Review: Tapas Club at Orchard Central - Augustman
Augustman Logo
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
E-Magazine
Most Trending
Review: Tapas Club at Orchard Central
Most Recent
Review: Tapas Club at Orchard Central
Most Trending
Comfortable And Stylish Men’s Pyjamas For A Good Night’s Sleep
Most Recent
Breitling’s Chronomat Women’s Collection Pays Tribute To Trailblazing Ladies Of Southeast Asia
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Most Trending
I’ll Be Back: Netflix Is Making A Terminator Anime Series
Most Recent
Streaming In March: The Hottest Shows And Big Premieres To Catch This Month
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Most Trending
What’s New In The 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Most Recent
Michelin Aims To Make Its Tires Fully Sustainable By 2050
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Most Trending
How To Get A Free Guinness This St. Patrick’s Day
Most Recent
Bvlgari Collaborates with Dom Pérignon For an Exclusive Champaign
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Most Trending
These Are Asia’s Most Stunning Mangrove Forests
Most Recent
The New Air France In-Flight Safety Video Will Make You Miss Paris And Flying
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Most Trending
Nourishing Superfoods To Add To Your Diet This 2021
Most Recent
Amp Up Your Home Gym With These Designer Fitness Equipment
  • Fitness
  • Health
Most Trending
Uncover Mindful Living with AUGUSTMAN x LIFESTYLEASIA
Most Recent
Social Entrepreneur Josh Tetrick of Eat Just Talks Sustainability And The Future of Food
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • August Mentors
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
  • sg
    • MY
    • SG
  • Search
Review: Tapas Club at Orchard Central
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
singapore
All Countries
Food & Drink
Bvlgari Collaborates with Dom Pérignon For an Exclusive Champaign
Food & Drink
How To Get A Free Guinness This St. Patrick’s Day
Food & Drink
Blair Crichton Of Karana On Turning Jackfruit Into Meat, And Embracing A Plant-Based Future
Augustman Logo
sg
Review: Tapas Club at Orchard Central
Back
All  Style
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Back
All  Culture
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Back
All  Gear
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Back
All  Food & Drink
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Back
All  Travel
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Back
All  Wellness
  • Fitness
  • Health
Back
All  AM Select
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • August Mentors
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
E-Magazine
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
singapore
All Countries
Food & Drink

Review: Tapas Club at Orchard Central

Charlene Fang
31 Aug 2017
Article Hero Image
Trending Now
Streaming In March: The Hottest Shows And Big Premieres To Catch This Month
CultureRead More
Bvlgari Collaborates with Dom Pérignon For an Exclusive Champaign
Food & DrinkRead More
Breitling’s Chronomat Women’s Collection Pays Tribute To Trailblazing Ladies Of Southea...
StyleRead More
Comfortable And Stylish Men’s Pyjamas For A Good Night’s Sleep
StyleRead More
Want honest food & drink reviews or handy dining & nightlife guides? We have it all. Sign up to receive it.

Orchard Road has a bad reputation for having nothing to eat, nothing good at least. For a time, that reputation was well deserved. But with retail on the slide, mall owners have finally cottoned onto the fact that Singaporeans bargain hunt and window shop for sport (hardly the makeup of a VIP customer), and in place of a number cool, niche retail concepts now sits a restaurant/café/bubble tea shop.

A selection of tapas

At Orchard Central, Real Food has taken over Pact, Fred Lives Here is no longer (sic) here, instead it’s now Tapas Club. Started by the same people behind Binomio their proposition is simple: affordable tapas, a variety of paellas and a lengthy wine list. The concept is evidently working, when we went down on a Friday evening, the eatery was buzzing, reservations were full and within the space of an hour, a few tables had changed patrons.

The menu is typical of a Barcelona style cava bar with a mixture of small light plates (from $9.90-$25), an assortment of slightly heavier grilled items (meats, fish and seafood), paellas (from $20) and desserts (from $8).

A selection of paellas at Tapas Club

We started with the squid stuffed with minced chorizo ($12.90). A decent sized portion, the squid had springiness to it and was far from chewy (always a good sign). The combination with the minced chorizo was surprisingly not overly salty – a rarity in my experience with Spanish food – the star of the dish though was the subtle, full flavoured squid ink sauce that we licked the plate clean of.

The suckling pig terraine ($12.90) was unfortunately a bit of a let down. While the sweet tender pork fell apart on first fork, the accompanying sauce tasted like a bland, stock reduction. What saved the dish though was the perfectly grilled, slightly bitter brussels sprouts that worked as a foil to the sweet meat. Also, a crispier skin would have also been appreciated – but perhaps we were expecting too much.

The chorizo paella ($25) was a skillet of home comfort goodness. While we prefer to have the rice at the bottom of the pan (the soccarat) to be more crunchy, this may not be a preference of the Singaporean who view “blackened” wood fired pizza crust as burnt (true story). What the paella did have going for it though was a distinct flavour thanks to the chorizo. The rice was wet and plump and coated with a layer of rich sauce that possessed a mild barbecue flavour. That said, seeing how moorish the squid ink sauce of our starter was, perhaps we would have been better off ordering the squid ink paella ($25), which would have make a bigger impression – next time. 

The churros from Tapas Club

Also, we should have saved room for dessert. Observing the plates going out, it’s clear the churros with chocolate sauce ($8) is a favourite; also the churros sandwich ($12) looked incredibly decadent. 

Atmosphere wise, don’t come expecting a romantic, proposal ready setting. Instead think of this as a more sophisticated (and spacious) standing room tapas bar. Service should be commended, perhaps a little too attentive but they’re forgiven for their decent overall knowledge of the menu (not something to be taken for granted in Singapore). Price wise, a meal for two sits comfortably under $100 (minus booze of course) so it’s no wonder they’re packing in a crowd.

Tapas Club isn’t doing anything out of the ordinary, they’ve just given Singaporeans what they like: variety and affordability. 

Food
Reviews
orchard
Charlene Fang
Talk to Me About:

Up Next For You

Could This Be The World's Oldest Mass Production Brewery? Egypt Thinks So
AFP Relaxnews
Food & Drink
The Best Vintages Of Brunello di Montalcino To Add To Your Cellar
James Suckling
Food & Drink
Going Meatless: Will The Future Of Dining Revolve Around Plant-Based Foods?
Richard Augustin
Food & Drink
Still undecided for Valentine's Day? We have a few Ideas
Juliana Chan
Food & Drink
Want honest food & drink reviews or handy dining & nightlife guides? We have it all. Sign up to receive it.
×
Where are you?
Tell us so we can display what you want to see.
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
Malaysia Singapore
Advertise About Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions
© 2021 Copyright Augustman