HOUSE ON A HILL

We decided to check out the newest dining scene in town. Even on a Wednesday night, cars were cruising for a good parking spot. But, as usual, whoever planned the carpark is NOT a driver. Otherwise he (it must be a he) wouldn't have drawn the parking lot lines the way he did. Oh, it's wide enough for an SUV to drive into. Just not enough for the driver to open the door and squeeze out! Doh!

Dempsey Hill has a fair mix of eateries to suit all pockets. Culina is spacious and even has a few tables to serve cooked food and wine. But we wanted to try House (spa, bar and resto). It has a building to itself and a cute directory done flip-chart style.

"How is the wagyu beef cooked? Deep-fried?" I asked. No, said the waiter, just lightly pan-fried because it's also a spa, so the food is healthy! Haha! You should see the oil soaking up the paper the beef is sitting on. The same with the tea-infused malaba and the pumpkin soup. They were nice, but the cooks were heavy-handed with the oil.
It was all very dark, so I didn't bother snapping the sweet potato and spinach salad. Nor the triple chocolate brownie. Portions were under-generous. The menu cover is cute - sliced up toy soldiers stuck to acrylic sheet.

We wanted to dine al fresco - the cool breeze and lush foliage were inviting. We could hear birds squawking and the girl who took us to our table said they were wild parakeets (or was it macaws?). But the al fresco choice soon turned out to be fresh blood for the mozzies - with me as the buffet table. We moved indoors. We dawdled so much over our food, we couldn't take up an offer to tour the spa upstairs (closes at 9pm).