On the quietly elegant stretch of Tras Street in Singapore’s historic Chinatown, a modest sign outside a conserved white shophouse reads, LATIDO – A Taste of Colombia. Step inside, however, and what awaits is far more than a taste: it’s a deeply personal expression of memory, identity, and belonging. Earthy hues, handcrafted Nariño masks, and Mopa Mopa vases frame an open kitchen, where chef Fernando Arévalo brings to life his most intimate project yet.
Latido – Spanish for “heartbeat” – is the culmination of a culinary journey that began not in a professional kitchen, but at informal barbecues hosted by Arévalo during his student days at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. “I was studying engineering, but my real joy came from cooking for friends,” he recalls. “We’d set up makeshift grills, people would chip in for ingredients, and I’d cook. That’s how I first started thinking that food could be more than a hobby.”
That early improvisation would take on new form when Arévalo moved to New York in his twenties, landing behind the bar of a busy Brooklyn restaurant. The energy, chaos, and creativity of that environment left a lasting mark. “It was my first time seeing how a restaurant runs, how a kitchen breathes,” he recalls. “When you train under great masters everything is choreographed”.
Swapping his engineering textbooks, much to his father’s disapproval, Fernando enrolled at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. It was in Manhattan where Arévalo’s training began in earnest – first as bartender, sous chef, and later as Excecutive Chef under culinary heavyweights Daniel Boulud and Mario Batali. He absorbed all the classical technique while holding steadfast to his Colombian roots, a duality that has shaped every step of his career since.
After several moves within Asia, including a stint in Hong Kong, Arévalo arrived in Singapore in 2013 and quickly earned recognition for Preludio, a concept restaurant that explored “author’s cuisine,” grounded in a monochromatic menu constructed as a narrative rather than a list of ingredients. His follow-up, Bacatá, sought to distill Colombian flavors into the language of fine dining. Both projects earned acclaim for innovation, but for Arévalo, they left something unresolved. “I was chasing ideas,” he admits. “With LATIDO, I chase a feeling.”
There are no rotating themes at LATIDO, no conceptual detours. Instead, the menu is rooted in memory—dishes that evoke his early childhood, trips to the Sabana de Bogotá, and breakfasts in Bogotá’s historic La Candelaria. The Sopa Langosta reinvents the capital’s beloved Ajiaco, replacing shredded chicken with a lobster tail and introducing subtle ingredients for sweetness. “It’s not traditional,” he says, “but it gives me the same warmth I felt at home.” The plate is surprisingly accompanied with Colombia’s iconic papa criolla, sourced from the Andean highlands of Boyacá.
Sitting at the elongated bar facing cast iron skillets, Fernando hands me one of LATIDO’s standout starters: the Bocados de Tiradito. This vibrant dish showcases the kitchen’s flair for refined Colombian flavors with a pan-Latin twist. The Sawara—a buttery white fish—is gently cured in leche de tigre, a citrusy, mildly spicy marinade that awakens the palate. Topped with lime pearls that burst with acidity, the bocado served in small crispy baskets delivers a bright, elegant balance of heat and zing, maintaining the depth and precision that defines the chef’s culinary style.
Another highlight of the menu is the Pincho de Corazones: skewered chicken hearts marinated overnight, grilled until smoky, and served with a silky egg yolk and red wine reduction. “It’s my take on a Colombian favorite,” says Arévalo, as his dedicated team synchronizes the evolution of each dish. “They” – his eight-person team -“are the real protagonists of LATIDO,” remarks Fernando as he carefully grills a Colombian classic from Tolima, known as lechoncita, to perfection. The suckling pig is roasted for six hours and comes served with warm arepas and array of garnishes. As guests begin to filter in for the first seating of the night, LATIDO’s menu reflects the chef’s culinary ethos: “The soul of a people is in the recipe,” reads a small quote by the Catalán novelist Manuel Vázquez Montalbán.
And every plate tells a story: from the eight appetizers to choose from – including the Arepa de Choclo y Huevo, impeccably served with just the right balance between the ground corn cake and garnishes – to a house favorite, the rabbit Arepan Conejo, carefully balancing the subtle flavor of braised rabbit with pickled onions on a soft white corn arepa. A house showstopper is a crusty Pan de la Casa rye bread, glazed in a bacon fat and mushroom reduction. “It started at Preludio,” recalls Fernando. “Now, it’s a signature starter.”
If arepas are Fernando’s equivalent to “soul food,” the chef draws inspiration from every latitude of his native country: from the Pacific and Caribbean lowlands to the three cordilleras that make Colombia one of the most topographically and biodiverse countries on the planet. “Every Colombian has a version of food they remember,” highlights Arévalo as his 60-seat venue fills to capacity.
Though the chef launched his Colombian bakery– Boronas – inside Asia Square shortly before Latido, he views it as a casual extension rather than a centerpiece. “It’s more grab-and-go,” he says. “But Latido is where my heart is. This is the place where I can really express myself through food.”
And Latido is, above all, an act of cultural storytelling where every detail is curated to offer more than a meal. “This isn’t a museum of Colombian cuisine,” Arévalo insists. “It’s alive. It adapts. It moves.” And Asia has caught on to Fernando’s dream. Featured in leading publications across the region, and a fixture of the Michelin Guide, LATIDO is described by the prestigious guide “as a new spin on authentic Colombian flavours”.
One guest, in an Instagram post, put it eloquently: “The idea that a dish must remain frozen in time to be authentic ignores the very nature of culture itself- fluid, evolving, and deeply personal,” writes Caitanya Tan. “So, instead of drawing borders on a plate, why not acknowledge that the best flavors are born when cultures collide?”
Singapore, with its culinary openness, high street food standards, and multicultural palate, has embraced Arévalo’s vision. “Diners here are incredibly receptive,” he says. “They’re not looking to be impressed by awards or reviews. They look for honesty in food,” notes Arévalo. “That’s what I can offer.”
That truth also extends to the drinks list: tropical cocktails like the Esencia Andina – feijoa, gin, and herbs – sit alongside Latin American spirits and carefully curated wines from Chile and Argentina. “We’re introducing people to a side of Colombia they’ve never tasted,” Arévalo says.
With the soft vallenato of Carlos Vives emanating throughout the dining room, Arévalo’s guests are basking in a unique moment. As restaurant manager Syarvyna Yoveil discretely guides guests to their tables, it’s evident that LATIDO is not just a restaurant – but a meeting place, a reclamation of memories, a home far away from home. And in every cocktail or plate, there’s a rhythm that connects a past with the present, Bogotá and Singapore. “It took me years to get here. But now, with every dish, I feel close to home.” And on the final page of the menu, this pioneering chef says it best: “Con cariño, Fernando.”
LATIDO. 40 Tras Street.
Singapore, 078979
Plan your visit to LATIDO at www.latido.sg
INSTAGRAM: @latido.sg @cheffernandoarevalo
