Tom Viva Loca is a chain of restaurant and bars in Singapore. There are currently 2 outlets, one in Katong and the other in Changi City Point’s The Oasis. Viva Loca actually has a direct translation of “Long Live” (Viva) and “Crazy” (Loca) in Spanish. So when we decided to visit Viva Loca @ Changi, we were sort of expecting Spanish tapas and tacos but it turned out to be a little different from what we expected…
About Viva Loca @ Changi
As described on Viva Loca’s website, they are a restaurant and bar that “serves a mix of European and local dishes as well as a wide array of beers, cocktails, mocktails and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages“. It also comes with a mantra of “Eat, Drink and Live Crazy”, suggesting a lively and fun atmosphere. At Viva Loca @ Changi, there’s an alfresco seating area outside where you can chill and people watch as they walk along the corridor at The Oasis at Changi City Point or cool down at the indoor dining area. The Oasis, as it turns out, is a really great venue for cheap draft beers, such as those at Viva Loca @ Changi. Once seated, our eyes were immediately attuned to the “Drunch” menu on the table…
As the name “Drunch” suggests, it is a brunch menu with drinks – free flow of drinks that is! For $48+, you’ll enjoy tandoori kebabs, mains (such as macaroni N cheese, quesadilla, naans and fried rice), chaats (reminding us of our afternoon tea at Taj Rambagh Palace Jaipur India) as well as sides (chicken wings, nuggets) and even desserts! Of course, the highlight of the Drunch, that takes place every Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5 pm (for 2 hours) are the unlimited beers, cocktails and mocktails, which quickly makes this a rather economical option for free flow alcohol choices. Plus, the beer and cocktail options are rather enticing as well…
There are draught beers such as Stella, Hoegaarden, Kronenberg Blanc, Summer IPA (from Archipelago Brewery) as well as cocktails such as Margaritas and Lychee Mojitos. We were not planning for a Drunch this afternoon, but will definitely consider a review of Viva Loca’s Drunch in the future. Next, we analysed the food menu at Viva Loca @ Changi…
Why we said that the offerings at Viva Loca was a little unexpected, was because, besides the usual bar grubs of truffle fries, wings and western selection, they had local infusions such as crabmeat fried rice, paneer marinara pasta as well as chicken tikka pizza – this, we’ve got to try!
What we had at Viva Loca @ Changi
As it was Happy Hours till 8pm daily (beers were at $10 per pint). As it turns out, the beers (except Summer IPA) were priced at $9.1+ which works out to $10 nett! Summer IPA was priced at $10+ which was still reasonable as well! Hence, we started with a pint of Kronenberg Blanc as well as the Summer IPA from Archipelago Brewery…
The Summer IPA did remind us of the IPA from Brewerkz. But priced at $10+ vs $16++ for the IPA from Brewerkz, we know where we’re heading to should our IPA cravings arise. We also loved that the beers are served using their respective mugs and glasses. The Kronenberg Blanc was served in a frosted blanc glass that made sure that our beers stayed chilled, even towards the end of our meal.
For the bar grubs, we had sweet potato fries (at $7! 😄), chicken tikka pizza ($18) and the char grilled baby back ribs ($28)…
At $7 per serving, you’d think that the sweet potato fries would not taste nice and probably be in a rather small portion. But when it arrived, we were pleasantly surprised! The portion was rather huge and each sweet potato fry was thick and crisp on the bite. A perfect start to a great meal at Viva Loca!
Next, the Chicken Tikka Pizza. On first glance, you’d think that it’s a rather strange combination. But if you think about it, Indian cuisine does have its cheese staples (such as paneer) that goes rather well with naan. The next obvious evolution would thus be the chicken tikka pizza which we absolutely enjoyed! The crust was thin but slightly doughy, which, combined with the cheese and chicken tikka, complemented each other perfectly. Another thumbs up for Viva Loca!
Lastly, the Char Grilled Baby Back Ribs. Having tried many grilled baby back ribs throughout the years, we didn’t have much expectations. Some restaurants would serve the baby back ribs with hardly any meat and coated in BBQ sauce to hide the “lack of meat” on the ribs. However, at Viva Loca, we were pleasantly surprised once again! They really got how baby back ribs ought to be prepared. The meats on the ribs were meaty with fatty bits on the end that made the rib moist, despite the grilling and charring process. Best of all, the meat was soooo tender! The concoction of BBQ sauce was excellent as well. Not too sweet and overpowering that would divert your attention away from the meat. Instead, it was mild and really balanced the meaty and fatty ribs rather well. Yummy! 😋
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All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the dining experience at Viva Loca @ Changi. It is rather seldom that all bar grubs turned out as good as those we enjoyed at Viva Loca. Coupled with the discounts from Eatigo, the entire bill came up to $50.16 (note that there’s no GST charges here). We were also told that discounts didn’t usually apply to the baby back ribs but since we weren’t informed about it prior, they generously applied discounts to it as well. With the cheap beer prices, excellent bar grub as well as the Drunch menu, we’d definitely be back to check out Viva Loca’s other offerings in the future. For draft beer cravings, head on down to The Oasis at Changi City Point. With restaurants such as Viva Loca @ Changi, you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!
