SALTA Argentine Parrilla @ Singapore

During my last visit to the republic, I was undecided on whether to dine at a tried and tested outlet or to try something new. Looking at the blog, I have been dining at the same outlets on countless times and thus, it's time for something new! It's quite a dilemma as I don't really go to Singapore so often anymore and if I don't visit my favourite restaurants, the chef might just forget about me!

SALTA Argentine Parilla + Grocer @ Icon Village

A friend of mine happened to read about this new place that serves Argentinian steaks and we decided to check it out. Funny thing is, even the taxi driver doesn't know where Icon Village at Gopeng Street is at. A quick check with the GPS brought us to this place which is located in Toa Payoh. We were quite confused with the entrance to the restaurant. On one side you have a Salta lounge and on the other side, it's actually a Japanese Restaurant called Kumo. Lucky there is a waitress whom guided us into the restaurant.

Salta is named after a city in Argentina. Apparently Salta is famous for its food, particularly beef, throughout South America. The interior is warm and simple with an open kitchen concept.

Being adventurous, we ordered some recommended true Argentinian dishes.

Empanadas SGD$6

Empanadas is one of the signature dishes of Argentina. They are actually pastries filled with meat and vegetables. It comes in 3 pieces and we has a Carne (beef & Capsicum), Roquefort y Apio (cheese & celery) and lastly a Camaron (prawn & tomato). The pastries is crispy and big but the fillings are rather little. The best one was the beef and capsicum. This is like Argentinian karipap! haha...

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Jamon Iberico (50g) SGD$20

My friend couldn't resist ordering a plate of Jamon Iberico after he saw the whole leg of it perched on top of the kitchen counter. As explained to us, the Jamon Iberico is cured for 38 days. I had to try it! A good Jamon Iberico is usually cured 1-2 days for every pound of meat. The ones that we had that night was so good and full of aroma and savory tastes which includes saltiness as well.

Cantena Malbec 2008

Since we are having Argentinian food, we thought it's a good change to try a bottle of Argentinian wine. Their wine list is quite limited but we were glad we got a good bottle of Malbec. Initially I was quite sceptical because I don't know the Argentinian labels well but with the recommendation from one of the staff, Melissa (who has been so helpful and polite) the bottle turned out to be really good. It has very concentrated dark fruits aroma and the palate is rich with spices and tobacco. It might be a young bottle but after some breathing, it proves to be quite a good bottle.

Parrillada (for two) - SGD$70+

Mixed grilled: beef sirloin, beef skirt, chicken, black hog pork, sausage, sweetbread, vegetables & potatoes

It doesn't look like a big portion but in fact it is too much after you have 1 or two appetisers. What I liked most about this platter from the grill is that there is a mix of meat and sausages. The sweet bread and beef skirt is something which we don't really get in KL. And when we asked for the meats to be done medium, it's actually a medium rare. If we were in KL, when we asked for a medium rare, it usually turns out to be a medium.

Sweetbread

Sweetbreads are the ultimate organ meat, highly prized by chefs and connoisseurs for their mild flavor and velvety texture. This is actually the thymus gland (throat, gullet, or neck sweetbread) and the pancreas (heart, stomach, or belly sweetbread) of animals. It is a light meat that is firmer in texture than brains. I really like the light texture.

Panqueque
“dulce de leche”crepe

Melissa was really nice. Not only she's friendly, she also introduced us to the Japanese Chef Nobu next door to us. As told to us, the Japanese restaurant, Kumo serves a good Kaiseki menu. Then, she also introduces us to Louis, executive sous chef of SALTA. He was actually a Malaysian and was recently in Salta in Argentina to learn more about their cuisine.

When he asked if we wanted desserts, I rejected as I was stuffed but he told me to try one of their specialty - the Panqueque. Inside the crepe, they used the dulce de leche as filling. It is actually a Spanish milk caramel. Made as both a thick jam and a caramel candy, it is prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk to create a product that derives its taste from caramelised sugar. It was sweet but it does taste very nice and the texture looks like kaya!

Louis giving a tour of the kitchen

The bonus we got by being nice is a tour into the kitchen! Louis was so kind to show us the open kitchen concept and the grill. The charcoal grill is 5 metre long and it has adjustable height so that the meats would not be burnt by raising the grill. The ventilation system is very good as the restaurant is smoke free and I don't go out smelling like a piece of grilled steak!

This place has only been opened for 9 months and since it's hidden in the Icon Village, many might not have heard about it. I would definitely come back for more as their steaks is really the highlight of the restaurant. We were also given a 20% discount and it was very worth it!

SALTA Argentine Parrilla + Grocer | view google map
Icon Village
12 Gopeng Street #01-56
078877 Singapore
Tel: +65 6225 8443
Fax: +65 6225 8481
Email: salta@kitchenlanguage.com.sg
website

Opening Hours
Monday - Saturday
11:30am – 2:30pm
6:30pm – 10:30pm