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| NÓMADA | 1 Keong Saik Rd., #01-05, Singapore 089109 🚅 10 minutes walk from Outram Park & Maxwell stations ☎ 8209 7809 ⏰ 12 noon - 2:30 pm | 5:30pm - 10:30 pm |
I love Jamon Iberico, the king of Spanish gastronomy, so I was looking forward to the Eat Spain Drink Spain, Jamon Iberico Night at NÓMADA at Keong Saik Road.
NÓMADA is a compact space with two sections - a cosy bar at the smaller section (at the entrance) and (further inside) an intimate space with an open kitchen in the main dining area.
The moody decor like the lights were subdued but tasteful, exulting an understated luxury with a relaxed, warm atmosphere. Furnishings were simple yet comfortable.
Abraham and I launched into the Jamon Croquette appetiser.
Abraham from Spain's La Mancha region was my Spanish gastronomy teacher for the evening 🙏
Abraham said every Spanish family have their own recipe for jamon croquette which is basically bechamel sauce embedded with bits of jamon, encrusted with beaten egg yolk and bread crumbs, which are deep fried in oil till crisp golden brown outside.
Feeling rich, I mean the creamy bechamel sauce (made with flour, butter, and milk) with jamon filling was rich with savoury sweet buttery umami flavours.
For Jamon Iberico Night at NÓMADA, chef-owner Gonzalo Landin readied for us the best of the best ham - Jamon Iberico de Bellota Pata Negra.
It's a black label, the highest grade of Spanish jamon Iberico. (The other lower grades are red, green and white.)
This leg was from Salamanca, one of only five regions producing jamon Iberico, all in western and southwestern Spain.
Only 5-6% of jamon produced in Spain are awarded the black label every year. There are many stringent criterion to meet black label standards e.g. the animal must be a 100% pure breed native Iberian pig, it must be free ranging and pigging out on plentiful acorn (during montanera season from Oct to Mar), the salted ham (cleaned of salt and larded) must be cellar aged / cured at least 3-4 years, and so on. So, very few make the grade even among jamon produced in Spain.
The signature black hoof which the pure breed Iberian pig got its name Pata Negra which means black leg in Spanish.
Behold the beautiful marbling of the king (of Spanish gastronomy).
We indulged in a whole plate of it 🤭 They were all of even thickness and distribution of meat and fat, a testament of the carving skills of chef Gonzalo.
The first thing that struck me was, the jamon was not salty - it was savoury umami but not salty, actually even slightly sweetish.
There was a balancing natural sweetness and the distinctive nutty taste, smell and flavour of acorn, especially from the oil from the saturated fat. The lean layer felt waxy and released an intense umami savoury flavour when we savour each tender chewy bite.
The jamon Iberico came with freshly baked Spanish flatbread slathered with tomato and olive oil.
The lightly browned bread was tenderly chewy with an overlay of juicy blend of fresh tomatoes and olive oil. The tomatoes had a sweetish, subtle green apple taste. It felt rustic, homely, Mediterranean countryside of my imagination.
Pair the jamon Iberico with flatbread and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Umami savoury nutty sweet with sweet and apple green taste on a sweet tender chewy base. I love this Spanish icon and staple.
Long live the king.
Deeply memorable.
Garlic prawns with seaweed.
Succulent shelled crustaceans swimming in a pool of aromatic oil with lots of garlic slices and dressed with toasted seaweed.
Abraham said the prawns were imported from Spain. Compared to the local varieties, the flesh was softer and it was a umami bomb. The crustacean savouriness was intense like it was infused with the taste of the sea. Reminds me of the ocean with every bite.
The umami savouriness was layered with the savoury subtly spicy taste of garlic. If you are a prawn lover, remember to order this dish.
Mama always say we gotta have our vegetables - asparagus and Brussel sprouts with egg 😄
The grilled long and fat asparagus from Spain and the grilled Brussel sprouts were tossed with and enveloped by the runny poached egg and miso butter.
The soft crunchy asparagus were exceptionally juicy and sweet. The slight char and overlay of egg added layers of savoury and eggy flavours to the sweet stem.
The Brussel sprouts well grilled tasted mostly savoury with a char toasty overlay. Abraham said he won't eat Brussel sprouts, except at NÓMADA 😄
Abraham asked me what would I like to eat and I replied "let's make tonight pork night" 😬
And so, Iberico Pork Chop, Apple Cider Gel with Hipsy Cabbage.
The thick pieces of Iberico pork were lightly grilled till slightly pink.
The pork was tender firm, and clean tasting, deliciously gently porcine sweet. Enjoyed with complementary sweet apricot jelly (like a jam) and savoury sauce.
I also said, we gotta have a paella (since 来都来了 we were already at one of Singapore's top Spanish restaurants).
It's called Foie Gras & Figs Rice on the menu.
When it arrived, I was quite shocked that it was so huuuge 😱 We don't have the stomach space for it, I don't think 😬
Fortunately, the layer of rice was relatively thin on the shallow pan, so we could stretch and manage the portion.
I had a few paella before but never this foie gras and fig combo.
The rice was completely smothered and infused with umami savoury sweet flavours. The rice grains were on point al dente, nutty, tender outside with a firm core. The rich umami savoury foie gras was well balanced by the sweet fig. A subtle smokey toastiness from the socarrat or charred crust elevated the flavours and our pleasure.
It was a wonderful dinner and experience of Spain in Singapore. We enjoyed every dish.
Abraham said this was one of this favourite Spanish restaurants in Singapore. Though chef Gonzalo added local Asian touches to his dishes, their authentic Spanish core was unmistakable.
Restaurant name: NÓMADA | Nomadic Spanish Gastronomy | Singapore
Address: 1 Keong Saik Rd., #01-05, Singapore 089109
Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Outram Park & Maxwell stations
Tel: 8209 7809
Hours: 12 noon - 2:30 pm | 5:30pm - 10:30 pm
Written by Tony Boey on 20 Sep 2025
Who is Tony Johor Kaki?
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