La Pepa at Gemmill Lane probably isn’t the most heard of Spanish restaurant. In fact, it is so low key that my friends doubted its existence. It is a small and casual place and feels like the place to chill in a fuss-free kind of environment. The place wasn’t crowded when we visited. In fact, we were the only reservation at 6.30pm that it felt like I booked the whole place. The one-page menu offers all your usual Spanish cuisine so you can still have your favourite all-time tapas

Pan con Tomate $10 Add: Iberico Bellota Jamon (+$10)

Grated Tomatoes, Cristal Bread, Maldon Sea Salt with Cured Iberian Black Pig

The friend wanted something Iberico, so we were recommended this toasted bread dish. I thought the combination works well together. The crispiness of the bread, the freshness of the tomatoes and the saltiness of the ham

Mushroom Croquetas $8

Wild Mushrooms, Thyme, Panko

We went on to the mushroom croquettes that tasted surprisingly quite well. More mushrooms than cream, more crunch than softness. And also, it was served piping hot even I went to slice into bits to eat them

Gambas al Ajillo $17

Tiger Prawns, Chili, Garlic

This Spanish tapas is something I love to order and not all places get it right. The prawns served here were huge and crunchy but I felt like they could do more with the flavor. Somehow it lacked something, that something that would make me wanna order this again. The toast on the other hand was really delicious. We had to stop ourselves from finishing before the other dishes arrive

Pulpo a la Gallega $20

Spanish Octopus, Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Paprika

The Spanish octopus is a test of skill, for you need to achieve that consistency and firmness in the protein. I really like the octopus here for the texture and the flavour, but maybe not so much for the potatoes

Paella with Pork Ribs, Chorizo, Judiones $26 (small)

Went for the meat paella instead of the seafood one cos it looked something different. I thought the paella was okay, nothing to rave about. Perhaps should have just stuck with seafood on hindsight

Special: Suckling Pig

Suckling Pig! This was a Special on their menu and warranted at least 20 minutes wait. It doesn’t look very appetizing but the pig passed the mark. Tender meat and crispy skin sprinkled with salt. The suckling pig here feels a little on the drier side and perhaps could do more good with a little more juice

Miguelitos $12

Puff Pastry, Mousselline Cream, Marcona Hazelnut Praline

Moving on to desserts.. To be honest, I ordered this cos I was attracted by the hazelnut description. But this dessert was weird. It was nothing I expected. The puff pastry was very light and crispy but that’s about it. I felt like the cream didn’t complement the dish and so neither did the hazelnut

Crema Catalana $8

Spanish Custard with Burnt Sugar

We were pondering about what to order for the 2^nd dessert and we decided to go for Spanish-style crème brûlée. I thought the puff pastry was weird, this was even weirder. I have no idea what we were eating. The dessert was cold and the texture was too soft and slimey and didn’t really portray the sweetness of the custard. I felt like the eggs and sugar had an accident and couldn’t quite make it to the oven

Perhaps they should have just kept something safe on their menu, like icecream perhaps?

Their savouries definitely did better than their sweets. It was a general case of hits and misses though I think if they could have done some adjustments, this place is here to stay. Not a bad place to chill after work given its location in the CBD area, hopefully it could gather crowd in the long term to come

La Pepa

10 Gemmill Lane Singapore 069251