We are glad that we were back to UNA At One Rochester again. Our first visit was last year when it was helmed by Chef Chef Jean-Philippe Patruno. We noticed the revamp in their menu as UNA welcomed her new Executive Chef, Antonio Oviedo.
Chef Antonio Oviedo was under the tutelage of 2 world’s best chef who’s restaurant were Michelin stars awarded. With such an impressive credentials, we hold high expectation and are thrill to try out the dishes presented by UNA At One Rochester again.
For those who do not know UNA At One Rochester, they are at the same location since April 2014. Both the Spanish tapas, the popular choice at Spanish restaurant and the parrilla (Spanish for ‘grill’) that is under rated by many, were offered under the same roof.
Tapas
We commenced our dinner with a handful of Tapas. First on the table were both the Encurtidos ($10) and Croquetas De Jamon Iberico, 4 pc ($14). Encurtidos is a dish of olives and peppers which most didn’t enjoy. Somehow, olives are like acquired taste. Either you like it or you don’t.
The creamy interior with Ibericao Ham coupled with crispy exterior is the Croquetas De Jamon Iberico ($14). This is the crowd-pleaser. These tasted better than our first attempt last year.
Gambas Al Ajillo ($22) is a dish of fresh tiger prawns sauteed in olive oil, garlic, chilli and parsley. Though it was a flavourful and delish dish, it didn’t wow us.
Octopus is a common dish in Spanish restaurant. As such we have the Pulpo A la Parrilla Con Papas Arrugadas Y Mojo ($32). The coriander and paprika sauce augmented the smoky grilled octopus. Baby potatoes and some purple sweet potatoes were on the plate too.
Most diners of the night tried the Fideua De Calamares ($20) for their first time and were mesmerized by this uncommonly seen dish. We only know of UNA offering Spanish noodle paella dish in Singapore.
We were astonished that both the Ensalada De Verano ($24) and Ensalada Cesar ($26) were approved by the carnivores at our table.
Mains Tapas And Grills
This round we managed to try a grill. We regretted for not ordering any at our first visit. The grill is too good to be miss.
This is especially true for the Pluma Iberica ($38). Two thumbs up from all diners at the table. The grilled pork was tender and melt in the mouth. The lightly char on the meat intensified the flavour.
One other highly recommended grilled is the Wagyu A La Parrilla ($50) which we missed it this round.
Paella
In the revamped menu, 3 items were still seen on their Paella section. But a pity, UNA at One Rochester has removed the Spanish noodle paella from this section. In fact, we felt the noodle was much better than the rice. Now, this section has only rice. UNA still provides them in 2 sizes, small and large. We tried 2 out of 3 Paella.
First was the Paella De Chorizo Y Habitas (Small $46/Large $66) which was under-appreciated by the diners of the night. Some didn’t like the taste of the saffron while others prefer seafood. At NAHMJ, we love this dish. Our only feedback was that the rice was too soggy.
Arroz Negro (Small $52/Large $72) won the heart of almost all the diners. The rice was infused with essence of the seafood. We could savour the aroma. However, we didn’t vote for it as we can’t help but compared it with the Fideua De Calamares that we tried earlier. As the latter was far too outstanding, the Arroz Negro was pale to comparison.
Somehow the Paella is still on the salty spectrum, however we must say that the generosity of salt was far reduced.
Desserts
The last part of our meal at UNA At One Rochester was dessert. The happiest time of the meal. On UNA At One Rochester desserts menu, there are 5 desserts including the cheese platter. We were honoured to try 3 of them.
First dessert is the Queso Fresco Calabaza Y Membrillo ($14). This dessert consists of fresh cheese mousse with quince and walnuts paired with roasted pumpkin ice cream by its side. We enjoyed the components of this dessert individually. But we couldn’t say for sure that we like it when combining both cheese and ice cream in one mouth. In fact, we advise against doing so as it tasted weird.
Fruta de La Pasion, Fresa Y Aloe Vera ($16) was very much a fruity dessert. We like the refreshing and punching sour flavour from the Passionfruit. We won’t recommend this dish for those who have low sour tolerance level.
Churros Con Chocolate Cafe ($14) was a little disappointing as the churros was soaked heavily in oil. That was unexpected and unfortunate. We love the chocolate and coffee foam dip.
NAHMJ Verdict
When comparing with our first visit, though we notice similarity in dishes, the flavours of dishes were much more distinct and bold. Overall, we enjoyed our dinner at UNA At One Rochester even though there was a hiccup in the Churros. With the same token, there were Wow moments too.
NAHMJ would highly recommend the must order at UNA At One Rochester as Croquetas De Jamon Iberico, Pulpo A la Parrilla Con Papas Arrugadas Y Mojo, Fideua De Calamares and Pluma Iberica. And perhaps Arroz Negro too.
UNA At One Rochester
1 Rochester Drive, Singapore 139212
Tel: +65 6773 0070
Website: http://una.sg/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/1RochesterGroup?fref=ts
Menu: http://una.sg/#!menu
Opening Hours
Monday – Tuesday 1700 to 2300; Wednesday to Fridays 1200 to 1500, 1700 to 2300; Sunday 1100 to 1500 (Last order at 1430)
[For dinners, dinning starts from 1800, last order at 2230]
Happy Hours: Monday – Friday 1700 to 2000
Getting There
By MRT:
- Circle line or East-West line – Buona Vista station
By Bus:
- At or opposite Buona Vista station or after Anglo Chinese Junior College 74, 91, 92 95, 191, 196, 198, 200
Rating: 8/10