Next Door Spanish Cafe

Vibe is pretty good for a night out but defo get a reservation since it gets quite packed. Food was alright, tapas seems like a big hit or miss game especially with the 5/7 tapas set; love the potato; octopus was decent but comes with very non-yummy potato below; omelette super meh; baby calamaris quite yums as the batter was light and crisp; sausage stew leaning a little aggressively salty. Would try the prawn next time if there is one, everyone seems to be ordering that and enjoying. The paella was quite yums, feels like pretty hard to screw up this if you're a Spanish resto l. Service pretty meh, asked for bills, the lady forgot until she sees me again, while clearing the bills at the counter stood almost for 5min despite everyone seeing me (they just have more important things to do than to get my payment, example filling up a bottle of water that no one ask for). Also put in my order of paella first thing as it states that it needs 30min (took40~50min, and came out with the other table's order which was only taken at least 10-15min after mine). Staff confusion etc.. finished ordering and returned the menus and another come to ask if we have ordered? Also after finishing our tapas, waiting for our paella, staff cleared out table and asked if we need dessert? Walked in, floor staff was busy so the bartender? Came and couldn't find my reservation. Exciting night. For this price point, at least the service should've been good. But come for the vibe.

Food was decent but the paella took more than an hour to come!!! Which felt extra jarring cause the prawn came within 20 minutes and then it was another 40 mins until the paella arrived. Which I understand but if you know it’s gonna take awhile, the least you can do is to warn customers beforehand, imo. The quality didn’t justify the wait tbh. The dessert took forever to come as well 🫪

ig: @lifetogether97 ——————————————— tucked away in the siglap neighbourhood, this restaurant serves really good & authentic spanish food 🫶🏻 it has been on our to-try list for the longest time & i’m so glad we finally headed down recently! 🙋🏻‍♀️ /fideua negra/ - $38 this spanish-style short pasta is really unique & they were v generous with the squid and clams!! /mar y montana/ - $38 can’t go wrong with seafood paella! this is so flavourful & not overly salty 🤩 /spanish omelette/ - $14 super hearty & rich, we love how tender the potatoes are! /patata bravas/ - $15 not a fan of how overpowering the sauce was with the fried crispy potatoes! wish there was less sauce actually 🫣 /fried calamari/ - $18 crispy on the outside but fresh & juicy inside, heh a crowd favourite! ⭐️ /croquetas caseras/ - $11 comes in a portion of 3! v creamy and rich ✊🏻 /spanish octopus/ - $36 a little pricey for the portion but i love the texture of the octopus 🤪 and also how soft and flavourful the potatoes underneath were /gambas al ajillo/ - $26 our must order at every spanish restaurant!! the prawns are huge & succulent, super oily & sinful but soooo good when dipped in their bread 😭 /brussel sprout/ - $15 love the sweet touch of honey, it pairs so well with the bitterness of the brussel sprouts!! /pan con tomate/ - $9 freshly grated tomatoes with toasted crispy bread…. a really good appetizer to start our meal with! 🫡 reasonably priced with attentive service! 💯 their tapas portions are defo bigger than usual. you can even use your cdc vouchers here, extra reason for us to come back again 🤭🙌🏼

Our tapas and paella were so good that I’m already thinking about my next visit to try more items on the menu. Not too sure why some reviews say the food is average so was hesitant before making the reservation but so glad I did. The paella does require a bit of a wait, but it was absolutely worth it. Having the tapas to share first made the pacing of the meal really enjoyable while waiting for the paella. The service crew was warm and friendly, and the place truly feels like a cosy neighbourhood spot, just as the name suggests. Only slight feedback would be that the music was a tad too loud.

We tried their Tapas Tasting set (5 tapas of your choice for S$69++), and found this to be pretty filling depending on which tapas you get. We got a couple of seafood tapas, great for seafood lovers: Gambas al Ajillo (S$26++, set +S$6++) - the Argentinian king prawns were fresh, tender and flavourful, especially when paired with the garlic and paprika EVOO. Was helping myself to more EVOO with the foccacia, it was really tasty! Pulpo a la Gallega (S$36++, set +S$12++) - the Spanish octopus was tender and the texture was just right. Really flavourful especially when topped with paprika, paired with confit potatoes, EVOO Almejas al Ajillo (S$26++, set +S$6++) - also enjoyed this, clams were fresh and chunky, came with a generous portion too. Cooked with garlic and chili EVOO, came with focaccia (although I found the prawn paprika EVOO more tasty 😛) Charcuterie Platter (S$36++, set add S$12++) - a nice platter which came with Chef's selection of Spanish cold cuts & cheeses. Enjoyed the selection! Alcachofas con Jamón Ibérico (S$22++) - interesting grilled artichoke dish, paired with Jamón, hazelnut and romesco, giving a nuttier flavour. Somewhat reminded me of @asadorsingapore’s gambones dish as the sauce was similarly nutty. For drinks we got their mocktails: 0.0% Sangría Tinta (S$15++) - a refreshing option to pair with the meal! The bartender very kindly gave me a drink w/o ice as per my request. Iced punch with non-alcoholic Garnacha wine 0.0% Sangría Blanca (S$16++) - iced punch with non-alcoholic Muscat wine For more food reviews, check out my IG @foodlesstravelled!