Saturday night is the time to have some fun and try out new stuff. My friend found this place, Tono Cevicheria, so we figured just try it out. I knew it won’t be cheap though! But hey, when is the best time to try Peruvian dishes other than now 😉 The place is located in Duo Galleria in Bugis which is a convenient walking distance from Bugis MRT.
I thought I never ate ceviche but I was wrong! When the waiter explained to us about ceviche, I recalled one moment in Saigon when I ate it in a Mexican resto, a shrimp ceviche. Because this was our first visit, we had no idea what to order and how many dishes. According to the waiter, if we want to share the food then we could order 2 ceviches and 1 main dish with rice or grilled menu. They also have special menu for the day for ceviche and main course. After asking questions and discussing, we decided to follow the suggestion by ordering 2 ceviches and 1 rice dish for share.
We saw many different kinds of tiger’s milk in the ceviche menu, so we asked the waiter what is the thing about tiger’s milk, is it the real milk from tiger?! (don’t judge, we are just 2 curious girls who were lazy to google :D). The waiter kindly explained to us that the term tiger’s milk is referring to the ‘sauce’ on ceviche. It contains chili, onion, salt and lime, and Peruvian believes that after eating ceviche with the sauce they would become strong like a tiger.
One of the ceviches that we ordered was the special of the day, Tiradito Verde (S$30). I forgot what fish they used for this dish, but I remember it also has sliced octopus and pan-seared tuna. Ceviche main taste is salty and spicy, but it actually not that spicy, at least still manageable for me (even though I sweat a lot and my lips were a bit numb lol). They also have a milder version of the sauce, so you can just ask the waiter to give a recommendation. It’s good that they gave us slices of bread because it helps to neutralize the strong taste of ceviche. I found this dish was great, but they need to improve on presentation because I think it doesn’t look appetizing on a yellow plate.
The second ceviche that we ordered was Tono (S$28). It is their signature dish. But I actually interested because it has crispy calamari in it (who can resist crispy calamari?!). This one also has a strong taste but less salty than the Tiradito Verde. Between the two ceviches, I prefer this Tono because the calamari gives an extra texture in my mouth. Salty, spicy, fresh fish and extra crunchiness from calamari. Yum! I love this one.
For the rice dish, we picked Arroz Con Pato (S$35) because we have enough fishes from ceviche so we figured we should try the duck leg confit as well. The rice was mixed with coriander and dark beer. It has a similar texture to risotto. I tried the rice itself and it was okay, but when I ate it with the duck it was awesome! The duck was sooo delicious. Crispy outside, but juicy inside. A really nice duck and rice duet!
My tummy and tongue were very happy with the food. I thought I had enough for the night and ready to go, but my friend wanted to see the dessert menu. Uh oh…
People say women have a different room for dessert. I guess that is correct… We ordered the dessert as well! Only one though, for share. We picked Alfajores (S$12), butter cookies with “Dulce De Leche” filling and Mango Mousse, out of the 4 desserts. I loved it. Sweet caramel taste with a buttery cookie that melted in the mouth combined with a refreshing Mango Mousse to balance the sweetness.
Overall it was a great experience for us in a Peruvian restaurant. Great food and dessert as well. When the bill came, we asked them to split it and charged to 2 cards. Easy peasy.
They will have an event soon on 17 – 23 September 2018 where they will feature different chef each day. You can make a reservation here : https://www.quandoo.sg/place/tono-cevicheria-34799#tab-smart-offers
Website : http://tono.com.sg/
Thank you for reading! Ciao.
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