COCONUTS CRITIC’S TABLE—Chef Jean-Philippe Patruno has some serious street cred when it comes to doing Spanish-inspired small plates, having previously worked at Fino and Barrafina, often touted as two of the top tapas spots in London. A couple of years ago he moved to Singapore, where his first attempt to bring tapas to the people, Bomba Paella made plenty of waves, but ended up being aborted when the landlord took back the lease.
We certainly hope his latest venture, which opened in April last year focusing on Mediterranean-inspired small plates and parillas (grill dishes), doesn’t suffer the same fate, because it’s pretty special. Sure there’s definitely room for tweaking, but in general this delightful restaurant, in its equally delightful black and white colonial home at the entrance to Rochester Park, is a place with no shortage of star quality.
For starters, there’s the setting: a lovely old two-storey home set in wonderfully leafy grounds. Tables are seemingly scattered around the verdant garden, arranged next to tinkling water features, under glass canopies or beneath pretty gazebos, while the many shimmering lights add to the fairy-grotto vibe. On the flip side, I am not quite sure the ornately scrolled glass chairs quite work, but I guess that’s a personal thing and they do add to the slightly-Alice-in-Wonderland atmosphere. The mosquito zappers standing guard around the place are another slight anomaly, but I’d also let those pass in return for their protection from getting ravaged by the bugs.
The garden layout does also mean that things are a little spread out, which in turn can make service slightly scatter gun. It’s not bad, just in need of a fine tune. I appreciate the inherent difficulties but there’s a little bit too much waving of arms required for a truly relaxing experience. It would also be nice to have been given the drinks menu when waiting for our table to be prepared (to be fair we hadn’t booked), a thirsty reviewer is not a good thing.
Inside the old house, it’s all a little more serious and grownup, with a bar dominating one end of the compact downstairs space and bottles of wine flanking one wall. Una serves over 10 different varieties of Tio Pepe Sherry and some good brandy, too ($10 a glass). If sherry isn’t your thing, don’t worry, there’s also a decent wine list (glass from $12/bottle from $55) and a choice of signature and classic cocktails (from $15) to enjoy with your meal.
Head up the stairs and, aside from the gents, you’ll find a room containing a beautifully-tiled tapas bar, with its small terrace balcony. It’s just a shame that it’s only open for special events, as it’s perhaps the most charming spot in the whole place.
Fortunately, the food makes up for this and other minor shortcomings. While chef Jean-Philippe is from Marseilles, his culinary obsession is clearly the tastes and flavours of Spain and the menu reflects this. There are a choice of over 15 hot and cold tapas dishes and then a brief selection of grills and most of what we’ve tried has been above average or better.
The portions are a decent size, too, like the sizeable, plump prawns in the gambas a la jio ($20), even if the dish was just ever-so-slightly too sweet for my taste. The Ibérico ham croquetta ($14) are a moreish combination of crunchy breadcrumb and gooey béchamel sauce, which works well with the flavorful ham, while the courgette flower (SG19) stuffed full of pungent goat’s cheese is an interesting treat. Special mention should definitely go to the smoked ox cheek ($14) that comes served on grilled toast baguette. The meat really does cut like butter and the rich, tangy jus works perfectly with the sharp horseradish shavings.
We could go on about the tapas but you get the general picture, this is good quality, and sometimes inventive tapas at a pretty decent price. Those wanting a little more from their meal can also explore the selections of mains and grills.
Before I do comment on these a little side note. One of the biggest criticisms I could find online from diners at Bomba seemed to be for the suckling pig ($35 at Una served with mash potatoes and quince jelly), clearly a touchy subject in Singapore but I must confess to not trying it at either eatery. I’ve also never tried the paella either, so can’t comment on that, except to tell you that there are three options seafood and chicken, black rice or Barcelona style with fideua pasta (all $62/82).
What I have tried, though has managed to match the same high standards of the small dishes. Like the ox cheeks, the pork belly chop ($27) is beautifully tender and and has a wonderfully smoky aroma thanks to being cooked over charcoal and apple wood; a smokiness further enhanced by the inclusion of charred rosemary. I would, however, have liked the server to tell me that it came with mashed potato, so I didn’t order an extra serving ($8), especially, as the mash turned out to be a little too creamy. The rump of lamb ($27) shows these guys really do know how to handle a grill with aplomb. It’s another perfectly cooked piece of meat and the accompanying Provencal vegetables are fresh, fruity and tart in equal measure.
For desserts, it’s pretty hard to look past the signature Churros and chocolat ($12). I can see why they’re such a hit, as they manage to achieve that perfect balance between crisp coating and fluffy. My fellow diners have swooned over them before but I personally found them just a tad bitter, even with the indulgent chocolate sauce and honey ice cream. The Panna cotta with popcorn ($12) is less wow-worthy, even with the addition of the sherry apricot puree, but decent enough, though we’re not sure that the fluffy popcorn adds that much to the dish.
But we don’t want to dwell on the negatives. They’re really a case of minor grumbles: a tweak to the service and little stumbles on certain dishes, but from our experience Una easily avoids any big missteps with its food. And when you consider the stunningly romantic setting—book for Valentine’s Day and we guarantee you’ll get lucky—classy tapas (especially those divine ox cheeks) and often sublime mains, then Una makes for a pretty unique and very charming dining destination. One that’s well, well worth the trek out West.
Read other Critic’s Tables:
Marukyu: Functional, not fireworks
Sweet treats and croc meat can’t disguise desperate mood at Table@Pip’s
Black Swan: An American Beauty that can leave you wanting more
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