Sunday Brunch at Una, One Rochester

Spanish Restaurants are not so common in Singapore. I remember those lazy days in Valencia one beautiful winter decades ago, where we enjoyed the food, wondered about restaurants which were not yet open for dinner at 8pm (they open at 10pm). Great atmosphere, though it was mid winter (nearly Christmas), evening temperatures never fell below 18C, and the atmosphere always had a celebratory feel. Great days. And so it is food. Food that reminds us of wonderful experiences are almost always received with glee and registered as delicious. Its the memory which it triggers what make it special.

So it is with the food at Una. It brought me back to those days in Valencia. Una is a Spanish beautiful restaurant at a really nice address - One Rochester. The setting was exceptional.

We decided to sit outdoors on that Sunday as it had rained the evening before and was a very cool morning. A three piece jazz band playing in the far end of the photograph provided a very nice ambience. But to the food. 

We began with tapas...what else, in a Spanish restaurant. But as it was a buffet, and we had to last the entire meal, we were selective. First up, the Fried Crispy Squid with Black Aioli.

Superbly light, un-greasy. The batter is very light, almost tempura like. Very crispy. And the calamari within was nice and juicy. Superb. We also had the crab and asparagus croquette:

Shown above the crab croquette. The size approximately in between a golf ball and a tennis ball, the croquette had a beautiful crispy exterior which gave way to a smooth, creamy, rich and luxurious inside. The crab meat was sweet, and the entire dish well balanced.

Then the Alaskan crab feet

Just look at it. Wonderfully fresh, lightly cooked...probably steamed or boiled to keep the texture and light taste of the crab meat. Chunky, meaty, nicely fresh, great umami. Delicious. Need I say more?

We also order the Una Signature Eggs Benedict

This is quite special. Served on a flat bread...a bit like our roti prata, is the gloriously cooked egg. Done just right. A light prodding of the fork will yield the flowing yolk from the egg. Wonderful. Served with chunks of wonderfully aromatic smoked makerel and bonito flakes with a dash of paprika. Very nice. 

We then moved to the mains. We were picky. Though they had pork, chicken and quail, we stayed only with pork. Here is the grill master.

This man has wonderful control of his grill. Everything we ordered came out perfect. A master. Chapeau Chef!

First the Pinchos Muronos

Pork loin, grilled to perfection. The cut we had was a bit lean, but it was still beautifully done. A touch of smoke from the charcoal grill, insides nicely medium. Pink. Tasty, and very good. A neighbouring table had a cut which was a bit fatter, and I guess, that is even nicer!

But the highlight for me is the Pluma Iberica

This is magnificent. If it were the only thing I ate, it would be worth the price of entry. Beaufifully smoky flavour, Magnificently grilled to medium rare. The meat was delightfully tender. Very tasty. In fact the flavour of the meat was much more akin to a good cut of beef than pork. Really magnificent. The pluma is the loin of the Iberica pig, which is specially bred for maximum flavour and great texture. And the result is really superbly enjoyable.

Highly recommended this buffet brunch. At S$88++ it may seem a bit on the pricey side, but with great food like this, and excellent ingredients (I think the 2 slices of pluma Iberico I ate is worth the $88) it is well worth it. Add S$44++ for free flow of alcoholic drinks.  Naturally the menu selection is much larger, but I only hilighted the items which impressed me most.

UNA 
1 Rochester Park
Singapore 139212