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2015-03-14
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Ever heard of the Spanish saying "Mi Casa es Su Casa"?Basing their philosophy on the saying which simply means "My House is Your House", My Little Spanish Place is a home-style Spanish restaurant that's possibly as close to mesóns as you can find in Spain. This quaint little shop is located along Bukit Timah road, just a minute walk from Coronation Plaza. Don't be surprised when you enter the restaurant. You will be greeted with a selection of wine displayed on the wine rack on your right. Alcoh
Basing their philosophy on the saying which simply means "My House is Your House", My Little Spanish Place is a home-style Spanish restaurant that's possibly as close to mesóns as you can find in Spain. This quaint little shop is located along Bukit Timah road, just a minute walk from Coronation Plaza.
Don't be surprised when you enter the restaurant. You will be greeted with a selection of wine displayed on the wine rack on your right. Alcohol is such an integral part of the dining culture that to the Spanish, many consider meals to be incomplete without wine or Sangria. My Little Spanish Place provides a huge selection of Sangrias and a fully Spanish wine list.
The yellow lighting adds extra coziness to the place- a feeling of comfort, warmth and a stronger sense of home. Especially love the brickwall details!
Special menu of the week is written on the blackboard.
Founded by Chef Maria Sevillano in March 2010, My Little Spanish Place has been around for quite some time and in 2013,. To mark its three years, a new Jamon bar was introduced Priding themselves on their Jamon Bar, My Little Spanish Place offers five different types of cured ham which is truly a rare sight regardless of whether it is in Singapore or overseas. Most restaurants offer only one or two types of Jamon, with top-notch restaurants offering up to a maximum of three types.
L-R: Joselito (48+ months)/ 5J (30-36months)
L-R: Sierra Mayor (30-36months)/ Laudes (18-24months)/ Fermin (18-20months)
Chef Edward Esmero, co-chef & partner of My Little Spanish Place, in action. Chef Edward has been with My Little Spanish Place for more than a year now. Dedicated and passionate about his job, he is extremely particular about the standard of food served, regardless of ingredients used or even, food plating. That said, 80% of the products are imported to preserve the authenticity.
The manager of My Little Spanish Place & Chef Edward giving an introduction before the food tasting session begins. (Yes, the manager is from Spain!)
We were served the Red Wine Sangria, a red wine punch flavoured with fruits. It is a typical beverage in Spain & sometimes referred to as the national beverage of Spain. I like how the fruits give the cocktail a slight citrus taste.
Chef Edward explaining to Openricers about the Jamon Bar.
While most restaurants use machines for the slicing of Jamon, My Little Spanish Place still does it the traditional way- all Jamon are hand carved. Jamon carving is not as easy as it seems. A well-carved Jamon is one that is as flat as possible but most people tends to carve a 'hole'. Pictured below, Chef Edward demonstrating how to hand-carve the Jamon.
First on the menu was the Jamon & Cheese Platter. We were served two types of Jamon, namely 10 Vetas Jamon (left) and Fermin Serrano (right) together with olives, Manchego cheese & quince paste. On first look, it's probably hard to differentiate between the two types of ham but it's recommnded that you start off with the younger because the longer it has been cured, the stronger the taste. Trust your tastebud to do the job because they don't lie! I'm also impressed with the choice of cheese used. Manchego cheese tasted really light, absolutely no issues with the saltiness even if you eat it on its own. Eat the cheese with quince paste if you'd like some sweetness, they go really well together!
Warm breads were served alongside the platter. Though they were clearly not part of the main platter served, it was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Yes, as cliche as that may sound. Place the ham on top of the baguette to give it extra crunch but I prefer to keep things simple by eating them separately.
Next up was the Croquettas, served with Alioli (garlic mayonaise). The filling is similar to creamy mashed potato, nothing quite fanciful about this dish. It probably paled in comparison to other dishes served that night since there weren't any surprise factor.
Gambas al ajillo- Garlic prawns. The prawns are cooked in olive oil with garlic & chilli pepper. Looks are deceiving, this dish is definitely not as oily and heavy as it looks. Dip the baguette into the sauce and eat while it's warm!
Voted to be the favourite dish among the Openricers, Champinones al Horno, mushroom stacks topped with prawn & melted Mahon cheese, glazed with Sherry vinegar. It sounds like a simple dish but the simplest dish is, more often than not, the hardest to perfect. The mushrooms were done to perfection, juicy and succulent without that overpowering earthy taste. Definitely top on my list!
Next, Chef Edward prepared something that is not in the tasting menu because he wanted us to try it. It's their Tortilla de Patata con Alioli- Potato Omelette with Alioli. A very complex but interesting dish! I took small bites trying to figure out whether the potato omelette tasted more like potato or omelette and I just couldn't decide on one. The texture was similar to an omelette on the first bite but as you continue, it changes to become more similar to that of potatoes. I've never had anything like this before.
What's a Spanish meal without paella, a classic Spanish dish? Two different paellas were served, namely the Paella de la Casa and Arroz Negra. Spanish food are very much influenced by seafood because of its location along the coastal region hence both the Paellas contain seafood. Pictured below, Arroz Negra, Black Ink Paella, rice flavoured with black ink squid broth with prawns and squid and served with Alioli.
Paella de la Casa- House Paella made with special ingredients such as langostinas, chorizo, prawns, black mussels and chicken.
The Black Ink Paella was of the right saltiness and I like the zesty flavor after squeezing in the lemon. However, I still prefer the House Paella because the rice was more flavourful due to the variety of ingredients added.
Finally, Dessert Platter consisting of Churros, Hand-churned Strawberry Ice Cream and Chocolate Tart was served. This is Chef Edward's award-winning dessert platter, needs no emphasis on how good it is! The Hand-churned Strawberry Ice Cream is not any ordinary strawberry ice cream that you see outside. It has to be mixed once every 20 minutes, A+ for effort. I'm not a fan of chocolate but my favourite is the Chocolate Tart that's made with 68% dark chocolate. Does this tell you how good it really is?
If you haven't been to Spain & would like a taste of authentic Spanish food, why not visit My Little Spanish Place? Just put on your bib and prepare for a night of gastronomic adventure! Oh, be sure to try out one of their signature item, Spanish Suckling Pig that's not featured above! Chef Edward will also be presenting a special menu at SAVOUR on 26th to 29th March. He will be conducting cooking classes, one on weekdays and two on weekends so be sure to catch him in action at the F1 Pit Building. Also, My Little Spanish Place will be opening a new outlet at Boat Quay in mid April 2015, do show your support!Lastly, thank you Reka and Jenny for the invitation!
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