Portuguese dishes.
After picking up all those calories at the restaurant, we headed to Vivaz for a night of Salsa and Latin dancing. The club wasn't great. It's filled with sleazy guys staring their eyes out at exotic women and it smells like drunks. Luckily, the music was great and we got to move our booties quite wildly. As to my companion on the evening, he moves and leads as smoothly on the dance floor as he does at boardroom conversations.
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