Head to this eastside gem, Asador, for authentic, comforting Spanish flavours

Joo Chiat may be the latest “It” location for cafes, but did you know that tucked among the heritage shophouses is a quaint Spanish restaurant and a hidden cocktail bar, too? 

Asador opened in 2021, and specialises in wood-fired Spanish fare. Its space at Joo Chiat place is spacious yet cosy, and modern with homely touches such as photo frames and small potted plants dotting the restaurant.

Having opened in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic, it never really got the red-carpet treatment or a splash on social media when it first opened, but if you’re an east-sider or a Spanish food lover, chances are you’d probably already know of its existence.

Me? I chanced upon its blink-and-miss-it cocktail bar at the back, known as 60ml (so-named after the volume of spirit in its cocktails) a couple years back, before I knew of Asador.

It would take me about three years before I finally sat down to a meal at Asador itself, and boy, do I wish I made plans to dine there sooner. 

What’s in store at Asador

The menu is straightforward, but doesn’t quite look like that of other Spanish restaurants’ in Singapore, with no paella or a tapas section. 

Instead, its menu is split into picoteo (small bites), lonja (seafood), a lena (wood-fired items), and la huerta (fresh, vegetarian-friendly options). 

The picoteo selection is vast, with over a dozen options, and rightfully so, considering it’s meant for you to nibble at with your dining party during the course of the meal. 

Dive right into the tartar (S$15), which features wagyu beef tartare mixed up tableside and then spooned onto a slice of fried polenta. 

Each picoteo item comes with two pieces, but if there are more than two diners at the table, the restaurant is happy to calibrate its servings, and pro-rate the price accordingly. 

If you’re the sort that enjoys a bit more tableside flair, then get the jamon iberico (S$16), where a leg of ham, from a 100% acorn-fed Iberian pig, is hand-carved right in front of your eyes. 

The iberico comes served on cristal bread, with a light layer of grated tomato, and is one of the lightest, yet most flavourful versions I’ve come across in Singapore. 

Another light starter great for sharing is the anchoas (S$10), which comes “00”-rated anchovies from Santona, Spain — said to be some of the highest quality and largest ones available.

These anchovies are so prized because they are filleted by hand, so you won’t find any bones — just soft, lightly salted flesh. 

And if you needed a bit more sustenance before the heavyweights, the pan casero (S$13), or sourdough bread with house-smoked butter, is a highly underrated item that even I, a non-bread lover, lapped up. The bread is soft, yes, but the butter is what I’d go back for. 

And a pro-tip: Keep some of the bread handy for the gambones — but more on this later.

As a wood-fired spot, it would be remiss not to try items from the grill, which — according to the restaurant — was custom-made and imported from Spain. 

The conchinillo (from S$108 for a quarter portion), or the roasted Spanish suckling pig done Segovian style, would be one of the best dishes to taste Asador’s full wood-fired prowess.

However, if you prefer something less heavy, its pollo (S$48), a roasted half-chicken with prunes, olives, and shallot, or the gambones (S$32 for five pieces of grilled king prawns) are hearty, lightly smoked proteins that deliver on flavour without too much fat. 

This is where your leftover bread comes in — the garlic and amontillado praline sauce delivered a robust, bisque-like seafood flavour, and you will want to mop up every last drop with the sourdough. 

Other underrated items we enjoyed included the smoked mash (S$14), which features Bintje potato with smoked butter — yes, that butter — and the col (S$15), grilled cabbage with anchovy garlic dressing and fried kale.  

In case it isn’t clear by now, Asador is great with its smoked dishes and butter, so you wouldn’t go wrong if its grill or butter is featured in a dish. 

If you’ve made it this far and entertained the thought of going but realised it might be hard to rustle up the numbers to share more dishes, fret not.

Asador serves up a value-for-money lunch tasting menu from Fridays to Sundays. 

For S$38, you get the chef’s choice of picoteo, a main dish which can be anything from its pulpo (chargrilled octopus, U.P. S$38) to its secreto iberico (U.P. S$48), a grilled iberico pork shoulder, with the option to add on a dessert of the day and coffee or tea for an extra S$5. 

If you’re a solo diner, here’s another tip that might pique your interest: The restaurant has recently introduced a new social dining concept known as “8 Perfect Strangers”, in which eight individual diners can purchase tickets (S$128 per person) and take part in a communal dining experience, over conversations and some drinks in one evening. 

While there is no fixed date for its next edition, you can stay tuned to Asador’s socials or its website for more details, or to indicate your interest. 

Now, remember the cocktail bar I talked about, which led me to this spot in the first place?

It wasn’t open because we visited for lunch, but if you do happen to swing by for dinner, then you must remember to stop by the very-well-hidden 60ml, which has a door so discreet it’ll take a while to find it unless someone exits.

Among its many robust tipples, the reverse espresso martini (S$22) is a firm favourite. Made of vodka, frangelico hazelnut liqueur, Pedro Ximenez and espresso foam, it’s a seemingly light number that’s heavy on flavour, but not as caffeinated as your usual espresso martinis. 

Lunch or dinner, alone or with a party, we think Asador’s the kind of spot that’ll fit any occasion or Spanish food craving to a T. 

This was a hosted tasting.

For more interesting Spanish spots in Singapore, check out Humo, a Spanish izakaya concept along Keong Saik and the recently relocated FOC Restaurant.