The chef who truly isn't disgruntled, Daniel Sia, has been travelling. Aside from sweet-talking his way into a table at Albert Adria's Barcelona restaurant Tickets, and serving up his signature crispy lamb shortribs with chilli and cumin in Moscow for Singapore Takeout, he found fresh inspiration in Spain's ripe summer cuisine.

Imagine the smells and sights of the Mediterranean as you steep yourself in Disgruntled Chef's al fresco courtyard terrace or canteen-like interiors. First - cocktails like elderflower margarita and Grape Rosella Fizz deliver a pure beam of sunshine with vibrant flavours without the excessive use of sugar. Next, new Nibbles Plates include fried Japanese smelt and Salt Of The Sea - a delightfully addictive combination of crispy fish skin and ratte potato chips with spiced Chinese vinegar. Spread across Small Plates and Big Plates are jewels such as the pressed watermelon infused with sangria; king prawns a la plancha - done with mushroom ragout, parsley and garlic; and a novel seafood fideau - a noodle version of paella, with fragrant prawn stock, seafood and tomatoes. The pressed watermelon is refreshingly chilled, with quite a hit of wine in it, while the noodle paella with its broken pieces of spaghetini simply soaked in all of the seafood flavours. For newcomers to Disgruntled Chef, the cuisine sidesteps formality by presenting serious food in creative new ways - through Small Plates and Big Plates that are ideal for tasting and sharing. 

Desserts comprise a technically accurate churros with pure hot chocolate dip, which Chef Sia learnt from a chef in Spain, and a laudable lemon posset of panna cotta-like consistency, nicely contrasted with stewed blueberries and honey thyme madeleines.

Disgruntled Chef, 26B Dempsey Road, 6476 5303, www.disgruntledchef.com

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