When I first heard about this place (20 Teck Lim Road, 6224-3933), I wasn't too excited about it. This was in part since it was related to Esquina, but also since they used the name of an American barbecue component and yet wasn't really serving American barbecue. Still, the same colleague of mine who referred me to Lolla kept telling me about this place, so I came down here after work tonight to see what all of the fuss was about.
He was right - this place was pretty darned good. The interesting thing was that the wood burning smoke made the dining room indeed smell like the City Market in Luling, Texas, and yet the food was far from brisket and sausage. These were upscale small plates instead, all carrying a pleasantly smoky taste, with the perfectly seasoned quail eggs and and tartare in particular being a couple of my favorites. The asparagus above was right up my alley too, as was everything else that I had. Good call.
Well, I guess at one point I did say that I was looking forward to the next venture from the guys behind The Market Grill, and here it was. Surely enough, I liked it, and I hope that there are more no-reservations counter-seating places to come. Somehow I just haven't been that big on Esquina though.
3 comments:
strange that you didn't like Esquina. Esquina's food was better than Burnt Ends, although Burnt Ends was very, very good. What don't you like about Esquina?
It was too progressive for my traditional inclinations, I suppose.
WTF you actually replied to a comment??
That's a first??
Aussie Tourist
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