At least half of what makes a meal good is how much you’re laughing as you eat. Sitting stony-silent as another plate of exquisite food is wordlessy plonked in front of you isn’t our idea of a good time. We laughed for our whole meal at Quemo, entertained by the Spanish staff who were alternately efficient, charming, buffoonish—and always hilarious. That’s half of a wonderful meal right there. And the food hardly fell short.
Thank heavens for Iberico & Co., the only tapas restaurant in SoHo right now that’s taking a stand against ridiculous prices and teeny portions.
This high-ceilinged, cavernous space is all wildly patterned Mediterranean tiles and funky aquamarine upholstery, with high tables facing the long bar at the front and lower tables extending out the back.
Gordon Ramsay protégé Jason Atherton seems primed to conquer Asia’s dining scene, what with buzz-generating openings like Waterhouse in Shanghai and Pollen Street Social, Esquina and Keong Saik Snacks in Singapore—all opened since 2010.
Another tapas restaurant is coming to town, this one headed by English chef Jason Atherton—whom our travel columnist Hana covered a few pages back. (He’s also launching a restaurant in Singapore. Busy man!)
Quick rundown on Mr. Atherton: he’s worked at Gordon Ramsay’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Maze, at the Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, and opened his own Michelin-starred restaurant Pollen Street Social—both in London—before expanding his brand to Asia, where he’s now popping out gastronomic ventures at record rates.
The one in Hong Kong is called 22 Ships, after its location in the Star Street Precinct, and it will be a tapas bar.
Stay tuned for details.
A much anticipated addition to Hong Kong’s booming tapas scene, Boqueria—the famed New York City tapas joint’s first branch outside of the US—entered LKF this fall with quite a lot of hype, so our expectations were high as we rolled in for dinner. Sporting a wood-based décor similar to that of the original New York Boqueria, the Hong Kong branch has a classy look and a fitting amount of noisiness that will remind you of its inspiration: its namesake Barcelona food market.
The newest Spanish tapas bar from NYC that just set up shop at LKF Tower. I’ll be heading over to try out the menu for real next week, but before then, all I can tell you is to expect dishes such as suckling pig, patatas bravas, grilled steaks and paellas as well as smaller bite-sized tapas. Seems like Boqueria’s really goin’ all out on the drinks as well, since there’ll also be Spanish specialties including sherry, cava and Estrella beer available, not to mention a quirky selection of lesser-known wines from the region. A dedicated mixologist will also be on site to stir up cocktails to your liking.
Vi Cool is the Spanish outlet of the Dining Concepts conglomerate and is part of a global chain of restaurants that originated from the coastal region of Costa Brava, Spain. Chef Sergio Arola is nominally at the helm of the Hong Kong branch, which is located inside busy Harbour City in a cozy and relatively quiet corner. The décor is eclectic and colorful, with cans and bottles lining the walls in a funky mosaic pattern, and black and shiny tables and seats filling up the hip, dark space (note: the place feels dark even during the day).
Not to miss the bandwagon, Dining Concepts continued their aggressive expansion with Vi Cool, a brand that comes straight from Madrid and is headed by Spanish chef Sergi Arola. On top of the usual tapas offered at this casual-chic resto, diners can also sample Catalan-style pizzas straight from a coal-fired oven.
As you walk into Plaza Mayor, the warm yellow colors and checked floors bring you back to a typical tapas bar in Spain. The laid-back environment here allows you to relax like a Spaniard.
In Spain, tapas are enjoyed with a glass of wine or two throughout the day and this feeling could be replicated at Plaza Mayor as signature dishes are recommended with different wines to ensure the best combinations. With a clear view of the kitchen, you can see the tapas made right in front of you.
The first restaurant of its kind in this Western District neighborhood, Tapaella Grill may not possess the trendy flashiness or the hipster vibe of the other newish tapas places in town (we don’t like to name names, but, you know, 22 Ships and Boqueria...). Inside, you’ll find a handful of tables, lots of red-colored décor and a picture of a flamenco dancer hanging on the wall.
The first restaurant of its kind in this Western District neighborhood, Tapaella Grill may not possess the trendy flashiness or the hipster vibe of the other newish tapas places in town (we don’t like to name names, but, you know, 22 Ships and Boqueria...). Inside, you’ll find a handful of tables, lots of red-colored décor and a picture of a flamenco dancer hanging on the wall.
This tiny tapas bar with simple gray tones and mosaic-tiled bar tables is co-owned by a family of Spaniards from Barcelona. One member is chef Edgar Sanuy Barahona, who’ll be cooking away in front of patrons pretty much the whole meal. Currently, BCN (short for Barcelona, natch) has only two menus to choose from: the regular Trip to Spain—which stays unchanged on the menu—for $580; and the more seasonal Pinxtos Party for $680.
This tiny tapas bar with simple gray tones and mosaic-tiled bar tables is co-owned by a family of Spaniards from Barcelona. One member is chef Edgar Sanuy Barahona, who’ll be cooking away in front of patrons pretty much the whole meal. Currently, BCN (short for Barcelona, natch) has only two menus to choose from: the regular Trip to Spain—which stays unchanged on the menu—for $580; and the more seasonal Pinxtos Party for $680.
Before the meal, we had our fingers crossed that WTF didn’t take its irreverent, quizzical name too literally. A new wine bar and Spanish/tapas restaurant in SoHo, the petite and dimly lit venue was pretty packed when we came down during dinner hour. Seated in a cozy corner of a long couch, we were faced with a giant work of art hanging on the wall, which featured a collage of film stills (from “Taxi Driver” to “Easy Rider”) that, though interesting, didn’t go very well with the overall romantic ambience.
A new wine bar and Spanish/tapas restaurant in SoHo, the petite and dimly lit venue was pretty packed when we came down during dinner hour. WTF has a rather impressive wine menu; from the sangria list, though more innovative choices such as WTF-branded, cava and virgin sangrias were on offer, we opted for the traditional and the white sangrias to see how they tackled the classics—and the results didn’t let us down.
I made a brief mention of View 62, Spanish chef Paco Roncero’s first project in Hong Kong, just before it opened. At the time, it was a bit of a mystery what the whole concept was going to be like, since nobody seemed to know—or wanted to give—the details. But now that I’ve actually been to the media tasting, I can assure our readers that the resto is exactly as you would expect it to be, which is posh fine dining in the style of the restaurant world’s latest craze: nouvelle cuisine (think deconstruction, foams, liquid nitrogen).
Opened by one of Spain's most influential chefs, Paco Roncero, View 62 is the city's only revolving restaurant, completing the 360 degrees turn, showing the view from Victoria Harbour to The Peak. The restaurant serves Spanish cuisine, with dishes and flavors that are unique to teh restaurant.
