West-side chilling at Hosted on the Patio CLOSED
PUBLISHED June 3rd, 2012 02:41 pm | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:34 pm
On the rebound from foolishly trying to bag a sneaky early table for two at Alkaff Mansion on a Saturday night only to find it was fully booked, I scanned my brain for where else I had been meaning to try on the West coast. And then it came to me – Hosted on the Patio!
So off we went to go and seek it out. Now I have to admit it’s in a bit of a bizarre location – tucked away in a small business park off Alexandra Road which makes you wonder whether you’re even in the right place. But don’t let that throw you off the scent. Past all the Deustche Bank and LG signs there lies a mini-oasis of greenery, shrouded in a free and easy vibe and that, my friends… is Hosted on the Patio.
As clouds were lurking overhead when we arrived, we skipped the patio on this occasion for the cover of ceiling. Inside it’s as charming, and laid-back as outside. The bar area makes this a good spot for a relaxing drink…
just as well as a bite to eat and it’s warm atmosphere makes this a nice little spot for chilling out with friends and/or a no-pressure date….
The menu here comprises simple, largely European bistro fare – think unfussy, comfort food though at the helm is former Executive Chef of the Michaelangelo Group – Chef Dennis Sim. But before we get onto the food, seeing as it was Saturday night, it seemed befitting to slip into relaxation mode with a cocktail. I’m always a little wary of cocktails at places like this but it would be unfair of me to compare them to any of the mixology bars I like to frequent.
However I have to say I was actually pleasantly surprised. Though the cocktails here are nothing fancy and certainly don’t pretend to be, the one I had – an Ivytini ($15), one of their Speciality Cocktails on offer – was not too shabby. Made with sake, freshly crushed cucumber and cucumber liquor though definitely not whizzbang was pleasant-tasting, refreshing and quite well balanced.
If you’d rather have some wine to ease those stresses away then a glass of house red or wine will only set you back somewhere in-between $8-12. Or if you fancy something non-alcoholic then I have to say that their smoothies are pretty delicious as was this Silly Strawberry ($9)!
The Appetizers here are all very accessible and familiar. You can expect to see dishes like Bruschetta ($10), Portabello Sandwich ($14), Beef Carpaccio ($20) – which was sadly not available when we were dining there – and Warm Slipper Lobster Salad ($24).
Not feeling hugely hungry we opted for the lobster salad which was a pretty decent portion enough to share which therefore makes it pretty good value. A light, simple dish with a generous serving of lobster throughout the salad it was an easy start to gearing up to something a little more substantial on the mains.
Now on to the mains. If you like a plate of simple, heartening pasta then you have eight varieties to choose from here. Though I had my eye on the Smoked Ducked Linguine ($24), in the end we opted for the the Spaghetti with crispy korubata pork ($24). Made with a very good portion of roasted pork belly, this was a home-style dish served up with a tomato-based spicy sauce and rather tasty too.
It had been a while since I’d tucked into a Braised Lamb Shank ($24) and what a satisfying one this one was! The lamb was so soft and tender that it fell of the bone at a touch of the fork – just like it should do. So often this cut of lamb can be way too fatty and so I was really happy to find that even though it was a really nice, plump cut of meat that this wasn’t the case. Served up with a tomato red wine sauce on a bed of mint scented risotto (an interesting take there) this dish was lambalicious and definitely my favourite of the night.
Of course when we spotted Warm apple crumble ($12) on the menu this was without doubt going to be our dessert to share. Though the crumble had a good flavour to it, it was a little bit too crunchy for our liking…perhaps needing a bit more of the apple and less of the crumble.
As the sun set and night fell, so too came the live music. So many times when the band starts to play, I sit there wishing they wouldn’t but actually the trio at Hosted on Saturdays are a very welcomed addition! 🙂
So much so that when we finished our meal, we took up a spot on the swing and surrounded by birdcages and twinkling lights, soaked up the lead singers sassy sound. Live bands play every Saturday and Sunday , 9pm – 11.45pm (although when we were there they started earlier at 8pm).
I kinda quite love Hosted on the Patio. It’s not trying to be anything apart from a warm-feeling suburban hangout. And while the food won’t knock your socks off, it’s pitched at the right level for just kicking back and relaxing in the little oasis they have created. A few little nips and tucks might be needed but any adjustments that need to be made are compensated for by a lovely, chilled atmosphere making this a neat spot to check out for all West-siders for some R&R
Written by Ms Demeanour
