SUR | Nuevo Latino Kitchen

Nuevo Latino is used to describe a new type of cuisine that blends ingredients from Latin America, Europe and the United States to create an exciting and original fusion. Sounds interesting, and off to SUR we went!

Arepitas – Rumbera and Reina Pepiada

For our mini Arepitas, we chose the Rumbera (Pork Loin and Gouda Cheese) and the Reina Pepiada (Avocado and Chicken Salad). The corn arepita wasn’t too dense, was still rather light in terms of texture. Though we suspect that the corn cake had been deep fried, it wasn’t too oily to turn us off. In fact, we enjoyed the slight crisp to it and the taste of corn was well-balanced. The avocado and chicken salad was cold and refreshing with the tender chicken chunks and the mushy avocado. The pork loin was very tender and the semi-melted gouda cheese tied the entire arepita together, providing that additional gooey goodness and cheesiness.

Torta de Maiz

The Torta de Maiz was a mushroom ragout, with twice-baked corn souffle and queso fresco. The corn souffle was very heavy in texture, it was more like a muffin and less of a souffle. The souffle exuded a subtle sweetness and fragrance. There was a generous serving of mushrooms! Earthly, savoury and well-seasoned – we enjoyed the mushroom ragout. The queso fresco, a traditional Mexican cheese, provided that extra kick in saltiness.

SUR|Nuevo Latino Kitchen
#01-01, 13 North Canal Road

La Barra

La Barra – one of Singapore’s rare Colombian restaurants.

We had no prior experience trying Colombian food, and had absolutely little idea what Colombian food was going to be like. But with an open heart and empty stomach, we stepped into authentically Colombian La Barra.

Arepa – Reina

Arepa is a dish made of ground corn dough or cooked flour, or simply known as corn cakes. It is highly popular in South American countries like Colombia and Venezuela. We choose Reina – which is chicken and creamy avocado.

The Reina consisted of shredded chicken dressed with cold creamy, thick avocado sauce. The chicken appeared to be somewhat just lightly broiled, not richly seasoned. The entire chicken and avocado combination was quite light, healthy and refreshing, not too overwhelming for the palate. However, we didn’t really quite enjoy the corn bread, which was heavy with the taste of corn. The bread seemed too dense and heavy, and rather starchy as well. The charred taste released a subtle bitterness, and the corn bread just seemed to add too much weight to the light chicken avocado.

La Barra
#02-21, The Star Vista
1 Vista Exchange Green