When I was asked to have lunch at El Toro at Winsland House, I expected a Latin American gastronomic experience that would include mojitos, paellas, quesadillas, asadas, salsa and generous servings of jalapenos for that zing. Well I did get that – and I didn’t, but let me come to that in a bit.

What I did get was an afternoon of culinary decadence and dishes that challenged the norm. I might even go so far as to say that some purists could have been tempted to throw their hands up in the air at the manner with which some ingredients were incorporated. But if you peer beyond the design of its menu, you will find a restaurant that is built on a desire to provide authentic flavours while sticking to a philosophy that champions great food, and also keeping things halal, yet hearty.

Like a matador swirling its cape around a mesmerised bull, the redesigned El Toro (under new management with its official reopening in late August) slowly but reassuringly weaves its spell over you. For starters, its owner Joy Mahbubani is an ebullient host who makes you perfectly at ease with her assured sense of Latin American savoire-faire. Her choices for the afternoon gave me a great sense of the care and love that goes into the preparation of each and every dish on Chef Sam Hameed’s menu.

We started off with virgin mojitos, an El Toro signature drink. You may think, where’s the kick in that? Well, let me tell you that for an afternoon pick-me-up and with the lime and mint blended just right, I really didn’t miss the alcohol – it actually put a nice zing to my tastebuds for the rest of lunch.

El Toro’s house special nachos came next and you can have them with beef or chicken. We opted for chicken and the homemade chips, smothered in the cheeses and jalapenos, and it did not disappoint. The portion was generous and everything is made when ordered, and felt so on the palate. Warm, comforting and combined perfectly so that you did not feel that the meal was over even before it had begun.

The Mexican bowl tortilla salad came next and the flavors of the beef combined with the capsicum and the pico de gajo homemade salsa provided a sprightly zest in addition to the tang on my tongue. The homemade tortilla bowl was just on the right side of crumbly and crispy for me though I felt it may have been a tad too heavy with the oil but the piquant salsa explosions going off in my mouth made up for it.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my meat. Medium rare and bloody in the middle, thank you very much. When the carne asada came over in a sizzling hot plate, my senses were immediately charged. From a presentation perspective, there may not have been too much to write home about but that thick portion of beef was done just right – the flavor of the meat was intense. It also comes with warm tortilla bread and refried beans and a serve of saffron rice to complement the dish, along with the bed of vegetables that was seasoned perfectly.

The next offering was paella with halibut, salmon and chicken. It was magnificently done! The flavors were blended just right and it is a perfect dish for two to share, although I was told that there have been a few patrons who order the dish all to themselves. The paella was well flavored and light despite its coating of oil. The overall effect was one of pleasant joy as it did not make you feel weighted down after you have wolfed down a few mouthfuls, as I have sadly encountered with paella dishes elsewhere.

Vegetarians and vegans also can put El Toro on their ‘must check out list’. Chef Hameed is well suited to tweaking his dishes to cater to your palate and in most cases he is able to pull off the extraordinary even with dishes that do need the time honoured ingredients like the chicken and avocado quesadillas for instance. While the dish is perfect as is – vegetarians can have the fowl-less alternative without much compromise on the taste as he compensates with generous helpings of cheese and guacamole. For vegans, he is happy to substitute the cheese for more avocado and guacamole and tomatoes and onions in suitable portions to make the experience inclusive rather than exclusive.

Dessert has got to be the El Toro chocolate chilli cake with ice cream. Divinely decadent but happily you won’t feel guilty. In fact you just might come back for seconds.

El Toro does not serve alcohol and there is no pork or lard on the menu but it does not seem to have suffered without these ingredients. It is charting a new course and indeed winning over new diners and challenging its existing clientele with some healthy menu alternatives under an assured hand. And that is no bull.

Ole!

El Toro, Winsland Conservation House, Level 2, 165 Penang Road, Tel: 6887-4787 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Entertainer extraordinaire and a man of many dimensions, Hamish Brown is one of Singapore’s most sought after voice professionals, and can now add food reviewer to his portfolio.