Serenity is the first of its kind in Singapore serving authentic Spanish cuisine at the heartlands of Singapore. Up to date, Serenity has two branches locally, one located at Vivocity, and the newer branch at Ngee Ann City. Dear and I have passed by their former branch practically every single time we head to Vivocity, but hesitated because Spanish dishes might not be our cup of tea. Nevertheless, we decided to give Serenity a try as our fourth year anniversary dinner.
I have absolutely zero complaints for their ambience and services. In fact, service was polite and efficient, and I always appreciate it when either the service staff or the manager asks us for feedback (like "how is everything so far?"), which they did. We chose to dine al-fresco, set amidst the soft instrumentals and voices of the live band, with the occasional sea-breeze.
Ensalada de Colores (S$14) was likened to a veggie-pizza - with the crisp of the finely chopped lettuce, it is topped with fresh olives, tomatoes and doused with sour-cream, and laid on top of a classic and crispy Spanish tortilla. I did recommend anyone who is on diet/vegan to go with this.
Paella Valenciana (S$53, for 2 pax) consists of saffron, chicken, chorizo, squid, tiger prawns, and mussels. Paella is the Spanish equivalent of the Chinese claypot rice, except that it's slightly wetter, because they used bomba rice, which absorbs 30% more broth than the typical grain. Serenity's rendition was all bursting with flavours and had little charred grains on the side which I absolutely dig it. The only two minuses are: (1) the mussels were slightly overdone; (2) Way. Too. Overpriced. I understand that paella needs time and tangible dedication, and obviously a culinary standard to make, but 53 dollars is really costly (especially for a poor undergraduate).
Well, at least the drinks are nice. Selection of draft beer (Heineken, Erdineger, etc.) are available for S$10 per pint during happy hours.
All in all, Serenity is a great place to chill especially with the sea-breeze and panoramic view. There are great reviews about their other offerings, such as a variety of tapas and Spanish roasted suckling pig. However, the prices are a bit high for a poor undergraduate like myself (I mean, I don't mind a sponsored food tasting).
Just kidding.
No, I am actually not.
#01-98/99
1 HarbourFront Walk
VivoCity
VivoCity