Catalunya

After it opened for some time, the parents and I finally made our way down to try this promising-looking restaurant, not to mention beautiful, on 18/9 (Sat!). We made our reservation last week 'cos the restaurant is always full and it was full that night we went as well!

Iconic?

View from the inside and where we sat

I LOVE the furnishing inside. I love the wooden floors, the brown colour scheme that made it seem so homely (albeit one w an AWESOME view) and warm!!! There were trees with candles hung on them and made it all the more pretty when night falls. The furniture in the restaurant is very home-like too, lamp shades, pictures, etc. 

Love the chairs too and the round "private" seats we were at!! But one thing I dont fancy that much is that ppl at the bar, they like sit v near to our table though they're a "level" higher so their heads are like above ours and when they look down they can see us and wtv's at our table. But well, ppl arent really that nosy and you dont look up all the time so just focus on your food and really you wont bother abt such things at all cos it sure didnt both us! :)

Jamon Iberico "Gran Reserva"

$55

Cured Iberian ham, iconic dish in Spain

We actually didnt order this 'cos we wanted the croquettes but we ate it since it came! Umm this was very salty, not a soft texture but quite firm and hard. Didnt really like this, neither did my parents but the boy liked it so each to his/her own? One thing "good" was that there wasnt much fat! 3/5

Cod Fish "Esqueixada"

$14

Cod served with olive dressing, tomato, spring onion and olive paste

You wont know you're eating cod fish haha cos it doesnt have the taste we usually associate w cod fish! The texture is kind of rubbery and chewy but everything is light 'cos its cold and to me it was like a lemon juice dressing so kinda sour too but the boy could taste olives! So I guess his palette's better than mine haha. 3.2/5

Cantabrian Anchovies

$18

Anchovies in marinated olive oil

The waiter recommended us to have this with the tomato bread below and honestly when you eat them together, the tomato bread kinda overpowers this? And you can at most discern the texture of this. 3.4/5

Pa Amb Tomaquet

$8

An iconic Catalan dish - bread w tomatoes and olive oil

We all loved this bread!! Something so simple and you'd be like I dont really wanna order this 'cos that was what we thought but luckily we listened to our waiter! The bread is extremely crispy! Even after an hour later it was still crispy and it was an AUDIBLE crisp! Good olive oil and the tomato is slightly sour so its a wonderful combination :) This is not mind-blowing, just a simple dish done v well 4.5/5

Tomato Tartar Confit

$18

Does this remind you of beef tartare? Well its certainly not and its tomato!! The thyme foam is well obviously very light and goes quite well with the tomato tartar which is more aromatic in the herb-sense and less of an olive oil aroma vs the top. Not bad w the crisp bread given at the side. 3.6/5

Jamon Iberico Croquette 4pcs

$12

Spanish ham croquettes, traditional Spanish dish

My parents and the boy couldnt taste the jamon in this dish! Its filled with this creamy béchamel sauce if I'm not wrong. And even an hour later it was still very crispy!! This is served piping hot so eat it while its hot!!! 3.5/5

Tortilla Omelette "Deconstruccion"

$10

Modern version of one of Spain's most popular recipes

This and the tomato tartar are what people say are probably the only dishes that are reminiscent of el Bulli's. Its a caramelized onion at the bottom, egg in the middle then potato at the top! But honestly you can mostly taste the potato? Its like creamy and well, not really something I'd order again! If you wanna give it a try, go ahead though! Sure is sth interesting. 3.2/5

"Escalibada" with Foie-gras and Smoked Eel

$19

Grilled vegetables served with foie-gras and smoked eel

I loved this!!!! Ok you can't really taste the foie gras, granted, cos its like not pan-fried and its paste like but you can surely see it (if there's enough light!). But the smoked eel was done nicely and eaten tgt w the wonderful grilled veg, mmmmm. The grilled veg consisted of eggplants and capsicum I think? The capsicum was SUPER sweet! Extremely good. 

Because of the mix of ingredients, there was a v good textural + taste contrast. Soft eggplant below that was sweet, then capsicum was which super sweet, then the foie gras then lastly the smoked eel which was slightly salty and then with the sauce which is sour! There was an overall smokiness to the dish cos of the grilling!

The white "sauce" tasted v much like ice cream haha and its sour! V appetising. Nice! 4.5/5

**

Below is their cocktail list and I think it contains some v interesting mixes! + the classical Sangria at the end!

Pot that they served the suquet in.

They brought this to the table and then divided it into 4 portions for us. But cos the boy wasnt here yet so they kept his in the pot to keep it hot!

"Suquet" with Scorpion Fish

$50

Catalan Fisherman soup

I adore the broth! Its salty but in a good way, in a seafood-filled way if you get what I mean. Very flavourful and delicious! The fish was soft, meaty and juicy! The potatoes were fab, not too mushy and not too hard. Would recommend this if you want something slightly salty and light! Share this amongst a few please! To try more dishes haha. 4.4/5

Lobster Rice

$55

Short-grain rice with lobster cooked in fish broth

This was served in a similar process as the above! This was relished by all of us! The rice was nicely done, the broth they cooked it in zomg, yummy max! Different from the suquet above, this is less salty and more aromatic. I am not usually a rice person but this I didnt mind having second portions! But too big a portion, idk if you'll get bored so yea, best to be shared! The grilled lobster above is q salty but sweet-tasting and firm-fleshed! Note though the lobster is not like that for everyone, the boy got like the leg part so q small portion. 4.4/5

Cutting the suckling pig w a plate to prove that its crispy and soft!! Its like that in Spain too as I've witnessed before. But in Spain they smash the plate. Here, they dont haha. Though we joked abt it w the waiter!

Traditional Suckling Pig "Segovian style"

2-3 pax

$125

In all its glory! The skin was super crispy and enjoyable but for me, I died at the moist flesh (ok I sound carnivorous). I assure you I am not a meat fan but I couldnt help myself but continue taking more and more portions of the meat!!! It was so superbly done, so moist, soft and just wow. Definitely worth it to order!! We finished 2/3 of this pig among 4 of us with those dishes ordered before hand. And really, don't believe them that its for 2-3 pax and you can finish it because I can almost assure you, you cant. 'Cos firstly you'll kinda get bored of it and secondly, stomach space. Worthy of being their signature dish. They have a smaller portion under tapas for 1, but idk if it'll taste the same!! Many tables ordered this that night. 4.6/5

Flamenco Martini

$21

Dash of egg white, ginger, lime juice, passion fruit puree, home-made cinnamon syrup, belvedere vodka

The alcohol taste is q strong towards the end so idk if its 'cos it wasn't mixed properly or what. But this was quite a good cocktail! Good mix of sweet sour and bitter (which usually you taste towards the end). 3.7/5

Warm Creamy Almond Tart

$12

Waiting time is abt 10mins for this but it arrives w the rest of the dessert so no worries. I enjoyed this a lot 'cos the taste of almond isnt that strong like in Chinese desserts but its definitely there. The accompanying sherbet/sorbet is sour! So good end to the meal. There are also apricots which are sweet! The boy didnt like this though. 4.2/5

Fresh Cheese Flan with Berries and "Crumble"

$12

This was not bad, not a strong cheesy taste neither is it creamy. Its texture is not 100% smooth like panna cotta but kinda coarse like a cheesecake. It was not bad when paired w the crumble and berries. This was recommended by the waiter but I dont think its v spectacular! 3.8/5

"Torrija" with Milk Ice Cream

$12

Fried milk bread with spices served with smoked milk ice cream

First taste of the ice cream you'll think "chao ta"!!!!! But to me, after awhile the taste grows on you. The milk bread is v soft on the inside, a little sweet and crisp outside. Goes well w the ice cream! 3.9/5

Interior pictures of Catalunya + the bar

The pretty exteriors!

Service was v good at the start when there were only a few tables but then as the restaurant filled up, it wasnt as attentive (q hard to get their attention + my martini ordered was forgotten till we reminded them). But our water was still refilled constantly. The waiter who served us (the guy who cut the pig for us) is from Barcelona and he was q good w suggestions and service! As a whole, I think their grasp of English is competent but sometimes we dont understand each other haha but both parties try their very best! 

Ambience and service was good, food was quite good (contrary to what some think, I feel their mains are more outstanding vs desserts!) so why not go there for a meal!! Oh and the awesome views shld be a good enough reason :) I'd probably go back for the view + the mains or if they have something new!

Catalunya

Fullerton Pavilion

65340886