Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Mad for Garlic

Just a mention of modern-day Korean dramas and those beautiful cafe scenes come to mind. It’s always perfect – the setting, the facial expressions, the lighting, the actress, the nip and tuck, the flip phones, the songs. Hang on, not the songs. Maybe I’ve not watched enough to judge but from my experience, most of them felt like recycled ballads from the 80s or 90s. Then again, Kenny G, Richard Marx and Chicago did charm the world over and over again with their saccharine tunes (and compilations) and earned them lots of money along the way. I guess I must be the real the problem here.

My preconception of this place was nothing short of a scene right out of those hallyu K-afes and since I’m not capable of nor do I idealize long locks, colourful eyewear, fitting designer attire and romantic prose, something else must have really driven me towards this Korean joint. It was the obnoxiously appetizing stinking rose. Ah, just the thought of it makes me want to get some chicken rice with that garlicky chilli sauce.

The interior was sophisticated but somehow dramatized by the hanging of fake garlic garlands and such. And the songs, aha....just as I expected. So, there I was, commenting on every song in the playlist that I know of and XLB must have thanked the universe for my order of the Garlicpeno Pasta for it did shut me up for about 15 minutes or so. It was really hot! And tasty too, thanks to the finely chopped, slightly tangy (pickled?) Mexican pepper, shallots and some crispy fried garlic flakes. Painstakingly good, this. I read somewhere that South Korea has the highest suicide rate within the developed countries due to, among others, depression and stress. I presume that since we, in this region, should not be statistically too far behind, the Garlicpeno seems to suggest a more intelligent remedy in combating these psychological conditions. There’s nothing like a good sweat to wash away the negative charges. To me, the effect of the jalapeno was not instantaneous but when it did hit, it was sweat me a river. Though it was barely a few hours after a sumptuous lunch, we thought that we should have something else to peck, like garlic bread. Here, it’s called a Garlic Bread Tower, intentionally toppled and flattened by the wait staff, exposing the filling of garlic powder where the texture was similar to desiccated coconut. Despite the pouring amount, it was not sufficiently pungent, much to my disappointment.

The objectives were pretty clear – to be stuffed with, as the name of the restaurant suggested, a mad amount of garlic and leave with some immunity booster. Sadly, the former didn’t materialize but despite that, if Mad For Garlic was to be gauged solely by the fantastic Garlicpeno pasta, I think it’s worth a revisit. We’re eyeing the fried rice with garlic next. Oh, and there's a dish called Dracula Killer as well.

Sir, it’s really hot. Ok for you?

Bring it on.

.....

FML

Mad for Garlic
3 Temasek Boulevard
#01-039 Suntec City (Galleria)
Singapore
Tel: (+65) 6333 1507

15 comments:

Selba said...

Hot.. hot.. hot... ? LOL

No idea what FML stands for, but I think it's napkins? ;P

J said...

Aiyo. Not a restaurant for first dates unless you meet that special someone in the Garlic Lovers Association meeting....
:)

qwazymonkey said...

Wahliu! No kissing after that! FML indeed. LOL

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

FML indeed..whats nxt? mad for ginger?

Sean said...

i lurrrrrrrrve garlic, so i had to hop over to this restaurant's website immediately after reading your post! was browsing thru their menu and wishing that they would be more creative with their garlic-laced dishes though. but i'd definitely wanna try their garlic fondue! :D

choi yen said...

I don't like garlic, I'll pick up 1 by 1 if I find any in my food cause it make me vomit if I eat it BUT..... the raw garlic seem ok for me wor, weird hor O.O

Ciki said...

fml??! so not hot la.. izit? LOL

UnkaLeong said...

So...panas/pedas or not? Hahaha!

world of sekimachihato said...

since moving to hong kong garlic now gives me heartburn, wonder if it's the type of garlic used...
anyway, i think i could forget about my heartburn for a few seconds to sample some of this; looks so good! (and that's not because i watch too many korean dramas!)

HairyBerry said...

selba, yes, definitely hot! haha. well, FML is some sort of expression to show one's frustration towards life. i guess heat makes me angry. lol!

j, actually, i think it's a good place for a date because the environment's pretty cool and the dishes, despite having garlic it in, were not very pungent in taste. ;D

qwazymonkey, hehehhe. luckily the garlic taste not strong. hmmm, how considerate of the proprietors, hor? hehehe.

joe, mad for ginger? wow, that's a good one! i know one that i wont enter for sure - mad for durian! lol!

sean, hi5! i lurrrrve garlic too. the more pungent, the better. i agree that they could have been more creative with the application of garlic. or simply increase the dosage! woohoo! i once heard of garlic cookies. must go find it already! ;D

mimi, ok la. u are not weird. at least u can take one form of garlic. i cant take ANYTHING that has durian. eeekkkksssss! haha.

cumi & ciki, on the contrary, it was really, really hot! that's why i was cursing. :D

unkaleong, definitely pedazzzzz to the max! ;D

world of sekimachihato, hmmmm, you have a point there about the different types of garlic. i dont remember getting heartburn when i had it raw in say, japan. but when i have it semi-cooked at home, it burnt in my stomach badly! but yes, it's worth the burn if the taste is good!! :D

choi yen said...

but many ppl feel that I'm weird lor.. *_*

Xiu Long Bao said...

Acherly i quite like the place, very cosy, abit tak match with the garlic theme...lolz.

Eh...the voucher still valid not?

HairyBerry said...

mimi, be positive. laugh back at them! that's what i do lah...hehe ;D

xlb, errrrr, i dunno where i kept the voucher leh. by the look of it, i think u'll be more interested the "barcelona" and the "bliss in every spoon" now. hehe.

Rebecca Saw said...

FML?? Hehe, mayb i dun knw u well..but it's not somethin i associate you with.. such an expression. LOL

HairyBerry said...

thenomadGourmand, haha, i'm almost embarassed that i portray such a good character...*evil cackles*. hehehe. ;D