Lunch at Loop (Creative Dining)

We were having one of those crazy days at the office where everything seems to be moving too fast and there were too many tasks that needs to be completed.   Moreover - I had to switch my working hours from night to day so I can meet with some visiting managers from our head office.   Needless to say - I was looking for comfort food and we thought of checking out this relatively new restaurant which is located very close to our office.

The restaurant is called Loop.  It's located at the FEU building that was newly built along the Zuellig Loop.   It is actually a restaurant school - for the Institute for Culinary Arts and Food Service.  Of course - the queens didn't have high expectations for the restaurant --- but I just wanted to try something new.

I don't care much for the ambience of the restaurant.  I find it a bit pretentious.   I think it's trying to be a fine dining restaurant but doesn't quite live up to the standards of one.  I would rather have a much more relaxed atmosphere.  Of course - trying to live up to high standards is understandable given that this should really be a training ground for the schools' students.

Thing is - we were there for the food.  So - I would like to share with you pictures of what we ordered and what I thought about them,

This is flat bread served with a mixture of spices.  According to the menu - it's Egyptian in origin.  For me - the taste was interesting.  But it's a bit flat for my taste.  I think it's because of the fact that I prefer the spices of Indian and Malay dishes - that this spice mixture just lacks flavor in comparison to things like the Indian Curry.

Green Peas soup.  This was good.  I loved it.  What I found interesting though are the Peas that came with the soup.  They were dried peas.  Similar to what you find in the junk food snacks mixed nuts (think Ding Dong).   But it was still good even if it reminded me of the snack.

This salad with Pili nuts was good.  I liked it because it is exactly the same salad we make in the House of Queens.   The Pili nuts is definitely a good substitute for Candied Walnuts.

That's paper. Inside it is Fish.  The paper is a nice twist to a similar dish my mom cooks.  We use Aluminum foil.  Overall - good fish dish - but the serving was tiny.

This dessert - you have to try.  It's sweet glutinous rice wrapped in Turon wrapper.  This is the one dish in our meal that lived up to the restaurant tag lines' Creative Dining.

I said it in the beginning of this blog.  We didn't set our expectations too high for the restaurant.  We knew it's a teaching restaurant.   So we still enjoyed our meal even if I noted some things that could have been improved with the dish and the overall service (it's odd that the waiters were openly conversing with each other in loud voices while they were huddled in one corner).    But I do wish that they live up to their tag line: Creative Dining.   I want to see more creative dishes.