Que Pasa

Address: 7 Emerald Hill Road, Singapore 229291
Tel: (65) 6235 6626

Que Pasa, a welcoming phrase meaning what’s up or how’s it going in Spanish, is a wine and dine establishment situated inside a Singaporean 1910 shophouse. The vibe is pretty much Mediterranean, and the moment you stepped inside into the atrium, you’re transported to a Spanish provision store. The walls are decorated with dark green and black wine bottles, and have dusted with time (either deliberately or lack of cleaning).

What’s new about their Sangria is that they actually make white Sangria which is a bit of a twist to the red originals. I have yet to try their Sangrias, one of my favourites, but I have pretty much given up my hopes to find some nice ones in Singapore. As to their wine list, it is quite a nice selection stocking most New World wines from US, Australia, Spain and the likes.

I can’t remember how many times I’ve been to Que Pasa, but the experiences varied from wonderful tapas and friendly staff to unbelievably poor attitude and spoilt wine. One night, I met up with a few guys for a bit and some late night drinks. It was about 11.30pm on a Thursday night but it was almost full-house, if that was to give an indication as to how good it is. We ordered thin-crusted pizzas baked from their wood-fired oven which were excellent and had two bottles of wine (I forgot what they ordered).

The test of customer satisfaction (or rather, hospitality) came when we ordered our third bottle. It was some Australian Shiraz which turned out to be spoilt upon our first tasting. The waiter reluctantly called the assistant manager who then persistently informed us the wine was not spoilt, and basically repeated what the bartender and waiter told us. That basically tells me two things: One, they are unwilling to pick up the tab (for the spoilt wine), and two, they do not appreciate that we are in for a few bottles (what a revenue maker, not that wines are cheap in Singapore).

Unfortunately, the situation turned ugly when an acquaintance got furious by their attitudes and demanded refund to which the assistant manager boldly told us that “the customer is not always right”. While I was already sick and tired of all the arguments, I was totally shocked to hear that! It was the first time that I’ve heard someone from a service industry to make such a remark in the face of the customer. In the end, thanks to my companions persuasion and debating abilities (that was about to turn into a drunken brawl), we were offered another bottle.

Another time, I went with a friend of mine and we had some really nice tapas ranging from meatballs, chorizo to Marguez sausage (Moroccan-style lamb and pork sausages in a lightly spicy sause). It fondly reminded me of my time in Sydney’s Spanish district - Liverpool Street. We had a nice evening and she even commented on how she loved the place.

Verdict: To be fair, despite the unforgiving remark from the assistant manager, Que Pasa is a nice and cozy place to chill out and have a couple of drinks with some good friends while nibbling some scrumptious Spanish tapas.

Bill: Tapas – SGD$16-22++; House Pour – SGD$10; Bottle – SGD$50 - 100 ++