ESQUINA -El Bulli inspired Spanish Tapas menu

Esquina is a must try for me as it serves Spanish tapas (yes, I have had this great love affair with Spanish food since my visit in 2009) and what’s more, their menu is supposedly inspired by the canapés at the legendary El Bulli.  Esquina was recently opened a few weeks ago by Chef Jason Atherton, who is also the owner of the Michelin starred London restaurant Pollen Street Social.  This place is located in a tiny corner (hence its name, Esquina, which means ‘corner’ in Spanish) of Jiak Chuan Road (Chinatown district).

As you enter the restaurant, you will realise that the concept is not unlike the overcrowded tapas bars you would find in Spain, with people dropping by after work to have some tapas and a few drinks.  The difference with Esquina is that you can only order from their tapas menu after you are properly seated.  Of course, you can still enjoy a drink or two and some snacks while waiting for your turn to be seated.  Be prepared to wait a bit longer if you didn’t make it for their ‘first seating’.  This tiny place only has 17 indoor seats, and 18 outdoor seats.  Well, I hope they can try to squeeze more outdoor tables and chairs in the future.

'Standing' Menu (a menu for the waiting guests)

My husband and I arrived around late 6pm and the place was already jam-packed.  We ordered our drinks and some Iberico Bellota (S$22.50) and Ham Croquetas (S$9.50) to share while we were waiting to be seated.

Iberico Bellota

Ham Croquetas

We were finally seated at the tapas counter after about half an hour.  Once seated, we wasted no time in placing our orders.  We went with 2 dishes from their today’s special (Madagascar Gambas @S$16 for 2 prawns, and the Pork Cheek @S$23.50) plus 2 other dishes on their tapas bar menu (Scallop Ceviche @S$17, Baked Egg @S$12.50).

Tapas Bar Menu (left part)

Tapas Bar Menu (right part)

The kitchen was right in-front of us and unpretentious, you could see what the chef and the helpers were doing.  Every order was prepared from scratch, with chef Andrew Walsh working non-stop on the preparation and also making final touches to the dishes that were about to be served.  This kept us entertained till our food arrived and throughout our dinner.

Baked egg, anchovy, capers, onions & lemon

The anchovy added savoury, with the capers, onions, & lemon giving the balancing flavour to the simple dish.  But I find this dish was rather costly.

Scallop ceviche & radish salsa

Great dressing on the scallop ceviches,with fresh scallop and crisp radish.  It’s best to take this dish first, as the mild sweet taste from the scallop ceviches might most likely be ‘masked’ by the stronger tasting dishes.

Madagascar Gambas

The prawns (from Madagascar) cooked with chilli, garlic and butter were really delicious.  Very firm, fresh, and great flavour; well worth it!

Pork cheek, beans, and chorizo ketchup on toast

Excuse me for the poor picture taken which did not do justice to the tender pork cheek I wanted to show.

The pork cheeks were tender and the beans and chorizo ketchup toast all went well together.

It’s dessert time!  We try to avoid desserts now but decided to try out their desserts for completeness sake.  We ordered 3 items from their dessert menu (Crème Catalan, truffle honey and raspberries, Sangria poached fruits, salted almond crumble, with PX custard, and Manchego and quince) and all at S$12 each.  We also ordered to glasses of their higher end sherry.

Manchego and quince

Creme Catalan, truffle honey and raspberries

Sangria poached fruits, and salted almond crumble

Sangria poached fruits, salted almond crumble, with a dose of custard on top

I didn’t like the truffle honey on the crème catalan, the truffle taste spoilt the dessert experience.
I didn’t like the salted almond crumble either.  The warm almond crumble itself was excellent, but the amount of salt added into it was just not for me.
The only saving grace (from the desserts tonight) was the Manchego (a type of Spanish hard cheese), which was slightly piquant and nutty.  At least this went well with my sherry.

On the whole, I liked the dining experience here.  With the open kitchen concept, I got to see how my food was prepared, and other than the desserts, the tapas dishes were far above average.  In addition, this place does not impose a service charge although please feel free to leave a tip if you like their services.

__________________________________
ESQUINA
16 Jiak Chuan Road
Singapore 089267

…

This place does not take reservation.
… 

Taratata Bistrot -French

Today is the eve of Christmas’ eve, and we wanted some French food before our traditional ‘turkey’ dinner tomorrow. I found this fairly new French bistrot, Taratata Bistrot, on the internet and decided it was worth trying. The restaurant is run by a French chef, located away from the hustle and bustle of the big shopping strips, an ideal place to get away from those last minute Christmas shoppers.

The food menu had just the right number of items to choose from, short enough so that it wouldn’t take you the whole night to decide what to order, yet long enough to cater to various palates. They also offer a selection of French wines with reasonable prices, ranging from around S$70 to S$200++.

We ordered a bottle of the 2006 Chateau Trimoulet, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru (S$120).  The wine was decent and went well with the food we ordered.

On the starters, we ordered the pan-fried duck foie gras (S$26) and the goat cheese salad (S$24).
Both the starters were great.

Pan-fried duck foie gras with caramelized pears

The duck foie gras with the caramelized pears was substantial/heavy and the fried garlic garnish added some punch to the entire dish.

Crispy warmed goat cheese salad

The goat cheese did not disappoint either and the warm crusty pastry was not too thick giving the goat cheese some texture and volume.

On the mains, we ordered the steak tartare (S$32) and the grilled tenderloin (S$40).

This was a 160-gramme steak tartare which, yes, is a lot of raw beef. This dish also came with a generous serving of fries, salad, and ‘crostini’. Personally I found that the steak tartare lacked punch (too little mustard and pepper) and was overly ‘sour’ (too much vinegar) with a strong egg yolk flavour overpowering the flavour of the beef. I wouldn’t order this again.

The grilled tenderloin was grilled very well, charred on the outside and medium rare on the inside (just as we like it). The steak quality, however, was rather average.  It was probably not aged and had a strong raw meat flavour rather than the mineral-like flavour in aged beef. Perhaps we should try the beef onglet next time as this is a French bistrot, hmmm.

We were too full for dessert but couldn’t say no to a end of dinner coffee. We rounded off our dinner with 2 cuppucinos (S$7 each). I must say their coffees was strong stuff and could make your hair stand on end.

Overall, this was quite a relaxing place to dine and I might come back again and try their other dishes.

 

___________________________
Taratata Bistrot
35A Keong Saik Road
Ground Floor
Singapore 089142
Tel: +65 6221-4506

Spanish Wine Dinner at SANTI

Though we were not considered to be regulars of Santi, this was already our 4th time dining here this year.
Tonight wine dinner was recommended by the restaurant’s Chef Sommelier, Paco Galdeano, when we were there 2 weeks’ ago.
We were happy that we came.  Both the wine and food were great and extremely good value for money.

…….

COCKTAIL RECEPTION

Jamón ibérico with chopped tomato on baguette

Crispy Jamon on quail egg

Bacalao wrapped in red pepper

Prelude to our 7-course dinner, unlimited amount of tapas and sparkling white wine (Agusti Torello Mata Brut Reserva 2008) were served.  There were 4 different types of tapas being served and I managed to capture 3 of them.  I could eat this all night, especially the Jamón ibérico with chopped tomatoes (underneath the ham) on top of the sliced baguette.

A jolly mood after many rounds of tapas and sparkling wine

…….

WINE DINNER

(left) Ricardo P. Palacios, the Wine-Maker, and (right) Daniel Chavez, the Executive Chef

These were the 2 most important men tonight.  Ricardo (the wine producer of Descendientes De J. Palacios), who has been into wines since a tender age and whose mother is a wine producer herself, flew down from Corullón (Spain) to introduce the wine he produces around the Corullón region.  Daniel (the Executive Chef of Santi, @MBS), with a Chinese-Peruvian background, orchestrated the dinner menu for tonight.

1st Course

Octopus and Calamari “A La Plancha”, sofrito catalan and iberic ham chips
Pairing wine, Placet Valtomelloso 2008

This was a light dish, with very fresh produce, and went very well with the wine paired.
On the wine: this was the only white wine for the dinner and also the only wine that was not produced by Ricardo.  This wine has got intense aromas (on  the nose).  It was a dense wine, yet slightly dry but fresh and fruity at the same time.  A tasty white wine.

2nd Course

Organic Chicken and Crustacean Salad, truffle vinaigrette
Pairing wine: Petalos del Bierzo 2009

The chicken were tender and the skin slightly crispy and not oily at all.  The prawn and the crayfish added seafood freshness to the chicken.  Also, not forgetting to highlight the pear salad that brought a mild sweetness to the overall dish.
On the wine: this was a flexible wine that could potentially go well with most food.  This was an intense and pungent (in a good way) wine.  With the correct acidity, moderately smooth, and gave a lot of fruity after taste.  I liked this wine!

3rd Course

Wild Mushroom Cocotte, potato parmenter
Pairing wine: Villa de Corrullon 2008

This was a thick foamy soup with wild mushrooms, potato, and a small piece of roasted pork.  I found this dish rather rich, although well made.
On the wine: with lavender fragrance (on the nose), a smooth wine with tastes of oak and intense black cherry.

4th Course

White Veal Tortellini, cabbage and baby turnips
Pairing wine: Moncerbal 2008

The white veal tortellini was too salty for me.  But I liked the sweetness of the cabbage and the fresh crispness of the baby turnips.  Overall, this was my least favourite dish.
On the wine: this red wine was more complex than the earlier 2.  It was spicy both on the nose and taste.  A lot of flavours from berries to bitter chocolate, licorice.  Quite dry, although intense in taste, it was not heavy.

5th Course

Roasted Baby Duck, grilled foie gras and white onion puree
Pairing wine: Las Lamas 2008

(left) Villa de Corrullon 2008, (centre) Moncerbal 2008, (right) Las Lamas 2008

This was my favourite.  The duck was cooked nicely, the meat was tender and juicy, and the skin was crispy yet not oily.  Foie gras was seared just right.  The wine pairing was fantastic.
On the wine:  this was the best wine tonight (for me).  It was almost as complex a wine as the Moncerbal 2008, yet without the spiciness.  Very smooth and well-balanced.  Great wine!

Palate Cleansing Dish

Green apple sorbet with strawberry jelly

6th Course

Ice Lemon Tea, pineapple, ginger, and lemon zest ice cream

Very tropical, a delightful dessert.

7th Course

Petit Fours and Coffee

Some small cakes and a good cappuccino ended the wine dinner on a satisfying note.

______________________________

Santi Santamaria Restaurant
Marina Bay Sands
10 Bayfront Ave
Tel: +65-6688-8501 

the Imperial HAIRY CRAB Banquet with CHAMPAGNE TAITTINGER

This hairy crab banquet with pairing of champagne Taittinger was one of the events organised by the Asian Masters in this month.
The event was held at the Imperial Treasure Peking Duck Restaurant located at Orchard Paragon.

This was an 8-course dinner and we got to try 7 different types of champagne by Taittinger.

Overall, I must say that the champagnes were good.  Especially the 2004 Comtes de Champagne Rose that was being paired with 2 of the dishes served.  The hairy crab dinner was rather disappointing.  There were no whole hairy crab served tonight and the roes from all the hairy crab dishes were quite dry and hard.  Sorry, no rich and creamy hairy crab roe tonight!

Here’s the 8-course dinner:

1) Hairy Crab Meat with Caviar with Champagne Taittinger, NV Brut Reserve

2) Braised Flour Skin with Hairy Crab Meat & Roe with Champagne Taittinger, NV Prelude Grand Crus

3) Sauteed Hairy Crab Claw Meat Bamboo Shoot & ‘Xuecai’ with Champagne Taittinger, NV Brut Prestige Rose

4) Braised ‘Shiliuguo’ with Hairy Crab Meat & Roe with 2004 Champagne Taittinger, Brut Millesime

 

NV Brut Prestige Rose (left), NV Prelude Grand Crus (centre), NV Brut Reserve (right)

 5) Steamed Egg White with Hairy Crab Meat & Roe with 2000 Champagne Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs

6) Braised Pork Meat Ball, Hairy Crab Meat & Roe with 2004 Champagne Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne Rose

7) Braised Noodle with Hairy Crab Meat & Roe with 2004 Champagne Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne Rose

2004 Champagne Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne Rose

8 ) Glutinous Rice Dumpling in Sweetened Ginger Tea with Champagne Taittinger, NV Nocturne

‘Tangyuan’ and finishing with a cup of freshly brewed tea

 ___________________________________________________________________

Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant
290 Orchard Road
#05-42/45
The Paragon
Tel: +65 6732-7838

 

 

GUNTHER’S -Modern French Cuisine

This was my first time to Gunther’s although they have been around for a while.  Tonight was supposed to celebrate my hubby’s birthday and to avoid disappointment, I brought a good bottle of wine from the Barossa Valley.  Luckily I did so, and although the corkage charge was already S$50 per bottle, their wine prices were exorbitant.  Even though I have to say that their wine list was comprehensive.

We both decided to go with their degustation menu.  It was a 6-course menu, excluding the free flow of bread and the tempura prawn for tasting.

The bread was crusty and the butter was creamy.

Well, most restaurants like to serve a free tasting dish before the served you the food you ordered, and this was the free tasting dish.

1) Cold angel hair pasta, Oscietra caviar

This was Gunther’s famous dish and it did not disappoint.

2) Scallop, tomato paste, and pilaf

This was rather an average dish as the taste of the scallop was totally killed by the seasoning.

3) Egg fondant, grilled seasonal mushrooms, Spanish ham

The Spanish ham, as always, was good.  I thought the egg fondant was kind of rich.

4) Grilled lamb rack, natural juices

The lamb was tender and the taste was not that strong.

5) Fine apple tart “la dragées”, Havana rum & raisin ice-cream

The apple tart was very well-done, not too sweet and with a good balance of cinnamon.

6) Coffee

Coffee was strong and full-bodied, good!

If it was 5 years’ back, I would say that the food here was of high quality and I would definitely come back.  Today, high end restaurants like the Gunther’s are opening far too many and thus becoming very competitive.  Hence, I am not sure when will be my next patron to this place.

________________________
36 Purvis Street
#01-03 Singapore 188613
Tel: (65) 6338-8955

YOYOGI Japanese Restaurant

My husband and I returned to Yoyogi tonight for their chef menu.
Apart from the cold pasta dish, all the other dishes were different from our last visit.

The 9-course dinner went like this:

1) Fish Roes in Yuzu Sauce

The fish roes were not salty, and with the yuzu sauce made a refreshing starter.

2) Fish Liver

This was quite alright but the liver was a little on the fishy side.

3) Sashimi (6 kinds)

As usual, fresh and yummy!

4) Cold Pasta

This dish was the same as what we had the last time, still very good.

5) Bamboo Clams with Spicy Fish Roes

The spicy fish roes made the dish much richer.  The bamboo clams were not at all rubbery as they were fresh and cooked just right.

6) Fried Sole

We thought this was the best dish tonight as the fish was fried to perfection.  Not salty at all.  Everything could be eaten, including the bones.

7) Fish ‘Essence’ Soup (a.k.a. Fish Sperm)

Not sure what good was I supposed to get out of the fish ‘essence’, but it was very soft and has got a powdery feel.  It went well with the soya dip.  Other than the fish essence, the soup was rather blend but with a mild fish taste.

8) Sushi (4 kinds)

Sword Fish

Scallop

Beef

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoked Eel

 

9)  Honey Dew

THASEVI FOOD -Roti Prata

My husband and I decided to drive up to Jalan Kayu to have some roti prata (a.k.a Indian pancakes) for lunch.  Jalan Kayu has always been well-known for its roti prata.  We saw the Thasevi Food once we hit the food street of Jalan Kayu.   Apparently Thasevi has been around since 1960, it has been selling roti prata for more than 50 years!  And yes, it’s on a 24-hour operation.

We shared one plain prata (S$1), one egg prate (S$1.80), and one chicken murtabak (S$6).  The plain prata was outstanding, crusty on the outside and yet soft (‘springy’) as you chewed on it.  The curry dip was not too diluted, I think it was fish curry.  We have not eaten such good plain prata for a long time.  Even though the chicken murtabak was also very good, we knew we will just go for the plain prata on our next visit.

1 plain prata and 1 egg prata

Chicken Murtabak

Chicken Murtabak (closer view)

Ginger Tea and Coffee

______________________
Thasevi Food
237 Jalan Kayu
Singapore 799461
Tel: 6481 1537

SANTI by Santi Santamaria

This is the brand new year, 2011, my husband and I decided to indulge a little in some expensive food.

Recently, we had quite a number of celebrity chefs in town due to the opening of some fine dining restaurants at the Integrated Resorts (IR) a.k.a. the casinos.  While surfing through the IR websites, the well known Spanish chef, Santi Santamaria, caught my eye.  Both my husband and I became big fans of Spanish food since we returned from a long vacation in Spain some years ago.

We were aware of the price tag at the Santi and were rather hesitant at first.  Not just because of the price but also because we felt that there were not that many good Spanish restaurants in Singapore (if at all).  It is partly because the Spanish ingredients are too costly to bring in and many Spanish restaurants in Singapore have to compromise leading to a less than acceptable outcome.

We ordered the ‘discovery’ set menu, it’s the most expensive set menu and the menu is not pre-defined.  So we don’t know what we are going to get till each dish is served.

All the dishes turned out very well and I must say that Chef Santi Santamaria has redeemed Singapore from not having a good Spanish restaurant.  But all these come with a high price tag.  The 2 set menus, some still water, 2 glasses of champagne, a bottle of red wine, and a decent tip come up to S$1,500.

Our Spanish food experience at Santi starts here:

1) Scallop carpaccio with clementine and caviar

I liked both the raw scallop and caviar, and the entire combination went well together with the clementine.

2) Oyster escabeche with pickled cabbage and Iberic ham

The 3 ingredients (Iberic ham, oyster, and pickled cabbage) have to be taken all together to give you the optimum taste.  I got to eat my favourite Iberic ham again, YEAH!

3) Surprise truffle “Santi Santamaria style”
 

This was a special dish indeed as the foie gras terrine was coated with a layer of dark truffle.  A great dish.

4) Abalones “a la plancha” with pears and white truffles

Again, all ingredients have to be taken together to bring out the optimum taste, another success.

5) Zucchini with gamba, chestnut and white butter sauce

The prawn was sweet and the butter sauce was very light.

6) Lobster bisque

Yummy!

7) Sword fish with artichokes and black truffle

Okay, I must confess that I didn’t like the sword fish.  It smelled like ‘stingy socks’ to me.  But my husband loved it and happily finished up my share.

8) King crab with seasonal mushroom tortellini

Another great dish.

9) Wagyu rib eye with endives and red wine

This was a 7-pointer wagyu (rather high-end wagyu) and was cooked very well (as you could see from the picture).  I actually prefer the less marbled (less fat) wagyu and anything below a 3-pointer would be better.

10) The Cheese Platter

SANTI has a wide selection of cheeses and a fair part of them came from Spain.  The Assistant Manager (from Spain) took his time explaining the different cheeses to us.

This was the chesse platter chosen for my husband, I was already too stuffed and decided to skip the cheese course.  He was supposed to enjoy the cheeses from the lightest to the strongest tasting, which were laid out in a  ‘clock-wise’ manner.

12) Water melon granite (pre-dessert)

This was for cleansing the palate before going to the dessert and was very refreshing.

12) Warm chocolate cake, white coffee ice-cream

Nice!

13) Petit Fours

These were the mini cakes, an additional dessert indulgent.

The Red Wine – EL PUNTIDO, Rioja 2005

We wanted a bottle of Spanish red tonight and this wine was recommended by the Sommelier.  He told us that even though 2005 was not such a good year for the Rioja, this one was good.  We tasted the wine and had no doubt to his recommendation.

_____________________________
Marina Bay Sands
Santi Santamaria
10 Bayfront Avenue
S (018956)
Tel: 6688 5592/ 8501

The White Rabbit

The White Rabbit serves classic European comfort food, located at the Dempsey, and is occupying a restored chapel.  With the really high ceiling, even though the tables are quite close to each other, there is still a sense of spaciousness and privacy.  In terms of ambience, it’s admirable.

The bread was soft.  I liked it as it didn’t have the sour yeast taste (other people might think it’s tasteless).  The bread was free flow and the waiting staff were very diligent in making sure that you have enough of their bread.

 

The Appetisers:

Steak Tartar with Fries (S$23)

This was a great steak tartar!  It was very well-seasoned and the steak was tender.  The 2 quail eggs were cooked to perfection, soft and yet the yolks were not too runny.  The fries were excellent too.

 

Escargot Ravioli served with Breaded Frog Legs (S$19)

The ravioli together with the fennel emulsion went well.  Escargots were appealing without the earthy taste but the parsley coulis was a little salty.  The breaded frog legs were dry, rather bland, and the batter were too thick.  On the whole, this was a good dish (minus the frog legs).

Side Dish:

Creamed Spinach (S$9)

Not for the health conscious diners.

The Pastas:

The White Rabbit Mac and Cheese (S$28)

Nice presentation for Mac and Cheese, with a generous slice of black truffle on top.  Yes, it’s Mac and Cheese alright.

Scallop Linguine (S$28)

Scallops are fresh and pan seared.
Linguine cooked al dente and tossed with garlic, chilli, parsley, and some herbs.  Because of the way it was prepared, the pasta dish felt like a ‘Chinese stir-fry’ (to me).  Not the way I would like my pasta to be made, sorry.

I only ordered a glass of red wine as I find the wine prices here were on the high side.

In general, the food here was decent but prices were on the high side (balancing value and quality of food).  I might come back again only after trying out all the other new places in town.

____________________
The White Rabbit
39C Harding Road
S(249541)
Tel: 6473 9965

SALTA -Argentine Restaurant

I have been to this place 3 times, over a period of 2 months, but only ate here twice as they were closed for a private event once.  I love their tenderloin (a.k.a. Lomo in Argentine) at ‘hello’, and that’s why I am returning to SALTA whenever I need a steak fix.

I was here at SALTA with my husband tonight and we decided to sit at the counter to watch the chefs worked hard to shove burning charcoal into the 5-metre long charcoal fired grill.  This was where all the food was cooked.

For appetiser, we ordered the Jamon Iberico (Spanish ham) and Empanadas (pastries filled with meat and vegetables).

Jamon Iberico

Finally we have some decent Jamon Iberico in Singapore at more affordable price (S$20 for this plate of Jamon Iberico), although I was not sure why an Argentine restaurant was selling Spanish ham.  Perhaps it was because Argentina was dominated by the Spanish few hundred years ago.

Empanadas

3 pieces of empanadas for S$6 and we have the Carne (beef and capsicum), Roquefort y Apio (Roquefort cheese and celery), and Camaron (prawn and tomato).  The Roquefort cheese and celery was the best among the lot.  I found the beef filling too dry and the prawn taste mild, although the pastries were crusty with slight buttery flavour.

Carne (beef and capsicum)

Roquefort y Apio (Roquefort cheese and celery)

Camaron (prawn and tomato)

THE MAIN DISH : LOMO
 

I always like my beef done medium rare and SALTA can make it so well.  The beef was very well charred on the outside and juicy, tender, and flavourful on the inside (S$30).  I also like the texture (even for tenderloin) from the Argentine beef, usually I will go for sirloin for Australian or USA beef since their tenderloins are too soft to my liking.

Apparently SALTA serves only well-aged and grass-fed beef, as only steers raised on grass in the open range produce meat with true depth of flavour.  These beef have been proven to have less saturated fat and more omega 3 fatty acids, so one can enjoy a hearty steak without worries about cholesterol limits.

I also wanted to point out that the sides, tomatoes and potatoes, were also cooked from the same charcoal fired grill.  The tomatoes were so good!

We ordered a bottle of their house red, Sottano Malbec (S$40), to go with the beef and the wine was only so-so.

Finally, a cup of cappuccino to complete the dinner tonight (I was too full for anything else).

SALTA is the most value for money steak place, by far (to me), in Singapore.  With SALTA, I actually have stopped patronising the bigger steak houses since the beef quality here in SALTA is comparable.

In addition, this place does not have service charge and you also enjoy a 20% discount if you pay with OCBC credit card.  I can only say, “because we’re WORTH IT”!

__________________________________
SALTA Argentine Parrilla + Grocer
Icon Village
12 Gopeng Street
#01-56 S(078877)
Tel: 6225 8443

 

 

[Update] 21st Nov 2011:
Please note that Salta is no longer giving away discount for OCBC credit card holders.  Also, I heard they have raised prices (20%-30% higher than I previously blogged) for most of their food items.