Esquina Restaurant Review

You are going to hear about this fantastic new tapas place anyway, so it might as well be from me.

Finally, I found a taste of Spain in Singapore! The minute I walked into the narrow 17 seat-by-the-bar set-up, I was hooked. Oooh same vibes as Cal Pep in Barcelona.. Minus the crowd. For now at least (the place only opened on December 9th). I’m glad we checked it out early on; it’s so good it’s going to be crazy getting seats!

We knew the food was going to be good. Esquina’s opened by Chef Jason Atherton, protégé of Gordon Ramsay and owner of Michelin starred London restaurant Pollen Street Social. The restaurant is run by Chef Andrew Walsh. And man were we excited.

It’s a lovely feeling, having a fellow foodie beside you and sharing that anticipation of having our palates seduced. Hugs B, thanks for sharing this new culinary gem.

The menu is supposedly inspired by the canapés at the legendary El Bulli. It isn’t very large but what we had, we loved.

First, B ordered one oyster (I’m not too big a fan) from the raw seafood bar. It was huge. B says it was fresh and well-seasoned. Me, I waited patiently for my garlic and chili Madagascar gambas to be served. Now that, was good. Yes, it’s $8 a prawn but it’s (again) huge and very tasty.

The clams came up next. It was minor torture waiting while watching the chef cook them up – I love the smell of butter and that white wine sauce was divine. If only I had some bread to soak the sauce up.

As we watched the chef plate the next dish, the scallop ceviche with radish salsa, we were impressed by his finesse and obvious pride taken in his creations. It was so pretty - my pic does not do it justice. The taste was very interesting too, the use of sesame sauce in the ceviche gave it an almost Chinese fusion feel.

I needed my carbs so I ordered the rabbit confit with seafood paella. It was a nice manageable portion for both of us. A tad salty but one of the better paellas I’ve had in Singapore – moist, creamy and indulgent. Something I would order again.

At this point, we were almost stuffed. But B looked distracted. He was torn between ordering the bellota ibérico jamón, or the ox- cheeks which came highly recommended by the waiter. We finally chose the latter. It was a fine choice – the ox-cheek and mash were delicious!

Just as we called for the bill, the chef passed us two mini ice cream cones. Complimentary dessert - such a sweet way to end a lovely lovely meal. Damage was about $150 for the both of us – very reasonable, considering we had 3 glasses of wine and a wow dining experience. I can’t wait to go back! I hear they will be opening up an outdoor dining area soon. I still prefer sitting at the bar watching the chefs work their magic though. Encanta España!!

Address - 16 Jiak Chuan Rd. Singapore. 6222-1616. They don't take reservations, btw.

Sabio Tapas Bar & Restaurant

We had an hour plus to spare before a vodka tasting event at Buyan Russian restaurant., so I figured it would be a good chance to check out Sabio, a relatively new Spanish joint just a few doors down from Buyan on Duxton Hill. I think it’s fantastic how they cleaned up this formerly dodgy area and the many interesting dining/wining destinations which have sprung up.



The décor of Sabio (picture below courtesy of Sabio Tapas Bar and Restaurant) was as authentic as Spanish bars come, I felt like I was back in Madrid! Long bar counter with plenty of side ledges to put drinks/tapas plates, nice mix of local and expat crowd, a buzz in the air that was befitting of a lazy Saturday evening.



The waiter promptly came to take our drink orders once we were seated. The drink list was fairly interesting with a respectable selection of Spanish sherries and wines. I decided on a dry amontillado sherry at $18 to start the night. Hmm, they were a bit stingy with the serving, not worth the price.

The huge leg of iberico belotta jamon (made from Iberian black pigs fed on acorns) they had at the counter looked very tempting but I recently had a jamon overdose so decided not to order that. It was a bit early for a full meal so we just ordered a sausage and cheese platter to nibble on. The platter wasn’t too bad but I was a tad disappointed it was so heavy on the chorizo and there were only 4 tiny silvers of queso.

After finishing my very tiny glass of sherry, I ordered a glass of albillo from Ribera del Duero at $16. It was not as good as I would have liked it to be but at least it was a decent serving. Ndee had a glass of red sangria which he said tasted like fruit punch.

Hmm, I would re-visit this place again to give the hot tapas menu a try, simply because I really liked the ambience. But I have this nagging feeling that they need to improve the food. It was also expensive, our bill for the above came up to $100.

Ndee said the face of the matador on the wall looked like that of the owner of the bar. If you do visit the place, let me know if you agree, haha.

Alto Taberna

Ever since my trip to Spain last year, I have occasionally been dreaming of the tapas I had there and how good they were. Bar Bocaito’s bacalao con caviar (salt cod pâté with caviar). Casa Lucas’ Madrid tapa (canape spread with tomato confit topped with a mixture of scrambled egg, blood sausage, raisins and pine nuts, decorated with fried potato sticks). Love.

I have been trying to find authentic Spanish tapas in Singapore for the longest time. So far, my little Spanish Place ain’t too bad, the food at Don Quinjote was so-so but service sucked, and Serenity Tapas Bar at Vivo was satisfactory. But nothing amazing.

Alto Taberna last night, was surprisingly good. In terms of authenticity, it comes up tops. The menu is limited, with only 16 tapas items and maybe another 2 daily specials. Nothing to fault there, as there is only the chef and one waitress there – it’s a small outfit in Holland Village.

We ordered a ton of items (as usual) and what impressed me was how consistently good everything was. I love the excellent olive oil they use! Try the stuffed peppers with mashed salted cod, the gambas al pil pil, meatballs, roasted cauliflower and duck rilette – all very good! Haha I know I’m gushing but of course I’m excited – I finally found the taste of Spain in Singapore!

They should hire more help though. Service can get slow when the place fills up. But it’s a Spanish joint, so go after 8pm – late dinners mah.

Address: 16A Lorong Mambong, Holland Village