El restaurante español

I’ve never been a fan of octopus until I visited Portugal and Spain. Their rendition of this Great Tentacle yields a sweeter, softer, and smokier taste than the typical Asian renditions (partly due to the naturally smaller and sweeter-tasting species found in their warmer waters).

Since then, I have been craving for an octopus dish that would come close. Done well, it would strike a good balance of softness and chewiness that leaves a sweet flavour. Done badly, it would be limp, tough, and overly chewy. Thankfully, the Pulpo a la Brasa ($24) was done well here. It was fresh, juicy and charred just right. We chose a side of green asparagus which did not disappoint either - it was soft, juicy, and sweet - making it a perfect match to the octopus. The dish also came with a wonderful portion of grilled potatoes (which had a nice char) and a dollop of garlic mayo (which gave the dish a nice garlicky punch).

Probably our favourite dish for the night.

The Croquetas De Jamon ($11.90) was the very first dish presented to us, and boy, was it spectacular. It was a great way to start our evening of tapas.

The croquettes were unlike any that we had tasted before, and we were so happy in potato heaven that we would‘ve been contented just feasting on many more bites of them!

The crust was cooked to perfection - light and crispy, which protected the soft pillowy potato creaminess inside just waiting to explode in your mouth. It was such a delicate and tasty construction that left us pretty impressed. The Iberico ham that topped it was pretty standard, and we did wish for a more generous portion. Even so, the coquettes won our hearts.