Cuisine: Spanish
Address: 699 East Coast Road Singapore (459061)
Nearest MRT: Bedok / Kembangan (East-West line)

Updated: April 2023 (second visit)

Looking to experience a slice of Spain without being able to travel there? You can now sample true Spanish dining here at Next Door Spanish Cafe, located in the quaint neighbourhood of Siglap. Although it is not that accessible from the MRT station, but taking a bus from Bedok MRT would easier lead you to the stretch of restaurants along East Coast Road. This place serves you with an authentic traditional taste of Spain with classic signature dishes like Tortilla De Patatas—the Spanish omelette consisting of a creamy mix of potatoes, eggs and caramelised onions.

From brunch to dinner, you will be well taken care of with hearty tapas and main dishes, not forgetting the iconic paellas. Take your pick of fish, beef, lamb, or pork from the restaurant’s comprehensive menu. The well-loved paellas that is always perfect for sharing with your friends and family.

Sip on exquisite wines and cocktail concoctions while you wait for desserts. Save space for Churros Con Chocolate. Iconically rich, creamy with a hint of bitterness, the flavours are balanced together to create a sinfully sweet and savoury dessert.

I had made reservations for dinner on a Sunday. There are two seatings, one from 6-8pm and the other from 8-10.30pm. There was a crowd when we arrived around 6.30pm and only a few empty tables were left. We got an indoor seating area, near the kitchen. Unfortunately, the guy setting our table dropped the stack of plates in front of us, but managed to clear the mess away quickly.

There was a wide range of tapas dishes to choose from. Tapas is a very typical dish from Spain, which is an an appetizer or snack served hot or cold. Tapas are small plates of food that are served with drinks or before a main couse. We ordered two tapas – pan con tomate ($7) and chorizo a la Brasa ($16). The pan con tomate is made of fresh tomato puree served with tomato bread. It is like a deconstructed bruschetta. I liked the lightly toasted slices of bread and the tomato salsa with freshly chopped tomatoes with some salt and olive oil. The number of slices of bread was quite few and we could not have second servings, but there is an option to add extra bread at $3.

The second tapas is Chorizo a la Brasa, which is chargrilled chorizo iberico with cheese. There were two slices of toasted bread. My parents found the chorizo to be too salty. But eating it with the bread balances out the taste. The chorizo packs a slight spice and the melted cheese on top was perfect for the toast.

Additional tapas tried on the second visit: Coles de Bruselas con Miel y Pimentón ($14), Gambas al Pil-Pil ($18) and Cochifrito ($28). For the prawns in cayenne and garlic seafood sauce, it was tasty and the prawns had a nice marinade. The garlic sauce was not too overpowering. It was also served with three slices of bread, which you can use to scoop up the remaining sauce on the dish.

The crispy pieces of fried suckling pig crackled with every bite. It may look like a small dish but it was good for sharing for around 4-5 people. There was a hint of mustard sauce by the side and served with chargrilled lettuce. The pork skin was crispy at first but after that became more chewy when left exposed outside for too long.

The crispy Brussels sprouts was stir fried with honey and paprika. It may look underwhelming due to the appearance, but the taste was fantastic. Due to the nature of the vegetable, it had a bitter aftertaste which the honey helped to compliment. It wasn’t spicy at all and we could not taste any of the paprika. Another side that we had but not pictured here is the Croquetas Caseras ($8) which comes in 3 pieces, it was like a deep fried potato with some filling of ham and cheese. It was decent but nothing spectacular. I prefer the Japanese ones.

As the restaurant has directly imported wines from Spain, it would be a pity not to try them. Since we were having a seafood paella, we ordered a bottle of white wine – Canto Real Verdejo’19 Diez Siglos ($48). This sauvignon blanc has fruity flavours, that is suitable to pair with seafood, cheese and sausages. It comes from the Rueda region in Spain. It is easy to drink and makes for a delightful summer wine.

2nd visit: It seemed that wine prices have gone up considerably, now the cheapest bottle of wine is around $70. We had a bottle of Sierra Cantabria Seleccion ($83 for the bottle) which is from the Rioja region, Spain. The red wine was medium bodied and not so much on tannins, making it easy to drink and also to pair with the meat dishes. It had high notes of cherry, red fruit, strawberry and tertiary notes of oak and vanilla.

One of the main dishes that we ordered to share is the Paella de Marisco ($29). It is a typical seafood paella, with generous servings of shellfish, squid and prawns. There were a few dollops of cream, which did not taste of mayonnaise or cream cheese. However, the portion was too small, we all wished there was more rice as the 5 of us devoured the dish after dividing it during the first round. This is one of the signature dishes of the restaurant.

The signboard behind us gave a brief history of the invention of the paella dish. I remember how I had freshly cooked paella off the streets in Barcelona, and saw how the vendor was cooking a large pot of paella, stirring continuously the rice that was soaked in the rich broth. This is how it gave a strong and memorable taste to the dish.

The next dish is Costillas de Cordero ($38), which is a grilled lamb rack with roasted vegetables. We chose the lamb to be done medium well. Some parts of the rack were filled with fats which we did not enjoy. My mum found the meat to be too gamey, which is a common remark for those who do not like the smell of lamb meat. I liked the sauteed vegetables found at the bottom of the lamb rack and even though the smell of the rosemary was not infused well enough, but the dish was marinated well and we polished the meat off the bones real quick.

The last main course we had is Fideua de Costillas de Cerdo ($34). This is a dish of Spanish noodles with grilled pork ribs. Again it was served on a cast iron dish like the paella. It was my first time trying Spanish noodles and I must say it taste like pasta, the thin kind like angel hair. We found the amount of noodles given to be more generous than the rice in the paella. Each person had a slice of pork rib where the soft meat fell of the rib easily. This dish is a crowd favourite too.

Feeling 90% full, we could only order one dessert to share. According to recommendations, the Churros con Chocolate ($10) is one of the favourites. The churros were freshly fried and coated with a thin layer of castor sugar. The chocolate dip was too watery, I wished it would have been thicker so that the churros could absorb more of the chocolate sauce. At 6 pieces of churros for $10, the price is kind of steep, they could have given more sticks of churros because it is quite easy to make and fry them. I remember trying out a churro recipe last year during circuit breaker.

The Tarta de Queso ($10) is a burnt cheesecake served with berries sauce. Since it was a birthday celebration, they places a candle on the slice of cake for us. The cheesecake was rich and paired well with the tart sauce, but after a while it was too rich for the rest to handle the texture of the cake. The kids preferred the churros with chocolate instead.

Next Door Spanish Cafe is a gem in the East Coast area as it serves authentic Spanish food. If you are not really hungry and just want to have some light bites over a pint of beer of a glass of wine, look no further as this is the place to hang out, with an alfresco setting or an indoor air-conditioned area. The place attracts a constant stream of customers, so do remember to book your seat in reserve to avoid being rejected at the door. Whatsapp them at 8168 4009.