Restaurant review: Super Loco Robertson Quay, Singapore

Last year in October, I planned to meet up with one of my close friends for drinks and dinner. For the venue, we chose Super Loco, a Mexican-inspired 'Cocina Y bar' resonating a fun, festive and casual environment. My love of Mexican food is well documented on my blog and for a Friday evening, the two of us couldn't think of a more suitable place to hang out. 

Super Loco at Robertson Quay opened in 2014 and is located along the Singapore River at The Quayside, beside Intercontinental Hotel. 

I have always loved going to the hip Robertson Quay enclave. I used to go there frequently before my children were born. It used to be a common occurrence to have dinner at one of the many restaurants there with either my husband or my University friends and then saunter over to Laurent Bernard Chocolatier for dessert 😊

Super Loco at Robertson Quay boasts an awesome location by the Singapore river. My friend and I reached the restaurant before the reservation time so we could spend some time chatting while walking along the river and taking pictures. 

You really can't miss the restaurant. It is the cheerful vibe and bright colors that catches your attention almost immediately. 

I could tell that this place was very popular with both the local crowd as well as expats, judging by how quickly the tables were filling up. Loco means crazy so just by the name, you can tell that this is going to be a fun place to hang out.

The space is large and feels inviting and festive. There were plenty of tables which were arranged in different configurations - outdoor and indoor seating as well as high and low seating options. A rock rubble wall encases the kitchen. I loved the use of bright and bold colors for the décor. The pinks, yellows and greens show up in the furniture, the long bar counter, festive lighting and the wall art which reflect the spirit of the streets of Mexico. The pops of color adds to the lively quotient of the restaurant. 

At the time of our visit, the Covid-19 restrictions allowed only two diners per table. Super Loco had modified the table configuration to suit two diners. 

We were greeted by a friendly staff member who handed us the menus. I was impressed with the innovative menu. There were lots of choices even for vegetarians. 

Thumbs up for the great alcohol beverage selection. From cocktails to beers, wine and tequila, they have everything covered. The bar also features a refreshing selection of non-alcoholic drinks commonly found on the streets of Mexico such as fruit based sodas and coolers. 

We chose indoor seating but we still had a view of the river. We really liked the ambience of the place. Even though the restaurant was full, the tables were spaced far enough to enjoy conversation. The laid-back atmosphere contributed to the relaxed weekend energy. 

We spent some time mulling over the drinks and the food menu. We ordered a drink each and a few dishes to share.

Baker's Corner: Nutella Swirl Banana Bread

I am bringing you guys a really nice recipe just in time for Valentine's Day 💗

To be honest, I didn't actually make this Nutella Swirl Banana Bread for Valentine's Day. I made it over the Chinese New Year break during the first week of Feb. My kids enjoyed a slice in their lunch boxes for the next entire week. I remembered that Valentine's day is round the corner just this morning (age will do that to you) so I'm not sure if I'll be making a Valentine's dessert to mark the occasion. Anyway, if you follow me on Instagram, you will find out soon enough.

I have an amazing Blueberry Banana Bread recipe on my blog. I also sometimes tweak my favourite Zucchini Chocolate Loaf recipe by substituting the zucchini with overripe bananas. So my family is no stranger to different varieties of banana bread being rustled up in our kitchen regularly. I love how versatile most banana bread recipes are. You can usually customize it in a number of ways. 

This Nutella Swirl Banana Bread is super yummy. The incorporation of nutella puts a chocolate-hazelnut spin on a classic banana bread - what's not to love right? Serve it as dessert, an evening snack or as a lunchbox treat. This is a simple recipe that requires only a few ingredients and it is pretty much foolproof. The bread looks quite nice too. When you cut slices of the bread you can appreciate the nutella pattern. I love any recipe that incorporates the swirl technique because aside from looking good, I find it really fun to do.

I'm keeping the introduction to this post short and sweet today. I hope you try this recipe and love it just as much as we did.

In case you want more variety, take a look at some of my other Valentine's Day special dessert posts here,

Vanilla-Coffee-Chocolate Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Japanese Cheesecake

French Chocolate Mousse

White Chocolate-Yuzu Cheesecake

Nanaimo Bars

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake

Tiramisu

Wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day

"The giving of love is an education in itself."

 - Eleanor Roosevelt

Book review: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

My reading goal for last year was to complete 20 books which I had naively presumed to be a realistic target. I had a great start and made promising headway but my reading pace began to slacken drastically after the second half of the year (the non-fiction did me in, you guys). I managed to read 16/20 books which is not too shabby but I was a bit disappointed not to have fulfilled my goal. I hope to have better luck this year *fingers crossed*.

For my first read of 2022, I chose American Dirt, a 2020 fiction novel by American author Jeanine Cummins about the ordeal of a Mexican mother and son duo who are forced to flee their life and escape as undocumented immigrants into the United States.

The publisher of American Dirt, Flatiron Books, undertook a massive publicity campaign, including sending boxes of copies to libraries near the Mexican border, holding a release party, and obtaining blurbs from big names in the literary world like Stephen King, Sandra Cisneros, Don Winslow and John Grisham. In January 2020, a day before the book's release, Oprah Winfrey announced that she had selected the novel for her book club.

American Dirt debuted on New York Times best sellers list as the #1 on the list for the week of February 9, 2020. Despite initial positive reviews and its status as one of the best-selling books of 2020, it has also generated controversy for its alleged inaccurate portrayal of Mexico and Mexicans.

*** Plot***

The story begins in Acapulco, located in Mexico. The picturesque beach resort town is caught in the grip of violence from narcotic cartel turf wars. A new cartel called Los Jardineros headed by a relatively anonymous drug kingpin nicknamed “The Owl” is making their ominous presence felt within the community. 

Lydia Pérez is a doting wife, loving mother and library owner going about her daily life in typical middle-class comfort. When her journalist husband Sebastián publishes a sensational exposé about the Owl, there are unforeseen repercussions and an unthinkable price to pay. Sixteen members of Lydia’s family are mercilessly slaughtered during a family barbecue. Lydia and her eight year old son Luca, are the only survivors and must flee north (el norte) via the infamous freight train, La Bestia, before it is too late. Their life as they have known it has been completely upended and they are relying on a barely-there plan, meagre savings and suppressed emotions to live another day. What makes matters worse is Lydia’s unwitting friendship with the Owl which makes the hunt for the duo, a deeply personal undertaking.

With menacing sicarios hot on their heels, Lydia and Luca must also contend with moles in the police force, kidnappers, robbers and vigilante groups while on an arduous and harrowing migrant trail to cross the border into safety and freedom. 

On their epic journey, they experience kindness from complete strangers, form close-knit bonds with fellow migrants, live through nightmarish shared experiences and discover things about themselves they never thought possible. 

Recipe of the month: Gözleme with Spinach & Feta Cheese

Happy Lunar New Year to everyone celebrating

May the Year of the Tiger bring you and your loved ones joy, hope and good fortune 🐯

And now, with a (sorta) long weekend lazily stretched out for the folks living in my part of the world, let's talk about food, shall we? 

For reasons unknown to me, it appears as if I posted more recipes for desserts than savoury dishes on the blog last year. It is surprising since I don't have much of a sweet tooth and I only make desserts once in a while. This year the trend ought to be reversed and in my head, I already have a list of savoury recipes that I would like to share with you. Oh! but now that I think about it, Valentine's Day is coming up and I foresee an amazing dessert and (possibly) a recipe post in the near future 😛

If you have been consistently following my blog, you may recall that I posted a recipe for Turkish pide after attending a Turkish cooking class sometime late last year. The recipe that I have for you today has been adapted from the same class. My love for Turkish food and beverages is well documented so I am not going there today. 

Gözleme is a savoury Turkish stuffed turnover. The word gözleme is derived from the Turkish word közleme, meaning "to grill/cook on the embers". 

The dough is usually unleavened and made only with flour, salt and water but gözleme can be made from yeast dough as well. The dough is rolled thin and then filled with various toppings, sealed and cooked over a hot griddle. This crispy, golden flatbread is stuffed with tasty fillings that vary by region and personal preference. Once can choose from a variety of spiced meats (minced beef, chopped lamb, fresh or smoked seafood, sujuk, pastirma), vegetables (spinach, zucchini, eggplant, leeks, peppers), mushrooms (porcino, chanterelle, truffle), tubers (potatoes, yam, radish), cheeses (feta, Turkish white cheese, lavaş, Beyaz peynir, çökelek, Kasseri, and Kashkaval) as well as eggs, seasonal herbs, and spices. 

Originally a breakfast item or light homemade snack, the comfort food nature of gözleme has allowed it to achieve fast-food status in Turkey in the later part of the twentieth century. One can find both simple and gourmet preparations ranging from the traditional (sautéed minced beef and onion; spinach and feta; potato and chive) to the contemporary (chocolate and orange zest; walnut and banana with honey; smoked salmon and eggs) proliferating across the country's restaurants, cafes, and food carts. 

This particular recipe for gözleme consists of a yeast dough and a classic spinach and feta filling. It turned out to be a super easy recipe and my family loved the delicious flatbreads. This recipe yields 8 fairly large gözleme. Toss up a simple salad and make eggs of your choice and you have a great brunch right there.

If you want a variation, you can make the same quantity of dough as mentioned in the recipe but make only half the amount of spinach-feta filling. You can then make 4 gözleme and use the rest of the dough to make 4 Turkish pide (get the recipe here). Two dishes for slightly more than the effort of one - that's a win in my books.  

This is from the time that I did both 😊

If this Turkish flatbread is something you have never tried before I hope I have inspired you to do so.