Bodega y Tapas, Orchard Hotel

Ever since my trip to Spain, I have found it nearly impossible to find good AND authentic Spanish tapas in Singapore. Too many restaurants attempt to pass off tiny-portions-smalls-plates as tapas. LIARRRSSS! Gimme my Tortilla Espanola… Where’s my Pulpo Gallega?

One Friday night, mum and I checked out Bodega y Tapas, part of the Esmirada Group. Located at Orchard Hotel next to Esmirada restaurant, Bodega provided a chill pill to those seeking out relatively authentic tapas. I took a liking to the warm interior, open-kitchen concept right away but a verdict couldn’t be drawn without tasting the food.



The Gambas al ajillo, chili garlic prawns, arrived sizzling away in a bath of olive oil and chili flakes. Prawns were crunchy and fresh, and we conveniently sopped up the excess olive oil and chili flakes with our baguette. Somehow I stupidly disregarded the sizzling pan as a warning, scalding the roof of my mouth as a result.



What is tapas without the Tortilla Espanola? We tucked into a hunk of traditional Spanish omelette that was at least an inch thick, layers and layers of thinly-sliced potatoes and onion encased in egg sheath. It was cloying but the tangy garlic mayo alioli dip relieved us off its heaviness. You know it was probably even better than the one I had in Spain since this was served hot off the pan. By right, the side salad should have been overshadowed by the tortilla but it ducked that fate with an unsuspectingly good dressing.



The Piquillos rellenos de pollo con salsa Espanola, red peppers stuffed with minced chicken baked in Spanish sauce and cheese, was pretty good too. It was messy comfort food that could have easily tasted store-bought but didn’t.



The Costillas de cordero a la parilla con salsa de pimiento, lamb racks with black pepper sauce, was more average than the others. Two out of three pieces were pink-in-the-middle tender while the other was on the tough side. Why the difference? No idea.

On our way out of the restaurant, I saw a couple digging into their lamb shank with Moroccan cous cous - will / must / going to try that soon!

Service was very good; though it was one-for-one happy hour, mum and I gave our Bobby-Chin-look-alike waiter our complementary Bodega Bodega Margarita since we were not drinkers to begin with. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Bodega; my only grip was the uncomfortable bar stool and uneven log tables that made juggling our tapas dishes seem like a perilous act.



Zhu! Tried test and approved!

Don Quijote

I’m going to blame my plebian exchange-student-tastebuds. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Spain, the grub didn’t cause any out-of-body experience – apart from those damn bocadilos-fillers which forced me out of skinny jeans.

But the tapas way of eating resonates with the snacker in me. Small plates, casual and communal. In Singapore, my point of reference is restricted to Bodega Y Tapas so I was quite excited about trying out Don Quijote.



Not in the mood for cold tapas, the family a smattering of stuff under the ‘Hot Tapas’ section such as Chorizo Asado (barbequed Spanish sausages), Vieiras al Horno (oven-baked whole scallops), Camarones a la Plancha (barbequed prawns with garlic sauce), Ensalada de Esparragos con Atún (tuna and asaparagus salad – nuff’ said), Huevos Estrellados (scrambled eggs with chorizo and potatoes) and others. Apart from the slightly runny Huevos, most of the small dishes were likeable, thanks to pleasing elements such as barbeque and garlic.

I liked the Paella Valenciana, especially the chao da bits. I tried the Fideua Negra (squid-ink pasta paella) for the first time and I foresee repeat orders of this dark briny fascination, especially since there are chao da bits too. Along the same shade, the Croquetas de Calamares (squid ink croquettes) were little orbs of delight.

I smiled at K with blackened teeth that would make a Macbeth witch glee with delight. Sorry dude, I’m not going to return you the ring. HAHA.

I will be the first one to admit I’m severely biased towards anything with carbs so I thought Don Quijote’s Pudin de Pan y Mantequilla (bread and butter pudding) was a lot better than Bodega's Crème Catalana.

Compared to Bodega Y Tapas, Don Quijote feels more like a TGI chain. However, the variety beats Bodega's and the food is good enough for a casual family night out.

Spanish Sunday

Ola! How was your weekend?

Mine was delightful, although I had to spend quite a bit of time at the office. Despite the potential downer, we made good of whatever time we had together. Plus the weather was ah-muh-zing and we were inspired to round up our weekend with a relaxing meal at Bodega Y Tapas.



Smokey pan-fried chorizos, garlicky-herby prawns, paella (we missed you, bournt bottom!), creama cantalana that we probably won't miss, and the most sensational roasted suckling pig.

I thought we Chinese has nailed the suckling pig dish snout, tail and sinker. But this little piggy was seriously tender and the skin was superbly crisp. Eeeks, I need to re-jig my perception of the roasted suckling pig big hoggin' time.

The Perfect 2008 Day

My favourite experiences from the 365 days of 2008 condensed into a day:

I will first kickstart my day with a bowl of "slippery beef congee" for breakfast at Law Fu Kee, Hong Kong ...

Followed by a mid-morning stroll through Union Square Farmers' Market, New York City ...

Before stopping for a snack, a lamb and chicken gyro from Rafiqi’s ...

Depending on my mood, lunch would either be fusion-modern at Iggy’s, Regent Hotel Singapore or a thoroughly traditional kaiseki affair at Tankuma, Kyoto.

A stroll through London’s Borough Market and Chelsea will help ease the heaviness of lunch. I will probably be in the mood for something sweet for tea. If I can't decide between Toscanini's ice cream or PS Café’s lemon pudding , maybe I should just have both...

Wouldn’t it be nice to warm up our appetites for dinner with some tapes at Bodega Y Tapas ?

But best not to get carried away as we need to leave some space for our omakase dinner at Tomo Fine Dining .

Alas I had to bid farewell to an old love.

To you:

I knew it was over before either of us admitted.

I wish I could pin the blame on you "You don't fit me!" But deep down inside I knew I let it happen. I tried working out but it only made matters worse. Somehow I had always known that you would trade me in for a chic-er, thinner Pretty Young Thing.

It is sad I couldn't get into you to understand what you were thinking; but it's even sadder that when we are together, I felt suffocated.

We had fun while it lasted.

Good bye, my Skinny Jeans.

It's time for soba!

Mummy thinks that I will be a real stud muffin when I grow up - the kind that makes women weak in the knees and hind legs. Oh you know like Leonardo Dicaprio when he was playing Jack Dawson in Titanic? Yet every now and then, even the King of the World needs to rest his weary royal butt somewhere and I found the perfect potted plant to cuddle into. Mummy’s not happy though - she thinks I have found another way to get dirty and I am not even potty-trained yet!

Mummy and I wish you all Happy New Year!

xoxo soba