Fortunately, I was one of the lucky few to try it before anyone else (Yes I'm such a show off :P). Last Monday, I was invited to check out the newest Vapiano in Garden City.
It's got such a fun, vibrant ambience and feels a lot brighter (and newer) than the City Store.
We started off with a large Antipasti platter which came with a selection of cured meats, Parmesan, buffalo mozzarella, mixed olives, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto basilica, and bruschetta. The highlight was definitely the buffalo mozzarella, with its smooth, creamy taste and semi-elastic texture.
Up next were the cocktails. Our hosts (and owners), Will and Greg, explained that these cocktails were actually made by Vapiano's very own chefs so it's impossible to get them anywhere else.
The cocktails were certainly unique and exotic - ranging from a creamy Snowball with Malibu, baileys, and desiccated coconut; a refreshing fruity Orange Ginger Punch with orange liquor, orange juice, ginger beer and a sugar coated rim; a chocolatey Winter in Capri with strawberry syrup, chocolate syrup, vodka, and cherries which made it taste like a rich black forest cake; and an Indian inspired Indiantini, with lime, ginger, gin, sprite, and a curry leaf - a bizarre yet delightful combination.
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| From Left to Right: Snowball, Orange Ginger Punch, Winter in Capri, Indiantini |
The pastas were equally enjoyable - fresh, and perfectly al dente with a rich, flavourful sauce. Will and Greg explained to us that the pastas are always fresh because they throw it away after a day.
The Cabonara was one of the best I've tried - with Aussie bacon, onions, egg, parmesan, and a rich, creamy sauce that clings well onto the spaghetti, no wonder it's a traditional favourite! I also really liked the homemade tomato sauce in the Bolognese (Italian-style beef, pork, onions, carrots, cherry tomatoes) and Gamberi (Prawns, tomatoes, spring onion) - packed with rich tomato flavours, I could certainly tell it was not the fake package stuff you find in most super markets. To top it off, the accompanying cherry tomatoes were really fresh and sweet - in fact, the juices pretty much exploded in your mouth with each bite.
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| Crema Di Funghi, Bolognese, Carbonara, Gamberi |
Unfortunately, I was too full to try the Pizza but my companion told me it was amazing and the base was freshly made.
We ended our wonderful evening with a few (well to be more specific FIVE) decadent desserts. Shows you that desserts really do go into a second stomach seeing as I could still fit them in :P.
First came the Double Choc Peanut Butter Pie - a rich peanut butter cheese cake with crunchy biscuits and nuts as the base.
Next came the Brazilian inspired Chocolate Pave - it was really creamy, smooth yet chocolatey but somehow had rich vanilla flavours. The best part was the milk soaked biscuit centre. How a dessert can have so many different yet delicious flavours and textures really amazes me! I especially liked the single mint leaf as it was very refreshing and goes very well with the other flavours.
After that, we had the Toblerone Mousse which had rich toblerone flavours and chunky toblerone pieces. I'm not a big fan of cream so I didn't think too much of the cream layer on the top but I'm sure there are others who like the creaminess.
And in case we didn't like the new options (who wouldn't :S?), we were served Vapiano's favourites - the Nutella Cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries and crushed hazelnuts and White Chocolate Cheesecake with salted caramel and honeycomb.
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| Double Choc Peanut Butter Pie, Chocolate Pave, Toblerone Mousse, the Favourites |
What I especially like about Vapiano is that their herbs are always fresh - check out this cool Rosemary plant we got:
Verdict
Sadly, only one of the cocktails and desserts we've tried will make it on Vapiano's new menu, but no matter which one it is, it will certainly be a great addition to the new winter menu. Not long to wait now - the new options will be available in all stores on 1 June 2015. The countdown begins...
Disclaimer: The Food Extinguisher was an invited guest of Vapiano, however this review is honest and unbiased.
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