Xueyan's 25!

It's easy to be slack in a relationship especially when we have been dating for 6 years and have known each other for more than 10. Still, it's the little things that count in a courtship and remember the reasons why we are together.

So we decided to have a good evening meal together where neither of us have to cook and to have it at a nice place - Gaucho Grill at Canary Riverside, overlooking River Thames. We arrived promptly at 7, having done the reservation yesterday. We had a selection of bread to begin and there was this thick, cheesy bread which went down really well.

Although Gaucho is known for steak, we gave it a pass as we were not into beef. I had Adobo Chicken which is a boneless marinated half-chicken, served with garlic confit potato puree. Xueyan ordered a delightful Zarzuela De Mariscos, a seafood platter served in a saffron broth with asparagus, potato and toasted poilane bread. Very nice. Not before I had a glass of Weinert 'Montfleury’ (rose wine), a good aperitif before the main. The ever-obedient Xueyan stuck to her diet Coke.

The main was very filling but we could not help ourselves to dessert (Singaporeans mah). My chocolate truffle cake was especially thick and sweet. Xueyan's foray into a Dulce de Luche cheesecake did not fare too badly as I eyed it with envy throughout dessert time. We ended up extremely full. On a even better note, the final bill turned out to be very kind.

London experienced hailstones today which meant we had the chance to burn off the calories for our brisk walk home. Conclusion - a amazing meal and glad that her birthday doesn't come around every week!

On a separate note, Tua Yee and myself bought presents for Xueyan. Which do you think was from me?