‘Til now, Peruvian cuisine has been hard to come by in Singapore, so Chef Daniel Chavez’s TONO Cevicheria – Singapore’s first authentic Peruvian Cevicheria – is a welcome addition that adds a fresh layer to Singapore’sculinary scene. Located in Duo Galleria, we reckon trend-setting TONO is one to watch. Hotfoot it here for pisco sours and fresh ceviche, stat.
Why you should come here:
TONO means ‘party’ in Peruvian, and although the restaurant is small, it does have a fun atmosphere going on with bright splashes of blue and green throughout the space and a vibrant selection of seafood-centric dishes on the menu (but if you’re a vegetarian or not a fan of seafood, this probably isn’t your spot). However, if you can’t get enough of the ocean’s bounty, then you’ll love the creative ceviches, grilled octopus and squid dishes going on here. Moreover, Chef Daniel and his team use loads of spices and ingredients imported from Peru, so you get the true flavours of the dishes as they are meant to taste.
What we love:
There are several options available when it comes to ceviche, we went for the nikkei that featured fresh raw yellowfin tuna in a soy and sesame dressing with purple potato chips and avocado that offered a nice contrast of smoothness and crunch. The tiraditos also featured fresh sashimi style fish, this time yellowtail, with crispy quinoa, all tossed in lime juice and a chili vinaigrette.
For mains the pulpo al olivo was absolutely delicious; melt-in-the-mouth octopus was served with black olive mayo, lemon chimichurri, and garlic chips. We’ve been having some great octopus lately, namely fromBakalakiandDehasa, and this one was definitely up there. Another standout dish was the Aguadito, a thick coriander and cumin soup with crispy fish, chicken, pumpkin, and canchita that reminded us of Indian flavours.
The only dish we probably wouldn’t reorder next time is the sudado de pescado, a fisherman’s stew with white wine, yellow chili, onions, tomatoes, and Peruvian corn; the flavours were a tad bland, especially when compared to the other dishes. Also, the portion sizes for all the dishes could have been bigger (caveat: we’re greedy). Thankfully bread was served throughout the meal that helped us soak up the sauces and pretty much lick the plates clean.
The wine list is small, but we enjoyed the Bouchard Pere & Fils Bourgogne Chardonnay 2015, which went well with seafood, and the strong flavours of the Orube Crianza Rioja. There was also room for dessert, so we ordered two to share, but the main meal was definitely the overall highlight.
UJ Tidbit:
You can’t really mix the flavours here, so enjoy each dish one-on-one rather than a shared plates kind of sitch.
And in terms of getting there, TONO is easily accessible by the green and blue lines and is just a two-minute walk from Bugis MRT; if it’s a busy night on the roads and you’re close to the MRT, that’s definitely your best travel option.
Damage:
We had four people and each ordered a dish plus apps to share and three bottles of wine between us, and that set us back about $130++ a person.
TONO Cevicheria,7 Fraser Street, Duo Galleria, 189356, t. 6702 7320. Open Mon- Fri: 12pm – 3pm, Mon – Sat: 6pm – 10pm
