Outdoor patios – ahhhh these are definitely one of the best parts of living in Houston at this time of year. On a warm, breezy April evening, a patio bar or restaurant should definitely be your pick for a happy hour or dinner date with your friends. Though these patios can be found everywhere throughout our wonderful city, if you’re still looking for the perfect one, I’d like to strongly suggest you try out CityCentre. If you like shopping, dining, and entertainment all in one beautifully-landscaped place, then look no further for your perfect patio. City Centre has it all. CityCentre has 24 different restaurants covering everything from coffee on the go to upscale dining. The best part about all of this is that CityCentre is outdoors – a window-shopping, patio-drinking, pedestrian-friendly paradise complete with palm trees and green spaces.

Since I already love CityCentre so much, it’s no surprise that I jumped at the opportunity to go try out Straits Singapore Restaurant & Lounge and taste test its new spring menu. Straits is located right in the heart of CityCentre with a stylish indoor bar and lounge and a patio with several airy cabanas. Yes, I said it…CABANAS. It was the most breezy, warm, and beautiful evening in Houston, and I got to sit in a cabana trying out delicious food. THIS IS THE LIFE, FOLKS.

Although I probably could have been served fast food in this setting and it would have been perfection, the Straits cuisine outdid all of my expectations. It’s food from Singapore that is heavily influenced by cuisine from around Southeast Asia. In other words, it’s absolutely delicious. We started with their cocktail menu, and I chose the Mango Margarita – I mean, hey, it fits with the whole vacation vibe I was getting on that patio. It was sooo fruity and good, and I could have easily polished off a few of those sweet drinks. With the amount of food on its way, though, I opted to save room. I am surely glad I did…

Here are some of the things that Natalie and I had the pleasure of eating during our night at Straits (in no particular order):

Crispy Soft Shell Crab Sliders – These were DELICIOUS…one of my favorite dishes of the night. The crispy crab meat was delicious, the veggies (and CILANTRO – my favorite) complemented the crunch, and I probably could have drank the sauce they provided on the side. Yum. The slider itself was especially memorable to me because it was a super light bread, almost like foam. It was very cool, and I would 100% order these again. (Cue planning my next trip to Straits in 3…2…1…)

Lamb Corma Meatballs – There were enough meatballs for us each to get one, and I am very glad I did. These were so good – tender, spiced meat with grilled vegetables and a savory sauce.

Mongolian Roasted Lamb Chops – I did not get to try these, but luckily Natalie did. Her two cents? She says they were good, but different. In her opinion, these are only good if you can get past eating a lamb. If not, you should stick to Mongolian beef from Pei Wei.

Sweet Corn Risotto Cakes – Can I eat 100 of these? No? Ok, well the one I did have was spectacular. It was cheesy with a slightly crunchy crust, and the corn was perfectly sweet and creamy. Loved it.

Seasonal Crème Brulee – I’m going to be honest here…I would have eaten this entire thing if I had not been with other people. I had to seriously REEL IT IN. Please try this when you go so that you understand my feelings!

I also wanted to give a quick shout out to Chef John Sikhattana for being awesome. He sat in the cabana with us while we ate our food and helped a lot by answering all the questions we had. He’s such a nice guy! I’m also pretty excited because he gave us a heads-up for some upcoming food events at the restaurant and in the area – stay tuned for those!

Check it out:

CityCentre – 800 Town and Country Boulevard Houston, TX 77024 http://citycentrehouston.com

Straits Houston Singapore Restaurant & Lounge – 800 Sorella Court, Suite 940 Houston, TX 77024 http://www.straitsrestaurants.com

The pretty photos from Studio Communications (Natalie’s amateur photography is a thing too) .