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Introduction
J's is a restaurant providing good, quality food and service where everyone comes together. Its serves modern European cuisine while retaining the Latin American flavour. J's was formerly known as Eltoro before it got re-branded.
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Opening Hours
Mon - Thu
12:00 - 14:30
18:30 - 22:00
Fri
12:00 - 14:30
18:30 - 22:30
Sat
18:00 - 22:30
Sun
12:00 - 14:30
18:00 - 21:30
Above information is for reference only. Please check details with the restaurant.
Signature Dishes
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Just recently, during yet another team's dinner with D, YN and A, we very last minute headed down to J's Restaurant (discussion was all on Straits Cafe vs Badoque) for a pre-planned 'impromptu' dinner. I wanted to take a picture of the restaurant, but it was full house! Didn't want to snap pictures of innocent diners, so that's all I have of the restaurant interior. The restaurant is not exactly very small, yet not exactly very spacious so reservation in advance is really recommended. With a strong Latin-American influence, there's also an addition of a more refined modern European cuisine. J's menu not only caters for Vegetarians and also removed pork/lard and alcohol for Muslims. A great choice for gatherings with individuals of different dietary requirement! And now, let's get on with the food, shall we?Poppers - $17Breaded jalapeno peppers stuffed with mozzarella, fried till golden brown. Served with salsa sauce and guacamole sauce. I was hoping that I can get some spicy kick from this appetizer, but it was more of a sour shock instead. A little way too vinegary sour for my liking, though generously stuffed with cheese that was melted till molten in the process of frying till crispy golden brown.I didn't eat with much sauce, because out of the two I'll prefer the salsa sauce and I really need no more sourish tangy taste added to this poppers.Caution: The molten cheese are scalding hot. Bite into these poppers with care!Chipotle Meatballs - $17Brasied beef meatballs in spicy chipotle and tomato sauce, served with crispy corn tortilla chips.I can't comment on this, for I do not take beef. It did look delicious, though.Paella - $39 (for 2 servings)A traditional Saffron rice dish, with marinated chicken, salmon and tilapia.One of my favourite food, 'Spanish fried rice'. The rice was cooked till pretty hard, yet drenched in flavourful savoury moistness, and topped up with generous amount of chicken, salmon and tilapia. At just $39 for 2 pax, as compared to $28 for 1 pax, this is a definite steal!Fatijas (Chicken) - $29Grilled chicken breast with sauteed onions, capsicums, cabbage and mushroom, served with warm tortillas and an array of sauces.Of course, you don't expect grilled chicken breast to be juicy and tender. But they're still nothing short of being flavourful and tasty. Mushrooms seemed a little sparse as I hardly ate any, but they're obviously (as you can see from the picture) very generous with not just the chicken but also the onions and capsicums. I guess the correct way is to wrap the dish in the tortilla and eat it as a self made wrap with your preferred sauce(s), and so I did. I find that the meat itself is flavourful enough and there's really no need to add on any sauces to further complicate the taste.However, D was literally piling her serving plate with both the salsa and guacamole sauces. So I guess, to each it's own? Churros with Bananas & Mangoes - $12Churros, served with salted caramel bananas, fresh mangoes and coconut infused mascarpone sabayon.The churros are pretty well done, served piping hot right out of the fryer. The outside, dusted in icing sugar and drizzled with yummy chocolate, was crispy and the insides were soft, fluffy and slightly moist.However, I'm not feeling much for the jar of bananas, mangoes, coconut mascarpone cream though. It was way too creamy and heavy on the tastebuds, and I got pretty sick of it even before I could dig out the salted caramel bananas. Gave up on it after mouthful and mouthful of coconut mascarpone cream with bits of mangoes inside. Other than D, who tends to like richer, creamy and more flavourful food, none of us really like the jar of mascarpone sabayon.Would have enjoyed this dessert a lot more if it's served with a pot of rich chocolate dip instead!
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Came back for dinner this time round and tried new items:1) Chipotle Meatball - very tasty and the meatball was made fresh. Definitely to order again.2) Jalapeño with Cheese - CAUTION! This one is nice but PACKS SPICE! If you like spice then you need to check this out.3) Adobo Chicken - generous piece of chicken that slow cooked in a plastic wrap = very tasty soft meat in slightly spicy sauce.4) Beef Fajitas - comes in a hot plate and needs to eat fairly fast as the meat can get slightly tough when further 'cooked' with the extra heat.Another wonderful experience. Definitely coming back again!
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Was at J's for a team lunch at the recommendation of a colleague. I hadn't been to Purvis Street before even though I was a regular in the Bugis area so I had no idea what J's had to offer prior to today. It's located just opposite the National Library and the contrast between the sleepy alley of colourful shophouses and the tall and modern-looking library building was indeed intriguing to look at.I didn't take any pictures of the interior though but it's a pretty cosy space despite the small size and the chairs are comfortable which is an important factor to me whenever I eat out. The seats are placed along both sides of the wall so there is ample space to move around in the centre. After I settled down, I realised that I was in for some Latin-American fare or so Foursquare told me. I don't recall eating any Latin-American cuisine before so I wonder what it is all about.I opted for the three-course set lunch which is a steal at $28++. The two-course set lunch costs $24++, in case you are wondering. You can choose between a salad, soup or two other dishes for the appetisers. I didn't fancy having parmesan cheese in my salad so I opted for the trustworthy cream of mushroom which usually does not disappoint. Glad to say that it was fine but it could certainly do with lesser oil. I'm not sure whether the oily sensation came from the croutons or the soup itself but to make it a bit more easier on the palette, I think the oil should be reduced. On the whole, it's still a credible attempt at this dish almost available everywhere else.I was expected a half spring chicken which was not deboned but to my delight, this had been nicely cut into the breast meat and thigh sections. This made it easier to eat instead of having to debone the meat using the knife and fork and I really appreciate this thoughtful gesture. I must confess that I am never a fan of breast meat because most places usually succeed in making it too dry or tough. Luckily, J's version is still acceptable and eating it with the puree and fricassee made it even better. Having said that, I still prefer the thigh cut of this dish but overall, I'm impressed with this dish.As for dessert, I opted for the banana dish with vanilla gelato. The combination of banana and tortilla was a pretty good one although I thought that the vanilla gelato was a bit common. Having tasted one of my colleagues' selection which came with ginger gelato that was very unique and pleasing, I think it might have been better if this dish can with a gelato that's less sweet or more refreshing e.g. mint to counter the sweetness of the banana. This dish wasn't bad but I thought it can be improved.I would recommend J's if you are looking for a comfortable and quiet place to enjoy some decent food at healthy portions with a reasonable price. However, be warned that service can be a bit slow (the waiters are polite though) which I think could be somewhat deliberate because they want you to sit down to enjoy the food rather than gobble and go. If you are in a rush, you might be better off going elsewhere. If you have the time to spare, you will not be disappointed here.Last but not least, those with Citibank cards get a 10% discount and there's no GST here (just the service charge applies).
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For my mom's birthday this year, my brother suggested going to J's restuarant near Bugis area after hearing good reviews from his friends. We started off with 2 starters. The first one is the Scrambled eggs with Salmon which came in threes and the smoked salmon and eggs were served on top the crispy tortillas. Awesome combination! The second starter are the Poppers, which are breaded “Jalapeno” peppers stuffed with mozzarella. It was crispy but a little spicy for me. There are two types of Quesadillas, the beef and chicken. We ordered both to try. It is basically a tortilla filled with chicken breast/minced beef, cheese, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno & guacamole. The one shown is the beef version. They describe the "Adobo" chicken as a braised chicken cooked “Adobo”, meaning that the raw chicken is immersed in a stock composed variously of paprika, oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance its flavor. It was served together with warm tortillas and the chicken was so juicy and tender. Totally yummy to have it eaten wrapped in the tortillas! The beef sirloin was tender and it was served together with cabbage & leeks fricassee & saffron rice puree. The braised lamb shanks were huge! Heirloom vegetables & potato colcannon were served alongside. For desserts, we heard the Bread & Butter Pudding and Churros with Bananas & Mangoes were the best ones here and so we ordered both. Between the two, I prefer the Churros! It was layered with salted caramel bananas, fresh mangoes & coconut infused mascarpone sabayon, so so good! The bread & butter pudding consist of a baked brioche with milk, eggs, white chocolate, walnut & peaches served with vanilla gelato. It was also yummy! The food here are quite expensive but totally worth it!
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