Occupying the south-facing shoulder of VivoCity, this Spanish restaurant offers tapas standards, including a tender calamares a la plancha (pieces of grilled squid served in a rich balsamic sauce, sweetly tempered with cherry tomatoes and finely sliced asparagus) and albóndigas (beef meatballs in tangy tomato sauce). The cocktails are affordable and strong; the wine list is extensive, with a heavy bias for Tempranillo from north-west Spain.
Serenity tweaks its menu every six months. Additions include tapas-bar staple patatas bravas ($10.80), roast potato with romesco and aioli sauce; sopa catalunya ($14.80), clear soup with pork, beef, chicken and butter beans; cochinillo asado ($288), a whole roasted suckling pig; crayfish paella ($63 for two people). For dessert, the Valencian naranjas al vino dulce ($9.80), orange served with Spanish sweet wine and ice cream; or la piña ($10.80), pineapple served with Spanish sweet wine and served with vanilla ice cream.
Already into it's third year, this time, it’s things behind the bar that have been upgraded. The highlight is seen in the list of crowd-pleasing sangrias. They are shaking up 24 versions, including the Pink Panther (red wine, raspberry schnapps, mint, tonic and mixed berries); and another that incorporates both Spain and Brazil, the Caipirinha Sangria (red wine, cachaça, lime and brown sugar). Beer guzzlers, fear not: they have also added 12 bottles of brew, including Madrid’s Mahou.
All in all, a decent option for anyone in the area looking for a fairly priced antidote to the thought-clotting retail haemorrhage of Vivo.