Cafe Iguana, Riverside Point

Aileen's fiance, Bill, has moved here to Singapore from Dubai and he wanted to treat us Saturday night dinner to celebrate his first salary and his new career here. Zach and I went to the gym first to burn some calories before our mexican feast hehe.

While waiting for Bill and Aileen to arrive, they gave us a free serving of corn chips and salsa. I'm not sure if it's homemade but it was ok. It was a bit thicker compared to regular corn chips and was perfect with the salsa.

There was a lot of people but we were lucky to have had a nice outdoor seat. The view was magnificent. It was right beside the river overlooking neighbouring Clarke Quay.

The bar was a sight to behold with all the liquor stacked up high on the walls. According to their website, they get their handcrafted beer from Brewerkz Microbrewery, a restaurant just a few shops away.

Zach ordered "Shredded Steak Soft Taco" (S$18.99) - Handmade corn tortillas, traditional shredded cabbage garnish, lime cream and pico de gallo and side dishes of beans and lime-scented cilantro rice. The presentation was nice but once you start eating it, it got a little inconvenient because you have to wrap the tacos on your own. Also, I'm not sure if this is a different variety because from my experience soft taco normally doesn't come with rice.

Aileen ordered "Ancho-dusted Fried Calamari" (S$12.99) - Tender fried squid with mole verde. The breading was very nice and crisp but it was a bit bland. Quite interesting, though, was the bed of mole verde beneath the calamari. I researched the net and found out mole verde is a spicy Mexican condiment which is a mixture of pumpkin seeds (pepitas), ground nuts and sesame seeds, tomatillos, green chile peppers (typically poblano or serrano), spices, soybean oils, bread or crackers (wheat flour and corn starch), sugar, and other seasonings.

Bill ordered "Flank Steak Fajitas" (S$23.99) - Sizzling platter served with flour tortillas, sautéed onions and peppers, sour cream and guacamole. This was my favorite out of all the dishes. I always love the idea of interactive food, where you get to assemble your own fajita as you wish. The steak was also very tasty.

I had the "Shredded Steak Burrito" (S$19.99) - Served with lime-scented cilantro rice, b0rracho beans and cheddar mozzarella cheese.

The portion for this dish was quite big, probably good enough for 2 people. There was a lot of rice and steak and it was really filling. My only problem was it tasted the same as the soft taco. Plus, it lacks that mexican kick that mexican food usually has. Not the best burrito I've ever tasted, to be honest.

The El Yucateco extra hot sauce (the one in the middle) has got to be the spiciest, chilliest, hottest chili sauce I have ever tasted in my whole entire existence, hands down!!! God it was so spicy my mouth was burning for at least 10 mins after I tasted it. Moreover, I felt my stomach rumble as soon as I swallowed it. It was that hot!! Too hot actually it ruined my taste buds for a while. Cholula tasted like tomato sauce after that goddamn yucateco.

Overall, Cafe Iguana was a bit disappointing. I didn't taste like authentic Mexican fare. Cha Cha Cha in Holland Village is so much better. Plus service was a bit slow. Though I really enjoyed the view and ambiance, it was really breath-taking. Thanks for dinner, Bill and welcome to Singapore!

Here is my rating for Cafe Iguana-
Ambiance - 5.0
Service - 2.5
Food - 2.0
Presentation - 3.0
Value for Money - 2.5
OVERALL - 3.0

30 Merchant Road
#01-03 Riverside Point
Singapore 058282
Tel: (65) 6236 1275 Sorry, we’re unable to accept reservations after 7pm. Walk-ins only.
Opening Hours
Mon - Thurs: 6pm - 1am
Fri & Eve of PH: 6pm - 3am
Sat: 12pm - 3am
Sun: 12pm - 1am

"Live, Love & Eat!"