Bodega y tapas, Singapore – classics done well
This restaurant is now closed.
Tapas is everywhere in Singapore – and with good reason. There’s something about the perennially hot weather that makes sitting outside with a profusion of small plates and something exeedingly chilled in the glassware a rather nice interlude. And so it was at Bodega y tapas, down the Tanglin Road end of that most iconic of Singapore thoroughfares, Orchard Road.
Part of a larger Spanish restaurant, Esmirada, this tapas bar has been around for quite a long time. Greedy Girl has been several times, especially after she discovered they prepared a pretty good frozen margarita, but the food has admittedly been a little hit-and-miss – as has the service, but more on that later. There is interior seating, a few low and high tables under a covered portico and a huge outdoor area akin to an old-fashioned beer garden. Be warned – the latter is a haven for Singapore’s smokers. Greedy Girl and gluttonous husband plonked themselves under the portico for the best of both worlds – a smoke-free alfresco experience.
Bodega y tapas has a relatively new chef, Roberto Hernandez, who started his professional life as a radiologist. Happily, his food does not taste like it has been irradiated. While the dishes are as traditional here as tapas gets, they’re executed very well.
The venue, especially in the early stages of Saturday night, is hectic. There’s an expat birthday party indoors (to be avoided at all costs) and the beer garden is smoking – literally. The portico is also shoehorning in patrons. Greedy Girl and gluttonous husband, having already partaken of cocktails and snacks at their hotel, opted for four plates and, of course, a frozen margarita for Greedy Girl.
The first of the tapas arrived before the drinks. Not a great sign. It was, however, heavenly – iberico croquettes (pictured above). These soft, golden orbs are perfection. The romesco sauce served alongside packs a bit of a punch too. Delish.
After a couple of reminders, the margarita finally arrived. Served in jam jars, they’re as classic as margaritas get.
A thing of beauty
Two more plates arrived together. Grilled asparagus (again with the romesco sauce) and the chef’s own ‘secret recipe’ grilled chorizo. The asparagus was absolutely perfect. It had been blanched before grilling to provide a resistance to the bite but no rawness inside – the spears were reasonably thick. As well as the romesco sauce there was a slick of a soy/honey marinade. Yummy. The chorizo was just a sausage sliced on the diagonal and grilled expertly. Some chorizo can have tough skin – this was not one of those. A couple of slices of bread were perfect for mopping up the paprika-infused oil left behind in the dish.
Grilled asparagus with romesco
Grilled chorizo
Our final plate was squid, served with garlic and salsify chips and ‘alioli’. Apparently alioli refers to the Catalan sauce, rather than the French aioli. There are other differences — traditionally aioli is made with egg, while alioli only contains oil. Both, of course, positively reek of garlic. The squid was a little firmer to the bite than Greedy Girl would prefer but the flavour was very good. Garlic chips, having been deep fried, run the risk of turning bitter and such was the case here, while the salsify chips were fairly bland. Still, the dish was mopped up.
Squid, garlic and salsify chips
Going to a tapas bar during happy hour usually means you’re in for a crowd. The bonus in Singapore though, where it’s not cheap to drink alcohol anywhere, means you can get two frozen margaritas for less than what you’d pay for one in most parts of the world – coming in at S$8.50 each on this visit.
This is not the place to go if you’re looking for a more inventive take on tapas, but it does the classics really well. Service on a busy night isn’t terribly good but, when you can chill out on a refreshing margarita or two and watch the world go by, it could be a lot worse.
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