Café Iguana

Café Iguana – 12 Greenwood Avenue

Tucked away in the upper-middle class neighbourhood of Greenwood along Bukit Timah, Café Iguana is a Mexican-themed bar and restaurant with good food in a laidback atmosphere. Service is prompt, attentive and personal; the wait-staff had initiative and were alert to when we were sharing, providing side plates without request. Dinner for 3 came up to $134.55 after a 15% discount courtesy of Citibank.

Complimentary Tortilla Chips were served warm with piquant, smoky salsa that – while flavourful – could have done with a little more heat. We couldn’t resist a side order of creamy Guacamole ($3.99) that was a little on the salty side, nevertheless we asked for a refill of it.

To get the party started, we ordered a jug of house-pour Margarita ($18 11am-3pm, $26 3pm-6pm, $34 6pm-8pm, $50 8pm-11pm, $34 11pm-closing) which was a good mix of sweet and sour but sorely lacked tequila kick; a drink for designated drivers and teetotallers.

Camarones al Diablo ($18.99) was an intimidating-sounding dish composed of massive, crunchy prawns napped in a lip-smackingly tangy and spicy sauce. We wiped our plates clean with soft jalapeno-stuffed corn crepes. While one may not traditionally associate seafood with Mexican cuisine; that might soon change if word gets out about these devilishly good camarones.

The Green Chile Stew ($14.99) left an impression as a sensational creation of pulled pork in a thick, richly-spiced gravy. Eaten with soft, buttery pilaf or stuffed into thin flour tortillas, it was nothing less than the epitome of Mexican comfort food.

The Shredded Steak Chimichangas ($19.99) were massive, stuffed to bursting point with tender chunks of perfectly marinated beef and crowned with a generous dollop of sour cream.

The White Cod Tequila Grill ($28.99) was a tad overdone but pleasantly fatty and well infused with the secret tequila marinade. The squash, onion and bell pepper kebab as well as potatoes and corn provided sweet and starchy reprieve from the richness of the generous portion of oil-rich fish.

The Ancho Chile Chocolate Cake ($11.99) was true to its Mexican raw-cocoa roots: rich, chocolatey and not very sweet. It might have been a little dry if not for the sizable scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream with actual specks of vanilla bean visible in the semi-frozen ball; no artificial-flavour subterfuge at this establishment.

The Soppapilla ($10.99) was a bit of Mexican magic delivered right to our table. When flour tortillas are deep-fried, they undergo a metamorphosis; puffing up into crispy, robust pastry that is just divine when served generously honeyed, dusted with cinnamon and topped off with the aforementioned vanilla ice cream. It is only with great effort that I do not wax lyrical about its rich, creamy goodness again!