Lolla

They call themselves a small-plates dining experience, but in other words, tapas-like. Thankfully, the pretentiousness ends there, as the food at this small Ang Siang Hill establishment was really good. Fresh, interesting pairings which taste as good as they are presented. Price is slightly more expensive for the size of the portion but quality is undeniable. At least it's more worth it than the many other tapas/restaurants that keep springing up these days. The toasted baguette with an olive oil and tomato purée dip came with a half a roasted garlic (that itself is seldom done locally...) and was a tasty opener. The specials of the day was outstanding in particular the candied foie gras with cranberries and spanish onions and squash which was a generous portion with the sweetness complementing the savoury, generous liver although would have been better if the onions were caramelised longer; the iberico pork collar was served on a bed of crushed almonds with figs and that was perfect with the taste and textures of the ingredients all blending exquisitely; the kabouca pumpkin with beef relish was sadly rather uninspiring with the pumpkin grilled until it was rather too dry with the sweetness all gone and the beef relish rather pedestrian. The doughnuts with lemon curd took a long time to arrive, as compared to the others, but it was worth it. The doughnut balls were crispy on the outside but so airy and fluffy inside, dusted with icing sugar and dipped into a tangy sweet lemon curd (which I can imagine as a fantastic lemon meringue pie filling). Yum! However, two things bad about the place (other than the price) is one, the small space which made the acoustics rather unbearable when it's full or when a loud, sharp pitched diners are in the house; also the cling and clang of the open kitchen gets amplified. In addition, the smell control is lacking and the smells from the kitchen just permeates the whole area. The service was prompt and polite, and, importantly, unobtrusive.

Verdict: Will come back but price is an obstacle to regularity.