From The Straits Times    |

The flavour of the year, it seems, is Spanish.

At least 10 Spanish tapas bars and restaurants have opened in the past year, with no fewer than three setting up shop in the last month alone – Bomba in Martin Road, Kaixo in Tanjong Pagar Road, and Binomio Spanish Restaurante, a restaurant and tapas bar in Craig Road.

Other recent additions to the Spanish food scene also include three-month-old Los Primos in Club Street, a few doors down from year-old Spanish tapas eatery La Cicala, and Spanish-inspired District 10 Bar Tapas Restaurant at The Star Vista in Buona Vista, which opened in late September.

Singapore restaurant trend: Tap into tapas
The newest tapas restaurants in Singapore include Bomba at 38 Martin Road. PHOTO: BOMBA

These add to the growing number of Spanish restaurants here. They include My Little Spanish Place in Bukit Timah, and Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant in VivoCity.

Others which opened earlier this year include Catalunya at The Fullerton Pavilion in Collyer Quay, and Ola at The Marina Bay Financial Centre.

There are now about 20 Spanish restaurants and tapas bars here, a marked change fromseveral years ago, when there was just a scattering of eateries offering Spanish cuisine.

Of these new eateries that have sprung up in the last few months, most have been Spanish tapas bars.

They are not to be confused with other types of tapas bars that may serve modern European or Asian-inspired dishes on small plates.

These new Spanish tapas bars offer items that range from Iberico ham croquetas and paella to seafood and even Basque-style pintxos, a type of Northern Spanish snack usually served on slices of bread.

Tapas refers to both hot and cold dishes that are served in small portions. They are meant to be shared.

More Spanish tapas eateries are also in the works.

This includes Mad, a new dim sum and Spanish tapas restaurant which will be opening at Turf City in Bukit Timah.

The restaurant is a collaboration between composer-musician Dick Lee and restaurant group TungLok, and will have Spanish chef Roberto Hernandez Sevillano at its helm. The chef used to head the now-defunct Bodega Y Tapas in Orchard Hotel, which was one of the first authentic Spanish tapas restaurants in town when it opened in 2008.

It closed a few months ago to make way for a modern tapas eatery.

Restaurateurs say they have been noticing the trend towards Spanish restaurants too.

Most say that their choice to open Spanish tapas bars is due to the potential they see in the market. They say they want to offer authentic Spanish fare and cater to diners who enjoy the concept of sharing small plates.

Ms Yenn Wong, founder and director of Epicure, a subsidiary of boutique hotel company JIA Holdings, decided to turn her Australian restaurant Graze in Martin Road into Spanish paella restaurant Bomba after she was introduced to chef Jean-Philippe Patruno, who was then head chef of popular London tapas bars Barrafina and Fino.

She says: “There are quite a few Spanish restaurants in Singapore, but we felt that there was a serious lack of good paella, and Spanish cuisine has always been highly regarded in the world.”

Singaporeans, restaurateurs add, are well-travelled and many are keen to discover cuisines and new dining experiences.

Diners are thrilled with the emergence of these fun and vibrant tapas bars.

Those familiar with Spain are happy to have more choice, while those who are not, are curious and adventurous enough to want to try the cuisine and experience the buzz for themselves.

Accountant Gillian Lee, 35 says: “It is great that we do not have to travel overseas to experience the lively and upbeat atmosphere of tapas bars.

“And no longer is the paella in Singapore mushy and overcooked – these new restaurants are finally getting it right.”

Undergraduate Marcus Tan, 23, sings praises about Spanish fare, from Jamon Iberico de Bellota (ham from black-hooved Iberian pigs that eat acorns) to squid ink paella – despite having never visited the country.

He says: “I may not have been to Spain but I like what I have tasted so far. Spanish food is very tasty and their suckling pig is similar to sio bak (roast pork with crackling).

“There is also a rice dish, paella, and then there are tapas which we can share. I like that with tapas, there is variety.”

rltan@sph.com.sg


KAIXO

Amid the countless bridal shops, karaoke bars and Korean eateries along Tanjong Pagar Road stands a three-week old, 30-seat tapas bar which specialises in northern Spanish snacks known as pintxos (say peen-chos), and other Spanish and Mediterranean-inspired dishes.

Singapore restaurant trend: Tap into tapasKaixo (say kai-sho) means hello in Basque, the language commonly spoken in the Basque Country  that spans north-east Spain and south-west France, and in cities such as San Sebastian.

 Unlike tapas bars here, and like the many pintxos bars in San Sebastian, Kaixo also offers ready-made pintxos at its bar counter, which was specially fashioned for this purpose. There are five or six pintxos every night, but there is no throwing of used napkins and toothpicks on the floor here, a typical practice at pintxos bars in Spain.

Interesting offerings include piquillo peppers with marinated anchovies and chopped onions; roasted pepper with sliced egg, mayonnaise and Serrano ham; and blue cheese with figs, apricot and walnut (three for $12, or five for $20). All these are piled on small slices of bread.

Other dishes here include a Basque-style chestnut soup ($8), an appetiser of mint jelly, feta mousse and watermelon ($8), grass-fed beef tenderloin with roasted root vegetables (from $18), and bluefin tuna braised with tomatoes ($16).

The kitchen is helmed by chef Issachar Lee, 37. He co-owns the restaurant with three of his former Victoria Junior College schoolmates, all of whom are silent partners.

Chef Lee, who has a background in marketing and used to work in the semi-conductor industry, decided to pursue his passion for cooking four years ago.

He attended prestigious culinary school Le Cordon Bleu in Bangkok and France and has honed his craft with chefs such as three-Michelin-starred Basque chef Martin Berasategui, and at Guy Savoy at Marina Bay Sands.

Where: 96 Tanjong Pagar Road, open: noon to 2.30pm (weekdays), 6 to 11pm (Mondays to Saturdays). Last orders by 10.15pm). Closed on Sundays

Info: Call 6225-0545

 


 BINOMIO

At just over a week old, Binomio is the newest tapas bar and restaurant to enter the thriving Spanish food scene.

The restaurant in Craig Road comprises a 22-seat tapas bar and a 49-seat fine-dining area with two private rooms.

Singapore restaurant trend: Tap into tapasOnly the tapas bar is open for now. The restaurant is expected to open in a few weeks.

Binomio is headed by chef and co-owner, Spaniard Jose Alonso, who spent 10 years working under the late Michelin-starred chef Santi Santamaria. He was also part of the opening team of the now-defunct Santi at Marina Bay Sands.

He has also worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain, and more recently at Restaurant Andre in Bukit Pasoh Road.

The restaurant’s main investor is Mr Asifur R.Chowdhury, managing director of a dry bulk carrier company that offers ocean transportation.

Chef Alonso is keen to keep flavours true to Spain, he says. Food offerings, which include popular classics, will mainly focus on the cuisine of northern Spain, as well as interesting dishes from the La Rioja region.

Tuck into tapas items such as a tortilla de patatas – a classic Spanish potato and onion omelette ($8); empanada gallega – Galician pasty filled with roasted peppers , tomato, boiled egg and tuna ($12); and albondigas mar y montana – pork and beef meatballs in squid ink sauce ($14).

Dishes to look forward to when the main restaurant opens include char-grilled pork belly with razor clams and cauliflower puree ($28), slow-cooked suckling pig Segovian style, potato puree and tender garlic shoots ($37) and paella.

Where: 20 Craig Road, open: noon to 3pm, 5.30 to 11.30pm (Tapas bar). Closed for lunch on Saturdays, and all day on Sundays

Info: Call 6557 0547


Singapore restaurant trend: Tap into tapasBOMBA

Month-old paella bar Bomba in Martin Road has been wowing customers with its tasty Spanish eats that range from golden-brown croquetas to a luscious squid ink paella.

The buzzy restaurant took over the space previously occupied by Australian restaurant Graze. Both are owned by restaurant group Epicure, a subsidiary of boutique hotel company JIA Holdings.

The chef is Jean-Philippe Patruno, formerly of popular tapas joints Barrafina and Fino in London. The 41-year-old, who is of Italian-Spanish parentage, says he aims to keep the food as authentic as possible.

“For the paella, for example, we have noras peppers (dried Spanish peppers), dried chillies and of course, Bomba rice. We also use spices such as pimenton (smoked paprika) and saffron, so it is easy to stay true to the spirit of Spain in our cooking.”

The only thing he has tweaked to suit local palates so far, he says, is the amount of salt used in his cooking.

Things to try here include the razor clams (market price, about $8 each); arroz negro – a squid ink paella cooked with squid and black mushrooms ($35 for small); chick peas morcilla spinach ($15) – stew of pork stock, morcilla (Spanish blood sausage), chickpeas and baby spinach; and the Secreto Iberico – sliced pork presa (a cut of pork near the shoulder) served pink, with charred spring onions and Romesco sauce ($28).

Where: 38 Martin Road, open: 6pm to midnight (Mondays to Saturdays). Last orders for food by 10.45pm. Closed on Sundays

Info: Call 6509-1680


LOS PRIMOS

Cousins Mauro Muroni, 40, and Gerri Sottile, 39, who are behind five-year-old Italian trattoria Cugini in Club Street, have opened three-month-old Los Primos, located a few doors up the road.

The new Spanish wine and tapas bar is the latest Spanish eatery to emerge in Club Street. It joins tapas bar La Cicala, which opened last year.

The Italian duo had been eyeing the corner unit that is now Los Primos (cousins in Spanish) since they moved into Club Street in 2008. Cugini, which also means cousins in Italian, was previously located in Robertson Quay.

Singapore restaurant trend: Tap into tapasThey are also behind pizzeria Sol Pomodoro in Mackenzie Road, and will be opening another outlet in Sentosa Cove in January.

Both trained chefs, they spent several years living and travelling through Spain in their early 20s, and say that opening a Spanish restaurant was only natural, considering that Italy and neighbouring Spain are practically “cousins”.

In fact, they had wanted to open a Spanish restaurant four years ago, but had been waiting for the right space in Club Street to do so, Mr Sottile says.

Before moving to Singapore, the cousins had owned and run an Italian restaurant in London.

Los Primos has three Spanish chefs from cities such as Barcelona and Valencia, but is headed by chef Muroni, who is the group’s executive chef. Mr Sottile handles front-of-house operations across all of their restaurants.

Chef Muroni says everything is made from scratch.

For example, the paella is cooked to order – it takes about 40 minutes – and the stocks are made from roasted seafood, not powders or store-bought stocks.

There are over 30 tapas items here that range from patatas bravas – potatoes with traditional semi-spicy tomato salsa ($9), and escalivada – marinated roasted vegetables ($9), to pulpo a la Gallega – thin slices of slightly warm octopus in olive oil, on a bed of potatoes and sprinkled with paprika ($12). A seafood salad with octopus and olives is also on offer as tapas of the day.

Main courses include a meat or seafood paella with prawns, langoustines, mussels and squid (from $35 a serving), and a cochinillo asado ($31.90 a serving), a slice of tender, slow-roasted suckling pig. Whole piglets, which serve six to eight people, can be ordered a day in advance.

Where: 81 Club Street, 01-01,open: noon to 3pm (weekdays), 6pm to midnight (Mondays to Thursdays); 6pm to 2am (Fridays and Saturdays). Closed on Sundays

Info: Call 6423-1773

This article was first published in The Straits Times newspaper on November 11, 2012. For similar stories, go to sph.straitstimes.com/premium/singapore. Please note: To access this section of The Straits Times online you will need to be a subscriber; to subscribe, go to www.sphsubscription.com.sg/eshop.