SINGAPORE — The tapas wave in Singapore may have started five years ago, but its undiminished popularity is no surprise to the new head chef of Esquina, Carlos Montobbio.
"Tapas are similar to dim sum — small plates for sharing; and there's a big Chinese population in Singapore," shared the Catalan who shot to prominence here with his Asian-inspired tapas at Fairmont Singapore's Anti:dote. "When I first tried dim sum in Barcelona, I thought, 'Hey, Asian tapas!'"
But at Esquina — where he launched a new menu last week — the focus remains very much Spanish with delish dishes such as the grilled octopus (the pulpo is imported from Galicia, no less) and items even inspired by his childhood like the palette cleanser of chocolate ganache with olive oil on toasties.
"In Barcelona, children are exposed to good produce and food early," he explained. "Food is like a religion there — if a place is not as good as before, it will close shop soon."
Sounds like a familiar phenomenon, doesn't it?
Q: What's the biggest difference between cooking at a hotel bar such as Anti:dote and a specialised tapas bar like Esquina?
A: At Esquina, the guests already know about the food. There are many regulars. At a hotel bar, customers go there more for the drinks. They're usually surprised by the food as they have lower expectations about it. I won't say there's a big difference in how I see them — I treat every guest the same.
Q: Esquina is already a familiar name in the food scene; how will you put your stamp on the food?
Source: Esquina's new head chef Carlo Montobbio reveals his favourite Barcelona restaurants and travel shopping habits
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