Casa Mori review: Singaporean and Spanish flavours meet at Dempsey Hill

Chef Willin Low and chef Jose Alonso join forces at Casa Mori, Dempsey Hill’s new restaurant. Here's what to order and whether it's worth the trip.

Our team would travel anywhere for food, so a weekday evening trip to Dempsey Hill to check out Casa Mori felt like a no-brainer. This new restaurant in Singapore pairs chef Willin Low and chef Jose Alonso, bringing together contemporary Singaporean cuisine and Spanish culinary traditions. While it sounds promising on paper, does the partnership deliver where it matters most: on the plate? We’re about to find out…

Casa Mori review: Details at a glance

Best for: Unhurried meals and modern Singaporean-Spanish sharing plates
Must-try items: Kalipoquetas; garlic huajiao prawns; broccolini and Brussels sprouts; squid ink fried rice; mochi churros
How much: Set lunch from $35++; brunch and a la carte from $14; drinks from $4.50
Opening hours: Weekdays, 11.30am to 2.30pm & 5.30pm to 10.30pm and weekends, 11am to 10pm (till 10.30pm on Saturdays)
Address: Casa Mori, #01-17, 11 Dempsey Road, Singapore 249673

Designed for slow evenings and long conversations

Casa Mori is a portmanteau of Spanish and Japanese words meaning “home” and “forest” respectively, so you can imagine the space. Warm and inviting, with potted foliage around the restaurant for a touch of nature. It felt like an extension of Dempsey Hill brought indoors.

It was evening when my colleague and I arrived, the vibe shifting as we made our way to our table. Decibels dialled down to a considerable hush, while the lights dimmed to a warm, yellow glow, an indication for guests to slow down and settle in for an unhurried meal.

My favourite design element is the angular lines on the walls and pillars, adding a bit of structure to a cosy, relaxed space. This was intentional, helping divide the room into various dining nooks. The arched windows made it feel like I was unwinding in a summer home somewhere far from Singapore’s humidity.

Overall, it looked like an inspo ripped from the pages of Home & Decor: simple and minimalist with a dash of warmth for good measure. The idea also translated well into the logo.

A menu that bridges two culinary worlds

Casa Mori’s menu is where you get to sample the best of Singapore and Spain on one plate. Don’t be fooled by the term “large plates” – everything’s sized for sharing between two people, especially if neither is a particularly big eater.

Dinner kicked off with kalipoquetas ($16), crispy croquettes filled with chicken curry and topped with curry aioli. Depending on your spice tolerance, it can either be too much or too mild. My colleague and I landed in different camps: while it was too spicy for her, I thought it was “just nice.” But for its price point, I wished there were a couple more pieces.

The spiciness continued with the garlic huajiao prawns ($32), featuring Szechuan pepper for a fiery kick. The prawns were cooked just right and soaked up the confit garlic deliciously. Toasted bread accompanied the seafood, which we used to mop up the remaining gravy.

It’s not an Asian dinner in Singapore without the mandatory rice dish, and at Casa Mori, it came in the form of squid ink fried rice ($38). We were almost fooled by how it looked, but thankfully, the rice wasn’t dry. The onsen egg added a creamy element, while the tobiko packed in flavour overall.

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Come hungry for the bigger plates

In your proteinmaxxing era? Go on and order the spring chicken ($36) for the table. Cooked in the Josper oven to a beautiful finish, the roasted bird was smoky and juicy, with the ginger relish lending a refreshing, mildly spicy lift. We also had the black cod with Chinese olive mustard leaf and Japanese takana ($38), which also played up the Asian influences well.

While Casa Mori’s selection of greens isn’t extensive, we deliberated for some time before settling on the broccolini and Brussels sprouts ($24). My colleague confessed she only eats them if they are crispy – and we weren’t disappointed. Consider this the penultimate dish before the sweets.

It was finally time for desserts, and we had the mochi churros and black sesame cheesecake (both $16). After sampling both treats, we agreed that the mochi churros won by a large margin. We liked the chewy centre, and they weren’t heavily coated with sugar. The kaya dip was an interesting choice, though nothing beats rich chocolate sauce. (No hate to the cheesecake, but I personally didn’t like the grainy texture and found myself putting my spoon down after a couple of bites.)

Is Casa Mori at Dempsey worth the trek?

I reckon there must have been a good reason why chef Willin and chef Jose specifically chose Dempsey Hill to set up Casa Mori. While the location might make many pause (it’s not the easiest place to get to, let’s be real), I say don’t let that stop you from dropping by, even if just once.

Casa Mori goes above and beyond with its interior design, creating the sort of space that encourages guests to linger a little longer over dinner. Thankfully, the food holds up its end of the bargain too. From the smoky spring chicken to the mochi churros, the menu proves that the Singaporean-Spanish pairing is more than a clever concept.

Think of this fresh spot as elevated home-cooked food, except it’s prepared by world-class chefs. If you’re looking for an unhurried meal away from the city’s usual pace, this is one address worth adding to your list.

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