Looking for Spanish places?

For desserts, we had their brie cheesecake, a light airy cheesecake made of creamy and rich brie cheese on a light crumbly cookie base.

I actually rather enjoyed this. The brie cheese was creamy, buttery and nutty and the cookie base was not too heavy.

Tapas24 is a wonderful place for Spanish food. The prices are a little steep and the portion a little on the small side. But the service was delightfully sincere and personable.

Paella is often considered the soul of Spanish cuisine, representing its rich cultural history, identity and communal spirit. It's a symbol of hospitality and togetherness.

Arroz Negro is a Valencian and Catalan form of seafood paella. Its signature black colour comes from squid ink and cuttlefish and it is usually made with garlic, green Cuban elle peppers, sweet paprika, olive oil and seafood broth.

I love its deep, umami-rich flavours of this dish - the uniquely earthy and mineral notes of the squid ink and the sweet savoury and oceanic essence of the seafood broth, enhanced by spices such as garlic, onions, smoked paprika and saffron which add more depth to the flavours.

I like that Tapas 24 serves a garlicky saffron aioli on the side as its rich and creamy elements complement the rich, briny and savoury flavours of the seafood. My only qualm is that the portion is a little on the small side!

Gambas Al Ajillo is a classic must order tapas in any Spanish restaurant that features sautéed prawns with garlic, chilli and extra virgin olive oil served hot.

Tapas24 serves a decent rendition of this classic dish. The shrimps were fleshy and juicy. However, the olive oil was lacking in garlic flavours and tasted rather flat. It was surprisingly my least favourite dish of the night.

The northwestern Spanish region of Galica is most famous for Pulpo Gallego, a tapas made of octopus. Traditionally the octopus is boiled and topped with olive oil, pimentón, and salt.

Tapas 24 grills their Galican octopus instead. I love how the octopus is crisp on the outside and yet juicy and tender on the inside. The mildly salty flavour of the octopus pairs beautifully with creamy and earthy tones of the potato mash and the floral and zesty notes of the chimichurri sauce.

This is personally my favourite dish of the night!

Tapas 24 is one of Barcelona's iconic and busiest tapas bar run by Michelin-starred chef Carles Abellan. Their Singapore outpost is their first outside of Spain and features most of the same dishes.

Their signature Bikini Sandwich is a crisp buttered toastie featuring black truffles, iberico ham and buffalo mozzarella. I love the symphony of flavours from the nutty and earthy black truffles, rich and savoury iberico ham and the gooey creamy and tangy buffalo mozzarella.

It is an excellent appertizer to start the meal!

Very creative and delicious tapas. Even the paella is good. Pleasant and knowledgeable service. One of more reliable Spanish eateries in Singapore.

Very creative and delicious tapas. Even the paella is good. Pleasant and knowledgeable service. One of more reliable Spanish eateries in Singapore.

jjn

For dessert, the Flan y Café ($12) might look unassuming but the highlight was the utterly yummy cortado coffee infused cream. Paired with the sweet (but not cloying) Spanish caramel pudding, the airy cream was surprisingly aromatic and nicely complements the firm silky-creamy flan.

Another small plate we got was the Paella del Día ($26). The Paella of the day was well-seasoned tender pork ribs with mushrooms. Savoury and wonderfully earthy, just umami. The grains were beautifully done too - overall flavourful with some crisp, slightly charred bits and not too wet or dry.

A lovely snack, the moist Tortilla Donostia Slice ($10), likewise, was enriched with smooth extra-virgin olive oil. The labour-intensive dish prepared with organic eggs, confit shallot, and potato chunks also tasted superbly fresh.

Back at the buzzing Joo Chiat enclave and this time I snagged a weekend lunch booking at the new neighbourhood Spanish tapas restaurant, Carlitos.

From the tapas section of the menu, we started with the crowd favourite Pulpo La Coruña ($22). Succulent Spanish octopus dusted with smoked paprika, complete with generous lashings of extra-virgin olive oil. Portion is much smaller than expected for the price but texture was done exceptionally well and the thickness of the slices were just right (wish there were more!).