Special coverage: Spanish Food Tasting Event @ Eight Lido

This is my 1st ever invitation to a food sampling event ever since I started blogging in less than a year, and I have to thank both Eight Lido and Euginn (an enthusiastic and outgoing character) for the invite. Alot of people I met at the event asked me the same question, "What got you started into all the, blogging, food reviews, etc ?" and my reply was simple ... "I dine out frequently, have no qualms trying out new makan places (I know of people who aren't just adventurous enough to try something different) and in actual fact, I love exploring new makan grounds. Coinciding with the new found hobby of taking pictures, I thought it would be a good thing to get myself started, by blogging to share the passion I have for both food and photography combined. Afterall, what use is there if all that goodness in kept under lock & key, with nobody to share with and appreciate.

So there was I making my way to Eight Lido, and decided to park my car by the roadside and snap a quick picture of it. A facade of where the event will be held at tonight (housed in a colonial building, fronted by greeneries and facing the Johor Straits). One of the current hip places in Johor Bahru for a night out.

The exterior of the colonial building and its entrance. I don't know much about architectural designs but it seems odd to me the entrance was at the back of the house. Maybe that's how all colonial houses were built and it's neighbour down the road, which I've done a food review before, was designed similarly too.

An elegantly designed, posh, cosy environment, one which stikes that warmth in you the moment you stepped in, with their choice of lightings and decorations. Suitable for an occassion with that special someone in your life, or even a marraige proposal ?

 

A little corner to chill out before/after a meal.

A view from the top floor balcony.

Private little corner on the 2nd floor.

Am exquisite piece of chandelier.
































@ the bar counter, for some booze

Or you can opt for a selection of fine wines or champagnes. Some Moet & Chandon maybe ?

We were then ushered into a private room on the 2nd level, allowing time for the invitees to mingle around.

A glass of wine to loosen up the mood and get more conversations going.






























 

And some cold tapas to keep the hunger in check.

In the foreground, we have the Anchovies with marinated olives and baguette.

More tapas ... I loved both the Lamb meat balls and Deep-fried cheese beside it. It's heavy on the taste buds, especially the cheese, which can be a wee bit overwhelming for some. You can try the Tortilla (aka Spanish omelette) beside the deep-fried cheese, for something lighter.

And even more tapas ... Prawns with olives.

Spanish cuisines are heavily influenced by the seafood available to the waters that surround their country, which is why it is a common sight in their dishes.

Traditionally, tapas is designed to encourage conversations and customary in some places, for diners to stand and move around.

Next, we headed towards the dining room where we have a line-up of Spanish cuisines waiting for us to sample. First on the menu, Mushroom soup.

We were served our main shortly after, in a pair up of Lamb cutlet with mashed green peas and Pan-fried salmon.

I love how the lamb tasted, nicely darkened on the outside with some roasted bits, but yet retain its succulence. The green pea mash is worth mentioning too, with a lighter taste as compared to some buttery mashed potato out there.

A close-up shot of the salmon.I'm not a fish lover myself, so there's not much for me to comment on. I had given up my share to my brother, who was with me at this event.

Another main course for us to lay our hands on, Braised NZ lamb shank. The lamb strikes a balance between the amount of firmness and tenderness required of this stewed dish, retaining that firm shape of its muscle fibre but yet falls right off the bone.

Grilled NZ beef tenderloin. Very nice and succulent steak, with all that juices sealed in it. The pineapple adds a much needed zest to it, for those who finds the hefty chunk of steak just a bit too much to fill up.

The moment has arrived for those with a sweet tooth. Tonight we were served with a trio of desserts from the kitchen, Bread & butter pudding, Creme brulee and Sangria fruit pudding.

Creme brulee or burnt cream has a custard vanilla-flavoured base, topped with a layer of caramalized sugar.

I love the Bread & butter pudding alot, with contrasting textures that's soft inside and has its firm yet crispy layer on the outside.

 

The Sangria fruit pudding gives a much welcomed addition and dimension to all that meat, seafood, and heavy cream we had earlier on, something which is refreshing and zesty.

Price: 7.0/10

Service: 7.5/10 

Conclusion: This is truly a satisfying gastronomic experience that I'm getting, coupled with beautiful ambience, good company and last but not least good food. I have a little suggestion to make though, since this is a Spanish food sampling session, I thought they've missed out on introducing to us the Paella, one of the signifying dish for Spain (or more accurately Valencia). I would have swap the beef for it. The braised lamb shank remains because stews are a part of Spanish cuisines.

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8, Jalan Skudai,

Straits View, 80200

Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Tel: (+607) 222 7807/8

Website: http://www.eightlido.com/