HazelDiary

TINTO Spanish Restaurant located at Dempsey Hill opens its door on 9 May. This latest restaurant is Chefs Daniel and Tamara Chavez, husband-and-wife first Spanish restaurant as a couple. TINTO is inspired from the Spanish name for red wine, vino tinto. Expect to indulge for soul-warming tapas, paellas, fideuas, Spanish wines, and so much more.


TINTO has taken over MOONBOW Restaurant, and the space is divided into the main drawing room, where diners are rewarded with a full view of the restaurant’s bar at one end and a hidden veranda with an expanse of greenery behind a secret door. Here, ample natural light illuminates a semi-alfresco slice of vast expanse, perfect for pre-dinner aperitivo or after-meal drinks with smaller, more intimate table settings, cocktail tables, and highchairs.

I had the opportunity to dine in the restaurant a day before their official opening. We started off with some tapas dishes. First, we had Gazpacho, light and refreshing chilled soup made with raspberry vinegar and heirloom cherry tomatoes topped with tomato and Japanese cucumber cubes.

Cangrejo, an original dish by Tamara that’s inspired by Spain’s ample coastlines. Zesty and refreshing salad features sweet crab meat mixed with creamy avocado and topped with crunchy green apple slices and salmon caviar that’s hearty yet light on the palate. A good choice to start off before the mains.

Not to be missed is the Gambas al Ajillo prepared using prawn head infused oil for extra flavour and the addition of an extra smooth potato puree and Fritura of crispy baby smelt fish to be dipped in a flavourful Catalan Romesco sauce and garlic aioli.

Recommend to order Pulpo a la Brasa, grilled Spanish octopus in a “Mojo Rojo” Canario style served with Catalan lentil stew. It is prepared correctly, it is not tough or chewy, but tender and firm texture. Loving it!

Moving on we had Paella, one of Valencia’s identifying symbols. It is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. Each pan of New Valenciana features saffron-flavoured Bomba rice cooked from scratch to yield a perfectly crispy socarrat (bottom layer of rice) before being topped with a generous amount of seared chicken chunks, spicy pork chorizo sausage, roasted artichokes, and raw zucchini strips.
Combining two most loved ingredients in Spanish cuisine, De Pulpo & Chorizo is bursting with flavour from using a deeply savoury stock and Mediterranean spices. The octopus is tender yet with a good bite while the chorizo provides its characteristic smokey and spicy flavour bomb. Served with a sweet and tangy piquillo pepper aioli.

Fideua, comprising noodle paella that replaces rice with short thin pasta noodles is one flavourful Spanish dish topped off with the zestiness of lemon. Not forgetting the sweetness from Red Carabincro Prawns, which elevated the taste profile. It is like eating my local favourite, Mee Siam but this dish is so textured and complex. Bursting with flavours and this is our table’s favourite of the night.



Cochinillo, a roasted Spanish suckling pig or they called it piglet fed solely on sow’s milk for around 2 to max 6 weeks. They are baby pigs with a milk diet that provides their meat with a rich, earthy, and almost buttery flavour. This dish is available in cuts of leg or loin, finished off with potato puree, citrus reduction, and petit salad. True enough, the meat taste is distinct for its buttery texture and its light, crisp, golden-brown skin. I enjoyed the tenderness and delicateness of the meat while my friend is not a fan of it though.

Lastly, we had Churros Con Chocolate and Frutas & Pacharan for desserts. Spanish churros served with a side dip of warm chocolate sauce and vanilla pastry cream.
For Frutas & Pacharan, it comes with seasonal fruits glazed with Spanish Brandy, double-cream and Port Wine Reduction.

Wine and cocktails for pairing are on the menu list as well. While they are finalizing the wine list, diners can still indulge in their current available wine list. The wine list showcases well known established wineries from regions like Rioja, Priorat and Ribera del Duero as well as unique finds from areas like Jumilla, Toro and Monsant in Spain.

@hazeldiary_ Dinner was great especially their tapas & mains! Nice place to impress your date and good food to share! #sgfoodie #tintosg #spanishrestaurant#dempseyhillsingapore ♬ Se Preparó – Ozuna

Overall dinner was great with good food and company. I will be back for their Tapas and Mains for sure. Recommend coming in a group so you can order a bunch of tapas dishes and mains to share. Or impress your date with the lovely ambience of the restaurant and delicious flavours of Spain.

Address: TINTO Spanish Restaurant Sg
Blk 10 Dempsey Rd, #01-21,
Singapore 247700.
Opening Hours: Lunch (Friday-Sunday 11:30PM-3:30PM) | Dinner (Daily 5:30PM-10:30PM)
Website: https://tinto.sg

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