Then we noticed things started picking up. Tables started getting fuller and fuller. They were starting to turn away customers without reservations on Fri and Sat nights. Something was definitely happening, and on our subsequent visit we realised that while the food was good before, it was now amazingly delicious. There was something special about the very same dishes which were probably cooked with the same recipe but with small adjustments here and there. It was very difficult to decipher what had changed, but perhaps it was just a matter of having things settle down and improved over time.
The croquettes - lovely crispy crust with creamy inside
Meatballs with tomato sauce - juicy, tasty and bread-moppingly yummy
Grilled squid - I felt this could have been grilled a bit longer, but I guess that's just me preferring a more burnt taste
Garlic prawns - fresh and savoury
Tortilla - great with the garlic mayo/aioli
I'm a bigger fan of risotto, so it's hard for me to be objective about paella in general. But the squid ink paella was just that wee bit more exciting than the normal house paella, and in my opinion, tastier too.
Anchovies on toast
The cold cuts platter was really good - I loved the cheese and cured meats, although I had no idea what I was eating
The grilled capsicum was lovely, with the natural sugars all flowing out of the peppers. I don't normally eat capsicum but this warranted an exception.
The grilled mushrooms were lovely - they were flavourful and moist.
The artichokes with bacon bits were surprisingly good too.
We also had the suckling pig, which had to be ordered a few days in advance. Well worth the wait - the skin was absolutely crispy, and the meat so tender it was to-die-for. One of the best roast pigs ever.
Jamon Bellota - there simply wasn't enough of this to go around! I initially thought this was plain old Iberico (hah!), but it turns out that this is supposed to be the highest grade Iberico Jamon, from free-range pigs that roam around oak forests on the Spanish-Portugese border and eat only acorns. It was surprisingly not salty at all, and simply collapsed in an amazing medley of flavours on my tongue. They don't have this listed on the menu so you might need to call up and ask beforehand. 
Orange cream under all that cream - great with coffee
Churros with chocolate - lovely at the end of a long meal.
This comes up as a worthy competitor to Don Quijote, and I daresay, probably it's even better. They stock an extensive range of Spanish wines that are excellent with the food. However, the place is not cheap - the tapas are on average $10 per serve, so the budget would be about $50 per person for a normal meal, which could get more expensive with drinks.
619 Bukit Timah Road (just after Coronation Plaza)
Tel: 6463 2810
Open for lunch Sat and Sun from 12-4pm, and dinner Tues-Sun from 6.30pm-12am. Closed Mondays.
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