Esquina is a tapas bar that is the brainchild of restaurateur and hotelier Loh Lik Peng. There has been much hype around the restaurant since its opening in December 2011. To mark their first year anniversary, they have launched a handful of new dishes.
Esquina is a tapas bar that is the brainchild of restaurateur and hotelier Loh Lik Peng. There has been much hype around the restaurant since its opening in December 2011. And to this day, more than a year after its opening, it is still difficult to get a seat! That could be attributed to the fact that there areonly 19 seats available – but their regulars have no qualms about eating while standing in the restaurant or even standing on the street in front of the restaurant.
Perhaps this is because the restaurant has undeniable star quality as British Michelin-starred Chef Jason Atherton opened the restaurant with Loh. Or perhaps it is the excitement and entertainment of the theatrics of the restaurant. The restaurant's limited interior space is mostly taken up by a tapas bar, and at the other side of the bar is the open kitchen. It is here that you'll see Executive Chef Andrew Walsh at work. You'll feel like you're watching an episode of “Hell's Kitchen”, albeit live and before you as you dine. You'll hear Walsh call, “Foam, foam, foam! I need that bleeping foam!”
Or perhaps it is because the food is excellent. Labeling Esquina's food simply as “tapas” doesn't seem to do it justice. The dishes are gastronomic and visual works of sheer creativity, skill and passion.
To mark the restaurant's first year anniversary, they have launched a handful of new dishes.
We loved the marinated beetroot salad with honeycomb burrata and pine nut crumble. The beetroot's sweet flavours are enhanced with the slightly saccharine honeycomb infused burrata while the pine nut crumble added texture and played up the earthy notes of the beetroot.
The raw tuna, mushroom and jamon salad with aubergine miso and sherry sesame is another great cold plate. It is a perfect marriage of Japanese and Spanish influences and results in a dish that is amazingly well-balanced. The umami flavours of the aubergine miso complemented the salty jamon, while the raw tuna and fresh mushroom gave the dish a fresh lift.
One of the dishes that has remained on the menu is the Spanish Breakfast – a slow cooked egg served with bravas sauce, cubed and creamed potato and crispy Iberico ham. If you're looking for an authentic taste of Spain in this tapas bar, then this is the perfect dish for you.
16 Jiak Chuan Road. Tel: 6222 1616