The Place One of the hottest new restaurants to open in Singapore last quarter is Araya, the first fine-dining South American restaurant in Singapore with a focus on Chilean South Pacific cuisine featuring indigenous and Japanese ingredients. Araya is the latest addition to the Culinary Arts Group of restaurants which also boasts Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant Hamamoto and another of my favourite open-fire grill restaurant Revolver, both are situated along Tras Street. Located within Mondrian Singapore Duxton, the restaurant is a cosy 30-seater space helmed by Michelin-starred chef Francisco Araya and chef Fernanda Guerrero.  

The main dining room features a 12-seat rose quartz counter where you can get an up-close view of the chefs at work. There is also a private room if you are planning to head here in a bigger group, with a minimum spend of S$4,000++.  

The Food There is only a Menu Degustación (S$298++ per person) tasting menu for dinner, with an option for a Menu Vegetariano (S$298++ per person). You can expect South American flavours with Japanese elements in the courses, and wine pairing option is also available.

My meal started with a series of Snacks – Ama Ebi Tomato Meringue marinated in clarified tomato water; Tepache, which is a 10-days fermented pineapple juice served with an elderflower liqueur sphere within the glass; and Corn Flan, topped with Murasaki uni marinated in white shoyu. 

Next up is a delightful display of La Panera, the Bread course which is something integral in Chile. There are three types of bread to choose from where you should definitely go for all three!

The Marraqueta is a classic Chileno bread which does not contain any fat; Chapalele is the sourdough potato bread baked using potatoes from South America; while Chorizo is a soft brioche roll studded with chopped chorizo.

I love the warm, freshly baked trio of bread and two types of butter are served to go along. I had the Butter Merken, an Uruguayan butter infused with merkén, a traditional Chilean spice blend which gives it a tinge of spiciness; as well as the Salted Uruguayan butter.  

After the series of bread, it is a refreshing Ceviche course. Hokkaido scallops are marinated in shio koji in this ceviche and it is served with tiger’s milk sorbet infused with ginger and topped with cava foam, green apple, ginger jelly, sliced chillies, and micro herbs.  

Next up is the Causa, Araya’s version of potatoes and caviar. The oca (an Andean tuber) here tastes like potato when cooked, and is added with yellow chillies (aji amarillo) and topped with a lightly smoked chutoro.  

Moqueca is a traditional Brazilian fish stew, and this course is easily one of my favourites from the meal. For one, the gently poached kinki (Japanese channel rockfish) fish is delicious with a nice silky texture.

The other important element here is the moqueca sauce which is made with the bones of the kinki, aceite de dende (palm oil) and coconut milk, and crunchy amaranth for an added texture. 

A pumpkin course is up next, but nothing like what i imagined. Aptly named 140 Days Aged, that is the duration the pumpkin was aged, and it is served with an aged Ecuadorian cacao sauce which is rich in flavour.  

Moving on to “Sunday Lunch” which features the classic Chilean snack of Empanada. The empanada here is made with wagyu and topped with a pebre (a Chilean condiment traditionally  made of coriander and/or parsley) gel and micro herbs. 

The last savoury course is the Lomo which showcases Striploin beef with chimichurri sauce. Expect a flavourful and tender beef taste! 

Save space for desserts as there are three parts to it. The first dessert act is the Desierto Florido, where you get crushed honey orange meringue smothered in a chirimoya alegre (happy custard apple) espuma and orange flan infused with mango and pineapple. It is then garnished with orange and chirimoya candy leather. 

The second dessert is coined as Antarctica, a dramatic showcase of the southernmost part of Chile which is the icy continent. Goat’s milk ice cream, crispy milk, cinnamon anglaise, Patagonian blackberries and redcurrants, and dulce de leche – the combination of ingredients here get better with each bite. 

The last dessert act is the Carrito De Dulces, where a dessert trolley of single-origin chocolates from South America was pushed beside my table, and I get to choose whichever type of chocolate I fancy.  

Rants The counter seats are a tad close to one another.

Will I Return Again? While I am not familiar with Chilean cuisine, it is refreshing to see a South American focused fine-dining restaurant in Singapore’s dining landscape. You should head to Araya with an open mind, as the flavours in some of the dishes are not something I come across often in Singapore. The dishes are well-thought, service attentive and without much surprise, it should be gunning for a Michelin Star in due course.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Araya 
Mondrian Singapore Duxton 
83 Neil Road, #01-08 
Singapore 089813 
Tel: +65 8870 0871 

Opening Hours 
Tuesday to Saturday: 6pm to 11 pm (Last order at 9 pm) 
Closed on Sunday & Monday 

Ranted by The Ranter