Esmiralda @ CHIJMES

Met up with the girls (previously from WT) and had a fun time just catching up with each other. Hope we can do this once a month or something.

Initially we wanted to go to Hog's Breath Cafe but it was full and I was so busy that I didn't make any reservations. I didn't know it is so popular now as they were not so crowded when I went there when they first opened.

So then I remembered Esmiralda is also at Chijmes. Recommended it to the girls and off we went. It was a great dinner. Everything was so nice.

We share the garlic bread (must-have!), paella, grilled mushrooms and moussaka, plus individual bowls of kakavia (seafood soup).

Esmiralda is one of my favorite restaurant as it serves excellent food and has good service too. I usually order the garlic bread and soup, plus paella to share. The garlic bread is just so wonderful. It is a whole baguette slathered with butter and garlic and toasted to perfection and it came wrapped with cloth in a bread holder. Just delicious. It goes very well with the kakavia - a hearty seafood broth filled with chunky veggies.

The paella is moist yet not mushy. It is not too hard too where it hit the pan. It is filled with seafood and pieces of chicken. The broth used also made the rice very fragrant and flavorful.

This is the first time I tried the grilled mushrooms and moussaka and they were fantastic too. The mushrooms were tender and nicely seasoned. The moussaka was fabulous! But I don't recommend having it on your own as it can get a bit too heavy, due to the cheese. Otherwise, the combination of the minced lamb, eggplants and cheese is just delicious!