LA PEPA
The Club Street area gets a dose of Spanish gastronomy with the opening of La Pepa, a tapas restaurant and bar, in Gemmill Lane.
Inspired by the traditions of family friends based in Alicante, Spain, the 44-seat restaurant-bar focuses on bites suitable for any group size. Diners can order individual portions or get sharing platters of paella for up to four people.
Start with a light dish such as Ensalada Pepa ($22++), a garden salad with heirloom tomatoes, manchego cheese, fresh mandarins and Spanish Marcona almonds.
The Roast Baby Chicken ($22++) is steamed, then roasted, accompanied by a special mojo sauce from the Canary Islands comprising Palmera peppers, garlic, paprika and spices.
The restaurant also serves Spanish staples such as paella. The Squid Ink version ($28++ to $38++, above) comes with tiger prawns and mussels from Chile, while the meat paella ($26++ to $34++) contains chorizo, bone-in pork ribs and judiones, a kind of bean.
Besides Spanish beer, cider, wine and digestifs, the buzzy bar also stirs up white or red Seasonal Sangrias ($14++ a glass, $60++ a pitcher).
La Pepa is also home to a mercado - a Spanish-style gourmet grocer - where guests can buy ready-to-eat products and drinks to replicate the restaurant's offerings.
Where: 10 Gemmill Lane
Open: Noon to 3pm (Mondays to Fridays), 6.30pm to midnight (Mondays to Saturdays), closed on Sundays and public holidays
Info: Call 9830-0908 or go to www.lapepa.asia
SEOUL YUMMY
Seoul Yummy, owned by Singaporean Frank Lau and his Korean-born wife Laura Kim, has just opened a new outlet at the redeveloped SingPost Centre, next to Paya Lebar MRT station - with a large-scale menu revamp of 30 new dishes, updated interiors and a new logo.
Fans of all things Korean will appreciate the fun pop art-style pictures depicting popular artists and the dish names inspired by K-drama shows and bands.
For a start, Spam Rice Balls ($7.90++) get a makeover with a choice of white or brown rice mixed with seaweed flakes and tobiko before it is crowned with crisp-fried luncheon meat. A kimchi and tuna version is also available.
The Mini Budae Jjigae comes in a gilded ramyun pot with variations such as My Love from the Pork Ribs ($25.90++), Descendants of the Beef Ribs ($39.90++) and The Return of Wagyu ($22.90++).
Hyeong Cheese Pot ($69.90++, above) is a bubbling pot featuring two tender hunks of soya garlic or sweet and spicy sauce-marinated barbecued beef ribs in a pool of mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
Other new dishes include the Oppa Cheese Pot (from $42.90++) which consists of a full rack of soya garlic or sweet and spicy pork ribs, and So Galbi Kimchi Jjigae ($36.90++), spicy kimchi soup with slow-cooked beef ribs.
Specially for the littles one are Omma's Car (stir fried udon) and Appa's Car (egg fried rice with spam). Each of these costs $9.90++.
Other Seoul Yummy outlets will have the new menu and also adopt selected design features of the revamp.
Where: 01-139 SingPost Centre, 10 Eunos Road 8
Open: 11.30am to 10pm daily
Info: Call 6747-9665 (SingPost Centre) or go to www.seoulyummy.com
PINCE & PINTS
Pince & Pints Restaurant and Bar has just opened its second outlet in Singapore, bringing to Katong its signature lobster dishes.
The 60-seat Pince & Pints Restaurant and Bar Katong marks its opening with two additions to its menu.
The lobster burger ($42++) has the lobster meat seasoned with various spices, breaded, then deep fried and enveloped in a potato bun. This hearty burger is accompanied with sweet potato fries, coleslaw and three different house-made dipping sauces.
Lobster noodles ($58++) comprises shell-on whole lobster with egg noodles stir-fried with ginger and scallions.
Owner Frederick Yap established the first Pince & Pints in Duxton Road in 2014 and has since taken the home-grown seafood brand overseas to Kuala Lumpur.
Pince & Pints serves wild caught lobsters air-flown direct weekly from the Atlantic Coast.
At the new outlet, customers can continue to enjoy Pince & Pints' menu comprising the Lobster Roll ($58++) stuffed with chunks of sweet lobster; and the Live Whole Lobster ($58++), grilled (above) or steamed, accompanied with butter sauce, chef's salad and fries.
Other dishes include lobster thermidor ($68++), lobster mac and cheese pasta ($29++), lobster chowder ($38++) and non-lobster items such as fried calamari ($12++) and garlic butter mussels ($18++).
Where: 95 East Coast Road (opposite Katong i12)
Open: Noon to 2.30pm, 5.30 to 11pm (Mondays to Fridays), 11am to 11pm (weekends and public holidays); closed on Christmas day and Chinese New Year
Info: Call 6386-3988 or go to www.pinceandpints.com/reservations
Ronald Kow
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