Osvaldo OLA @ Marina Bay Financial Centre

The stardust of Santi has yet to settle, even with the closure of the famed restaurant at Marina Bay Sands. With much regret, I did not get to pay them a visit then. With alumni from Santi, Osvaldo OLA has stuck in my mind since its opening even when I have walked by several times over the weekends and not seen a single soul. Friday night was better though with the restaurant fairly filled.



Bar counter with all the lovely spirits.



Wall of fame, nearly.



Spot them autographed plates from Santi.



Colourful plates.

It is hard as crack trying to understand the accent of the waiter and remembering at least one thing he rattled off for daily specials. If my fish bowl of a memory serves me well, there was white bait and wet paella on the special list.



Amuse bouche.



Bread basket was ordinary as was the amuse bouche of toast with spring vegetables.



Freshly removed, I wish they were churned butter.



Gazpacho ($6)


Usually not a fan of soups much less gazpachos, I read enough about their cold soup to warrant a try. Rich and complex I'd say about this cherry tomato encrusted soup. Flavours were spot on and it was gone before the companion could reach for a second scoop. 



Piquillo ($15)



Stuffed peppers with fish, I thought of this as a Spanish Yong Tau Foo. The stuffing and pepper were not too complementary though. 



Calamari ($26)

The squid was hardly seasoned, or it looked that way - until the first bite. Incredibly tender! I never quite thought calamari could taste any less of rubbery or chewy at least.



White Asparagus with Organic Mushrooms ($35)

Overcooked asparagus was definitely a letdown. Outshone by the organic mushrooms infact. A miss I say.

 

Paella ($35)

Portion did not wow neither did the rice but the seafood did. Prawns and scallops deserve special mention in this hotplate of spanish delicacy. As with the suckling pig, an enforced wait is necessary. The crusty charred rice grains gave this an added bite.




Suckling Confit ($58)



Like paella, this seems to be a must order for a Spanish restaurant. Word has it to pre-order together with the table reservation to shorten the 45 minute waiting time. Crisp skin with a generous layer of fat and meat. Vavavroom this was hardly but this was the kind of babi guling I thought Anthony Bourdain would have raved to a number spot in his food list. Nonetheless delightful until the edges where the gameyness was overpowdering, a huge put off.

Seafood is their specialty and regrettably I should have gone straight for all things seafood. As much as I would have loved for dessert, stomach space was terribly limited - especially with a wait that kills the appetite quite a fair bit. Raring to return? Hardly. This could have lasted for as long as the stardust from Santi settles. Pricey affair indeed, the only justification is...Fridays are an end to a nerve wrecking work week. And, oh...service it fautless...I lost count of the number of times my warm water got refilled.


Osvaldo OLA
Marina Bay Financial Centre
Tower 3 #01-06