Amuse – playful international tapas for your palate (closed)
PUBLISHED December 11th, 2012 01:50 am | UPDATED April 1st, 2016 02:35 pm
When I first found out that Bodega Y Tapas was going to be stripped, remodelled and redeveloped into another restaurant I was initially sceptical and a little upset, but as Bob Dylan once said, ‘the times they are a changing’ and in the Singapore food scene, this is so true with so many new and cool concepts popping up all the time that it’s difficult to keep track.
So what has replaced Bodega Y Tapas? AMUSE! No, not yourself, it’s the name of the new ‘international’ tapas bar that now occupies that space. Still owned and run by the Esmirada group, I had high expectations for Amuse, and from attending the opening night, I was very, very pleasantly surprised with not just the new decor, but more importantly the food! So much so that I ended going back again two weeks later to explore the menu in more detail.
As you can imagine in a bar that has a rather large wine cellar, there’s a great selection of cured meats and cheeses. But don’t be shy to try some of the other more exciting items on the menu, especially when the consultant Chef designing the menu is Armin Leitgeb (formally of Les Amis)…
Beef tartare cone with horseradish mousse ($14) – I’m a total sucker for raw beef, and when the tartare is combined with a creamy horseradish, it’s just such a perfect match. The playful cone presentation isn’t just pretty, it also adds an extra textural dimension, giving the soft ingredients a wafery crunch. Excellent.
Following the beef soon after was the Ciabatta wrapped egg with prosciutto with spinach and mushroom ragout ($15). The egg itself is slow-cooked and to me, this was something like a deconstructed…then reconstructed eggs Benedict with a twist. Very cool. Strong flavours from the mushrooms and spinach perhaps slightly overpowering the subtelty of the eggs and proscuitto though. Still, quite tasty.
Tomato “bouchet” mussel risotto ($19) – I do love risotto, and unfortunately it seems almost impossible to find good renditions in Singapore. Happliy, the tomato risotto with mussels at Amuse is really quite good. Strong, rich flavours of sundried tomatoes and olives cooked with the al dente (spot on) risotto rice…add in a few soft mussels and you have a very tasy treat.
Keeping with the fish theme, we moved on to the Prawn tempura. Now prawn tempura may not sound that exciting, but it is a great bar snack. Amuse’s portion is generous and the accompanying lemon mayonnaise is just right. This would go perfectly with a glass of cava.
And then there was Chilli crab mantou ($9). I love chilli crab, and the idea behind this is something we can all appreciate. You love chilli crab, but what a mess!? So, here you are served the spicy tomato chilli sauce with bit of crab and a couple of mantou to dip. No mess, no fuss, and it packs a punch.
As for the meats, if you are (like me) a lamb lover, you must, must try the Spicy lamb burger ($16-18). Served in a pita bread the lamb is beautifully seasoned and cooked, add in a thick slice of eggplant and some garlic yoghurt sauce and hey, presto! Highly recommended.
Chargrilled wagyu beef cubes cooked in hey ($39) – Don’t worry, it doesn’t come served in a barn. The chargrill and hey gives an awesomely smokey aroma and taste. I feel like this dish was built to be eaten with a whisky to pair. The Aussie wagyu ribeye pieces are super tender and the smokey flavour very memorable.
Over the course of the two visits, we also tried the Spanish octopus with heirloom tomatoes with pumpkin seed oil ($19), the Crispy pork crouton with smoked eel ($21), the Roast pork gao zhi dim sum ($19)…..Well most of the items on the menu really! Whilst certainly all being respectable dishes, the above listed are the cream of the crop.
To me, Amuse occupies a great niche for a place to get an excellent selection of drinks, accompanied by great eating options….Also, their kitchen is open until 1am! With a late night eateries feature akan datang (coming soon), you bet your bottom dollar Amuse is on that list.
Oh and for the wine lovers, Amuse has over 20 wines by the glass and they’re all 50% off 12pm-8pm e-v-e-r-y —-d-a-y!!. This means you are getting an excellent selection of premium wines (changed monthly) for about $6-8 per glass. Not too shabby.
Written by The City Nomad
On this occasion, the meal was compliments of Amuse.
