Cuisine: Latin American
Address: 78 Airport Blvd. Jewel #02 – 248, Singapore 819666
Nearest MRT: Changi Airport station (Changi Airport line)

The only Latin American restaurant in the east serving family-friendly Latin American inspired dishes, TONITO introduces Latin American street food and staples the likes of Mexican quesadillas, Argentinian pastas as well as Peruvian stews. From tapas for sharing to classic desserts and cocktails, TONITO welcomes diners of all ages for a fuss-free spread against the beautiful panorama of the Rain Vortex, in its vibrant and cozy eatery.

TONITO Latin American Kitchen is a part of Singapore-based hospitality group, 1855 F&B, which also counts other brands like The Spot, WAKANUI Grill Dining Singapore, Perch and Kam’s Roast Malaysia under its arm.

For starters, we ordered Chicken Wings ($12) to share. The wings were served with a chipotle aioli dip, which was slightly spicy and added a punch to the wings. You can’t really go wrong with chicken wings. And since we were given a table with a nice view, we made use of the backdrop of the vortex for some pretty pictures.

We ordered two main courses for sharing. The first is Arroz con Pollo ($24). It is made of Mexican rice, grilled chicken, peppers and crispy capers. The dish that came out looked slightly different from the menu, as it seemed more wet than the menu item. Nevertheless, when we tried the dish, we loved the sauce of the rice and also how the grilled chicken was bursting with flavours due to its excellent marinade. This dish is pretty similar to paella, where the rice is allowed to soak up the flavours of the broth. We were also given chilli sauce by the side, one red and one green. These are Mexican chilli sauce which provides a kick that is spicier than our chilli padi, or comparable on the same level, especially for the green sauce.

The other main course that we had is Sudado Pescado ($24). This Peruvian fish stew is made up of barramundi, clams and white wine. You could also top up with mini baguette or white rice for an additional $2. We went with the rice option as it could soak up the soup, but on hindsight perhaps baguette was the better option as our chicken dish was already served with rice. We loved the rich flavours of the broth, which had hints of seafood and a dash of white wine, but there was no pungent fishy taste. The clams were quite abundant and we ate to our heart’s content. I highly recommend these two dishes as they do stand out on the menu. If there were more people in our group, we would have ordered more dishes for sharing.

Second time at Tonito, I tried different dishes this time. For appetisers, we had Nachos ($12) with melted cheese. This is not recommended because the melted cheese was more of a cold dip when I was expecting it to be hot. The nachos were warm and if only guacamole was included in this appetiser it would have been a game changer. You can choose to add on guacamole for an additional $5.

For mains, this is the Paella de cerdo ($28). For such a small portion, it comes with grilled iberico pork, kurobuta sausage, chickpea and garlic aioli, with dollops of mayonnaise on it. This dish was nice and served in an iron pan, so you had to be careful not to touch the sides. However, I only found out later that it is not included in the Entertainer 1-for-1 deals, as I had forgotten to check when ordering. There is also a seafood paella version for those who do not like to eat pork.

Another dish that we tried is the Arroz con pato ($28), which feels like a fusion between French and Latin American cuisine. The slow cooked duck leg is a typical dish found in French restaurants, that would normally be served with potato gratin, but over here it is served with coriander rice, piquillo and salsa criolla. The rice was tasty even though I am not a fan of coriander, but since it has been mixed and cooked well together, I could not even taste the coriander which is a good sign. The duck leg was tender and the meat fell off the bone easily.

Thanks to the Entertainer 1-for-1 offer, we had one of the main courses free. Even without Chope or Entertainer discount, I feel that Tonito is worth a visit to sample some authentic Latin American cuisine. Tonito also has a wide list of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks available, such as Latin American cocktails (pisco sour, margarita etc.) and wines. We did not get to try any of the beverages here as we were going somewhere else after the meal. Another place that I tried with cuisine from the region is Lime House Caribbean, so do check out my other blog post!

With the rise in more restaurants serving food from exotic lands, you should go try out the different cuisine, since travel does not seem to be happening in the near future. By sampling food from faraway lands, it can at least satisfy a part of the wanderlust in me.