Cuisine: Spanish
Address: 30 Robertson quay #01-10/11
Nearest MRT: Fort Canning Station (Downtown line)

Having been to the outlet at Bukit Pasoh for drinks, this time round I came with friends to try the food at Bar.celona, at the Robertson Quay outlet. They have another outlet at Battery Road, near Raffles Place. However, the Bukit Pasoh outlet seems to be closed at the moment.

Bar.celona is a contemporary tapas bar located in Singapore. It offers a vibrant atmosphere, serving a variety of Spanish-inspired dishes and a wide selection of wines and cocktails.

We were surprised that Happy Hour was still available, 5-8pm, even on weekends. The beer – San Miguel and Paulaner – are available at $10 per pint. Bottles of cava start from $50. There are also some cava cocktails from $10 per cocktail, making it very attractive. Of course, in terms of volume, the cava glass is small the cocktails probably do not contain hard liquor other than the cava, so the alcohol percentage would be considered low also.

Generally Cava is produced in Catalonia. Hot Mediterranean climate facilitate the high natural sugar concentration in the grape, so Cava producers do not have to add sugar in finished product (or add very little), contrary to French sparkling wines. The most popular in Spain CAVA Brut Nature with no sugar added. It’s a dry wine, with a residual sugar content from 0 to 3 grams per litre.

Tapas is going at $8 each, which is reasonable. Of course when you are in Spain, perhaps the tapas cost around €2-3. We ordered a few tapas for sharing, such as Catalan tomato bread, grilled asparagus, patatas bravas, Spanish croquettes with jamon and truffle.

As for the main dishes, they come in medium or large portions, depending on your appetite. We ordered the medium size, so that we would not be too full. We had the Iberico pork belly with house marinade, Gambas al ajillo and seafood paella. I was tempted to order the fresh oysters with cocktail sauce, but my friend doesn’t really eat them so we felt that a dozen was too much. The half dozen oysters were not available for ordering though.

Towards the end of the meal, we also ordered churros with chocolate dip ($8). While waiting for the dessert, the staff came out with a slice of burnt Basque cheesecake with a lighted candle, apparently it was part of the birthday celebration for me. I was pleasantly surprised. They also played music, and another table happened to be celebrating at the same time.

Overall, we were pleased with the food. The tapas was served really fast, probably because the kitchen staff had pre-prepared it. We were waiting for a slightly long time for the drinks, but it was a small issue. The staff also checked in on how we were doing, as well as topped up our glasses of water regularly. It was a wonderful evening spent at Bar.celona. There is an outdoor seating area too, but since the weather is kind of hot, I preferred having indoor seating. It is a suitable place for gatherings with friends or to commemorate special occasions.