La Ventana @ Dempsey Hill {Foodee}

Last week I was invited to a Chope media event at La Ventana, a spanish restaurant in Dempsey Hill.

As part of Michelin starred Chef Carles Gaig’s vision to expand to Asia, La Ventana by Carles Gaig was opened in June 2015 and located in a tranquil spot surrounded by beautiful and lush greenery in Dempsey Hill, one of Singapore’s top lifestyle destinations.

The casual, tapas-centric restaurant in Singapore is managed by Chef Gaig’s daughter, Ms Nuria Gibert, and Chef Eduard Castellarnau, and features an extensive menu of the best classic Catalan dishes, some of which has been passed down for generations within the Gaig family.

Chef Gaig’s mission to resurrect traditional Catalan recipes has served to bring about a sense of nostalgia to Catalans from all over the world and make them feel at home, while at the same time giving international visitors an introduction to authentic and long-standing Catalan fare.

It turns out that Chef Gaig himself was in town and we would have the opportunity to meet and greet and eat.

The first to be served was the bread basket which was accompanied by the restaurant’s very own olive oil, which had a refreshing unique taste, one that is definitely worth a try.

This was composed of a puff pastry, foie-gras terrine, apple compote and port. This is a sweet dish.

The buñuelos are homemade fritters of Atlantic cod which had delicious salty creamy cheesy filling. The croquetas are homemade croquette of roasted chicken which was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

This was a bonus dish which was not on the menu. I loved the creative presentation, which for some reason reminded me of the stone henge. This is my first time to try the pairing of white asparagus and parmesan, and it’s a dream couple.

The star of the night, for me, was the traditional cannelloni stuffed with beef, pork and truffle cream. The recipe has been passed on for generations since 1869, and here I thought truffle oil was a recent thing. Silly me! I really loved this dish! Delicioso! 😋

If you can only order one thing, I suggest you take this.

I have to say, this is another creative presentation. It was interesting to see the dish in a block instead of deconstructed. I found this a bit too salty for my taste, though.

The chef came out to model the next dish.

The last main was carnaroli rice with squid ink infusion, slipper lobster, and fish of the day. You’ll love it if you love squid ink, which was my favourite as a child.

I was pleasantly full by the time I spooned the last morsel into my mouth, but there’s always room for dessert!

I’ve always been a fan of creme brulee but this is an improved version from the one I’m used to, as it comes with espuma (culinary foam) and toffee ice cream. Yum!

When dinner was over, the chef came out, and I asked my friend Arlyn to converse with him for us since he only spoke Spanish, which she happens to know.

You should have seen everyone’s face when she started talking with him. One cook had a look of open mouthed astonishment as he couldn’t hide his surprise. 😂

I know un poquito spanish myself, so I could understand a bit of what they were saying, but I only said a few words – adentro, luz, gracias. Which was basically me asking him if we could step inside to take a photo where there was light, and then to thank him. 😅

Chef Carles Gaig is the 4th generation of chefs from the Horta district of Barcelona where his family owned the Taberna d’en Gaig since 1869. Chef Gaig’s restaurant is distinguished today with a Michelin Star since 1993.

It was a wonderful opportunity to sample Catalan dishes and meet the chef himself.

LA VENTANA
16A Dempsey Road, Singapore 247695
 Website | Book Reservations
📞 (65) 6479 0100

⏰ Opening Hours:
Daily 12pm – 3pm & 6pm – 11pm
Monday to Friday : 3pm – 5pm (High Tea Only)