I was cautiously optimistic when I heard about a new Spanish Tapas bar called Catalunya which recently arrived in town, and was pleasantly surprised to have a wonderful dinning experience not just once but twice within the same week!

Catalunya is housed in a glass, dome-like structure on the water in Marina Bay. It has amazing views - and we were lucky enough to time our pre-dinner cocktail with the National Day pre-show fireworks display over the Bay which were beautiful.






But perhaps even better than the view, the service at Catalunya was one of the best we had experienced so far in Singapore. The wait staff, many of whom were from Spain, were knowledgeable and extremely friendly. I was especially impressed with the sommenlier who helped me pick out a fantastic Spanish wine (Pazo De Senorans - Albarino) for our girls night out and then remembered me (and the wine I liked a week later) when we were back for a friends Bday dinner.

We were also served a special treat - deconstructed olives? - which are a specialty of the restaurant and unlike anything I have ever experienced before. The olive has been soaked in olive oil for quite some time and has a very thin skin.  The texture is similar to that of a large fish egg that pops as you slowly bite into it.  If you can imagine that, in the form of a green olive, that literally explodes with flavor as you place it in your mouth.  I am not exactly sure how they make them - a time consuming process to be sure - but absolutely amazing!

Other highlights from the menu were the bikini toasted sandwich (truffle ham and cheese), suckling pig and the potato croquettes filled with minced beef.

The only downside of the restaurant was its popularity. Reservations were quite difficult to come by. Both evenings we were only able to get a table for our group after 9pm though our bookings were made over a week in advance.

Though not necessarily an inexpensive evening, we had an amazing dinning experience with good food and great friends.  Catalunya may just be my new favorite place in town for a special occasion!

The freshest sashimi (and possibly one of the best) I have ever experienced!

One principle of feng shui states: "North high - South low."  The Bukchon area backs onto a mountain to the north and the houses are stacked down the hill like a movie set. All the hanoks face south, to absorb maximum sunlight in the winter.  The kitchens face east - traditionally women would wake early to prepare food and the sun's rays were believed to have anti-bacteriological effects on ingredients. Another interesting principle is that everything in the bedroom should be low to make sure the energy does not drain from your body. According to Korean beliefs, when your bedroom is low, you sleep very soundly.  I learned lots of interesting housing design tips to keep in mind should we ever decide to build a house. 

Bukchon is a beautiful area of Seoul to explore and I enjoyed spending the afternoon walking through the old neighborhoods in awe of the beautiful old homes and the simple peacefulness of the feng shui architecture. 

With so many beneficial properties it is no wonder that Kimchi has an age old reputation of boosting longevity!

The view from Boput - Fisherman's Village

Coconut water on Lamai Beach

Yogi girls explore the night market. 

Crickets anyone? 

Silver Beach

Annette and I enjoying a coconut at Silver Beach