Thursday 25 April 2013

Esquina, Singapore


‘Get Lucky’ (not to be confused with the chirpy cockney salutation ‘Be Lucky’) is the title of Daft Punk’s funky new, disco driven collaboration with Chic’s Nile Rodgers and N.E.R.D’s Pharrell Williams.

On Monday, a colleague of mine came into work raving over this, their first single in eight years, that had broken Spotify’s record for ‘the most streams in a single day’… after a quick listen on Youtube I didn’t quite see what all the fuss was about.

“Wait until you’ve heard it a couple of times,” my friend said, “It’s a grower!”


The first time we went to Jason Atherton’s Esquina in Singapore (April, 2012 – here), it was largely out of convenience as my stepson’s cocktail bar, The Cufflink Club, is just a few doors away.


We enjoyed the meal enough to want to return and to recommend it to Chef Andrew Nutter and a couple of my blogging compadres, Toast To Roast and Baby Sumo … who all loved it. 


By the time second visit (November, 2012 - here), under the direction of the hugely talented Chef Andrew Walsh, the food had ‘come on’ and we thought it was excellent.


Since these visits, word has started to get out and the likes of Sat Bains, Tom Kerridge, Gary Foulkes of The Square, Viajante’s Nuno Mendes and Anthony Demetre of Arbutus and Wild Honey have all sampled the joys of Esquina and signed the ‘Chefs’ Wall.’


Now, after our third visit, I can honestly say the food was amongst the best I’ve eaten anywhere in the world!  Chef Andrew prepared us a ‘tasting menu’ - every dish was an absolute delight.


Jamón


Gazpacho of strawberry & tomato, crab aioli, sherry jelly and avocado


Scallop ceviche, radish salsa, soya & yuzu ponzu


Sea trout ‘pastrami’, shaved fennel, asparagus & confit lemon


Sea urchin & crab bisque, sea grapes & herring roe


Marinated beetroot salad, honeycomb burrata and pinenuts crumble


Smoked duck & foie gras empanada with salt baled celeriac


Roast chicken wings, honey & soy, bacon, oatmeal & nuts granola with truffle artichoke milk


Terrine of foie gras & barbeque eel, miso apple and caramel vinaigrette with toasted brioche


Poached Canadian lobster, green curry, coconut rice and apple salad


Roasted short ribs, cauliflower & cumin couscous, burnt cauliflower purée


Grilled pork secreto, miso glazed apple purée, hazelnut & apple salad, crispy skin


Sangria sorbet


Chocolate tea ice cream, sponge sacher, pickled blackberries, hazelnut praline


Frozen yoghurt, pumpkin couscous cake, Moroccan-spiced apricot


Japanese green tea cake, calamansi curd, fennel seed ice cream, sake blueberries

Esquina’s food gets better and better with each visit… we can’t wait to return next year! (It’s also my top tip for an entry into Asia’s Top 50 list.)



2 comments:

  1. It all looks really fantastic. Esquina is definitely one of my favourite places. Just wish it was a little bit closer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the mention. Fabulous looking food at Esquina, I can't wait to go back. You're right about Andrew Walsh being extremely talented.

    ReplyDelete

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