C
says:
Esquina, the new tapas
bar opened by Loh Lik Peng and celebrity chef Jason Atherton, is one of the
hottest (read: hard to get) sittings at the moment. It’s a tiny space that
probably sits no more than 15 inside and they don’t take reservations, so you
have to either go at (or before) opening time to ensure a place, or be prepared
for a wait.
We decided on the
former, and were there 5 minutes after opening on Saturday. At that time it was
already almost full, and we took 2 of the last 4 seats available; by 6.15 it
was full, and anyone arriving after that had to be on a waitlist till the first
wave was done.
Most of the seats are
at the counter facing the kitchen, and we were lucky enough to be seated right
in front of chef Andrew Walsh, so we had a bird’s eye view of him running the
show. I really respect how he manages his kitchen. He’s very hands-on without
being a tyrant – he personally prepared/plated a good number of the dishes, and
did a final check over the bulk of the dishes that were prepared by his sous
chefs before the food was served.
Most of the dishes are
designed to be shared by 2 to 3 people. We ordered 5 dishes plus a side, and
were pleasantly full. Take note that you should order everything at the outset,
including desserts. We thought of ordering a dessert after we’d finished the
savouries, but were told that we would have to wait till they fired all the
existing orders.
The side of baby
romaine, manchego cheese, truffle honey and anchovy featured, surprisingly,
lightly cooked lettuce rather than raw lettuce leaves. The anchovy was clearly
the dominant flavor, but it didn't overwhelm and you could still taste the
other components.
The slow cooked egg
with potato, bravas sauce and crispy iberico was fantastic. This was somewhat
of a modern invention of patatas bravas,
with the potato being in the form of cubes as well as a light foam.
From the meat section of
the menu, we had the aged rib-eye with chimichurri sauce, and the sweetbread
and foie gras empanada with onion jam. The rib-eye was probably the most
predictable dish of the evening, so by virtue of that it was slightly disappointing. The empanada
was interesting but I found it a bit too sweet. A liked it precisely because of
its sweetness, so to each his own.
From the seafoods, we
tried the scallop ceviche, and the prawn sautéed with chilli and garlic served
with orzo pasta. The scallop was ok, but I don’t think we’ll order it again. I
fell in love with the prawn though. It was perfectly cooked so that the head
juice was still really creamy, and it was served in a flavourful broth that was
the very essence of prawn.
The food is very well
paced. We weren’t overwhelmed with all 6 dishes on the table at once; most of
them came out one at a time, and the lighter dishes were served first followed
by the heavier meats.
There are at least
another 6 dishes on the menu that we want to try next, so hopefully we’ll be
back again soon. Eating here doesn't come cheap though. Our 6 dishes and a
bottle of beer cost $140, but having said that, I think it’s worth it for the
quality, and the care and effort that goes into each dish.
PS: There’s nowhere
for you to stow your handbags or other personal effects, so I would recommend
bringing as little as possible if you don't want to strap your handbag to your
thigh, as A ingeniously did with mine.
A
says:
Awesome. A tad expensive, but you get great
quality for the price. Unfortunately, it gets crowded from about 6:05. So if
you’re not there at opening, good luck to you. Plus only half the service staff
is good. So hopefully, they’re the ones serving you.
Esquina
16
Jiak Chuan Street
Tel:
6222-1616
Mon
to Fri: 12 noon – 3 pm; 6 pm – 11 pm
Sat:
6 pm – 11 pm
Closed
Sunday
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