Colombian flavours come alive at chef Fernando Arevalo’s restaurant, Bacata

‘Tis the season for accomplished chefs to ditch the starchy stuffiness of fine-dining restaurants in favour of something a little more casual and grounded. Something akin to a person “wearing a tuxedo with sneakers; there is that mix of elegance with playfulness, rule-breaking, and edge”, describes Colombian chef Fernando Arevalo, the chef-owner of fine-diner Preludio on Cecil Street until recently.

That concept bowed out in March to make way for Bacata, a spiritual return to Arevalo’s Latin American roots.

The 36-seater is dark and palpably sensual, where Preludio was bright and airy. Colourful Colombian masks and vases — all handmade — provide the edgy contrast the chef desires.

Food and flavours are similarly juxtaposed, with mainstays from the Colombian canon elevated and reimagined with cutting-edge techniques and seasonal ingredients from around the world.

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Dishes on the seven-course tasting menu that best illustrate Arevalo’s ethos include the toro, an empanada (deep-fried turnover) crafted from a paste of San Marzano tomatoes, fermented garlic, and sherry vinegar. It’s duly crowned by slices of fatty tuna belly that are seasoned with smoked extra-virgin olive oil and finished with a dab of horseradish cream. 

There’s also the chipiron, featuring torched Japanese cuttlefish served with nduja (a spicy Italian pork sausage), tangy chimichurri, and a house-cured egg yolk sauce.

The lengua, meaning tongue in Spanish, also bears mentioning. Bacata’s version pairs meltingly tender morsels of braised veal tongue with blackberries, aged balsamic vinegar, and its own jus, served on a bed of roasted red and white beetroots.

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Delights from the sea are served in the arroz caldoso (literally soupy rice), where arborio rice is cooked in a seafood broth fortified with smoked eel and uni and layered with fish cubes and white asparagus before being topped with N25 caviar.

There is also the langosta, drawing inspiration from a Colombian chicken and potato stew known as ajiaco. Here, Boston lobster, first poached in emulsified butter, acts as the star protein alongside a hearty three-potato and chicken stock broth.

Both of these are add-ons not included in the chef’s menu. An a la carte menu is also available, as is an executive set lunch for $68.

There are six counter seats for a live view of the show kitchen, along with a 12-man private room if a more intimate setting is desired.

182 Cecil St, #03-01/02, Frasers Tower
bacata.sg