This restaurant was one of the first to start the tapas trend in Singapore a few years back. The chef behind this restaurant is Jason Atherton who owns Pollen Street Social in London. I’ve tried Pollen Street Social and honestly I didn’t find the food to be 1 Michelin star worthy. Anyway, I decided to give Esquina a try because it’s a really popular restaurant in Singapore.

At a tapas bar, you must sit at the bar. No where else.

They serve the a la carte menu for both lunch and dinner now.

Padron peppers, ponzu dressing – $10.00++

Honestly this one wasn’t that good, comparing to the padron peppers I had in Barcelona. I thought it was hard to go wrong with these but probably the extra ponzu dressing didn’t quite work, making the overall taste different from the usual version.

Raw scallops, sesame, lemon, radish & dill – $22.00++

It’s hard to go wrong with scallops. This one was decent but not to the extent of being special.

Sea urchin & crab bisque, white sturgeon caviar – $26.00++

After looking at pictures of this one online I knew I had to get it.

But why is the caviar served on a metal spoon? I thought caviar was always served on a mother of pearl spoon for best taste. Hmm…

Anyway the crab bisque was decent with chunks of crab inside. However, the taste wasn’t as fantastic as the appearance.

Spanish Breakfast – $10.00++

Literally breakfast food.

The texture of the yolk was interesting! It wasn’t runny at all yet isn’t hard.

Strawberries, basil, marshmallow, olive & vanilla Chantilly – $13.00++

I had full view of how the chef prepared this dish. The marshmallows were toasted with a blow torch and I could see how it caramelized.

The combination of basil (in the sorbet) and strawberries was perfect as expected. I appreciated the inclusion of toasted marshmallows giving it a nice sweet taste because I like my desserts to be rich and sweet.

I think this dessert could be the most memorable dish for this meal.

Honestly, I was quite disappointed with the overall experience here. The food was decent but not to the extent of being fantastic or anything that I will keep thinking of. It’s no where as memorable as Burnt Ends down the road…

*****

Ambiance: 7.5/10
Food: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Overall: Above average tapas at best but nothing life changing.

*****

Esquina
16 Jiak Chuan Rd
Singapore 089267

Tel: 62221616

*****

Lunch:

Mon – Fri: 12pm – 2:30pm

Dinner:

Mon – Sat: 6pm – 10:30pm