Element: Basque meets multi-cultural fare in Tanjong Pagar
PUBLISHED April 28th, 2014 02:00 am | UPDATED May 22nd, 2017 05:19 pm
All-day hotel dining restaurants rarely register a blip amongst gastronomes, but the Amara Singapore’s recent overhaul has brought some sexiness back to what is synonymous with stale buffets and inattentive servers. Element is that head-turner.
Its busy kitchen opens freely into the stylish dining area, framed end-to-end with shelves of homely spice and pickle jars. Eames chairs, French mirrors, polished lacquers and white marble add a polished touch to the otherwise clean, soothing aesthetics conjured by the very designers behind Toby’s Estate and The Exchange. A lot of attention to detail, for an establishment that needs to please anyone from the budget-conscious family-maker to the dandy yuppie looking to de-compress.
Yet in an attempt to be everything to everyone, Element ends up losing more personality than it deserves to. Pizza sits cheek by jowl with satay and gindara in an encyclopedic menu; a stunning glass wine cellar is three feet from a cocktail tap and seven from a sign that reads ‘$3.80 champagne Ladies Night’; a DJ console along Tras Street blares and clashes with the lounge-y beats within.
Nevertheless, an attempt by Element at characterising its a la carte selection with a Basque flair deserves some credit. 22-year old Chef de Cuisine Mikel Badiola hails from San Sebastian, and the lanky charmer makes you feel right at home with his rustic fare that dispenses with any molecular vestige. Piquillo Peppers with Cod Fish ($12 for 2 pieces), interplay salty-rich with caramel-sweet flavours. Another pincho of Crisp Tomato Crostini topped with 5J Jamon Iberico ($15 for 2 pieces) melts in your mouth with a dizzying spike of sodium, in what is simplicity at its best.
And if you thought you knew Spanish cuisine, a meal at Element might even turn out to be a re-education exercise. ‘Croquettes from my country do not come with rice,’ Chef Mikel informs, and those Lava Balls of Ham and Béchamel ($9 for 2 pieces) are an artery-clogging godsend. Spanish Tortilla ($$10) that spews a wet filling of creamy potato cubes wrapped in the thinnest of omelettes almost re-defines the usually cake-like potato moosh. And if a gritty Basque Seafood Soup ($16) appears too dark for comfort, it’s because burnt bread has been used to add a dimension of smokiness, as well as to serve as ode to Basque inventiveness in the face of scarcity. Aromatic prawn stock is spiked with paprika, peppers and parsley, offering a slight backbeat of spice that warms one within.
To end off the meal, one of Chef Mikel’s childhood favourites – Yoghurt with Honey Jelly and Walnut Cream ($9) – makes an appearance in a martini glass. It’s a guilt-free dessert with refreshing yet intense flavours, a heartfelt attempt at bringing a slice of home to his new Singaporean audience.
A pity then, that Element’s Basque menu is crowded by a slew of distractors, from a limited-range buffet to an uninspired beverage menu. Plated service also suits the pincho concept poorly, losing that touch of conviviality and ruggedness that such bars in Spain exude. But for the discerning palate, Element might offer the tired Spanish gastronomic narrative a much-needed refresh.
Written by Mr Nom Nom
On this occasion the meal and photos were compliments of Element
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