‘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.)
Follow @HungryHoss
It all looks really fantastic. Esquina is definitely one of my favourite places. Just wish it was a little bit closer.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mention. Fabulous looking food at Esquina, I can't wait to go back. You're right about Andrew Walsh being extremely talented.
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