My Little Spanish Place Restaurant @ Boat Quay Singapore

I was invited to a tasting at My Little Spanish Place at Boat Quay in Singapore. I like checking out tourist traps like Boat Quay so that I can pick out the good restaurants here :-D Tourist traps are OK as long as we know where to eat at :-D

My Little Spanish Place serves Spanish cuisine, needless to say but food from the mid-Mediterranean Balearic Islands specifically :-D  I love such "international" tastings as it stretches my palate and broadens my knowledge about food, people and cultures. I always enjoyed new taste experiences.

I am glad that I had a great experience at My Little Spanish Place. The food was delicious, service was enthusiastic and the place is great for couples and small gatherings.



The interior of My Little Spanish Place is modelled after the Spanish mesón (mom and pop inn / eatery) - it is compact, intimate and comfortable. Rustic red brick walls, subdued orange lights (Instagrammers please note ;-p ) and soothing soft Spanish melodies in the background.



My Little Spanish Place also sports a cosy little bar and a small selection of Spanish wines.

There is an al fresco dining area overlooking the picturesque banks of the Singapore River. (I have no idea why I didn't take a picture of it :-(  - scratch head.... )



Owner-chef Edward Esmero and his team work in an open kitchen in full view of customers. I love to dine with a front row seat view of the kitchen to feed my voyeuristic appetite ;-p


Click to see large view ^

Our tasting menu for the evening graciously hosted by Chef Edward Esmero (My Little Spanish Place's other owner-chef is Maria Sevillano.)



Chef Edward started us off with Tablas de Jamones, SGD75++. A platter of sliced ham.



Chef Edward let us taste different vintage jamon (Spanish for ham) including premium categories. My Little Spanish Place at Boat Quay's jamon bar serves the widest selection (5 different types of jamon) in Singapore. So, if you are a jamon fan, you have to come here.



The savoury, beefy jamon has well balanced flavours and one could easily eat too much of this good thing. The jamon I had in the past were mostly greasy and very salty, but not the premium jamon at My Little Spanish Place which is actually just mildly savoury and quite refreshing instead of being cloying.



The tasting proper started off with Migas (SGD8++ per serving).

Migas is a traditional Spanish staple comprising a colourful mound of house made croutons, diced tomatoes, red peppers, and chorizo (sausage) topped with a soft-boiled egg and crispy Serrano ham. Migas is eaten by tossing the ingredients and mixing it with the soft-boiled egg.

The result is a blend of layers of savouriness and eggy flavours with a jumble of tender, crunchy and crispy textures. Migas is a delicious starter, setting the fiesta mood for the food and jolly good company.



Tabla de Salchicas Artesanales, SGD21++. Handmade sausage platter.

House made buitfarra sausages, blood sausages, and sobrasada (raw cured pork fat terrine spread) with Mojo Verde (green herby sauce) and Mojo Rojo (red spicy sauce).



A Balearic Island (in the Mediterranean Sea) staple, butifarra is made from minced pork and a mix of spices with sherry vinegar. Butifarra is traditionally prepared on Balearic Island to mark the coming of autumn and spring.



Coca de Pimientos y Anchoas (Coca with Peppers and Anchovies SGD16++).

Traditional Catalan flatbread toast topped with caramelised onions, roasted peppers, anchovies, Manchego cheese and rocket greens.



Pulpo de la Casa, SGD36++ per 100gm.



Grilled fresh octopus leg (tentacle) seasoned with pimenton (paprika), sea salt and olive oil. Served with red and green pepper puree.



The octopus was imported from Spain as Chef Edward said only these Mediterranean octopus have the desired spongy, soft crunchy texture and characteristic briny sweet flavour. The grilled octopus also had a subtle smokey char flavour which I love.



Secreto Iberico, SGD28++.

Tender Iberico pork cut between the shoulder blade and loin. It is marinated with thyme and garlic to bring out its natural flavour, lightly seared to seal in its juices, and smoked with applewood just before eating.



Gambas al Ajillo SGD16++. Garlic Prawns.

A traditional Spanish house favourite. Large fresh succulent shrimp cooked in a little pan of boiling olive oil with garlic chips and dried chili pepper. I found this unstoppable with bread until I wiped the pan clean.



Tortilla de Patata con Alioli SGD8++. Potato omelette with alioli (4 pieces)

The national dish of Spain. Traditional Spanish egg omelette with potatoes and onions, served with homemade alioli spread.



Fideuá (SGD38++, SGD66++).



Paella with short angel hair noodles with mussels and shrimps, cooked in My Little Spanish Place's own special seafood stock and herb blend.



The short skinny noodles were heavily laden with seafood (mostly prawn) broth with robust savoury crustacean flavours - it reminded me of Singapore fried Hokkien noodles but more robust. I also like it that at the bottom layer of the noodles, the strands were caramelised in a way that reminded me of claypot chicken rice. This gives the fideuá an interesting soft al dente bite punctuated with crunchy, crispy textures.



Leche Merengada con PX SGD12++.



Meringue milk ice cream is sprinkled with Serrano jamon bits and spiked with Pedro Ximenez dessert wine. A nice sweet way to round up our scrumptious dinner.



Of course, any Spanish meal with be incomplete without a good sangria (cocktail). My Little Spanish Place serves a good range of different mixes.

If I am eating Spanish, My Little Spanish Place at Boat Quay is among the top of my mind in Singapore.

Please note that this was an invited food tasting.



Restaurant name: My Little Spanish Place (at Boat Quay)
Address: 54 Boat Quay, Singapore 049843
GPS: 1.287360, 103.849428
Hours: 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm | 5:00 pm to 12:00 midnight (Closed on Sunday)
Tel: 6532 0665

Non Halal

Date visited: 15 Oct 2015

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