Tapas in Trinidad - Aioli Restaurant does it again!!

Blue Cosmo - great start to the evening!!

(noun) Tapas -  (especially in Spain) a snack or appetizer, typically served with wine or beer.

I have written a few times on this blog about Aioli Restaurant in Maraval, Trinidad. The reason I can write about the place so often is because they keep bringing out new stuff for me to eat. There are many places which serve the saaaaaaaaaaaaaame thing, as yummy as they may be, but the saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame thing month after month after month after long month. So it is really nice to be able to go to a familiar place, see the same friendly and familiar faces, but not always eat the familiar.

So back to tapas. My little rotating banner shows the link to my "Tapas in Madrid" entry. Tapas in Trinidad is the subject of this blog entry, as the good folks at Aioli kindly invited a few good souls for a tasty introduction to its new tapas menu.

Tapas - small and snappy enough that you can have a bit of everything, and take an exciting psychedelic, gastronomic trip through a variety of small morsels
Tapas - varied enough that there is always something for everyone - there will always be at least that ONE thing that you just cannot get enough of - your tastebud soulmate
Tapas - quick bites you can share with friends, which can be the culinary soundtrack to a great evening.

The Menu:

Aioli Signature Tapa 
Goat Cheese | Red Pepper Pesto | Cherry Balsamic | Olive Crisp

Marinated Manchego Cheese 
Tomato Pulp | Roasted Walnuts | Rosemary Olive Oil

Venetian Frito Misto 
Oysters | Calamari | Rock Shrimp | Spicy Marinara | Caper Remoulade

Baby Octopus Ceviche 
Meyer Lemon | Cilantro | Jalapeno

Aioli Meatballs 
Spicy Lamb & Pork Farce | Spicy Marinara

Spicy Oyster Shooters 
Champagne Vinegar | Fennel Pollen | Cilantro

Tuscan Bruschetta 
Tomato | Cucumber | Basil | Olive Oil | Rosemary Crisp

Cheese Plate 
Chef's Selection of Cheese | Walnut Raisin Bread | Truffle Honey | Fig Jam

Jamon Iberico 
2 year old Pata Negra | Manchego Cheese

Grilled Artichoke 
Caper Remoulade | Beurre Limon Sauce

Aioli meatballs - a personal and classic favourite of mine

Venetian Frito Miso

Marinated Manchego Cheese

Spicy Oyster shot with marinated manchego and my meatball!! *nom nom*

The verdict:
Everything was yummy, and packed with flavour. Of course there will always be favourites, and for me, it was the Aioli signature tapa, along with the Venetian Frito Misto, and of course, where there is a trace of pork, there will my commitment lie - the Aioli meatballs and the Jamon Iberico. I love Jamon Iberico. It is unlike anything and so delicious and addictive. The sample bites were not enough!

While I had neither wine or beer, I had my alcoholic beverages of choice - cocktails! I  tried three cocktails, two of which were very yummso and more-ish:

Blue Cosmo - Blue Curacao | Vodka | Cointreau | White Cranberry Juice | Lime Juice
Oriental Twist - Chai Rum | Peach vodka | Goldschlager | Cinnamon | Cranberry Juice  | White cranberry juice

And no evening is ever complete without one of these -

Thank you Aioli, for the cappuccino. Much appreciated!!!

The new tapas menu will be available from as early as next Thursday - just in time for the long holiday weekend. I see girls' lime/after-work lime/"do I need a reason to go to Aioli, other than going to experience awesome food" lime.

Aioli, once again, for the virgins out there, is located in Ellerslie Plaza, Maraval. Tapas are just a great excuse to meet up with friends and catch up on the day or life. And now you can do just that in Maraval, Trinidad at Aioli.

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Saturday Brunch at Dianne's Tea Shop, Maraval

After a really bad week and a late night at the office on Friday, I was not looking forward to waking up early on Saturday. But I was looking forward to meeting up with the girls, as promised. One had to happen for the other to come to pass, so I got up and got going, and headed to Dianne's Tea Shop on Long Circular Road in Maraval.

Firstly, pet peeve...pet peeve. There needs to be a sign. If you don't know where you are going, you will never find it. My co-pilot had seen a photo of the place and so we parked and hoped for the best as we exited the vehicle and ventured to the front door. Signage generally is needed. If there is indeed a sign, it is not strategically located. I had to double back. Not cool. Fail.

However, let's go inside. Beautiful. Very sleek, very modern. If you like the look and feel of a posh tea shop, this is the place for you. For some, the all white exterior was not warm and inviting enough for a tea shop but it really does come down to personal taste at the end of the day. What I will say, regardless of what your decor tastes are, you surely felt the warmth from Dianne at the front door. Genuine warmth and welcome. Gold star.

Time to eat and I was a bit disappointed in the menu options. Maybe being new, the menu is a bit limited but I had a hard time choosing something as the options for me, were not that varied. But it being close to lunch, I decided I would try the pasta - Neapolitan rustic scented with garlic basil and white wine reduction, with grilled chicken. My friends ordered different things from the breakfast and lunch menu, and so we waited.

Well, let me also say that for a tea shop, the range of hot beverages also seemed a bit limited and this was a real deal breaker for me. The range of teas as offered to us by our server did not seem to be very wide, and of course I asked about coffee and was offered the choice of a latte or a cappuccino. That's it. If there were more options, we were not offered these. I was really disappointed by this - total fail for me. I was also distressed by the long wait for our hot drinks. Some cappies came with cinnamon and a spoon, some did not. Had to ask. Limited cold beverage service as well. I mean, I know it is a tea shop, but most tea shops I have been to still offer a mimosa! I was really jonesin' for a Saturday morning mimosa with my brunch!! Had to settle for a glass of water. Not cool. Fail.

The food got there, and it was tasty, but it seemed standard. Presentation was also a bit lacking with the pasta I had ordered. The eating experience did not live up to the meal's description either. I also had to ask for parmesan. I should not have to ask.

My pasta order - the chicken just kinda lay there. 

DH Sandwich - turkey breast, enmenthal cheese, peach jam, radiccio
and alfalfa in multigrain bread slices. Much better presentation!

Panini time!

One of my friends had an unusually long wait for her order - it came long after we had gotten ours and we had started eating.

Dianne's also has a lovely array of products such as preserves and cookies, as well as kitchenware from which to choose while at the shop. So you can have tea and then take home some nibbles for later. Always a winning outcome!

Still, as a new establishment, there were some pros and there were some cons. I am sure there are a lot of teething issues to be sorted out, which I am sure will  be sorted out soon. The enthusiasm and good nature of the owner truly indicates that this is a work in progress, and judging from the number of guests there that morning, there is certainly a lot of interest and certainly there are a lot hungry bellies out there. Best of luck!

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Flatbreads + Aioli Restaurant = Lunchtime Awesomeness

There are a few things that separate a good restaurant, from a great restaurant. Spectacular service. Fantastic food. Ambiance. Parking (lol - having had someone hit my car which was parked on the street, while I was inside eating, makes this very critical for me these days).

But seriously, one other thing that keeps me going back to any restaurant is when the establishment 'keeps it fresh' and by this I mean, you are not eating the same pasta dish for a year because the menu is in a chronic state of paralysis.

And this brings me to Aioli, located in Ellerslie Plaza in Maraval, which is still my fave restaurant. With the lunch menu being revitalised earlier this year, Aioli is keeping it fresh once again. Every time I go, there is something new, and something different for me to try, and I appreciate this, and I bet the Aioli-ites appreciate this as well. It is also a great way to entice new and emerging Aioli-ites and entice they did, when I was invited to join a great gang of foodie types, to try out Chef Johnny's brand new flatbread menu. 

The menu was created for the lunch time crowd, those busy corporate types like myself who want a great lunch experience but in half the time; and really, it's perfect for just about anyone who likes great food and anyone who loves a bit of adventure with their food.

The flatbread menu we tried yesterday, which is reasonably priced in my opinion,  consisted of:

Margherita - homemade marinara sauce, buffalo mozzarella, fresh purple and green basil. For those who may still be a bit hesitant, and need a little nudge, a margherita flatbread is a good introduction, until...

Garden Flatbread - zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, Humboldt Fog Cheese, homemade marinara sauce, Villa Manadori Balsamic. I loved this, primarily because the balsamic gave it that something special. For the meat lover like myself, this 'something special' made this veggie option a winner!!

Sardinia - Mozzarella cheese, buffalo mozzarella, micro basil, thinly sliced garlic, homemade marinara sauce, marinated white anchovies. Not much of an anchovy lover, but this was a great little flatbread. For me, the garlic...the garlic...the garlic. This was a wonderful blend of flavours - anchovy meets garlic. Amazing.

Chorizo di Funghi - Baby bella mushrooms, spicy Spanish chorizo, mozzarella cheese, homemade marinara sauce. I love chorizo, so this was bound to be good. Add the baby bella mushrooms and I was a happy flatbreader.

Shrimp and Manchego - Grilled shrimp, mozzarella cheese, Manchego cheese, fresh cilantro, meyer lemon. - Wonderful flatbread for the non-meat eaters, with that lemon zing giving the taste buds a real sucker punch.

Blue Steak Flatbread - Grilled sirloin steak, blue cheese, roasted garlic, caramelised onions. No wonder it's listed last on the menu. This is the king of the flatbreads - a real OMG moment. Seared ever so delicately with a blowtorch, the steak, combined with the blue cheese, with the caramelised onions and the roasted garlic - the highlight of the afternoon. Words cannot describe this epic creation and I loved it, and will hopefully be loving it some more, and then some more again.

And when we thought it could not get better, a special treat, and when I say special, I mean special. As a notorious pork lover, the introduction of the Carolina styled pulled pork on hops, served with a Cajun aioli, cole slaw and breaded and fried ochroes sent the table into a bit of a frenzy. This dish is trininista-certified for awesomeness - a platinum standard for anything pork! While it is actually NOT a menu item, I hope the response will get it on the lunch menu in the very immediate future.

The only bad thing about yesterday is that once again, I had to go back to work after the last morsel was consumed. 

Keeping it fresh - that is what it's about. Keeping the experience new every single time. I appreciate that and Aioli continues to do it extremely well. Cheers.

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