Octapas Spanish Tapas Bar: Sexy tapas joint in Clarke Quay

MUST TRIES: Pan-fried snapper with romesco sauce, minced chicken stuffed in roasted piquillo peppers and toasted bread topped with aubergine peppers, onions and parmesan cheese.

We don’t know whether it’s the restaurant’s clever name, inviting ambience, or the sexy waitresses clad in frilly salsa dresses — we just know we’d love to visit Octapas again.

Our first visit to Octapas (a play on the words ‘octopus’ and ‘tapas’) was on a humid evening. While the restaurant offers air-conditioned seating indoors, we found the al fresco area hard to resist. We didn’t regret our choice; dining right next to the Singapore River and getting to people-watch at the same time was a nice experience.

More importantly, of course, we’d go back to Octapas because we like the food there. Located at Clarke Quay, the restaurant specialises in cold and hot bite-size finger food (or tapas).

Of the dishes we tried, our favourites are the toasted bread topped with aubergine, peppers and cheese (S$9), pan-fried snapper with romesco sauce (S$15.50) and minced chicken stuffed in roasted piquillo peppers (S$14). The secret to the moreish snapper dish was the fresh fish and a mouthwatering sauce made from a blend of ground almonds, pine nuts, roasted garlic and red bell peppers, with just the right amount of red wine to lift the flavour.