It was a night out with the girls and Oriole Cafe & Bar could not have been a better venue for the occasion.

Despite its relatively hidden location, the cafe was completely packed that night by 8pm and we were sooo happy that one among our group had the foresight to make reservations. The cafe was rather dimly lit, but the comfy seats and cosy settings made up for it in the ambience department. That, plus the $6.50 happy hour deal for drafts/housewines/housespirits. (:

We started off with the Spicy Calamari and Thick Cut Fries with Aioli. The Spicy Calamari was a little too soggy for my liking, but the seasoning spinkled over the dish and the chewiness of the squid was just right. Should the batter be crispy, this was have been amazing. The Thick Cut Fries were really fragrant and came with a nice cold, creamy dip. Again, would have been perfect if it were more crispy. :p

Having done my homework, I arrived at Oriole already knowing what to order and I tell you, their Chicken Casserole was really really good! This humble, frumpy-looking dish, served hot in a shallow ceramic pan, included moist & tender chicken pieces sitting among crunchy capsicum slices and chewy chorizo chunks in a really hearty tomato-paprika sauce. You'd wish there were more than 3 slices of toast baguette to mop up the sauce with! At $20, I thought it was rather pricey (considering the Beef Cheek Tagliatelle was going for only $15) but as I worked my way through the dish, I realised - this dish is quite big! For the portion and quality, the Chicken Casserole was worth every cent, and more. Slurp!

I had a bite of the Beef Cheek Tagliatelle, but didn't quite like because of some citrus-y smell and aftertaste. My friends slurped it all up anyway, so I guess it was good for those who enjoy a touch of zing in their mains. I also tried the Chicken Tikka, which I felt was juicy and had a nice smokey flavour to it, but unfortunately was not very memorable compared to my awesome Chicken Casserole :p

I particularly enjoyed the service here. Even though it was a full crowd with only about 5 servers working the floor, it never was a challenge getting someone's attention and all our orders were served rather promptly. They were also really accommodating when it came to dealing with our strange requests of ordering a beer at 745pm but only wanting it served at 815pm (yes, that's us - the cheapskates trying to squeeze in one more happy hour deal) and never hurried us even as we sat there chatting over drinks til closing time.

I had a great time, and I will definitely be returning. (: