After 13 years on Craig Road, Binomio’s bold move to Raffles Hotel isn’t just a change of address but a declaration that Spanish dining in Singapore has truly come of age.
It’s no small thing for any restaurant to leave its home of 13 years — where it had painstakingly built up a loyal customer following — and move to an entirely new location. But that’s exactly what Binomio has done, relocating to the hallowed halls of Singapore’s iconic Raffles Hotel from its original location along Craig Road in December last year.
Today Singapore’s Spanish dining scene boasts everything from casual tapas joints to sleek, modernist takes. But for those of us who’ve been around long enough to remember when the pioneering Spanish restaurant was among the first so many years ago trying to introduce anything from tapas to Tempranillo to local palates before the Spanish food boom, you’ll know how far things have come.
And so, Binomio 2.0 is more than a change in postcode. It’s a statement of intent — Spanish dining in Singapore has grown up. And that it’s time for an exciting new chapter.
Its new home is Raffles Arcade, in the space formerly occupied by Burger & Lobster. Out front, the alfresco area is now a dedicated tapas bar — an especially appealing proposition for anyone who likes their croquetas paired with a side of tropical humidity.
And not just any croquetas, mind you. These are elevated, the Trio de Croquetas of cod, truffle, and Ibérico ham croquettes crisp, yielding, and addictive.
More climate appropriate is Ensaladilla de Gambas y Encurtidos, an ensaladilla rusa reimagined with prawns and more pickles that’s all cool, tangy, and creamy, reminiscent of the classic salad but with just a bit more sass.
Then there’s the Bienmesabe de Lubina, a marinated deep-fried sea bass all deliciously crispy outside and flaky within that will change your mind about eating whole fish.
Inside is another world entirely. Binomio 2.0 isn’t some tourist-baiting cliché with flamenco posters and hanging hams. Instead, the room is part art gallery, part Iberian drawing room, all burnished metal and jewel tones, and featuring Sevilla-born artist Fernando Oriol’s sculptural flourishes.
You’re also greeted by a glass-walled wine cellar, as much a shrine as storage, its shelves groaning with mostly Spanish bottles that reassure you this isn’t just for show.
The menu in the main dining room also shifts from playful to elegant. Chef Félix Noguera presides over the kitchen with the calm of a man who knows exactly what he’s doing — and can show you the Michelin notches from Spain’s Can Fabes and Aponiente on his belt to prove it. His approach? Rooted in tradition, but not old-fashioned.
Take the Carpaccio de Lubina con Vinagreta de Trufa Negra. Truffle and fish usually hate each other, but here they’re made to play nice: thin slices of seabass kissed with a truffle vinaigrette, pine nuts for texture, chives for lift. It’s luxurious without being ridiculous.
Then there’s the Bogavante con Salsa de Marisco: tender Canadian lobster tail perched on asparagus purée and drowned table-side in a shellfish sauce made from the lobster’s own carcass — it’s maximum flavour extraction masquerading as a small act of food sustainability.
Other dishes similarly impress. The slow-cooked lamb saddle, Silla de Cordero con Puré de Zanahoria Ahumada, arrives all blushing-pink with a most delightful smoked carrot purée that brings earthy sweetness, all tied together with a glossy thyme demi-glace. Meanwhile, the Fideuà de Pato replaces paella’s rice with short strands of toasted angel-hair pasta, paired with seared duck breast, maitake mushrooms, and aioli. It’s savoury, smoky, and unashamedly comforting.
Desserts? They’re classics, and rightfully so. The Tarta de Queso Clasica arrives as it should be, with a gently scorched top and oozing, tangy centre. The Churros con Chocolate are properly crisp, designed to be dragged greedily through thick molten chocolate while you tell yourself you’ll start the diet tomorrow.
But the real story here is one of maturity. Binomio isn’t trying to prove that Spanish food deserves a place in Singapore’s culinary landscape — it already proved that, years ago. This new iteration carries the easy confidence of a polished restaurant that knows exactly what it is, and why it deserves your time. And money.
Binomio
Address 328 North Bridge Rd, #01-25 Raffles Hotel Raffles Arcade, Singapore 188719 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 12pm to 1.45pm and 5.30pm to 11.30pm Mondays to Saturdays; 12pm to 2pm and 5.30pm to 10pm on Sundays
Web www.binomio.sg
Instagram @binomiorestaurante
Facebook binomiorestaurant
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