Ibyang
Ibyang

Restaurant: Subsolo Spanish Resto and Bar

10 March 2010 5 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Food

If you’re looking for a Spanish and Portuguese restaurant in Sydney with classy but cozy ambience, gastronomically-satisfying food with reasonable prices and great service, I would highly recommend Subsolo Spanish Resto and Bar to you. (Note: “Subsolo” means “basement” in Portuguese) 

The space is very welcoming with a variety of tables ranging from bar space to private areas. Has a New York-meets-Barcelona vibe with sultry red and brown interiors.


 


Location: Unassuming and can be easily missed as it is in the basement of a building. However, never underestimate the district in which its situated as Chanel and Louis Vuitton surrounds this underground space.

Ambience:

Since we’re a group, we were given a table at the far end of the room with curtains from each of our sides to give us a bit of privacy (see curtain on the photo below).

It can be dark for taking photographs but it’s a beautiful place to bring a date with it’s romantic and warm lighting.

Above our table is a chandelier–i love it! So stylish and glamourous.

Food:
I started the night with a glass of Sangria (AUD$15.00/glass) while we waited for friends to arrive. Unlike other Spanish restos, Subsolo only serve their Sangria in big wine glasses–it’s really big (good enough to share), hence the price. Their Sangria’s refreshing and a bit strong compared to other Sangrias I’ve drank before. I’m fascinated that they added a Star Anise to their Sangria, made it more tasty.

Then came the tapas we ordered:

Zucchini Flowers filled with three Spanish Cheeses (AUD$24.00/entree). My first time to try these tapas. It’s crunchy and the minute you cut the Zucchini Flowers in two, cheese overflowed. If you love cheese, you can never go wrong with these.
 



Chicken Chorizo with Caramelised Eschallots (AUD$20.00/entree). Chorizo is one of my favorite tapas in any Spanish resto. I never fail to order these. Their Chicken Chorizo was uniquely sweet as they caramelised eschallots in order for the chorizos to have their own sauce. I love it! (Usually, chorizos swam in just oil in other Spanish restos) We had two orders of these which only showed how much we liked it.

Crunchy Bacalao (Salt-Cod) Croquettes on Aioli (AUD$24.00/entree). This one is divine. Crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside (yes, just like the TV ad). At first bite, I almost forgot that it was fish inside the croquette. You can taste the fish but it’s not overpowering.

Paprika Salt and Pepper Squid with Saffron Mayonnaise (AUD$21.00/entree). Soft, easy-to-bite and fresh.



Paella Valenciana with Chicken, Pork Chorizo and Seafood (AUD$39.00). Visually beautiful, the chicken, chorizo and mussels were arranged to entice one’s appetite. The mussels, and to my surprise, scallops tasted fresh and the pork chorizo were exquisite.

Just a tip: Cooking the Paella takes 40 minutes so if you know that you’d like to eat Paella, order it as soon as you come in to save you time from waiting.


Churros filled with Dulce de Leche, Spanish Chocolate Sauce and Honey Nougat Ice Cream (AUD$16.00). An amazing dessert, I swear this is to-die-for. Usually the thing to look out for when ordering Churros is the chocolate dip. But the Churros in Subsolo had something more than the delicious chocolate dip. The Churros had Dulce de Leche filling!!!!! It was sooooo yummy. And the siding was not just an ordinary ice cream–it was Nougat Ice Cream. So so wonderful to the palate. Truly, the grand finale of our dinner.



It was one great meal enjoyed in the company of good friends. I will be coming back here soon to have a taste of their Pork Chorizos and Portuguese Espetadas (Charcoal Spit-Roasted Skewers).

I would also like to commend their customer service. I made reservations via email and they replied the same day. I asked a few questions and they were very accommodating. They also called me two hours before our reservation to make sure that everything is set. Our host during dinner was very friendly who even cracked jokes while he served us.

Subsolo Spanish Resto and Bar
161 King St. corner Castlereagh St Sydney NSW 2000
For all bookings and inquiries
please call 9223 7000 or email bookings@subsolo.com.au

For more photos of our dinner, click here.


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Celebrating Marriage Everyday

Our wedding was three years ago…but my Husband and I celebrate our MARRIAGE everyday.

Yesterday I received a very nice tweet from one of our closest friends in Manila and it said “Just saw your photo on your blog. You look lovely. Chris must be pleased everyday of his life : – )“

To which I replied, “We’re blessed to be together 🙂 Everyday is a gift. 🙂“

It’s nice receving compliments period. However, receiving compliments from friends mean a lot to us because they see the two of us grow together as a couple.

Our married life is far from ideal. We face challenges once in a while and there are frustrations that needed to be managed. But amidst some not-so-good times, we honour our marriage more and we respect each other more than to let the challenging times get the best of us. Yes, tempers (especially mine) sometimes get way out of hand but thank God, we have not made bad tempers a habit inside the home–and we have no plans of doing so. We are both lovers of peace (we are not a fan of fighting) that we’d rather kiss and make-up than let pride get in the way of having fun.

One thing I love about our Marriage is that we never take the small things for granted. We actually believe the opposite–that it’s always the small things that matter. Small things such as the way we greet each other when we arrive at home, how we never seem to get tired of saying “love you, love you!” (yes, we say it twice), how after all these years of being so familiar with each other we say “please” when asking favors from each ther, how we still like holding hands, how we respect each other’s personal space, how until now we still get surprised when we discover some things about each other and how we always say “thank you” for being there for each other.

Everyday is a gift and everyday we celebrate our marriage and togetherness by finding joy in the smallest of small things.

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Saturday Sunshine

7 March 2010 10 Comments Category: Fashion

Days are numbered for wearing summer outfits so I’m making the most of what’s left with the sunshine. It may be Autumn here now but we are still experiencing warm days (thankgoodness).

The start of Autumn this week, it became cold all of a sudden. Then there was rain for a couple of days. But yesterday, the sunshine was full on. Even if I welcomed the cool breeze of Autumn, I’m not letting go of my sunshine too easily.


On days when my sunshine comes, I shall embrace it fully. And so before it becomes colder in the coming days and before I store away our summer clothes, I wore my sunshiny yellow dress yesterday…



and my foldover clutch bag that I can wear two-ways: as a clutch bag or a handbag.

Ensemble: dress by SES, shoes by Rusty Lopez, bag by Nine West, jewellery by DKNY and TSL Hongkong.
Photos by Chris Sanchez.

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Dinner Date at Menya Noodle Bar

Was looking forward to going home as soon as the Husband picks me up from my “me” time at the cafe in the middle of somewhere but surprise surprise, he asked me out on a date!

As mentioned on my previous entry, I’ve been busy with work and for some reason, the Husband has been busy with his. Since last week, he’s been working ridiculous hours (going home very very late) that we seldom “see” each other. Lately too, we’ve been going out with friends that we feel we haven’t had a date for so long. So I guess, we’ve missed each other that my Husband asked me out to dinner and I said “Yes!”

He brought me to this Japanese Noodle Restaurant near where he works called “Menya Noodle Bar”. He brought me there because it’s one of his favorite places to have lunch and he wanted me to try their noodles.
 

It’s located in a small alleyway in-between buildings. Simple but cozy interiors. Chris says the place gets very busy during lunch time.


 

We sat at the bar because I wanted to do something different for a change, plus, the bar looked cozy too…and it was.
 
Orders took about 10 minutes to arrive. Mine arrived first: the Tonkatsu Menya Box (AUD$10.50). It consisted of Miso Soup, Rice, Green Salad, Tonkatsu (Chicken) and


 

underneath the Tonkatsu, I was very happy to find Crispy Fried Noodles.


 

It was a lovely meal. The serving wasn’t overwhelming but it was very filling. The Tonkatsu was tasty and the chicken was crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Then came Chris’ Teriyaki Chicken Ramen in Miso Soup (AUD$11.90).


 

I’m amused by the big serving of noodles here and the big spoon that came with it. Parang sandok! 🙂
 
Their ramen was delicious. I love it! According to Chris, their ramen is really their specialty and I so agree with him. Now I know why he craves for their noodles.

No wonder people come here often. On weekdays, they are open during lunchtime, closes for a few hours, then opens again at 6:00PM til 10:00PM. Before 6:00PM, there were a few people like us already waiting for Menya to officially open.

I studied the menu and they’ve got organic meals as well—one of the things Chris pointed out to me because he knows I look out for stuff like that in restaurants.

I look forward to eating here regularly.

As for the date, we had fun as usual, trying out new food, sharing a good meal, catching up with each other and laughing at silly things. It was a great way to end a busy hectic week.

Menya Noodle Bar is located at Shop 2, 1 Market Street, Sydney NSW 2000. All photos taken by my phone’s camera.



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My Potted Impatiens Flowers

This week was one big week at the office as we finally had our first run of the training program we’ve been developing for the past year. Since I got back at work in January, I’ve been fighting tooth and nail just so everything will run smoothly. This was one tough week but I’m glad I pulled things through. I didn’t realized I’m kinda stressed until I woke up with a big headache this morning. I thought it might be because I ate too much Yema last night but it crossed my mind that I could be exhausted without even knowing it. When the training program finished this afternoon, my headache went away–so that’s probably stress and tension, right?

Anyway, what brightened my day (and somehow made me realized that I must be doing something good) was this very thoughtful gift from my trainees.

 
The flowers are called “Impatiens” and they were potted so I took them home. Hopefully, they won’t die on me hahaha.

I googled how to care for Impatiens right away and here’s a few tips I got from eHow:

Impatiens are a summer annual that are available in a wide variety of colors. They grow in mounded balls up to 18 inches tall. Impatiens provide a splash of color to any spot in the yard, or as container plants on the patio or balcony. Provide your Impatiens with a good soil, water, fertilizer and a little sun, they will not disappoint!

1. First, select the location. Traditional Impatiens like dappled sun throughout the day. Or will thrive in morning or evening sun but should not be placed in the heat of afternoon sun. Newer varieties, such as SunPatiens will thrive in the sun. Traditional Impatiens, if placed in the sun will droop and wilt while the hot suns rays are hitting them but will then perk up later.

2. Caring for your planted impatiens. Water Impatiens well but be sure not to over water. If the leaves are turning yellow that may indicate that the roots are too wet. If planted in a container, be sure the container has good drainage. Fertilize Impatiens with a water soluble fertilizer once a week, or use the pelleted sustained release fertilizer to last a few months.

3. Keep your Impatiens full by pinching off any long, leggy stems at the base. Pinch them off high enough that you leave behind an approximately 2 inch stem that has lots of places for branches to form. Take the pinched stem that you have removed and place it on your kitchen windowsill in a glass of water. It will drop its leaves initially but the flowers will remain and it will flower for a week. Also, roots will quickly sprout and you can transplant your new Impatiens plant back outside while you bring in more to root!

4. Overwintering Impatiens. While this is stressful to the plant, it will keep the plants alive through the winter. Dig up the Impatiens, clip off the plant down to about 3 or 4 inches tall. Plant into a container with good potting soil. Bring inside and put in a southern window. Water well throughout the winter but do not fertilize. The Impatiens will put up flowers through the Winter holidays but will begin to struggle in February and March. As soon as the days begin to lengthen and the air gets warmer, trim back the leggy winter growth and begin to fertilize. Move outdoors after the last frost is past.

I’ve always liked flowers inside the home but seldom buy them because they don’t last. I secretly wished that hopefully one day my trainees would give me potted flowers instead of bouquets. Not only do I feel appreciated but I’m happy that that finally my wish came true.

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