CATALUNYA

I am not sure if El Bulli should take credit but Spanish tapas bars and restaurants are sprouting like wild fire in town.  I read an article titled 'Not Spanish Again?' which aptly describes the latest craze. Why?  I think the local palate can comfortably identify with the saltiness, oiliness, crispiness, sweetness ... not to mention rice as a staple, in Spanish cuisine. Then there is the coup de grace and that is, trendiness.  You mean you do not know the top 5 tapas bars?  You are lame, Maman!

We had a family dinner at Catalunya and it did not disappoint.  The Tapas were classics, we had; Cataluna Tartar of tomato which is their signature, beautifully marinated Cod Esqueixada, the finest Tortilla de Trampo of egg & potatoes, paper thin fillets of Cantabrian Anchovies bathed in top grade olive oil, and the ritual Calamares which must be the least impressive.

For Mains; like everyone else on their virgin tour, we ordered the Suckling Pig, a tad morbid as shown, the Lamb Shoulder, and the Red Mediterranean Prawns.  While the meats were top quality and perfectly cooked, the star went to the 4 prawns at an unabashedly $500 + 10%.  They were worth it though, prawns around our waters simply do not taste like the sea the way these red babies did.  The most pleasant surprises actually came from the Sides; grilled whole baby pineapple with a cinnamon stick at the core, roasted aubergine brushed with a tapanade of herb olives and, lastly, grilled cabbage top with a hint of Japanese yuzu juice ... all wonderful complements to our meal. Then Desserts; which definitely were not their strong suit. I passed, as I never developed a sweet tooth anyway.

Together with cocktails, a bottle of Agusti Sparkling White and a Les Crestes Red the damage was roughly $1000 per head. Not cheap, but I cannot say it is expensive either in the right context.

The 'Waterloo Award' of the evening must go to the understaffed Service Team.  They were well meaning, they tried very hard, but we could not detect any warmth. There were no smiles, and no engagement whatsoever.  There was this sullen waitress in-charge of cutting the suckling pigs at the table, with the edge of a bread plate!  Imagine the dialogue opportunities she sat on, with all the oohs & aahs ... sadly they went right over her head. Too bad, the evening could be even better if they loved us more, especially when we loved the food so much already.

CATALUNYA : GF Guardian House, Morrison Hill, 32 Oi Kwan Road (852) 2866 7901