Two longtime friends have come up with an interesting collab — a “friendly neighbourhood tapas bar” in Joo Chiat. It is conceptualised by notable names, Italian chef Antonio Miscellaneo of restaurants Casa Vostra and La Bottega, and Barcelona-born chef Carlos Montobbio, who helms mod Spanish diner Esquina.
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Called Carlitos, its Spanish name means ‘Little Carlos’. The tapas selection, created by chef Carlos, offers “over 30 types of tapas based on his favourite memories of tapas bars in Spain” served in a casual, cosy setting along with “wines from small wineries”.
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Chef Carlos had worked at three-Michelin-starred restaurant El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, and the two-Michelin-starred Zuberoa, in Oyartzun. He also rose up the ranks to become sous chef at the two-Michelin-starred Cinc Sentits in Barcelona just four months after joining it, before moving to Singapore to helm Esquina.
Chef Antonio, an Italian-born Singapore PR who started popular pizzeria La Bottega and year-long waitlisted private diner Casa Nostra here, recently also launched restaurant Casa Vostra at Raffles City, which has been seeing frequent queues for its casual Italian fare.
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Paella del Dia
What’s on the menu
Carlitos touts itself as a tapas bar with “no pretenses and disguises, just solid high-quality ingredients turned into delicious grub”.
There’s Paella del Dia ($26), cooked a la minute with what’s fresh on the day and served in individual tapas-sized portion.
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Gilda Pintxo
The small plate tapas options span a range from meat, seafood to veggies, like Gilda Pintxo ($12), with smoked sardine, pickled onions and green olives, and the Macarrones del Cardenal ($14), with house-made penne pasta tossed with secreto ibérico pork and sofrito (Spanish-style tomato sauce). There are also vegetarian-friendly options like Alcachofa Brasa ($18), Spanish artichoke served with saffron polenta, garlic and parsley.
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Patatas Bravas Bonanova
Chef Carlos’s personal favourite is the Patatas Bravas Bonanova ($10), agria potatoes dressed in garlic aioli, chilli oil and spicy tomato sauce, while no trip to a tapas bar is complete without a round of octopus tapas like the Pulpo La Coruña ($20), Spanish octopus and smoked paprika dressed simply in extra virgin olive oil.
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You can get comforting Spanish stews too, under a menu selection called Xup-Xup (a playful Spanish name used to describe the sound that slow-cooked dishes make while simmering). Like the Fricandó Barcelona ($28) from chef Carlos’s hometown, a thick rich ragú cooked with Black Angus beef and porcini mushrooms.
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For those who love food from Southern Spain, Carlitos also serves hotplate molletes, Andalusian flatbread sandwiches like the Bikini ($12), layered with Ibérico ham, truffle brie and mushroom duxelles.
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Conservas, canned seafood that is a Spanish household staple, are offered here too, served in its own tin after being seasoned or cooked. They are sourced from century-old Spanish premium tinned fish company Espinaler, like Navajas ($20), Atlantic razor clams served with a garlicky, zesty gremolata sauce.
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For dessert, you can expect traditional Spanish sweet treats like the house-made Churros con Chocolate ($14) with a Valrhona chocolate dip, and Tarta de Queso ($12), a Basque burnt cheesecake served with sangria sorbet.
Over 30 Spanish wine labels sourced from small-batch winemakers across Spain are offered at Carlitos, with prices starting from $58 for a bottle, or from $16 for a glass of red or white wine. Red or white sangria is at $18 a glass.
Carlitos is at 350 Joo Chiat Rd, S427598. Open Wed-Sun. Wed & Thu, 5.30pm-11pm, Fri & Sat 11.30am-3.30pm; 5.30pm-11pm, Sun 11.30pm-3.30pm; 5.30pm-10pm. www.carlitos.sg.
Photos: Carlitos
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