Spanish tapas and wine bar VINO TINTO brings the vibrant flavours of Spain to the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District.
Blink and you’ll miss it.
One of the latest dining additions in Singapore’s Central Business District is so conspicuously innocuous that chances are you’d walk by without even realising it. Hidden in plain sight on the lobby floor of One Raffles Quay, you’re more than likely to mistake VINO TINTO for an ubiquitous office cafe.
Except that it’s a full-fledged Spanish restaurant and bar, opened by culinary powerhouse couple Chefs Daniel and Tamara Chavez of Canchita and TINTO fame.
VINO TINTO takes the couple’s successful TINTO Spanish restaurant concept from Dempsey Hill and transposes it into the heart of Singapore’s business district, tweaking for an office crowd that prizes fast service and flavour in equal measure. Which is why the menu at VINO TINTO is built around hearty Spanish tapas that are quick to serve yet are absolutely lip-smackingly good, many of them popular favourites from its Dempsey Hill sibling.
There’s the Tosta Ramona, for example, a turbo-charged open-faced sandwich of Spanish anchovies, burrata cheese and crushed tomato on crisp crystal bread, or the similarly finger-friendly Tinto Bikini, a savoury toasted sandwich treat of Manchego cheese, Serrano ham, and truffle aioli.
Then there’s the hangover cure that is Broken Omelette, which comes loaded down with sautéed mushrooms, caramelised onions, funky smoked Idiazabal cheese, and crunchy potato chips. The Padrón Peppers here are unusually tossed with hummus into a smoky, creamy treat, while the Spanish Artichoke comes roasted into charred submission and then flourished with crisp garlic.
For lovers of seafood, the Pulpo La Brasa is highly recommended, the chunks of octopus tentacles perfectly grilled.
If you have the time to wait – and you should – you can deep dive into its signature paella dishes. The Paella de Mariscos is what most will order, but the Paella de Pollo – which sees saffron-infused bomb rice grains cooked with chicken, potatoes, and a medley of vegetables – turned out to be a surprise hit. There are a couple of fideua noodle-based options as well; the unctuous grilled iberico pork slices in the Fideua de Cerdo & Padrones – and also because there can never be enough padrón peppers – makes this a worthy order.
Leave some space for dessert, because the Tres Leches here – a sponge cake soaked in a sweetened milk mixture – is absolutely scrumptious. This sweet isn’t of Spanish origin, but we can hardly fault Chefs Daniel and Tamara for putting in a little of their Latin America roots into the menu.
And befitting of its name VINO TINTO carries a range of wines that is designed to be accessible while showcasing the diversity of Spanish winemaking from more familiar regions like Rioja, Priorat, and Ribera del Duero, to those ripe for more discovery such as Rueda, Toro, Valdeorras, and Ribeira Sacra.
More than just a lunch stop, VINO TINTO is set to be a great option for some after-work drinks and bar bites in the Central Business District.
[Photo credits: VINO TINTO]
VINO TINTO
Address 1 Raffles Quay, South Tower #01-10/K1, Singapore 048583 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 11.30am to 2.30pm and 6pm to 9.30pm Mondays to Fridays; closed on Saturdays and Sundays
Web vinotinto.sg
Facebook vinotinto_sg
Instagram @vinotinto_sg
Reservations book here
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