Spain At Your Table
Are you missing home? You are not alone.
For many of us, 2020 made us realise how far away we were from home. As the world went on lockdown, as borders were shut and travel placed on a standstill, we all had to sit and wait till we could visit our home country and hug our family once again. In the meantime, we made do and recreated all the things we miss from home.
Such is the story of Esther Sanchez and Karmela Oreta, two friends who have made Singapore their second home.
Born and raised in Murcia in Spain, Esther was a tax advisor before she moved to Singapore in 2014 and started F&B business Yole and Tapas Club. With other Spanish expats living in Singapore, she founded the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and the Spanish Association in Singapore.
Filipino Karmela lived in New York, London and Shanghai and worked in public relations for luxury fashion brands. She later moved with her husband, a Spaniard from Rioja, to raise their family in Singapore's sunny, tropical island.
Feeling nostalgic and missing their families in Spain, they started making dishes from back home. One personal challenge they faced was that they couldn't get all the ingredients they needed from one shop. They had to source it from different groceries. Despite this inconvenience, they were able to recreate their social bubble filled with frequent get-togethers with family and friends, serving hearty Riojas and delicious home-cooked favourites like the Spanish tortilla, paella with veggies and lentils with chorizo with a good Spanish olive oil passed around like water. During these happy times stimulated by delicious tapas, copious wine, animated conversations, and boisterous laughter, Missing Spain was born.
Esther and Karmela around the table with the family
To share their love of Spain and the lifestyle of happy times around the table with family and friends, to replicate authentic Spanish dishes passed on from generations before them, Esther and Karmela launched Missing Spain, an online Spanish gourmet grocer. They want to fuel memories of everyone's last trip to Spain by sharing an authentic Spanish culinary experience in Singapore.
"We love drinking, eating, and just being around friends and family. We want to share that simple and happy experience, the Spanish way of living, here in Singapore," says Karmela.
Their paella kit is one of their bestsellers, ordered by those wanting to learn the art of making an excellent authentic Spanish paella from scratch. The kit comes with a paella pan that can serve 4-7 people, along with the famous Tapas extra virgin olive oil, paella seasoning, Spanish bomba rice, and a special paella recipe.
The grocer also specialises in beautifully packed gift boxes that include a mix of tapas ingredients and wine, paella kits, gin and even sangria. You can even customise your gift box according to your preference. Their gift boxes are delivered by the next day with a personalised message that can instantly brighten up one's day.
Missing Spain’s Paella Gift Box
One item that is usually ordered from Missing Spain is the country's famous wine, the Rioja. It is a renowned wine offering signature powerful red blends of two native Spanish varieties, Tempranillo and Garnacha. The online grocer carries denominations from Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Navarra, Jumilla, Toro, Valencia and so much more. Another favourite item is the Cava, the most famous sparkling wine in Spain. When it comes to celebrating special milestones, the tradition of uncorking a bottle of Cava shouldn't be missed.
Missing Spain carries the village wines of Bodegas Aradon from Alcanadre in Rioja
The grocer also carries Alión, which is from Spain’s most prestigious wine estate, Bodegas Vega Sicilia
You can choose a from Giró Ribot’s special selection of cava
Refreshing Sangria La Sueca with lots of ice on a simmering day
Another great weekend grocery item is Sangria La Sueca. If you order the gift box, it will come with a special recipe that's perfect for drinking on a Saturday afternoon by the pool. Fresh, pleasant, and sweet, a cold sangria with a lot of ice is always a good idea on a hot day.
If you are looking for something easy to prepare or trying to wow your guests, Missing Spain has something for everyone and every meal. There are so many dishes you can make to experience Spain in your own home.
You can easily prepare a wide spread of Spanish tapas with all their ingredients. Spanish tapas are small plates of food that can easily be shared and passed around the table. Imagine chorizo, salchichon and jamon arranged in a beautiful platter filled with Manchego, olives and piquillo peppers, rosemary cheese, cheese with truffle and membrillo with crackers on the side.
You can also serve different paellas. There's the Paella Valenciana, the original paella born in Valencia. The Paella Marisco is a seafood paella that contains prawns, mussels, calamares, clams and other seafood you can name. The Paella Vegetariana includes a variety of vegetables like cauliflower, artichokes, red and green peppers. The Paella Negra, a personal favourite, is cooked with squid ink, making the rice black in colour. The trick in making a delicious paella is using the right equipment and the proper technique. A paella pan is a must! So is good Spanish olive oil. More importantly, when cooking paella, you must let the rice sit undisturbed until it forms the soccarat, the prized toasty crust that everyone loves.
You can build your Spanish charcuterie board in so many appetising ways. It’s all about choosing the ingredients you fancy.
The Paella Marisco is a crowd pleaser. Adding chicken and pork to your seafood paella is also an option — the Paella Mixta.
What sets the Spanish table apart from other tables is the melodic cacophony of people laughing and teasing, the clinking of glasses and the simple joy of sharing good food with your nearest and dearest.
"We want to bring everyone closer to happier times spent with family and friends. We hope that Missing Spain, our Spanish grocer, will be able to entertain you with our culture and social ritual," says Esther.
Newly added! Melt-in-your-mouth Basque Cheesecake. Order it on-line at missingspain.com
You can purchase all their products online at www.missingspain.com. The Spanish grocer has a partnership with Tapas Club. The renowned Spanish restaurant in Singapore can be found in three locations: VivoCity, Jewel (Changi), and Orchard Central. All these three restaurants have retail spaces of Missing Spain where you shop your grocery items while experiencing delicious Spanish tapas and beverages.
Missing Spain offers free delivery for a $150 purchase or more, and a $10 discount for all first-time customers. The grocer delivers from Monday to Saturday, and provides a next-day delivery option for all of their gift boxes. You can also opt to pick-up your groceries at Tapas Club Orchard on your selected day.
Tisha | ws