Challenge 2: Try A New Cuisine



Hey you guys!

Glad to report that I've checked off another item off the Challenge! So far, so good.

We went to try a new cuisine - Peruvian food!

I hardly know much about Peru, much less eaten any of its food.

A little about Peru. Peru is a country in South America, and is most famous for Machu Picchu, an ancient city in the mountains. It also houses a section of the Amazon rainforest. Peru is near Colombia and Brazil.

So off we went to DUO Galleria at Bugis, where we had dinner plans at TONO Cevicheria. TONO Cevicheria is helmed by Peruvian chef Daniel Chavez, who also runs OLA Cocina del Mar at Marine Bay Financial Centre, and is mostly there nowadays. So from what we heard, TONO's chef right now is from Mexico.

Here's a look at the interior of the restaurant.

Enjoy lively salsa music - no Despacito! 

Upon arrival you'll be presented with either Sparkling or Still water. For the uninitiated, still water is the normal water we drink. If you have been to Europe, Sparkling water is everywhere and you will probably encounter it. Some people enjoy the taste, but it's definitely not my cup of tea! I once mistakenly bought an entire 1.5l bottle of it as the label said things like 'NATURAL' and etc. Do not be fooled!

We used our Burpple 1-for-1 again, but I think for 2 pax you can only use it for the Mains or the Tapas like their signature ceviches. So we went for the mains.

First dish!

This is the Plancha De Mariscos, which is a grilled seafood bowl.

Plancha De Mariscos ($36)

We really enjoyed this! There were grilled plump prawns, a generous amount of squid, crispy melt-in-your-mouth fish, and vegetables like soft zucchinis and eggplant. However, the delicious sauce was the star of the show that bound it all. It was a pleasant flavour party in your mouth! The dish is topped off with these crispy rice bits too. Overall, a nicely layered and textured dish. And boy, did this smell good too!

Second dish was the Peruvian Paella, with Bomba Rice, fish, clams, pork and sausage.

Peruvian Paella ($36)
I don't think I have ever eaten a proper Paella before, because I would have remembered the distinct taste of it. At first I couldn't put my finger on what spice was used for the rice, but then later I realised it was probably saffron! 

Saffron is a comparatively expensive spice, because of the extensive labour required. I find it to be like Truffle Oil... you either love it or hate it. Some people describe saffron to taste like honey, while others describe it as plastic. It's a dividing spice indeed.

Although I found this dish interesting, I'm gonna be honest and say I didn't really like it, probably because I'm so unaccustomed to the taste of saffron. /shrug Part of the food journey is discovering new flavours you like or dislike.

Nonetheless, the fish here was fresh and sweet, and the crispy rice provided some nice layers of texture.

We also ordered a cocktail, the Chilcano ($16), which was a mix of Pisco, ginger ale, fresh lime and amargo bitters. What is Pisco, you ask? It's a brandy produced in regions of Peru and Chile. Unfortunately the drink wasn't very memorable nor photogenic, but there are plenty of other beverage choices you can enjoy.

With Burpple it's definitely easy on the wallet, so I hope to be back to try some signature ceviches. The staff was also friendly and attentive and overall we had a pleasant experience here. You may keep Tono in mind if you're up to trying out some Peruvian food.

Rating: 9/10

TONO Cevicheria
7 Fraser St, #01-49/50 Duo Galleria, Singapore 189356

Chope reservations are available.

Signing off,
Skye

0 Comments