FIV五 TAPAS BAR @Cuppage Terrace

Tired of planning where to eat, we decided to take an ad hoc walk along the long-neglected Cuppage Terrace to scour for new food haunts. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have not been back there for at least two years, and there were so much changes!

After shortlisting a few restaurants, we decided to try FIV五 TAPAS BAR @Cuppage Terrace. There was a live band performing inside the small interior; we opted for alfresco dining instead as we wanted to catch up. The airy space along the terrace was filled with high tables, stools and happy diners. We became a part of them, once seated.

This Spanish-Japanese fusion restaurant is located exactly at 25 Cuppage Road, Cuppage Terrace, Singapore 229454, and the telephone number is 6733 8097.

Our drinks came first - my red wine and Charliez*'s cranberry juice. The tower of beer was served in an interesting Eiffel Tower dispenser. We enjoyed the drinks while chilling out to great music, losing ourselves in this relaxed, cheery environment ideal for friends or colleagues to gather for a fun night out, over drinks and an assortment of light foodstuffs.

The various Tapas dishes we ordered arrived shortly, served by friendly waiters bustling about the busy restaurant. Guests kept leaving and coming, we lost count too.

Anyway, we dug in.

The thick, crispy homemade Tortilla Chips came with dips salsa and cream. Unlike your typical packaged, supermarket tortilla chips which are thin and far-too-salty, these chips were light in flavor and each piece was thickly delicious. The perfect nibbles to go with drinks, for sure.

Then the Lemongrass Calamari Rings was being served in a cute little pot. It was great- very crispy with thin crusts, so that one could easily get through to the chewy squid encased within. The aroma of lemongrass added hints of spice to the calamari rings, enhancing the overall taste.

Next, the Fried Chicken Winglets, in lieu of the Duck Confit we had both wanted originally- unfortunately the Duck Confit was sold out. The chicken skin was kind of... dampened (with the oil it was fried in?) and the flesh was so-so. It was just another chicken winglet dish, nothing that stood out. It definitely paled in comparison compared to the first two Tapas that were served first.

And then the cubes of Pork Belly, fried. There was not much taste to it, and each piece came with the flesh-and-fats portions. We disliked the tough meat, but found the fatty portions to be even more unappetizing. I managed to improve it slightly by taking huge sips of my red wine after every piece of pork belly I popped into my mouth.

All was not lost! 

The pan-seared Foie Gras with tiny slices of crispy French Loaf perked our appetite up again. Tender on the outside, tender on the inside, the delicacy was ready to melt in our mouths like sumptuous molasses. We piled them atop the cripsy bread pieces, and instantly savoured the tastiness of crunch + tenderness greedily.

>Lastly, the Parma Ham on Rock Melon dish came. Rather innovative, I would say. Thin, salty slices of finely-cut parma ham to be sweetened by the chilled melon. This was a delicacy, one that played at different tones in flavors - combination of savoury and sweets. I love such blends.

Having enjoyed a rather good dinner over drinks at a totally fun place full of happy diners, it was a great evening well spent.

Better yet, the Tapas were all under the SGD$5.00 promotion, so, even though I had two glasses of wine and we shared six Tapas - the total bill came up to only SGD$40.00 per person.

Come by sometime, for a unique touch of Spanish-Japanese themed dining.