Olivia Restaurant & Lounge

Stuck in Singapore with nowhere to go? Well one way to beat that wanderlust for a moment is to eat the cuisine instead. That's how we ended up at Olivia Restaurant & Lounge, that same restaurant that made the Basque burnt cheesecake a trend in Singapore. We had high expectations since co-founder and chef Alain Devahive's background includes cooking at the legendary El Bulli.

Even during the Phase 2 period of safe distancing measures in Singapore, it's easy to forget that momentarily with the buzzy vibes at Olivia. 

The menu, which is a rotating repertoire of Catalan-style tapas and dishes are split into Bites, Dishes, and Specials. The Bites are more like the typical tapas, think cured meats, croquetas, padron peppers. The Specials are the bigger mains and best for sharing among small groups. The flavors are the heaviest in this category as well. 

We started with the Iberico Ham, Cheese and Truffle “Bikini” ($16). Well, as simple as it may sound, i was surprised by the milky and creamy center of the sandwich with a tinge of sharpness and the light crisp on the exterior. There's even that slight pull that you'd get in a grilled cheese sandwich. I would be very happy to have this every morning. 

Next, a pricey Mushroom and Truffle Croquettes (2pcs/$14). This is an intense mushroom soup encased in a breaded crust essentially. Bite into that golden crispy and out flows a velvety bechamel filling peppered with bites of mushrooms. Delicious it was but mind you it's $7 a pop. 

We toyed with the idea of a Ham, Mozzarella and Truffle Open Omelette ($26) but the flavors would probably be too similar to our appetizers. So the Octopus, Crispy Pork Belly and Potato foam ($38) it was. The kitchen split the dish nicely for the 2 of us even though we're quite happy to share. We were told to swirl the dish as there's some sweet confit onion hidden under the mash. This turned out to be very rich in flavor, mostly due to the starchy "potato foam" (it wasn't very airy). The octopus was fabulously handled by the kitchen and i'd gladly have more of the leg. 

We went with more seafood with the Black Rice with Grilled King Carabineros ($48). The rice is colored black with squid ink which gave the dish the deep sea flavor. Umami it was, and even more so when you squeeze some of that heady elixir from the red prawn heads. I love carabinero prawns for their intense sweetness and delicate scallop-like texture. 

We were absolutely stuffed with the savory dishes but well since Olivia was first made famous by their cheesecake, we simply had to try it for ourselves... right? It turned out to be our biggest mistake. Sorry this ain't no Basque burnt cheesecake and that center wasn't molten, it was just really watery. At first taste, the savory flavors of the cream and blue cheese filling were pleasant but what i didn't expect was this lingering bitterness from the blue cheese that also tasted like cheese rind and that taste lasted the entire night. Mind you, i love blue cheese, but even i hate this version of it. Needless to say, i'd never come back for this. There are also better cheese tarts e.g. Flor Patisserie.

Drinks wise, there're plenty of Spanish wines here to go with the food. We tried their bespoke cocktails instead. The briny Gin Me!! ($20) which uses olive brine, rosemary and elderflower was a savory and refreshing G&T that is martini-like. Jr's Black Beauty ($18) with Sailor Jerry, D.O.M, Blackberries, Lime, and Ginger Ale was way too sweet for my liking. 

The food at Olivia wasn't too bad but as i'm writing this post, i realised that the prices at Olivia has increased tremendously from the time that they first opened and this was across all the food items. The croquettes used to be half the price, which was fair. Anyway, if i were to come back again, i'd probably not order the cheesecake, like ever. Nor would i recommend it to anyone as well. 

Olivia Restaurant & Lounge

55 Keong Saik Road, #01-03, Singapore 089158

+65 6221 0522

Tue- Thu: 12 - 2pm, 6 - 10pm 

Fri - Sat: 12 - 2.30pm, 6 - 10pm

Meatsmith Telok Ayer

Chef's Table BBQ put the idea into us and so off to Meatsmith to scratch the itch, even if it meant eating dinner at 8pm (because we made a last minute reservation). And of course it had to be full on American smokehouse barbecue at the OG Telok Ayer outlet (Jr also prefers this to the Indian style bbq one at Campbell Road). 

I had reservations about the Platter for 2 ($90) given how small of an eater i am but Jr was very confident about finishing 6 meat items- brisket, pork ribs, pastrami burnt ends, pork belly burnt ends, brisket spring rolls, and fried buffalo wings. Looking at the presentation, you can tell who are the stars. So either go for the slabs of meats first or start with the smaller stuff. 

The brisket spring rolls were smashingly crunchy and filled with sweet shredded meat. A good bite to have to break the meaty monotony. Same goes for the spicy and very acidic buffalo wings. While i didn't have high expectations of them, they do help to spice things up a little. 

The pastrami ends has a super peppery rub on it and was a tad too salty for us. The pork belly was also a little plain despite its paprika spice rub but i assure you that the meat was meltingly good. 

Moving on to the mains, the beef brisket was as expected- smoky on the outside, tender overall, and gelatinous at some parts. Enjoy the natural meaty flavor on its own, or smear a little of the Meatsmith BBQ sauce. The ribs were great too and certainly one of the better ones around with the right amount of sweetness. 

The platter also came with the pickle plate and cornbread. I found the corn bread a tad too crumbly and it was hard to pick up the loose bits but yes that's just nitpicking. Love the flavors though. We also added on the slaw ($6) to refresh our palate. Must say we did pretty well in finishing the meal. 

Desserts are available too, S'mores tart sounded lovely but our stomachs were protesting. Expect a wide variety of whiskeys and bourbons, or perhaps an alcoholic Bourbon sweet tea.

Meatsmith

Telok Ayer

167/169 Telok Ayer Street

SINGAPORE 068620

21 Campbell Lane

SINGAPORE 209894

Esquina

Where to for tapas that transports you to Spain? Well you have to visit Esquina, who is OG thatbrought us the authentic Spanish and Catalan flavors. Back in 2011, you have to wait in line at 6pm to snag a seat at this popular joint. I haven't been back since the chefs changed hands but i'm happy to report that Barcelona-born Head Chef Carlos Montobbio is doing a great job still. 

For the first time also, i dined at level 2, which is a flight away from the chaos and squeeziness on the ground floor. I'm not sure if the torturous metal counter chairs have been replaced but it was also impossible to have a proper conversation downstairs with the wide spacing of the seats. If you're on a date, i'd suggest getting a table upstairs. 

We started with the gorgeous thyme & onion bread with smoked sweet paprika butter ($12). The flaky crust gave way to buttery layers within. The flavor of the bread was sufficient on its own but who can resist more umami butter on this one? 

The chorizo ibérico croquetas, piquillo pepper mayo (2pc/$8) were spectacular too. The breaded exterior broke away to reveal a rich creamy center flavored with the smoky meat bits. Certainly a lot more value for money than some other Catalan restaurant nearby. 

A tapas that i've never had before even in Spain was the slow-baked sweet potato with ají amarillo, smoked quail egg, and puffed quinoa ($16). The light sweetness of the sweet potato balanced the sharp Peruvian yellow chili pepper sauce which strangely reminded me of a spicy nacho cheese. The little quail egg on top helped to thicken the sauce further. It was surprisingly pleasurable.  

Any decent Spanish restaurant would be measured by the standard of their pork and Esquina did well. The Spanish pork jowl, chipotle, pickled pear ($16) had the makings of a glorious sio bak- very buttery fats with a thick layer of crispy meat, balanced by a tangy chipotle mayo. The slightly sweetened jelly-like packham pear also helped to cut through the richness of the meat. 

The Grilled Spanish Octopus ($28) is another must-order at Esquina. The texture was spot on with a tender firmness (I hate the overly chewy ones) and there's that slippery layer of jelly between the crispy skin and the meat. The smoked potato foam was an lighter and more airy version of the famed Joël Robuchon potato mash and the chorizo broth added on to the smokiness without the richness of the meat itself. 

I forgot to take a photo of the Pyrenees Milk-fed Lamb with cous cous, “mojo picón” (a garlic pepper sauce) and pickled shimeiji. I've not had lamb this tender and it wasn't too gamey by Jr's standard (he would not pick lamb if given a choice). 

For desserts, the bread, chocolate, olive oil and sea salt has been on the menu for a while and for good reason. A substitute for churros and chocolate befitting of the vibe of the restaurant. 

Our spirits were lifted and refreshed with the Spanish strawberries with sweet basil sorbet, burnt marshmallow, and black olive powder ($15). Love the contrasting grassiness of the basil with the sweet berries. 

Wonderful experience at Esquina, few years too late but i'm glad they're still around! Definitely not my last visit for sure. 

Esquina

16 Jiak Chuan Rd, Singapore 089267
+65 6222 1616

Tuesday to Saturday: 12 – 2.30pm, 6 - 10.30pm

SIRI HOUSE at Dempsey

I'm a fan of SIRI HOUSE if you don't know. Tucked away in the lush greenery of Dempsey Hill, it is an art space, Collective Market retail store, and restaurant rolled into one. The menu, is one that celebrates the vibrance of the Modern Asian family table. The latest edition is based on the favorite food memories of Head Chef Leo Pang (formerly from Le Benardin) culinary team, and you can expect nostalgic flavors presented in new and inventive ways. 

Start with the bites to go with the apertifis. The restaurant’s signature Chicken Fat Cookie ($12), delightful buttery cookie has been given a face lift. Enhanced by chicken fat, topped with a curry spiced cream with chicken skin bits which eats like curry Twisties and peppered with turmeric mushroom dust, each bite brings back fond memories of snacking in front of the TV. 

The Papadum ($10) eats like an Indian roti prata/nacho, with a dip of curry creama spiced up with bits of smoked fish chili. Chef Leo's favorite childhood dish is roti prata with fish curry and that inspired this snack. We loved the light tang from the sour cream, which is very similar to the acidity in Indian fish curry.