Long-time tapas joint Octapas has launched a new menu, Bay of Biscay
I’ve walked past Octapas countless times at Clarke Quay but I have never tried the food until the launch of the new menu and, I must say, it is not bad.
With live music, sangria, food, and with the restaurant overlooking the Singapore River, the ambience of Octapas makes for a great chill out venue after work.
Inspired by Chef Javier Lecumberri’s – who hails from San Sebastian, Spain – life in the Basque county, the Bay of Biscay menu serves up rustic Northern Spanish treats.
The Lubina en Salsa Verde ($17.50) features sea bass with a flaky texture, seasoned with sea salt and pepper, swimming in salsa verde sauce with two pieces of mussels sitting atop the fish.
I liked the Pechuga de Pato ($20), a Basque take on the French duck l’orange. The tender pan-seared duck was complimented with a citrus-sweet orange sauce with orange peel garnish. Thumbs up on this one.
The Calamares en su Tinta ($15) was a bit of a disappointment. I was particularly looking forward to this calamari dish in squid ink sauce but the squid was overdone, resulting in a mushy texture. Perhaps that might have been a one-off error. The Valenciana Paella ($40-$60) is huge and can easily feed a table of four to five people.
They also have an extensive tapas menu that includes Calamares a la Parilla ($16) – grilled squid with lemon juice and Berenjena Tostada ($9.50). You can also satisfy your sweet tooth with Churros Con Chocolate ($10) – fried Spanish crullers with chocolate sauce on the side. I liked that one but I was disappointed with the absence of cinnamon sugar on the churros.
Although there were hits and misses, altogether, Octapas is still worth a try.
Octapas is located at Block D, Clarke Quay, #01-08, River Valley Road, Singapore 179023. Tel: 6837 2938.
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