Pura Brasa, Tanjong Pagar Centre

We've noticed the renovation boards up at Pura Brasa (#01-16 Tanjong Pagar Centre, 5 Wallich Street, tel : +65 6386 9678) weeks back while wondering what kind of new Spanish place it would be. So today we found out. I came here with relatively low expectations. There was no reason to expect them to be special or different from what we already have.

By the way, the restaurant serves Estrella Damm on tap. It's the regular version and not the Inedit brew created by Ferran Adrià of El Bulli. I found the Inedit to be a much smoother drink.

While I have mentioned keeping expectations low, I entitled myself to certain pre-conceived notions. I was thinking that the patatas bravas might have been deep fried, a little smaller and crustier; made with mealy potatoes rather than waxy ones. Just like those patatas we had at Tapas Club or La Tapería. This was not to be. These were okay. Wouldn't order them again though.

The menu mentioned unbeatable quality at unbeatable prices for their jamón Ibérico. While I can't say much about unbeatable prices, I'm pretty sure it doesn't quite come across as unbeatable quality. The pictures on the menu looked much better than the ones that they served. One could possibly construe those pictures as....misleading?

While we're getting the flavour from the jamón, it wasn't so impressive. Guess that's why there's no proud declaration of pedigree on that menu. The accompanying pan con tomate was pretty nice though.

I'll not be coming back here for jamón Ibérico.

We ordered a vegetable timbale with goat's cheese. The cheese appeared in the form of a thin crumble spread on too much vegetables. We requested for more cheese and the restaurant obliged. Still not getting enough punch from those extras. The vegetables were not bad but nothing to write home about. Guess what am I not ordering next if I come back? 

Fortunately, they did a pretty tasty octopus. The meat was tender and there was a good amount of salt flakes to get the flavours going. However, I do feel that a bit more char for the crust and aroma would have improved it. A healthy drizzle of good quality EVOO would have made a better finish. Otherwise, I quite enjoyed this. The potato that came with it had a nice smoky flavour and bits of what I thought to be pork.

That's a Black Angus sirloin. Don't judge me for ordering that here. It's okay. Edible stuff. They got medium rare at medium, but these guys are a Josper Grill braggart and not a steakhouse so I let it slide. From the thinness of the cut, the meat wasn't impressive looking. Again, it's nothing like how it appeared on the menu. Another reminder is served at this point to not order again.