La Ventana (Closed)

For pictures and full review pls visit:http://madamechewy.com/2016/05/22/la-ventana/Opened by Michelin starred chef Carles Gaig, La Ventana is located in Singapore’s dining enclave, the tranquil Dempsey Hill. The restaurant offers traditional Catalan recipes that will evoke a sense of nostalgia to Catalans. Diners who are unfamiliar with the cuisine will be able to experience authentic Catalan fare at La Ventana.La Ventana has an attractive indoor dining space, as well as enchanting alfresco set up with lush foliage as a backdrop.To start, we had crusty baguette with light-textured olive oil produced in Spain, which can be purchased at La Ventana. Do note that the pictures in this blog post feature tasting portions.Next, a trio of signature tapas was served. The Foie Gras Terrine Cookie ($18/4 pcs) was something new to me and I love how the flavours and textures, contrasted, yet worked harmoniously -savoury Foie gras terrine is sandwiched between flaky layers of puff pastry, then topped with sweet apple compote and red fortified wine. The crisps homemade Croquetas ($14/4 pcs) breaks open to reveal a creamy interior consisting of potato and roasted chicken, while the Cod Bunelos ($18/6pcs) core comprises of flaky snow-white flesh.Prepared in accordance to Gaig family’s recipe which has been handed down for 4 generations, the Canelon Since 1869 ($26) is essentially rolls of pasta stuffed with seasoned beef and pork, then blanketed with oh-so-fragrant truffle cream.While Canelon Since 1869 was good, it was overshadow by the Octopus ($32), paired with potatoes a dash of Spanish smoked paprika. I’m usually not a fan of the tentacled creature, but this slow roasted rendition won me over with its amazing tenderness. You’ve got to sink your teeth into this to understand what I mean!At this point, the amicable Chef Gaig presented Black Rice ($38), an enticing dish of carnaroli rice infused with squid ink, and topped with fresh slipper lobster, clams and fish.We also had the opportunity to sample a seasonal item, White Asparagus ($28) seasoned with white vinegar and Parmesan slices.Our Catalan “Creme Brulee” ($14) is unlike any other crème brulee I’ve encountered-this has a dreamy texture that reminiscent of clouds. The layered sweet treat starts with a golden zesty syrup at the bottom, followed by a scoop of toffee ice cream, airy espuma, and finally, torched sugar. Excavate from bottom to the top, so that you can get all the components in one spoonful, then savour it slowly to appreciate the dessert’s intricacies.On weekdays, take a break from the hectic office by indulging in an afternoon tea treat at La Ventana. The restaurant offers a 3-tiered Spanish afternoon tea set ($76++ for 2 pax), filled with freshly prepared canapés and dainty sweets. continue reading

The classic Catalan cuisine was pretty great, if a little stodgy. There were a couple of memorable hits, but many were tame, as traditional fare is wont to be. That said, for a bill that just hit the $100 mark for 6 dishes, La Ventana could possibly be the cheapest Michelin-related restaurant ever. The Chicken Wing Confit ($14), conveniently boneless, was a lovely showpiece of slow-cooked succulence, blanketed in a lightly spiced jus. Nice, but a little forgettable. Ditto for the Surf & Turf ($18), juicy fat beef meatballs and baby calamari dunked in a well-rounded tomato-based sauce. It was a particularly thoughtful gesture to split them up into 2 portions for us. Ah, the highlight of dinner was the humble Croquetas ($14), breaded tubes of mashed potato and cream and shredded roasted chicken, deep-fried to a beautiful golden. This was insanely good...I'm still dreaming about these babies. A look inside each croqueta, this was more meat than potato or cream, making it a lot more substantive and savoury than most other renditions. Another surprise was the Miniature Tortillas ($12), a perfect circle of a Spanish-style omelette flecked with potatoes and onions. This may have appeared drab, but turned out simplicity at its finest, delicious and wonderfully nuanced. The Cod Bunuelos ($18) fritters of mashed Atlantic cod were so well done I hardly noticed the parsley specks weaved into it. Here, I actually thought the parsley balanced out the fattiness of the cod, rather than detracted from it. The Fiduea ($32), a Catalan-style noodle paella simmered in a rich seafood stock and aioli, was a little contentious. I thought the umami exuberance wasn't as hateful as the Hubs felt, even if it was a smidge oily and overwhelming with the taste of octopus. continue reading

 Spanish restaurants usually do not give the impression of fine dining but La Ventana did it.  From the deco, attention to details in its plates and glasses, comprehensiveness of the drink list, and more importantly the taste of the tapas and paella!The tapas are carefully put on the dishes and not just like something cooked in bulk and put on the small tapas dishes.  The cod croquette made us recall the Porteguese dishes and its taste is just well balancedz. Soft in centre and crispy outside.  Nice.  Anchovies on baguette is superb.  They are not overly salty and with the combination of tomato and crispy crusted baguette it's one of the best tapas I have ever tasted.Fideuà is a traditional Catalan dish which you might not be able to try in many of Spanish restaurants and they served it here!  It's a noodle paella with cheese and it's very delicious.  Yet the texture is something special as it's not as soft as rice in paella but it's a bit in between chewy and crispy.Pigeon paella is very good as pigeon are so nicely cooked.  Just cooked and you'd taste the succulent, juicy and tender meat.  Of course the rice are so moist and tasty.The surprise is the chocolate with the illy coffee at the end gives a great finale of our Sunday lunch. continue reading

La Ventana by Chef Charles Gaig, is the first expansion to Asia by Michelin Star Chef Charles Gaig. Open in June 2015, La Ventana ('LV') set to resurrect traditional Catalan recipes, bringing a taste of home to Catalans overseas and also introducing to the multicultural population in Singapore an authentic and long standing taste of Catalan. LV Singapore concept will be tapas-centric restaurant featuring his famous take on classic Catalan market fare. The duo entrusted to maintain the stringent standard required by Chef Gaig are Chef Gaig's daughter Miss Nuria Gibert who is the LV's restaurant manager and Chef Eduard Castellarnau who has worked for Chef Gaig for more than 10 years at Restaurant Gaig in Barcelona. Set in the beautiful and lush greenery of Dempsey Hill, LV has indoor and outdoor seating arrangement. Up to 40 pax indoor, 60 pax outdoor and 10 pax at the bar. There is also an private section at the back where you can cater for small function.Our tasting menu is a combination of “GRAN ÀPAT” tasting menu with the signature dishes recommended by our host for the night. While waiting for the kitchen to prepare the meal, we nibble on baguette with olive oil. Oyster “Escabeche” (mild pickled Gillardeau oysters with baby vegetables and herbs) and Jamón Ibérico “de Bellota” (100% acorn fed Ibérico ham on Catalan crystal bread with tomato). The oyster is fresh, juicy and mild. The baby vegetables provided the contrasting texture to the dish, and a good teaser to for the next to come. Jamón Ibérico is one of my perennial favourite ham. The reddish colour of the ham was so inviting. Although it was cured for more than 36 months, the texture of the ham is still succulent and melts in your mouth. It has the right saltiness and nicely complemented with tomato and crispy chewy Catalan crystal bread. Lobster “Coca” (fresh lobster meat on fine puff pastry with eggplant purée and roasted capsicums). A nice presentation especially alternating between eggplant and sliced roasted capsicums. Unfortunately the taste of the lobster is cover by the accentuated roasted capsicums flavour. Roasted Octopus (slow roasted octopus with infused potatoes and Spanish smoked paprika). The octopus was slow-cooked and served in square form like Chinese version of pig jelly. The octopus is tender and succulent, however there is a subtle hint of fishiness in the octopus. “Canelón” since 1869 (traditional cannelloni stuffed with foie gras, beef, pork and truffle cream. This is a traditional dish that enjoyed during Christmas by family in Catalan region. The cannelloni stuffed with foie gras, pork and beef. It is smooth, creamy and the truffle cream is just superb in binding all the ingredients together. Following its name, this dish was perfected in Chef Gaig family since 1869, and for four generation they have been doing in the same way. Yum Yum!! Black Cod & “Samfaina” (slow cooked black cod with Catalan style vegetable ragout). The buttery black cod texture just melts in your mouth. The vegetables ragout provided the acidity to fattiness in the cod fish. Pigeon “Paella” (carnaroli rice with porcini mushroom and pigeon). Yes, Pigeon. You see it correctly. Combining the Pigeon from France with traditional Catalan dish. The rice with mushroom are boiled using pigeon broth. It is robust and smoky at the same time. Meanwhile, the delicate pigeon are cooked separately. The pinkish breast meat tasted like medium rare wagyu fillet mignon. Definitely a must try dish. This dish is part of ala-carte menu instead of tasting menu. Crispy Suckling Pig (boneless suckling pig with strawberry salad). A melts in your mouth pork, with crispy paper thin skin is simply delicious. Porkgasm!! I was hoping for a bigger serving,but to no avail. The balsamic coated strawberry provided a good palate cleanser for me. Available in Tapas tasting menu but not in Gran Àpat. However you can order this in ala-carte. The finale is Catalan “Crème Brûlée” (espuma, ice cream toffee). This dessert is just light and melts in your mouth. It has sweet, tangy and a nice toffee flavour. Like digging into whipped cream hunting for the custard below. Due to the shape of the glass, it will be better if they give a sundae spoon instead of dessert spoon. To accompany your dinner here, don't forget to try their Sangria or Catalan Wine. Overall, I truly enjoy the Catalan cuisine served in La Ventana. You can see the efforts and execution that the chefs put in each dishes using the best and freshest ingredients available. My picks for the meal is the Jamón Ibérico “de Bellota”, Crispy Suckling Pig and Pigeon “Paella”. What will be your pick? Aclamacions!! Cheers!! Thank you very much for La Ventana Team and H3 Cube Team for the tasting invitation. For the complete review, click here:http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2015/08/la-ventana.html continue reading

Full La Ventana review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2015/07/la-ventana-tasting-session.htmlOpened in June 2015, the first thing I learnt about La Ventana is that it's distinctly Catalan cuisine, not Spanish cuisine. This distinction is important, because chef and the staff all hail from the Catalonia region, and they consider themselves an independent country.Ambience at La Ventana is quaint and cozy, like a country style home. This intimate 80-seater (plus) restaurant is set within the lush greenery of Dempsey Hill, styled to resemble the Barcelona countryside. The comfortable, modern wooden and rattan furniture, bespoke decor of wine bottles and handcrafted Catalonia art plates, classical background music from Spain, and nautical colours of blue-green / turquoise, white, wood, and navy, is welcoming with a suitable atmosphere for long, slow meals.Service at La Ventana is personalised, efficient, and professional, as befits a fine dining restaurant. The kitchen team mostly hails from Barcelona and the Catalonia region, while the front of house staff hail from throughout Spain, or Singapore. No problems conversing in English or Spanish. There is an old-world, elegant sophistication to the service, staff will serve all the ladies first, followed by the gentlemen, then briefly introduce each dish and its history. Very knowledgable, I'm impressed. They also come around regularly to check on the progress of your meal, offer more drinks, or proactively enquire if they can clear empty / dirty plates.Food at La Ventana is authentic Catalonia cuisine. Michelin-starred Chef Carles Gaig, of the famed Barcelona family restaurant Taberna d’en Gaig (which his family established in 1869), set up La Ventana, which is managed by his daughter Nuria Gibert, and her husband Chef Eduard Castellarnau. Dishes are known to engage the senses; with colouful, intricate plating and presentation, aromatic fragrances of herbs and spices, textures which are perfectly executed and compliment, and tastes which are bold, full of flavour. Tapas portions are suitably small, while main course portions are large and could be shared. Prices reflect the high-end, fine dining status of La Ventana, budget about SGD $85 or more per person, for a meal here.The Canelon Since 1869 (SGD $12) was the 1st dish ever created by chef's family, over 4 generations ago, when they first established their restaurant. Featuring a traditional cannelloni (a baked cylindrical pasta covered in sauce), stuffed with foie gras, minced beef, minced pork, and soaked in truffle cream, the dish is savoury, meaty, creamy, luxurious, full of flavour, and utterly decadent. Simple, straight forward, clean plating, but rather messy to eat. The Canelon Since 1869 is chef's proudest dish, a true family legacy, and the dish he will first ask you about (if you order it). One of the signature dishes of La Ventana. While it wasn't our favourite dish, we all agreed that it's very good. Worth ordering!I loved the Crispy Suckling Pig (SGD $38)! Featuring a large boneless slab of suckling pig, with tender and moist pork meat that isn't gamey in taste! Topped with a thin, crisp, savoury skin, which cracks beautifully. A tart, sour sweet strawberry salad is served alongside, and the sharpness of the vinaigrette pairs well with the savoury sweetness of the pork. Plating is clean and modern, with the square design offset by the gravy swoosh, and the diagonal plating of ingredients. The pork skin has a thin layer of fat, which is easily removed if you don't want it. Absolutely loved this dish, which left me wanting more! Highly recommended! continue reading