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2014-03-13
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Date of visit : 9 Mar 2014 (Sun) 12 noonNo. of diners : 5Average cost per head : $650Food quality : 8.5/10Environment : 8.5/10Service : 8/10Value-for-money : 8/10Overall rating : 8.2/10Despite dozens of Spanish restaurants opened in the past years, Catalunya still gains its popularity in town. It took some 2 weeks in advance to book a table for the Sunday brunch. I got mixed reviews on Open Rice about the service or even food served so I had reservation to it and lowered my expectation. To my su
Date of visit : 9 Mar 2014 (Sun) 12 noonNo. of diners : 5
Average cost per head : $650
Food quality : 8.5/10
Environment : 8.5/10
Service : 8/10
Value-for-money : 8/10
Overall rating : 8.2/10
Despite dozens of Spanish restaurants opened in the past years, Catalunya still gains its popularity in town. It took some 2 weeks in advance to book a table for the Sunday brunch. I got mixed reviews on Open Rice about the service or even food served so I had reservation to it and lowered my expectation. To my surprise, I had a very good dining experience at the end.
I arrived 5 minutes before noon when the buffet should start and found my friends chatting by the entrance. The door was opened at noon sharp so don’t go too early on a rainy day or with bad weather. Having said that, one has to spare full 3 hours to relax oneself and enjoy a complete dining experience. Catalunya is successful in designing the menu, presentation and timing in delivering food. They set different corners for seafood (mainly canned or cured fish and shell fish), bread, cured meat, salad, juice, etc. Each of them was nicely presented and covered a wide variety, in particular some not to miss items :a) Juice
They served 4 types of mixed juices – watermelon with mango, kiwi and apple, strawberry and guava, and pear and guava. I ultimately tried all 4 and found them tasty and a good mix.b) Steak Tartar
The tartar was not as finely chopped as in most restaurants but the steak was tender and fresh.c) Iberian Ham
Bellota ham from Iberico. Looked pretty in crimson red and with distributed fat marbles in between. The ham quality was good and not salty at all.d) Sandwiches (made-to-order)
Don’t miss the Bikini sandwich made with Iberico ham, mozzarella and black truffle paste. The bread was thinly sliced and evenly toasted that resembled the Singaporean kaya toast. You may top up your toast with extra ham from the buffet table or try the vegetarian version with zucchini instead of meat is also great.e) Estrellados (made-to-order)
These were the fried eggs with separated whites and yolks on a bed of baked potatoes. The potatoes were caramelized and yummy. The chorizo version was slightly better than the one with mushrooms.f) Omelette (made-to-order)
The pick of “Deconstruction” omelette was totally out of curiosity. It came in a cocktail glass. An “egg yolk” bathed itself in cream foam which was smooth and flavourful, however, with no relevancy to an omelette.g) Suckling Pig “Segovian Style” (served by table)
As informed by the wait staff, the four mains would be served at 1:15pm, anyway, no one would miss it because when the time came, an array of staff each carrying a tray of suckling pig marched in from kitchen to the dining hall. The DJ in the house even blew his trumpet loud to create a carnival-like atmosphere.
After the parade, the piglets were placed at the centre of the hall where the staff cut them with a porcelain plate. Portions of the piglets would then be sent to individual tables. For a party of 5, we got one side of the hind limb. The skin was crispy and thin and the meat was soft and juicy. Didn’t mind to have more but would be a trade-off other dishes.h) Salt Crusted Whole Fish (served by table)
Next came were plates of whole fish buried in a bed of salt. The salt was lit with fire before serving. The fish was Amadai from Japan, fresh and with texture similar to barramundi.i) Veal Shank (served by table)
The veal was the best mains among 4. The crust on the edge gave a flavourful scent of the Asian style of pork jerky bought from Bee Cheng Hiang (美珍香). Medium rare throughout the flesh. Juicy and tender.
While we were pretty full after the main, the chefs were busy preparing for our desserts. I didn’t count the variety but over dozens of sweets, cakes and pastries were packed on the kitchen top and ready to be dished out.j) Xurros
The restaurant should have prepared enough baskets of churros as this was the hottest pick on the table, still warm and went best with the chocolate foam. I didn’t expect much on the dip from its pale colour but it had very rich chocolate flavour and smooth. In general, the chef nailed all the sweets made with chocolate.k) Marinated Fruits
Not to mention the colours of joy, the fruit cubes were soaked in juices and chilled on a bed of ice cubes. I loved the pineapple most.I had a wonderful experience in Catalunya. The wait staff were friendly in general. We were reminded of the steps when one of them led us to the dining hall and the other staff briefed us on the buffet items and show schedule after we settled. Just that the restaurant was busy from start to end, they might have lacked of spare hands to fill up empty glasses. However, I would avoid the free flow of sangria or cava at a price tag of $280 per person to save room for food. If one prefers some wine to pair with food, simply order a bottle or by glass maybe an option too.
03.2014
Other Info. :
Q : When will I go again?
A : May visit for dinner with a group of medium size to sample other food on the menu.
Q: What will I next order?
A : Paella which was not included.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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