El Cocinero

El Cocinero is easy to miss: it sits in a quiet corridor on the ground floor of the Novena Regency condominium on Thomson Road, with a handful of tables and sugar-skull decorations. Shi Shi has run it largely single-handed since 2018, and most diners find it by word of mouth.

The beef cheek taco and the pork pastor quesadilla are the dishes to order. The menu also lists barbacoa tacos made with lamb shoulder roasted in banana leaves for eight hours, a carnitas quesadilla, battered fish goujons, tortilla chips with guacamole and cooked green salsa, and vegetarian options. Peach carlotas make a simple dessert, and the table carries a range of hot sauces.

It suits a cheap, unhurried meal near Novena. Prices are low, with most dishes between S$5 and S$15. It is closed on Mondays and open from early afternoon to 11.30pm the rest of the week.