Brunchin' and Munchin' Sundays at Krave Restaurant, Marabella

When there are no mimosas,
have a peach bellini

As a true and proud South girl, I am always happy to visit new places and try new experiences in my own backyard, so to speak. 

Krave, located in Tarouba Plaza, Marabella, has been open for a while now and I finally made it for a Sunday brunch.

Sundays are very sacred to me - but if there is something to do in South, you have a much better chance of getting me out of the house and out of my bunny slippers.

And so I ended up at Krave Restaurant for what, it seems, is now a very popular Sunday brunch. Lots of families made it to Krave that day for birthday celebrations or just for a Sunday away from the norm. And so we joined them.

Brunch - 

Contraction of breakfast and lunch, usually occurring around the hour of 11 a.m. Typically reserved for snobs and biddies who like tea and jam. - Urban Dictionary

I am neither a snob nor am I a biddy, and who says brunch is for either. Brunch is great for catching up, for winding down, whether you are a hot and swanky 20-something or sophisticated 50-something. I much prefer this:

A meal eaten when you wake up too late for breakfast, but do not want to go until lunch without having eaten. Instead you have a single meal called brunch. -Urban Dictionary 

An excuse to have alcohol before noon. - Me

Feel free to have a Sunday lay-in, without starving your way to lunchtime. There are various breakfast options - waffles, rolls, made-to-order omelettes; and then there is a lunch buffet, which on the day included pasta, rice, pepperpot chicken, chunky vegetables and more. There is also sushi, if you are so inclined.

I love me an omelette and this was nicely done. Made with love.

My waffle superstar made me a quarter-waffle, and you can "dress" it as you like.
My quarter waffle is sexy.

Sampled a bit of everything (almost) from the lunch buffet, but had to leave some space for dessert.

The dessert menu was pretty sexy, and you could also pig out on fruit if you so desired.

Cute brownies

Strawberry tartlets

I did not have these but they look cute

Fresh fruit was on the menu as well

And yes, as the saying goes a brunch without booze is just a sad, late breakfast. And so we had cocktails, and with us being at the time in the throes of Carnival, the Carnival themed drinks were very special.

Cocktails, anyone? Here you have a Pineomenal and a No Apology.

The special Dame Lorraine - another looker that I did not try but it was a hit around the table

Krave is pleasant, the service is to be commended (no...really. kudos) and for those living South of the lighthouse, and for whom Sundays are not so sacred, it is a nice alternative to facing the stove or facing the highway on a Sunday morning.

Brunch at Krave Restaurant starts at 10.30am and goes until 3 pm. 
What will it cost you? Brunch goes for TT$295 plus Vat and Service charge per person, but children under 12 "pay" half price and under 5s are free.
You can call the guys at Krave at 658-5728 for more information.

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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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Kicking Ms Rosy's Fat Ass

Cramps are noooo fun, friends.

Rosy.

Rosy is just a cute way of saying "fat". So this weekend,  when someone I knew said, "Oh, you look so rosy", I did not take it as a compliment. lol.

I have been pretty consistent with the workouts but maybe a bit too consistent with the cocktail hours! Therein lies my problem at the moment. But the 4.45am workouts continue. This morning I broke into a jog like someone who loves running, kinda like frickin' Rocky - when in reality I LOATHE it - and then a little while later, I was on a corner, with a cramp. lol. But I finished strong - and I was very proud of myself.

Tomorrow I am going to take advantage of an empty gym to face my other nemesis - the elliptical. I used to spend sometimes 2 hours straight on that thing - and the last time I got on it about 2 weeks ago, I could barely make 15 minutes. Time to kick Ms Rosy's ass!

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Cheers to the Cooperative Waistline!

Too fat for the world!

I have done nothing since I have been back home besides lay in bed, watch tv and eat. This is clearly not a recipe for hotness. After another all-day binge fest of all my favourite Trini treats, I decided to see what kinda damage I was looking at it in terms of my waistline. Seeing that I am job hunting and may be called upon on short notice to put on  a suit and heels, I decided last night to ensure that I did not need to go shopping for said outfit. Nervous, I opened the door to my work accoutrements and selected a pair of pants that I know could make or break my plans for the weekend - Cold Stone Creamery, KFC, Hot Shoppe, cocktails. Nervous, I slipped one leg in, then another and then waited for the pull and tug motions around the hips.

But voila, the pants fit. Perfectly. Well, they could be looser but I am not going to complain. I have been really remiss with the healthy eating in the past few weeks. Cocktails like water, great dinners. Ridiculous. But the pants fit. Cold Stone, here I come! lol. I promise to work out next week.

I have just been in a bit of a funk though. Not a full-on funk. It's hard to be funky when you have not seen your family in months and there is sunshine. But there are so many negative feelings around certain events that have left a really sour taste in my mouth and I just don't have the energy to deal with them. Maybe next week.

Cheers to the freakin' weekend though. Gonna slide into some Caribbean friendly outfit, some platforms (yes, heels are back!!!) and turn it around with another round! Happy Saturday, guys!

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Translating Christmas into Summer

A glass of chilled sorrel, and in the absence of Crix,
I also had some poppyseed crackers
with extra mature cheddar

When one thinks of summer, one usually thinks of sunshine and sunshiney type drinks like daiquiris and mojitos. Not rain and cappuccinos. Nevertheless, I was not to be derailed in my taste of summer plans today, despite the downpour here in London.

I had brought some dried sorrel with me back in September, to ensure I had a little piece of Trinidad with me at Christmas time. Sorrel is traditionally our Christmas drink but because I was ill for the most of the holidays and a bit lazy, I never prepared the sorrel, instead having loads of Rexona and orange juice. Today though, as I whip up a pelau, and despite the summer thus far being a soggy mess here in London, I was in the mood for a tropical, summery burst of joy.

It's really very easy to make once you have the main ingredient - the sepals of the sorrel flower. Usually you can buy these fresh, but since I was away from home, I bought some dried sorrel. You also need spices, typically cinnamon and cloves, and sugar to taste.  My mother told me to steep the sorrel but I did boil it a bit, cause I am impatient. The smell was heavenly and after it had all cooled and was sweetened, the taste was even more heavenly. If you have Angostura Bitters, dash some of that in it too. And add some stronger spirits, like rum, if you really want to spice up the ting, which I did! It was a piece of Trinidad in soggy London.

My pack of dried sorrel; the dried sorrel in the pot with the cinnamon and cloves; boil boil boil sorrel;
the beautiful scarlet coloured concoction, ready to be sweetened and "spirited"

I took my sorrel and my yummy poppyseed crackers to the couch, where I proceeded to flip through the hundreds of channels, looking for one show that would hold my attention for at least an hour, while my pelau did its thing on a low heat. Instead, I got Dynasty, Murder, She Wrote, Law and Order episodes with Chris Noth (ancient!!), Diagnosis Murder (really??), Dawson's Creek - wow, that one really took me back. I mean, can you believe paying money every month to see shows as old as the road? Is it any wonder why, trapped indoors because of the wind and rains, and at the mercy of corporate London,  I am incredibly bored?

Still, I had my summery sorrel! And after a long day of grocery shopping, kitchen prep, cooking, with a terrible shoulder pain, having slipped in the bathroom this morning, I needed a sorrel break!

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