Serenity
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Serenity, Spanish Bar & Restaurant
Vivo City was bustling with shoppers as we walked in, looking for Serenity Spanish Bar and Restaurant. Serenity is located at an ideal corner spot – when you stand at the alfresco area you will get a good view of the Genting Integrated Resort at Sentosa, the Sentosa Monorail Line, Cable Car Line, the Gate Way of Sentosa and also the Harbour Front Cruise Centre! The Ibiza style seaside boardwalk, the typically Mediterranean style blue, brown and white décor, the hand painted ceramics and the strains of catchy Spanish music makes one feel as if she is in one of the Spanish restaurants in Ibiza!! This place is certainly for the families that throne into the shopping mall, the tourists and the yuppies.
The Pan con Alioli - home made herb bread with sundried tomato was brought to the table first. It was served with Alioli sauce. The manager, Mr. Nikko, said “our sauce is home-made and very special”. Special it was indeed as this was the lightest Alioli I have ever tasted, though it could do with a wee bit more garlic and salt.
 Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant serves authentic Spanish fare and the menu has a wide range of tapas, salads, mains and other Spanish delicacies. The Spanish Black Pig Ham - Jamón Ibérico was highly recommended and we opted for it of course. This Spanish Black Pig Ham is cut and served in front of you; the waiter actually weighs your 25 g of paper thin sliced ham before plating it with other ingredients – this is a memorable experience at Serenity. Apparently, this corn-fed Iberian ham has the ability to transform some its fat into ‘good fat’ – similar in properties like olive oil! Because these Iberian pigs are left alive – usually to double the age of white pigs – the fat in their meat will take on a ‘marbling’ effect. These pigs are also left free to roam the pastures – making it free-range pigs.Andalucía in the south of Spain is famous for its Gazpacho because this chilled hearty and pungent unpretentious soup has amazing thirst-quenching quality. At Serenity, Gazpacho Andalus –is a blend of tomatoes, sweet pepper, garlic, sherry vinegar and enriched with olive oil. The soup had a deep red color and I found out that a bit of beetroot is used to enhance the color of the soup. One taste of this chilled gazpacho and you will be instantly transported to a land of whitewashed walls, red-tiled roofs, and a golden sun..... The Spanish love fish and seafood and no wonder - Spain is surrounded by water on three sides! The Crema de Mariscos, a seafood cream soup had the full measure of drama featuring mussel, prawns, dory and squid rings and this was one of the best seafood soups I have ever tasted!! It was not the seafood but the intriguing and finely tuned broth!
 Empanadillas y Croquette – a trio of Spanish Tuna puff, Chicken Croquettes and Spanish Tiger Prawn Croquettes was served attractively on a plate next. Croquettes are ubiquitous in Spain – I guess it originated from the French. The Chicken Croquettes and the Tiger Prawn Croquettes had the characteristic flavor from the béchamel base it was made of. Empanadillas are crisp turnovers – we call it baked “epok epok” and here we tasted one stuffed with tuna mayonnaise. All over Spain, empanadillas, are generally served as tapas, and, because no silverware is required to eat them, making it perfect party food. Next we tried the Pimientos del Piquillo rellenos de Atun y Gambas – Spanish red capsicum filled with large amount of tuna and tiger prawn salad – the capsicum was literally bursting with the filling; followed by Pinchitos Morunos – marinated pork on wooden skewers - small spicy Moorish lamb kebabs Europe's first kebabs were brought by the Arabs from Africa. The Pinchitos Morunos are eaten everywhere in Spain as a tapa and nowadays they are made of pork. At Serenity, the Pinchitos Morunos was very tender. The Albondigas – beef meatballs in tomato sauce, a traditional dish tastes best when served piping hot straight from the pan. The juicy tomato sauce was good and therefore I even mopped the sauce with bread. By now, we were looking around to ensure nobody is looking at our appetite.
 Paella is a typical Spanish recipe and is traditionally cooked in a "paellera" - a round flat pan with two handles - which is then put on the table. At the mention of Paella, most people think of seafood and rice. While Valencia, is the homeland of paella, it rarely produces a paella mixing seafood with meat. The meat and seafood paella has become popular outside Spain and Paella Valencia at Serenity had Spanish chorizo, tiger prawns, squid, mussels and rice. The fragrance wafted into my nose before the paellera was set on the table. By this time we were already three-quarters full!The Rollito de Bacon Esparrago –asparagus rolled in bacon - were simply divine even though it reminded me of a Japanese dish. I loved it for the salty flavor of the bacon, imbued with just a subtle hint of smokiness, wrapped over crisp and cooked just-right asparagus spears. The Ensalada de Colores – describe as “lettuce, salad, onion, sliced olives and sour cream with salsa on top of crispy tortilla” was very interesting and colourful. When it appeared on the table, it looked like a pizza with lots of vegetables. The crust was very light and crumbled easily – for one moment I actually thought it would be easier to eat the topping of vegetables like a salad in a bowl with the pastry broken in like croutons!
 I was looking forward to the Churros with hot Chocolate. The Churros was a bit of a disappointment for me but the hot chocolate was rich and delicious. The Churros was golden brown and crispy on the outside and the ridges of the Churros were able to hold more of the hot chocolate and therefore the Dessert Devil in me become peaceful. However, the inside of the Churros was hard. The Peras al Vino Tinto – pears poached in red wine and served with vanilla ice cream was just alright – though I would have preferred if the pears were poached until cooked but still firm. Mine was easy to puree with the fork!. The red wine poaching liquid had lent the pear its deep ruby color and the full flavor. It was indeed an ideal way to finish the long sumptuous dinner.
There is a full bar at Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant that offers a plethora of specially imported wines, cava, beer and spirits from
 mainly Spain and around the world. Sip concocted cocktails such as Sangria, Spanish Bullfrog to pair with your tapas. There was a Live Band playing Latin, Spanish and Top 60s too. All in all, it was a great evening of food, Sangria and music………..Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-98/99
VivoCity
Singapore 098585
Tel : 6376 8185
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