PUBLISHED September 12th, 2012 11:52 am | UPDATED May 27th, 2016 05:03 pm
It seems like practically every month a new ‘tapas’ place is opening up in Singapore….some are good, some are bad. And some are in their own league entirely… Catalunya is without doubt in its own league…it would like comparing FC Barcelona to Real Sociedad…Sociedad certainly know how to play well…but they ain’t Barca!
I will admit, I was a bit anxious to come to Catalunya…it seems to be the new ‘it’ place and often that can spell trouble…However in the case of Catalunya, this title is very, very well deserved.
First things first, Catalunya is NOT pretentious. Service is friendly and the atmosphere is superb…cool music, great lighting and a cool buzz. Not some hoighty-toighty fine dining establishment…
It’s no wonder that you now have to book about 2-3 weeks in advance just to get a table at dinner! But let me tell you…it’s worth it! And if you can’t wait, check out the bar for tapas and cocktails as we did (no reservations and relatively easy to get a place…for now). I’ll leave Ms Demeanour to write up on their heavenly cocktails because they truly deserve a feature of their own (stay tuned), and for now, I’ll focus on the tapas.
So – tapas, I know what you’re thinking…Jamon Iberico, patatas bravas, calamari, yadda yadda yadda. Well if you come to Catalunya, expect to be blown away by these…and much, much more.
Tapas platter
In our 3 hour lunch-fest, we tried a variety of their highly recommended dishes…
Starting with the deconstructed olives…..(note – these are speciality, ask for them nicely :))
You know how when you slowly bite into a big ball of cod roe, it eventually pops…? Well imagine that in olive form. A literal explosion of flavour and textures fills your mouth. I don’t know how they made it…and I don’t even care…Try it. If you like olives this will blow your mind into the stratosphere!
Moving on to a bit tomato loving, we tried the traditional pa amb tomaquet ($8 – Catalan bread with tomato puree) and the tomato tartar confit ($18). Both dishes were quite excellent. The pa amb tomaquet is essentially a simply crispy thin bread with a light tomato sauce spread on top. A nice snack.
What was more impressive was the tomato tartar. If you can imagine, this tomato is completely vegetarian yet somehow manages to taste like a quality beef tartar. Crazy stuff. Onions, salt, parsley all in the mix. One of my personal top picks.
Well it’s impossible to go to a tapas restaurant and not try the jamon iberico ($30-55)….
And usually it’s nice…Catalunya’s is…..well let me quote my friend Adi on this: ‘If you don’t eat pork for religious reasons…..try Catalunya’s – God will understand’. And he wasn’t lying my friends….Unlike the Spanish thin-sliced ham which can often be somewhat meh, this ham is juicy and rammed with flavour – Aye Caramba!….Only topped in piggy-wiggy terms by the suckling pig ($18)….
Suckling Pig (tapas portion)
Imagine Peking duck is pork form…meat so soft you barely need a knife…now image that topped with crispy thick caramelized skin paired with a lemony puree. Other suckling pigs out there…just go home – you can’t compete. Pork-lovers – if you don’t order this, you will regret it the rest of your life.
Amongst all the dishes, there was one that almost made me cry it was that good. The escalibada with foie gras and smoked eel ($19)…when this enters your mouth, please close your eye…the smokiness of the eel, the fatty foie gras, the spice of the pepper, the saltiness of the cheese and the sour of the lemon mousse….This dish is so well balanced they should name a scale after it, because it takes your tastebuds on a rocking’ roller coaster journey.
One final tapas that really impressed us (yes, we tried more, listed here are the best in our books) was the chicken wings ($20)! Bones out and giving off such an enticing orange-caramel aroma, you more-or-less start dribbling if you breathe this in close enough. Nuff said really – they tasted as good as they smelt…
To top everything off the cocktails….yes I’m going to say it….are some of the best I’ve had in Singapore – but that’s for another article coming soon ;-).
What’s makes Catalunya such a great place is that it really has the whole package. Food and drinks are utterly superb, the service is friendly and cool, and of course the atmosphere is great. And to make it ever sweeter, the prices are actually quite reasonable. It’s somewhere I am personally planning on returning to very soon bringing as many friends as I can, and I suggest you go as soon as possible before the whole of Singapore discovers how awesome this place is!
Recommendation: come and eat and drink at the bar…no need for a reservation and the fare will blow your mind. What are you waiting for?
Catalunya is located at the Fullerton pavilion, 82 Collyer Quay Singapore 049327.
Food and drink compliments of Catalunya (photos courtesy of Catalunya)