It has been a while since LD & I had a taste of Spanish food. Therefore, prior to the group dining restriction enforce in September 2021, we decided to have a lunch gathering with our foodie friends at Tapas Club at Jewel. The restaurant presents a very focused food menu with less than 50 items from cold cuts to desserts.
Tapas Club - Dining Area Right
Tapas Club - Dining Area Left
We started with Jamon Iberico ($32). One of the most popular cold cuts from Spain, Iberico Ham served with Bread and Tomato. The bread is light and crispy, providing a good vessel for the sweet and tangy tomato sauce. The Jamon Iberico is sliced nicely allowing us to savour the delicious saltish and meaty texture of the ham. Yumz!
Jamon Iberico
Bread and Tomato
Bread and Tomato
Ensalada De Burrata ($18). This burrata salad can easily be mistaken for the Italian version. I notice the version here is creamy, yet lighter compare to the Italian burrata. The cheese is simply drizzled with olive oil and served on the bed of salads and tomatoes. Simplicity at its best.
Ensalada
De Burrata
Arroz Negro ($30 - Squid Ink Paella). Cooked and served on a shallow pan. I find the paella version at Tapas Bar is a blend of risotto with our claypot rice. It uses short-grain rice similar to risotto, which absorbs a substantial amount of stock and squid ink. For the top part, the rice is al-dente, plump and packed with flavour. The little drops of sour cream cuts through the richness of the squid ink and kind of reset your palate to enjoy more of the paella. Meanwhile, for those who like crispy rice, you should scoop the bottom part and enjoy the scorched rice. The mussels are tasty, though I find it a bit overcooked.
Arroz Negro - Squid Ink Paella
Calamares A La Romana ($16 – Battered Squid Rings). It has a crispy exterior followed by light and bouncy squid. The lemon and mayonnaise accompanied the squid rings nicely. It will be a better dish if the batter is evenly spread and it has a more consistent crispy texture.
Calamares
A La Romana – Battered Squid Rings
Cojonudos ($16 – Chorizo & Quail Egg). These mini bites represent the essence of tapas. It served up different texture and flavours in one bite. The chorizo is chewy, smokey and spicy, followed with creamy and delicious quail egg on top of crispy toast. It like a party in your mouth.
Cojonudos - Chorizo & Quail Egg
Cojonudos - Chorizo & Quail Egg
We end our meal with Churros Con Chocolate ($9 -Churros with Chocolate sauce). It looks promising; however, I find the churros a bit doughy. The chocolate sauce is thick and solid.
Churros
Con Chocolate - Churros with Chocolate sauce
Of course, Spanish dining is not complete without Sangria, Spanish sweet wine served cold.
Sangria
The décor of the restaurant is a blend of modern and traditional with a Spanish flair. You can’t miss the signature clay flowerpot, the flamenco logo and the robust passionate red colour representing Spain. The service is friendly and efficient.
Tapas Club - The Bar
Overall, it was a good Spanish dining experience at the Tapas Bar. The food, drink and dining companion making it a great dining experience. We’ll definitely return to try the rest of the menu. Salud!! Cheers!!
Tapas Club Menu Image Credit: Tapas Club
If you are here for lunch, check out their lunch set offering. (See menu)
Tapas Club - Lunch Set Menu Image Credit: Tapas Club
Roots
Mediterranean opens its door to the public in August 2019 at Greenwood Avenue.
The Roots experience offers an epicurean journey which starts from the origin,
the roots of the Mediterranean culinary culture. Roots Mediterranean (“RM”)
provides the quality and experience of an Italian “Osteria”, a Greek “Ouzeri”
and a Spanish “Tasca”.
Roots Mediterranean
RM
tagline belief that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, the culinary
concept is simple and elegant. Using only fresh, premium ingredients and
original recipes, delivering a hearty and flavourful dish to the diners.
Roots Mediterranean
Outdoor facing Bar
Dinner
at RM normally starts with a basket of bread. Consist of different type of
bread including sourdough, grissini, flatbread and others. The bread is served
with olive oil dip. Following it, we have a feast on entrée and small bites.
Basket of Bread
Burrata E
"Datterini" (S$24) - Imported Burrata with cherry tomatoes, capers
and olives. The burrata is firm and creamy, but not the oozing type. The cherry
tomatoes provided a sweet and savoury burst of flavour, while the capers and
olives add the mini twist to the dish. One of our favourite starters in any Italian
restaurants.
Burrata E "Datterini"
Dips are the heart of
starters in Mediterranean cuisine. We had Tzatziki ($8) - The most loved Greek
dip, Yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and extra virgin olive oil; Tirokafteri ($10) - A
spicy and cheesy dip. A spread with yoghurt, feta cheese and chilli; Hummus (S$8)
- The most iconic Middle Eastern dip: chickpeas cream with sesame paste; and Melinzano
Salata ($8) - Roasted eggplant dip with lemon, extra virgin olive oil and
parsley.
Tzatziki and Hummus are two
of the most common dips found in Mediterranean cuisine. Surprisingly, the
roasted eggplant catches my attention here. I normally avoid eggplant because
of its sticky and mushy texture, however, the Melinzano Salata was tasty,
bursting with flavour and nicely complemented the crispy bread.
Dips from Bottom Tirokafteri, Hummus, Tzatziki & Melinzano Salata
Tortillas de Papas Y Queso
Fundido ($8). Spanish Omelette which includes potatoes and melted cheese is
just irresistible. Although it can be eaten on its own, I like it as a dip or
topping for the bread.
Tortillas de Papas Y Queso Fundido
Spanako Tiropita ($8). Greek Entrée.
A crispy phyllo dough pie with spinach and feta cheese. Crisp exterior followed
with creamy spinach blend with slightly salty feta cheese.
Spanako Tiropita
Gambas Ajillo (S$15) - Sauté prawns
with smoked paprika, fried garlic and parsley. The version here is on the dry side compared to some that
I tried before. The prawn is crunchy, pack with a bit for fiery flavour from
the paprika. Missing from the dish is the flavourful olive oil at the bottom to
dip the bread with.
Gambas Ajillo
Croquettas
de Jamon Y Queso ($8).
Very tasty and delicious croquette. The exterior is crispy, followed with
cheesy and salty fillings.
Croquettas de Jamon Y Queso
Next up are the heart of
Italian dishes, pasta. Spaghetti Carbonara ($20). Al-dente spaghetti, coated
with delicious strong creamy pecorino cheese. The flavour of the bacon-infused
well into the dish; you can taste it in each bite of pasta.
Spaghetti Carbonara
Tortelli
with Ricotta Spinach
($20) and Tortelli Crab Lobster ($24). The Italian
version of dumpling. Both dumplings are bursting with flavour. The ricotta
spinach fillings with tomato sauce have a nice balance between creaminess with
the tangy tomato sauce.
Tortelli with Ricotta Spinach
Meanwhile, the crab and
lobster tortelli are filled with natural sweetness from the crab and bouncy
texture from the lobster. The butter and sage sauce accentuates the crab and lobster
flavours and we can’t stop scooping it into our mouth.
Tortelli Crab Lobster
Lunette
Truffle ($24).
Lunette is round shape pasta filled with four types of delicious cheese, topped
with black truffle sauce. Kind of reminds me of quattro formaggi pizza, instead,
it is in pasta form and topped with the exquisite black truffle. Not for
everyone, but a must-have for a cheese lover.
Lunette Truffle
The intermission between the
pasta and pizza is Paidakia ($35). Greek style Lamb Chop. The lamb is tender,
succulent lightly marinated with oregano, garlic and lemon. Unlike most lamb
chop, the is almost no gaminess in this lamb. It is served with grilled
vegetables, mixed salad and tzatziki sauce.
Paidakia
Finally, we meet the star
dish of the restaurant. Roots are famed for “pizza in teglia alla romana”, a
special pizza which is rectangular and extremely trendy in Italy at the moment.
The dough is slightly thicker, but it is extremely light, airy, crispy due to
high hydration with a long fermentation time of 48 hours. The pizza comes in
different sizes, namely 25cm, 50cm and 1 metre.
Roots' famous “pizza in teglia alla romana”
We tried 4 different flavours
in the 1-metre plank pizza: Parma and Burrata, Sausage, Salami and Truffle, and
Prawn Arrabbiata. The price for each one is 25cm - $18, 50cm - $26 & 1
metre - $50). I like the Parma and Burrata plus the sausage and for LD, she
loved the spicy kick from the prawn arrabbiata. The pizza dough is so light, I
still manage to try the four different flavour of the pizza. It tasted like fresh-baked ciabatta bread.
Parma and Burrata
Sausage
Salami and Truffle
Prawn Arrabbiata
Due to no alcohol for me and
no coffee for LD, we swap out desserts a bit. I tried Frozen Pistachio Profiteroles, Hot Chocolate and Cherries; Tiramisu;
and Crème Catalana. All of them are delicious, however, our taste buds are a
bit numb due to the savoury food that we had earlier.
Desserts Platter
Desserts Platter
The décor of the restaurant
is simple, almost like dining in the traditional dining room of an Italian home
or Spanish home. The atmosphere is very much family orientated and lively. It
seems that everyone is enjoying themselves including the kids as well.
Part of the Dining Area
Part of the Dining Area, The Kitchen Pass and Entrance to the Shop
Overall, dining in Roots
Mediterranean is like having a gastronomic culinary exhibition in Italy, Greek
and Spain. The food is based on fresh and premium ingredients cooked using
traditional recipe. My personal pick is their pasta (spaghetti and tortelli),
pizza in teglia alla romana, and anything with burrata. For awesome
Mediterranean food, visit Roots. Saluti! Salud! Cheers!!
Thank you very much to
Jennifer and Roots Mediterranean team for hosting us.
Get ready
to be tantalise by Flavours Of Spain, brought to you by Pool Grill
and Guest Chef Albert Ortiz. Chef Ortiz was born and bred in
Barcelona, is a 3rd generation of restaurateur. For the
last 3 years, Chef Ortiz has expand his horizon to Asia, and
incorporate the colourful flavours of Asia in his cooking.
Guest Chef Albert Ortiz
From 15
February to 13 March 2016, you can taste the characteristic of Chef
Albert cooking at Pool Grill. I was fortunate enough to be the first
few to sample his gastronomic delight in 4 course dinner ($58++)
The
bread, Onion Focaccia. The signature bread from Marriott bakery. The
crust on top and bottom was just crispy, while the inner part of the
bread is soft, moist with fragrance from the onion.
Onion Focaccia
The Condiments: Butter, Olive Oil and Vinaigrette & Floss
In the recent food tasting session, we (Chubby Botak Koala + other
food bloggers) sampled a tapas size of Spanish Suckling Pig (Checkout the review here). As it was tapas size, it left you with a
sensation of wanting more. So we decided to organise a suckling pig
theme makan session.
Serenity - Table Setting
Serenity got our pick, due to their location and reputation. Thanks
to Running Man for booking and putting a down payment for the whole
pig, so we all can reap the benefit.
Cochinillo Asado - Spanish style roasted suckling pig (whole) with brown sauce and tomato jam
Au Jus from roasting
Cochinillo Asado ($338) Spanish style roasted suckling pig - whole.
Good for 5 to 8 pax. Served with the au jus from the pig, brown
sauce, tomato jam and potatoes. The suckling pig are roasted as whole
and served as a whole. Like other traditional Spanish restaurant
ritual, the suckling pig will be cut using saucer to show the
crispiness of the skin and the tenderness of the meat. Normally, the
saucer dispose by breaking it on the floor. In Serenity, the guest
will be invited to break the plate in the bin with a stone in the
middle. A nice ritual.
