Founded in 2016, Armoury at South Beach Quarter started with craft beer (up to 15 rotating beer taps, serving a wide variety of beer such as sour ale, porter and chocolate stout), and then, in 2017, added steak to their repertoire. Fast forward to April 2022, the restaurant expands their menu to include Spanish cuisine.

The Madrid broken egg ($15++) or huevos rotos is a popular fried egg-and-potato dish that can be easily found throughout Madrid. Some places serve the runny eggs with french fries or crunchy chips, depending on region and personal preferences. Here at Armoury, scrambled eggs are drizzled with lots of olive oil and topped with chorizo pieces and fried potatoes. The crisp potatoes are soft and fluffy and complements the savoury chorizo.

The garlic mushrooms or setas al Ajilo ($12++) is a mixture of shimeji and button mushrooms cooked in olive oil, a generous portion of minced garlic and red wine. The herby flavour of the mushrooms goes very well with the earthy olive oil although I’m not too sure about the addition of red wine. If a splash of white wine was added instead, it might have lifted the dish further with its crisp and citrusy notes.

Order the gambas al Ajilo ($21++), or prawns cooked in olive oil and garlic, only if you love garlic. Since I love garlic, this is the tapas that I enjoy the most. Simplicity at its best. Fresh crunchy prawns drenched in garlicky olive oil, with baguette to mop it up. However, this is rather pricey.

The score marks on the grilled spicy calamari ($20++) are a beaut. Although not rubbery, the calamari could have been more flavourful and spicier. Perhaps drizzling some of that glorious garlicky oil would take this dish to another level?

For mains, the seafood paella ($36++) takes about 30 minutes of waiting time. The short grain rice is cooked al dente, providing great texture. The rice has fully absorbed the flavourful broth it is steeped in. The pieces of chicken thigh are rather bland and some of the mussels are mushy.

On the whole, I enjoy the food here but I am not sure if I would come here solely for the tapas. That being said, I wouldn’t mind dropping by after work as the restaurant offers a decent selection of craft beer.

Armoury
36 Beach Road, #01-01 Singapore 189766
Tel: +65 85573866 (WhatsApp only)
Tues – Sat 11.30am to 10.30pm
Sun 11.30am to 10pm
Closed on Mon
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Food: 6/10
Decor/ambience: 6/10
Price/value: 5.75/10

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–The Feather Blade, Club St: Affordable, Excellent Steaks For Young People
–Hot Stones, Clarke Quay: Longstanding Stone Grill Restaurant Revamped Dining Concept to Offer Japanese Steakhouse Dining Experience
–Black Marble by Otto, Raffles Holland V Mall: Steaks, Grilled without Frills

This is an invited tasting. Written by Vanessa Khong. Vanessa is someone who enjoys checking out the local food scene. She believes the way to her heart is through her stomach.