Columbian Tapas at La Barra

This little island was recently invaded by an overwhelming army of Spanish tapas joints. Some outstanding, some mediocre and some just downright unpalatable. 

So imagine Cute Cute's interest was piqued one morning while reading the papers that a Colombian tapas joint has taken refuge at The Star Vista in the western part of the island. In fact, the pretty mall resembling Noah's ark has brought a slew of enticing restaurants to the otherwise deprived west, devoid of any exciting f&b establishments (newly-minted The Grandstand is next but that's for another post!).    

Finally a tapas joint not serving the usual Spanish nibbles! Cute Cute immediately pulled Cuchi down to the Buona Vista estate one evening.

Come on, quit lying around!

Open concept casual joint. Thank goodness for the
cool evening breeze. Plays a modern mix of
infectious and chill-out Latin American tunes.

Chair in the colours of the country's flag:
red, yellow and blue.

Pick your poison of choice from a list of 
classic Colombian cocktail concoctions and liquor such as the
Refajo, Colombiana, and Aguardiente,as well as the
specially-imported beers like Aguila, Club Colombia and Redd’s.
Cute Cute settled for the light and refreshing Aguila.

Spied Columbian Juan Valdez Coffee here.
Must return to try!

Sausages and baby potatoes.
This dish tasted quite ordinary if not for the
extremely addictive baby potatoes
The paper thin potato skins have a surprising bite to it.

Open face arepa with chicken and avocado.
Really delicious. And what's so special
about this flat corn-based unleavened pita
is the crusty exterior that gives way to soft,
chewy bread.  Nice!

Regrettably, the lions were too stuffed after a late lunch and had to pass over dishes like the carne asada, empanadas and the various imported tipples and pura shakes. Only complaint was the limited menu and the rather steep prices for tapas. Overall, it was an interesting experience. This joint purportedly aims to bring the best of authentic Columbian street fare to this island. A little more PR on the part of the service stuff would have helped.


For those who are interested in going there, here is the address:

La Barra

The Star Vista,
1 Vista Exchange Green,
#02-21

Singapore 138867

Little Nibbles at Salt Tapas Bar by Luke Managan

Cute Cute and Cuchi were invited by Miss Saab to a private pre-opening food tasting session at Salt Tapas Bar helmed by celebrity chef Luke Managan, credited as a champion of Australian culinary culture on the international stage. He had successfully launched the fashionable Salt Grill & Sky Bar serving Mod Oz cuisine, complemented by panoramic views of Orchard on Level 55 of Ion Shopping Mall.

Salt Tapas Bar is his more casual joint at Raffles City Shopping Mall. But the food is no less stellar despite the more accessible vibe and tapas-style bites.

The lions were greeted by rustic red brick walls with patches of greens that made up the exterior of the restaurant. The interior was reminiscent of a casual European bistro with high ceilings, wooden accents, old-school European tiles and tall windows that ran from ceiling to floor, allowing for a sport of people-watching.

Their own brand of house wine named after their celebrity chef.

Our Pinot Noir and Rose wines came in cute little decanters.

Hmmm the Sangria was better than most mediocre
ones found in local Spanish restaurants.

Moroccan steak tartare was an absolutely outstanding
dish that was well-spiced with the flavours of the Middle East.
Crack the quail's egg over it and enjoy with the wafer thin crackers.

Roasted garlic flat bread with Spanish romesco
sauce.

Stuffed zucchini flowers with feta and corn puree
with sauce vierge.

Chorizo with sofrito.

Aged rib of beef charcoal grilled with chimichurri. Highly
recommend it to be done medium rare as the original flavours
of the beef is retained and juxtaposed with the crispy charred
exterior. This was a highlight of the meal. Deliciously tender as well.

Tuna tartare, ruby grapefruit, wasabi mayo with daikon chips.
This was also an outstanding dish with complex sublime flavours. The
small avocado cubes and crunchy ebiko added to the delightfully
contrasting textures.

Seared Tasmanian trout, clams, Jamon Serrano, Israeli couscous,
cucumber sherry. The light and fragrant stock was refreshing and
whetted our appetites for more. The trout was fresh and raw in the middle.
Yums! Interesting combination of seafood and red meat.

Exotic ingredient of Israeli couscous. Texture was spongy
like sago!

Taco of tempura prawn, pineapple salsa, chipotle aioli. This
dish was the only let-down, mediocre.

Roasted figs with candied ginger, baklava and yoghurt sorbet.
Miss Saab gave the sorbet 2 thumbs up :)

Only for the adventurous palate! The liquorice parfait has a rather strong
liquorice taste that is tempered by the accompanying tangy lime sago.

The churros with chocolate was a disappointment.
Indulge only to satiate your spanish dessert craving.

Overall the tapas were memorable epicurean delights. What was brilliant and executed well were the accompanying sauces of the tapas. Bravo to the saucier in the kitchen! It was a great experience savouring the Spanish tapas with an Aussie slant.

For those interested, Salt Tapas Bar is located at the ground floor of Raffles City Shopping Centre.