Basque Kitchen by Aitor - 2nd Apr 2019
It’s been some time since I had Spanish food for dinner. We had a boom a few years back but the trend seems to have slowed. One such new restaurant bucking the trend is the Basque Kitchen by Aitor. Chef Aitor was most recently the Head Chef at Iggy's before starting his own restaurant at Amoy Street, the unit that previously housed Alpine restaurant, Zott's.
We started with a few snacks which consisted of tempura-style oyster and croquettes. The first dish, an anchovy fillet on a thin and crisp finger of bread with fresh chopped tomatoes was heavenly. The savoury umami blend of the anchovy and tomato was palette satisfying. Next up, we had the oxtail bomba rice. The al dente rice was mixed with a rich sauce of oxtail ragu and was topped off with a quail egg yolk. This dish resembled more like an Italian risotto rather than paella but hey it was the bomb so I’m wasn’t complaining.
Tempura style oyster and croquettes (left), Anchovy fillet with bread (right)
Oxtail bomba rice
The red sea bream served with peas and razor clams in a salsa verde sauce was another well-executed dish. The fish skin was crisp without overcooking the fish and it went with well with the light citrusy green sauce.
Red sea bream served with peas and razor clams in a salsa verde sauce
The txuleta, a whole prime rib of beef, was served with mash and a thick homemade jus. The meat was tender and sweet, a stark difference from our next steak: an old cow dry aged from Australia which is the closest you can get to Galician style Spanish beef (which unfortunately is not approved by AVA). The meat from the old cow has a deeper and nuttier flavour, not as strong as the Spanish version but at least stronger than the usual beef we get in Singapore.
We ended the meal with cherries and chocolate. What looks like a chocolate-coated cherry is actually chocolate mousse while the cherry is pickled and hidden amongst the chocolate soil.
Basque Kitchen provides a modern take to Basque cuisine. If you are looking for traditional Spanish then this is not the place for you. There is no Jamon which is often a staple at any Spanish restaurant. There are some hits and misses in the meal but overall a good dining experience that is affordable.
Basque Kitchen by Aitor is located at 97 Amoy Street Singapore 069917.
Make reservations here
~ Andre Huber
Executive Director
