Interview: A sit down with Carles Abellán – the chef-owner of Tapas 24 Barcelona

I think that each country has its culture with food and in Spanish tapas, you’d always find that the tables are always full of dishes for sharing, and people dine in an ambience that is fun, friendly and above all, full of life. But it was not always like this as the concept of tapas was previously unheard of in Barcelona, unlike in other parts of Spain. This fuelled my passion to bring tapas culture to Catalonia which as we come to see, struck a chord with not only locals but even tourists from all around the world.

Both Singapore and Spain all have in common is that we like to enjoy food and the convivial casual nature of tapas allows us to connect or reconnect easily. The small portions and lively dining style are easily accepted, and I’m so heartened to see that in Singapore, the tapas culture is so popular amongst Singaporeans who also are very open to trying new things.

When my wife, Natalia, and I first arrived in Singapore, we suffered from a little jet lag and we thought it would be a great idea to freshen up. So we went for a walk in the Singapore Botanical Gardens, bathing in the tranquillity and immersing ourselves in some lush greenery. Our highlight was definitely traipsing through the ethereal Orchid Garden as we both have a deep love of botany, especially Orchids. Marvelling at the vibrant colours of so many different delicate Orchid species, definitely helped soothe and balance our energies.

We’ve also had the opportunity to visit different markets and taste so many different types of local food from Hainanese Chicken Rice, some Peranakan food, all sorts of noodles and soups. But if I had to pick one favourite, it’s without a doubt the Chilli Crab. Uncovering flavours, essences, spices and textures altogether, help to inspire me when dreaming up new culinary creations and I also observed that the true taste of local gastronomy is in the hawker centres and food courts. We don’t need to look far to find the heritage of Chinese, Indian and Malay cuisine that is built within its identity.

During the pandemic, it was really unfortunate that I had to close two of my five restaurants back in Spain. The restaurant sector was dealt with a terrible hand, very similar to Singapore, and we had to make the necessary pivoting plans to ensure that we sustained for the long run. Sometimes, I feel that it is necessary to close things to make way for new beginnings and that was what happened. The difficult period also gave us time to stop and think about how we did things and it was really about finding some good in all the bad. One of the programs that had seen success is a swift pivot to focusing on the restaurant- takeaways during lockdowns by bringing the restaurant to people’s homes. Truthfully, it was a salvation to the business.

Always do everything with passion whenever possible and never ever stop fighting for your dreams.

The Professor. I love being organized which gives me the ability and foresight to anticipate everything from a big picture perspective.