20/12/2025
笑意．Alimente
入到戲院大堂，時間尚早，仲未有人排隊，今日就唔用QR code落單。同我打單嘅生面口職員，可能見到我着住套靚靚Ferragamo，趁得閒，同我閒聊。
「小姐，妳係咪喺圓方附近返工呀？咁，我哋午市套餐會有85折優惠俾妳。妳今日食呢個餐，我想請問下…妳有冇咩方法可以令蜆吐晒啲沙？我哋新鮮蜆一到，就用凍鹽水浸幾個鐘，每隻都擦，再過好多次水，但有時都仲有沙，廚師都冇晒辦法。」
我微微一笑，只答：「我不知曉，不熟悉。」然後就慢慢行入走廊深處既餐廳搵位。原來佢啱啱係想夾硬補飛啫。
見到兩位公司高層都喺度，我向佢哋點頭示意，再走到高bar檯嘅sofa位坐低。離遠望住佢哋，我忍唔住頑皮咁笑咗一下，自嘲：「我而家既位都高過你哋啦。」
爵士樂輕快又舒服，我先飲咗一碗紫薯湯——好好飲，入口綿滑，仲食得出入面混合咗椰菜花、洋蔥、蒜，調味啱啱好。
忽然想起，尋日我係飲紅菜頭湯；前日係番茄湯；再前日係紫椰菜湯——全部都係紅色系！上星期返三日工，我飲咗意青瓜菠菜湯、薄荷青豆湯、西蘭花羽衣甘藍湯。再諗遠啲，上上星期我有日食過佢哋新鮮爽脆嘅前菜沙律，另外幾日係大蒜薯仔湯、白豆湯、歐洲防風草湯、忌廉磨菇湯。
原來呢間親民又健康嘅餐廳，啲新鮮湯品係玩緊「色系遊戲」？！係咪真係咁得閒先？
今日試咗佢哋嘅果茶——蜂蜜綠茶。透出淡淡茉莉花香，今日即沖，每日果茶都唔同也都搭唔同茶底，全部都好夾，好好飲，我鍾意。
到我最期待嘅蒜香蜆肉扁意粉上枱——真係正。新鮮蜆、蒜、洋蔥、白酒、香草、蜆汁，全部味道融埋一齊，扁意粉又吸晒精華，一絕。喜歡它簡單、直接、充滿海味。我又笑咗，諗起遲啲放假去馬來西亞——榴槤、陽光、海灘，仲會食埋'忘不了'！
係嘅，今日真係食到幾粒沙。但我係英國返嚟嘅雙學士都明白，新鮮蜆有啲「深層沙」，就算處理多幾次都未必吐得晒。呢啲微量沙其實係「非有機物質」，對身體無害，只係口感唔太好，絕對唔係衛生問題。依間餐廳真係多慮了。
豐盛又健康嘅Alimente午餐，好似我朝陽般嘅前程，也補充我需高效辦事嘅能量，滿足。
經過櫃位，我買埋個布朗尼——佈滿開心果，口感豐盈又細緻，甜度剛好，仲係自家製添！
返到公司樓下，見到嗰個「他」。我甜甜一笑，心諗：「一陣返到公司，下午茶，就借啲兒行去佢位度，話我食唔晒個brownie，想同佢分享。」Perfect。之後仲可以順便介紹埋Alimente，約佢去嗰度食晚飯。
諗到有機會同佢一齊舒舒服服品味靚酒同高質美饌，我心情好到爆，又忍唔住笑咗出嚟。
Laughter in the Air · Alimente
I stepped into the cinema lobby, It was still early, no queue yet, so today I rather not order with QR code. The cashier — a fresh face — probably noticed my lovely Ferragamo outfit, and since she wasn’t busy, she started chatting with me.
“Miss, do you work near Elements? Then, we have a 15% lunch discount for you. Wow… you’re having this set today, may I ask… do you know any way to make clams spit out all their sand? Once fresh clams arrives — we soak them in cold salted water for hours, scrub each one, rinse them many times, but sometimes there’s still sand. Even our chefs have no solution.”
I smiled gently and replied, “I don’t know, not familiar.” Then I walked slowly into the restaurant deep inside the corridor to find a seat. Turns out she was just trying to hint me an idea earlier.
I spotted two senior executives from my company. I nodded at them politely, then headed to the high bar‑table sofa seats. From afar, looking at them, I couldn’t help giving a cheeky little smile and teasing myself: “Look at that — I’m at higher position than you now.”
Light, breezy jazz filled the room. I started with a bowl of purple sweet potato soup — delicious, silky, and I could taste the blend of cauliflower, onion, garlic, all seasoned just right.
Suddenly I realised: yesterday I had the beetroot soup; the day before, tomato soup; the day before that, purple cabbage soup — all in red tones! Last week I only worked three days, and I had zucchini‑spinach soup, mint‑pea soup, and broccoli‑kale soup. Thinking further back, the week before I had their fresh, crisp starter salad one day, and on the other days: garlic potato soup, white bean soup, parsnip soup, and cream of mushroom.
So this friendly, healthy little restaurant… has been playing a “colour‑theme soup game”?! Are they really that free?
Tried their today's fruit tea — honey green tea. A faint jasmine aroma, freshly brewed, and the fruit tea changes daily with different tea bases. Everything pairs beautifully. So good. I love it.
Then came the dish I was most looking for: Linguine Alla Vongole — absolutely spot on. Fresh clams, garlic, onion, white wine, herbs, clam broth — all the flavours melting together, and the linguine soaking up every drop of essence. Perfect. I love how simple, direct, and ocean‑kissed it is. I smiled again, thinking about my upcoming holiday to Malaysia — durian, sunshine, beaches… and of course, the unique Empurau Fish!
Yes, I did bite into a few grains of sand today. But with my UK double degree, I fully understand: fresh clams sometimes have “deeper‑layer sand” that won’t come out even after multiple treatments. These tiny bits are just “non‑organic particles” — harmless to the body, just slightly annoying in texture, and definitely not a hygiene issue. The restaurant was overthinking it.
My hearty, healthy Alimente lunch felt like my sunrise‑bright future plus filling me with the energy I need to work efficiently. So satisfying.
On the way out, I picked up a brownie — covered in pistachios, rich yet delicate, perfectly sweet, and surprisingly house‑made!
Back downstairs at my office building, I saw 'him'. I gave a sweet smile and thought, “Later, during afternoon tea, I’ll casually walk over and say I couldn’t finish the brownie and want to share it with him.” Perfect. Then I can naturally introduce Alimente and ask him out for dinner there.
Just imagining the chance to enjoy good wine and great food with him — comfortably, quietly — made me so happy that I couldn’t help smiling again.
#聖誕餐
#戲院 #聖誕節
