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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Another one, please - Foodie adventures from Madrid

Madrid is super hot which for a Caribbean girl like myself is saying quite a lot. We did quite a bit of walking through this beautiful city yesterday, going the Royal Palace and surrounding areas. Just beautiful. I will share some of the photos of the sights later.

But yesterday was all about the food. Tapas. Oh, the tapas. I am actually rushing out to meet up with some of my friend's friends but will share some of the delicious highlights from yesterday. While I cannot remember all the names, they were all very delicious. The first is really some Iberian ham on toasted bread. The second was a bit of a venison dish, which was very well seasoned and went nicely with some bread.

The third photo below is of migas which is a mixture of bread fried with onions and herbs. The final photo is of a serving of morcillas on toasted bread. I had actually enquired about this earlier in the day while in one of the city markets and decided it sounded like something I would not eat. It is made using pig's blood and is pretty much black pudding, similar to what we have in Trinidad, but much tastier. We had two servings of this cause it was so good. And of course,  many many drinks. Loving it all, my friends. Loving it all.


Next - La Vida en Madrid - in summary

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