Dine Under the Bridge at Sol Tasca Tapas Bar

Sol Tasca Tapas Bar is a Spanish restaurant that has something new to offer. Located under the iconic Esplanade bridge, this al fresco place gives a pretty good view of the historical Merlion, durian-shaped Esplanade, and of course, the bustling Singapore River. You can choose to sit back, dine, and relax in their expansive sofas or high chairs while admiring the country at its best (Editor’s note: Do visit this restaurant at night to enjoy the city view to the fullest).

As for the food, they offer a good choice of alcoholic beverages as well as appetisers which are definitely Spanish. This time, they have added more to their menu to cater to their growing number of customers. For starters, why don’t you give their Olive, Anchovy, and melted Brie on toast ($12++ for 4 pieces) a try. This dish stood out for me because it was a mixture of so many different flavours that somehow merged into one delicious appetiser. Also part of the appetiser menu were the Pimento, Manchengo Cheese and Serrano Jamon on Toast ($13++ for four pieces), Stuffed Pimentos with Paella and Manchengo Cheese ($12++ for four pieces), Pimento, Serrano Jamon and Anchovy on Toast ($12++ for four pieces), and the Pan-seared Prawns wrapped with Bacon (8++ for four pieces). Maybe I have a sensitive palate, but I found that most of these finger foods are a bit too salty for my taste, so I had to wash it down with water.

The Croquetas de Bacalao ($8++ for four pieces) was a welcome addition to the menu list as it was different from the previous appetisers on toast. Although its breadcrumb coating could have been crispier, I definitely enjoyed chewing its soft and creamy filling of the béchamel sauce. Dip it in their yummy garlic mayo sauce for additional kick and for your complete enjoyment. What Spanish restaurant would be complete without the mussels, right? Of course, you could expect that at Sol Tasca Tapas Bar. They have the Sauteed Live Mussels in Tangy Cream Sauce ($18++) which had a very soft and chewy taste. Together with the sauce which had a hint of alcohol in it, it was top notch. It seemed a bit odd that the last dish on the menu would be the heaviest of them all, the Paella Valencia. But remembering the dishes that I tasted, they were all appetisers. For me, the rice was ‘al dente’. It was not too cooked so when I bit on it, it was not soggy. The seafood flavours of the squid, prawns, mussels also made this dish memorable! I can definitely say that this was the highlight of my dining experience at Sol Tasca Tapas Bar. Since the restaurant is fairly new (having been launched in January of this year), I think Sol Tasca Tapas Bar still has room for improvement when it comes to their food and the ventilation (since they're al fresco, it may get pretty hot during the day). But overall, this is a pretty good hang out spot where you can watch the hustle and bustle of the city life while enjoying some good ‘ol tapas and wine. *Photographs courtesy of Sol Tasca Tapas Bar -- Address: The Fullerton Waterboat House, 3 Fullerton road, #01-04, Raffles Place Tel. No. 6533-8913 Must-try spanish dishes that you have not come across Chill out at our recommended bars and restaurants